Oh heyyyy guys! I didn't feel like packing anymore, so I took a break and wrote another chapter! My procrastination is your reward! lol Anyway, I hope you enjoy! Please review! xoxo
Gabriella woke the next morning with her head on her own pillow and Michael's arm around her waist, pleasantly warm. She thought about staying in bed, but looked at her watch and saw it was 9:30am, and decided that she should probably get up. She moved out from under Michael's arm slowly, not wanting to wake him.
Tiptoeing across the room she grabbed a pair of her linen pants and pulled them on before turning back to check that Michael was still asleep. She smiled when she saw him spread out in the bed, his face soft, young, and so human looking. He snored loudly and she covered her mouth, suppressing her giggles, before leaving the room.
Gabriella headed back to the library and began scouring the walls for more books in angel. Awhile later she had scoured the entire library and only found two more books, setting them down on the table. She stood and looked at the table, noting the drawers in it. It was really more of a desk, she thought.
She pulled three of the four drawers open and found random papers and mess, but the fourth drawer was locked. She knelt down and examined the lock, and ran back to her room, grabbing some bobby pins and then ran back to the desk. She quickly picked the lock and pulled the drawer open, taking out a large leatherbound notebook.
She laid it on the desk and opened it. The first page was in a combination of angel and English, making her believe it was some sort of translation. Excited, she sat down and began to try and read the book.
A few hours later Gabriella looked up at the sound of footsteps and smiled when she saw Michael standing in the doorway. His hair was mussed and his eyes were still sleepy, making him look, well, adorable, she thought. Looking at her watch she was startled to realize it was now almost 11, and she hadn't eaten since last night.
She waved him over, "Take a look at this journal, it looks like a translation." Michael ran a hand through his hair as he walked over and leaned against the desk, reading the notebook.
He nodded as he read, "You are correct, this is a translation."
Smiling in triumph Gabriella stood, "Why don't you work on this while I make us some breakfast? And then I'll check your stitches." Michael nodded absently; he was already becoming engrossed in the notebook.
Gabriella went to the kitchen and gathered some of the oats they had packed, some cinnamon and some dried out honey from the pantry, combining the ingredients in a small pot until they were fully cooked. She took a tentative bite and was pleased with the taste. She grabbed both bowls and headed back to the library.
Michael nodded his thanks for the bowl of oatmeal and pointed to the notepad she had been writing in, "Did you do this translation work?"
Gabriella nodded, "How did I do?"
Michael shrugged, "Surprisingly well" he said, shoveling oatmeal into his mouth.
Gabriella grinned, "Cool. Can I keep helping?"
Michael nodded, and around his mouthful of food said, "Of course, if you would like to."
Gabriella smiled brightly at him and grabbed one of the books off of the table and dragged the leather armchair over to the desk. She settled across from him and began to study the book earnestly. Soon, she was engrossed, her brow furrowing. Michael ate his oatmeal, working on the translation, and also stealing glances at Gabriella.
Her long black hair had been braided off to the side, and small pieces hung around her face. She would occasionally run a hand through her hair, loosening the braid, making him wish he could be the one to wind his fingers through the silky mass. –FOCUS- he scolded himself, turning his attention back to the books.
Hours passed without either noticing or even moving. When Gabriella finally stood to stretch she looked at her watch and saw that it was now almost 3:30pm. Where had the day gone? She looked to Michael and realized she still needed to check his stitches.
"Hey, I'm going to go get my medical supplies and we are going to check your stitches. Then we are going to gather some ocean water, boil it, and get clean. That is going to make both of us feel better."
Michael looked up from his work and nodded, "Ok, if you insist."
Gabriella rolled her eyes and laughed, "I do, I really, really do."
She went back to her room and grabbed her smaller kit of supplies. She headed back to the library and found Michael sitting on the edge of the table, his shirt removed. She leaned in and inspected the wound; it was slightly red around the edges, but not inflamed or dangerous looking. She decided that the stitches from the long scratch could come out then and quickly began to remove them, glancing up to Michael, whose eyes were closed.
She stopped and stood up straight, laying a hand on his uninjured shoulder, "Hey, you ok? You need to take a break?"
Michael kept his eyes closed and shook his head, "No, I just dislike the sensation, and it helps not to watch." Gabriella nodded, she understood, she felt the same way about stitches in her own body. She moved quickly, tugging out the stitches and then wiped down the scratch and the stab wound with iodine.
She blew on the iodine to dry it, whispering, "sorry!" when Michael shuddered. She stood straight and smiled at him, "You can open your eyes, I'm all done."
Michael nodded, "Thank you Gabriella" and pulled his shirt back on.
Gabriella gathered up her supplies and then grinned at Michael, "You feeling up to helping me haul some water?"
Michael stared at her, "Why?"
She shook her head, "So we can boil it and use it to get clean."
Michael sighed, "How do you propose we do that?"
She shrugged, "We haul it up here, boil it in that huge stockpot in batches and then pour it into the bathtubs. Easy!" Michael gave her a look that said he didn't think it would be so easy, but agreed to her plan anyway. For the next two hours they hauled water, boiled it, and then poured out the fresh water into their tubs. Gabriella grabbed one of the bars of soap from her bathroom and hauled another stockpot of water into the bathroom. They had decided to store water in the bathrooms so they could get clean.
Her bathtub was only about ½ full, but it was amazing. Even at room temperature, the sensation of being able to get clean made her break out into a huge smile. Washing her hair first, and then the rest of her, Gabriella scrubbed her whole body intent on getting rid of the skuzzy feeling that had been nagging her. When she was done she wrapped a towel around her hair and around her body. The water was actually grey… "gross!" she muttered before letting it out of the tub.
She pulled on fresh underwear and bra, tank top and her linen pants from earlier. She grabbed her father's sweater and walked down the hall to the patio, she wanted to sit and enjoy the sight of the ocean. Michael found her there a short time later after he too had cleaned up. He had to admit he felt much better. Gabriella was sitting watching the waves below, running her fingers through her damp hair, wondering what this view would be like every day.
Michael had stopped in the kitchen and heated up some soup, and as he sat down beside Gabriella, he handed her a bowl, which she accepted with a grateful smile. As a cool breeze whipped across the porch Gabriella moved closer to Michael.
"What?!" she asked at his glance down at her. "It's chilly!" He said nothing but shifted so his hip pressed against hers, offering her more warmth.
She pointed to the ocean, "It's so beautiful. Could you imagine living here and seeing it every day?"
Michael nodded, "It was far more beautiful when my Father first created it. I was able to see the evolution of so many creatures, see the land change. It was so violent at times, but each change was more beautiful than the last." He smiled faintly when he saw her staring at him, "Why do you stare?"
Gabriella blushed, "I'm sorry, you're just good at describing things, and it makes me wish I had been able to see them the way you did."
Michael ducked his head and then looked out to the ocean, "I wish that could have been as well. You would have found so much joy in the world that was." Gabriella nodded; she thought that was probably true. They sat in silence, finishing their soup.
Gabriella stood and reached a hand out, "Gimme your bowl, it's my turn." Michael handed her his bowl with a nod of thanks.
She went to the kitchen and washed the bowls before heading back to the patio, "I'm going to go work on translation some more."
Michael nodded, "I will scout the area and make sure our presence is still unknown." Gabriella opened her mouth to say something but her words died as he took off into the sky.
"Oookay then!" she muttered with a light laugh.
Gabriella was still in the library hours later when something caught her attention. Was that….voices? She rose, and ran to her room, grabbed her 9mm and ran silently to the living room, where the voices seemed to be centered. She peeked around the corner and saw Michael on the patio with another man, with wings. Shit!
He looked too human to be an 8ball…her heart raced was this Gabriel? She steadied her hands and knew there was only one way to find out. She tucked the gun under her sweater and walked calmly out onto the patio.
"Brother, you are a fool if you think there is anyone to save us, or Heaven!" the other man was shouting at Michael. Gabriella moved to stand beside Michael, who glanced at her and then focused his attention back to Gabriel.
"Just because it is a prophecy we were not aware of does not make it untrue!" Michael argued back.
When the other angel's wings popped out in frustration Gabriella took a step forward and raised a warning hand, "Stop. Who are you?"
The angel gave her a once over and then laughed, "I am the archangel Gabriel, and who are you to stand between my brother and I?"
She felt Michael's hand rest on her arm, but shook him off. She took another step forward, "My name is Gabriella Hasan. And I will stand between Michael and you because I am here to protect him."
Gabriel laughed at this, "You?! A tiny human woman?" His laughter grew, "Your parents must have hated you to name you after me, or they were my acolytes. Which was it?"
Gabriella raised her chin, her anger growing. "My parents died protecting me from your followers, and they named me as they did because they had hopes that someday the name Gabriel wouldn't be hated or feared, that there would be honor in it again. You were one of God's most trusted, and yet you have made war against humanity, his favored creation. How dare you. Did you ever stop to think that if you ended this war against humanity and tried to guide us that perhaps God would return? That he would look on you with favor and love again?"
Gabriel stared at her in shocked silence and then laughed bitterly, looking to Michael, "You told her of father?" He shook his head and tried to take a step forward, but was met with Gabriella's gun in his face.
"If you take another step, I will drop you. If you continue to threaten Michael, I will end you. I will stand between you, and you will get to him over my dead body, and even then my corpse will trip you." Her eyes blazed with anger, and Gabriel took a step backwards, his hands raised.
He assessed her again and then smirked over her shoulder at Michael, "Brother, your latest conquest has far more backbone than any of the others."
Michael stiffened, "She is no conquest Gabriel. She is far too important to humanity for that, and if you continue to threaten her and do not leave, I will kill you myself."
Gabriel smirked and then bowed at them both, before taking off into the sky. Gabriella kept her gun trained on him until he was too tiny to see. Gabriella kept her eyes trained on the sky as she spoke, "So, that's your brother huh? He's kind of a crazy asshole."
She turned and faced Michael, who nodded, "You wouldn't be the first to state that."
Gabriella laughed, "Probably not the last either" she sighed, "So do you really think I'm that important? I'm just a doctor Michael."
Michael laid a hand on her arm, "I always knew you were important. From the first time I saw you arguing for more supplies in the hospital in front of the Senate, to when you faced down Consul Whele, I knew. I didn't know how, or why, but I knew. I do know that I can't do this without you."
Gabriella stared at him for a long moment and then re-holstered her gun, sighing. "Thank you for believing in me. I-I'm going to head to bed. Goodnight." She made a quick exit, grabbing the Harry Potter book from the library before settling into her bed to read. She couldn't focus. Was that why she had felt those sparks when she touched Michael's skin? Was it because she was meant to do something, and it was related to the angel? She ran a hand through her hair, frustrated. She looked at the clock, surprised to see that hours had passed and it was now 10pm. She swung out of bed and walked through the empty house, feeling like it was too large and too small at the same time.
She wandered into the library and stood watching Michael hard at work, his brow furrowed as he read. She knocked on the frame of the door and he looked up.
Gabriella sighed, "I can't sleep" sighing again, "Scratch that, I can't sleep alone apparently. I feel so…solitary." Michael stared at her for a long moment and then stood, turning off the gas lamp before walking to her.
She walked back to her room and pulled off her pants and slid beneath the covers in her father's sweater. Michael stripped off his own shirt and climbed under the covers, this time more prepared for when Gabriella moved to snuggle against his chest. She lay quietly for a moment and then rested a hand on his chest, tilting her head back to look at him, "Will today make your brother come after us more?"
Michael thought for a moment, "I don't think so. He's crazy as you stated, but his goal isn't to kill me. His followers tend to get out of hand." Gabriella nodded and rested her forehead against his chest, breathing in the scent of the soap he had used to wash with. She sighed, she felt so weak to be unable to sleep without Michael by her side, but she couldn't deny that his presence was calming. She settled into his arms, which had curled around her naturally, and began to relax, falling asleep gradually.
Michael had been in disbelief when Gabriella had come out onto the patio and had put herself between him and Gabriel. He had been even more in disbelief when Gabriel had seemed intimidated and impressed by her. Michael was certain that Gabriel would be back, and would be interested in Gabriella. He would just have to protect her at all costs. He felt her relax in his arms, and heard her breathing even out, telling him she was asleep.
This was the first woman he had enjoyed or even wanted to cuddle with. He had always loved a woman, left her satisfied, and left. Now he found himself equally in the position of not wanting to try and sleep without her. He brushed a finger lightly across her cheek, pushing her hair off of her face and rubbed it between his fingers.
He groaned softly when Gabriella wedged her leg in between his, nestling closer. Her long lean body was pressed so pleasantly against his, but he couldn't move. He felt paralyzed by want. Eventually he rolled onto his back and was able to get comfortable; one hand curled around Gabriella's back, the other holding onto the thigh that was slung over his waist. He drifted off to sleep, and the last image he saw before his eyes stayed closed for the night was her face.