Ok guys, it's a long one...but i think it's what you've been waiting for! Thank you for reading! Please review! xoxo
The next morning Gabriella turned over in bed and was surprised to see Michael still in bed. He usually liked to be up first, to go out and scout and practice with his swords. She was happy to see him though, and she smiled at seeing how relaxed his face was in sleep. He had been stressed and anxious, watching her this past week, as though waiting for her to drop into another coma-like state. It had taken a toll on them both, making him wary and her frustrated at his hovering. She traced her fingertips across his sharp cheekbone and smiled down at him when his eyes fluttered open. His ocean blue eyes met hers, and a sleepy smile spread across his face.
"Good morning "she whispered softly. Michael reached a hand up and returned her gesture, stroking her cheek, "good morning, did you sleep well?"
Gabriella nodded and turned her head, placing a kiss into his palm. She smiled at him, "We need to leave today. I was able to read the book last night, and I know what is going to happen. We need to get going and talk to Alex."
Michael sat up and pulled her into his lap, wrapping his arms around her waist, "Why the urgency to leave?"
Gabriella laid a hand on his shoulder, "Let's get up and get dressed, and go get Alex and I'll tell you both."
Michael smirked at her, dropping a kiss on her shoulder before releasing her, "You are a frustrating woman."
Gabriella smirked back, "One of the reasons you love me, I'm sure." They quickly dressed and packed their clothing before heading out to wake Alex up and deliver the news that they would be leaving soon.
Gabriella went and woke Alex while Michael loaded their supplies into the Humvee, preparing for their imminent departure. She told Alex that they needed to leave that day and he needed to pack quickly; she would explain to them both downstairs what she had discovered last night. When both Alex and Michael were in the kitchen, she smiled at them; she could see that they were anxious to know what was going on.
"So, last night I was able to read from the book. It was…interesting." She said with a grim twist to her mouth. Michael's brows furrowed at her expression, and Alex looked troubled as well at her tone, but both waited for her to speak.
Gabriella took a breath and spoke, "So it appears that my family was supposed to die…the book said that on my 18th birthday I would suffer a great tragedy, a great test, and if I passed, I would spend the next decade coming to understand why humanity and heaven needs to be saved." Gabriella took a shaky breath, having learned her parents were always meant to die had been heart wrenching.
"It also said that at the close of the decade I will face the fallen angel, and without the spear of heaven, I will perish." Gabriella hesitated at what came next, Michael and Alex both had stricken and worried looks on their faces. "The end of the decade and my 28th birthday is in a month and a half, and in that time, we have to cross the country, and find the spear, and I have to fight Gabriel." She waited a few moments for the news to sink in.
Michael was worried of course, but he also knew that worrying would make Gabriella upset and he still had to protect Alex as well.
Alex was thoughtful, but worried about Gabriella. He knew how strong she was, but he feared that this new destiny of hers was going to lead to her death, which would in turn destroy Michael.
"Ok, let's get going, we need to scavenge some more food if possible." Gabriella motioned for the men to follow her out of the house. They moved through the small town, searching the houses, eventually finding enough food for another week to add to their supplies. They began their journey, driving toward Vega, with the intent of stopping there for a very short time to resupply and head back out.
They had been driving for three days when they finally reached Vega, tired, dirty, and in need of supplies. As they reentered the city, they could see black marks on the outer walls where Gabriel and 8balls had attacked.
Gabriella and Alex stumbled out of the car, giving each other grins as their stiff bodies adjusted to not being cooped up. Michael joined them, stretching his wings, he felt like going for a long flight, but knew they needed the time to resupply.
"I'll see you guys soon, meet back here in like 4 hours?" Alex asked. Michael nodded, "Yes, please be as quick as possible." Alex nodded and took off as quickly as possible, eager to be with Claire.
Michael turned to Gabriella, and stared at her, wondering if she would go to see Ben. What she and he had was new, maybe she would run back to Ben.
Gabriella turned from watching Alex walk away and was troubled to see the look on Michael's face. He looked…scared, like he was about to lose something. It took a moment for her to realize that they were back in Vega, which he probably thought meant that she would go see Ben. She walked up to Michael and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing a soft kiss to his lips, "Hey, do you want to come with me while I do laundry and get cleaned up?"
Michael felt warmth run through him, knowing she was offering because she could tell he was insecure about Ben. He scoffed at himself, him, jealous of a human? But here he was, worried that the man would steal her back.
Michael shook his head, "No, I have my own supplies to stock up on and a shower to take. I'll be by your place later. Thank you for the offer though." He brushed a kiss across her lips, feeling her smile before she turned out of his embrace, grabbed her bag and headed to her house.
Gabriella walked quickly to her house, and smiled when she walked inside, the familiar smell of her home welcoming her. She quickly dumped her clothes into the washer and shucked her clothes into the washer before getting into the shower. Gabriella laughed at the sheer pleasure of getting clean; she hadn't had a proper shower since the last time they were in Vega, only sponge baths.
After her shower Gabriella rotated her laundry to the dryer and tossed another load in before she began working on something to eat. She realized she only had frozen leftover meals and sighed, before grabbing a container of pasta with alfredo sauce, broccoli, peas and chicken. She ran it under some warm water and then tossed it into a skillet, covering the pan, and walked to her room to get dressed.
She pulled on her favorite pair of sweats, a sports bra, and a flowy top with long sleeves, in a beautiful kiwi green. She began repacking her large canvas bag, adding more sweaters for when they went north, since it was already October, it would be getting much colder in the desert at night as well.
She could hear the food sizzling and went to check on it, her stomach rumbling when she removed the lid and the deeply scented steam wafted into her face. After testing to make sure the chicken was done, she quickly wolfed down two plates of food, her stomach growling in pleasure.
Once she finished eating she stored the leftovers back in the cleaned out container, knowing that extra food for the road today would be good. She heard the timer on the drier go off and went to take out the clothes when she heard a knock at the front door. Thinking it was Michael she skipped to the door, opening it with a "Hey handsome" and a large smile that quickly died when she saw it was Ben.
He smiled at her, "Well hello to you too." Gabriella stood in the doorway awkwardly, not sure what to say.
Ben's smile faded quickly, before being replaced with an awkward half frown, "Uh, can I come in?"
Gabriella hesitated, "I don't think that's a great idea Ben." She motioned over her shoulder, "I'm just here for another hour and then we are leaving again."
Ben stared at her, confused and hurt. He knew when she had said goodbye the last time that they had left things in a place that had seemed awkward, but he had thought that it was just because she was scared of being hurt or dying on their mission.
Gabriella sighed, "I'm sorry Ben, but I am leaving with Michael shortly."
Ben raised a brow, "Michael? You call him by his first name?" Gabriella could see the jealousy on his face and sighed, frustrated, men were so fucking useless sometimes.
"Ben, Michael and I are together. We love each other, and we are leaving today." Gabriella felt terrible at the expression on Ben's face, but knew the words had needed to be spoken. Ben shook his head and then reached out to tug on a piece of her hair, "You need medical supplies?"
Gabriella nodded, they were dangerously low. Ben looked at her sadly, "I'll be back in 30."He walked away, his shoulders carrying his sadness. Gabriella watched him go, feeling sorrow at the loss of his friendship, for she knew that after this, they would never be close again.
Gabriella went back inside and began to fold her dry clothes, tossing the freshly washed load into the dryer. 40 minutes later as she was folding the other load of laundry and packing it into her bag, she heard Ben knocking at her door. She opened the door and saw no one there.
Looking around puzzled, she saw a duffle bag on the ground, bulging with medical supplies. She grabbed the bag and brought it inside, examining its contents, smiling softly when she found a note. –Dear Gabriella, Thank you for bringing light and love into my life. I am so grateful to have had you in my life, even for a short period of time. Please be safe, please come back, and please know that I loved you. Yours, Ben.- Gabriella wiped a tear from her cheek, loss always hurt, even if the loss was a small one.
She finished up her packing, changed into her skinny jeans, pulled on her boots and a bomber jacket, slung her bag over her shoulder and locked the door behind her.
"Can I carry that for you?" Michael's voice came from behind her, and when she turned, she saw him holding a hand out for her bag. Gabriella passed him the large canvas bag and kept the small duffle full of medical supplies on her shoulder. Michael could see the sadness on her face and knew that Ben had come to see her.
He wrapped her hand in his, squeezing it gently. She gave him a weak smile before returning the squeeze. They walked silently to the east gate, where they loaded the supplies into the humvee and waited for Alex to show.
After Alex came they loaded into the humvee and prepared for departure. Gabriella grabbed Michael's arm, "Wait, I-I hear something…" she cocked her head…she could hear the slight humming noise that she had learned meant that an angel was approaching.
She gave Michael a wide eyed looked, "Shit! Michael, an angel…an 8ball is coming!" He leapt out of the car and flew to the top of the wall, alerting the guards to the incoming threat.
Gabriella grabbed the handle of the humvee as the humming noise intensified into a screeching. "Michael!" she shouted, "Michael, there are more coming!"
Michael looked out over the horizon, and saw at least 4 8balls headed towards the walls of Vega. He told the guards to be prepared and waited for the automatic guns to train onto the incoming 8balls. He flew down to the humvee and pulled the door shut, starting it, and drove it madly towards the gate.
They drove away as fast as possible, hearing the guns firing in the distance, taking out the 8balls. Gabriella felt the screeching subside to a humming, and looked back, seeing an 8ball pursuing them.
"Shit! We've got one on our tail boys!" She shouted. Alex grabbed a machine gun from the back and leaned out the window, firing up at the 8ball. It screeched, weaving away, and then coming back. Gabriella pulled out her 9mm and leaned out the window, firing at the 8ball as well. Between her and Alex, they finally brought it down, speeding away into the desert.
Two days later
Alex and Gabriella stood by the side of the road, sweating in the heat. They humvee had overheated, and they were waiting while Michael went to try and find coolant for the tank. Alex opened the back of the humvee, sitting in the shade, which was about two degrees cooler than the outside. Gabriella sat beside him and inspected their tattoos side by side, before asking, "Does Claire ever get upset over your tattoos?"
Alex looked at her surprised, "No. Does Michael get upset at yours?"
She shook her head, "No, I just wondered. He…I know he loves me, but I worry that he doesn't like them, or that he would prefer me the way I used to be."
Alex shook his head, "I don't think that's possible. He loves you like…like lungs love air. He needs you."
Gabriella laughed, "How very poetic of you Alex."
Alex laughed too, "Hey, I'm a pretty poetic guy! You've just never seen me without a gun."
Gabriella smirked, "Ok, woo me with some sonnets then."
Alex doubled over with laughter, "Oh man, no way, I save the good stuff for Claire. You are too much like a sister for me to do that."
Gabriella laughed as well, "Okay, okay. So tell me more about Claire, how are things?"
Alex sighed, "She's mad at me for leaving again. She thinks that since I am meant to save humanity, I should stay in Vega, where the humanity is." He sighed, frustrated, rubbing a hand over his neck, "I don't know. Maybe I should have stayed."
Gabriella lay a hand on his forearm, "Hey, we need you here. We can't do this alone." Alex nodded his head, keeping quiet.
They sat in silence for a long time, taking turns sleeping as the sun slowly set. Alex shook Gabriella's arm, rousing her out of her soft sleep, "Hey, Gabriella, hey Michael's back!" Gabriella sat up, feeling her angel sense humming loudly. She stood and peered into the distance and saw Michael plus two 8balls fast on his back.
She reached into the back of the humvee and grabbed the sniper rifle, climbing on top of the humvee, setting herself up to pick off the 8balls. Gabriella fired, taking out the wings of the 8balls, dropping them to the ground. Alex ran out and quickly double tapped each of them to the head.
Michael landed in front of the humvee, stumbling slightly, his wings drooping in exhaustion. Gabriella climbed down from the humvee and tossed the gun inside, running to check on Michael.
"Are you alright?" Gabriella asked, worriedly running her hands over his chest and arms, checking for any damage.
Michael nodded, "I'm fine. Just tired." He smiled at her tiredly and handed her a container of coolant before going to sit in the humvee. Gabriella poured the coolant into the tank and closed the hood, before sliding behind the wheel. Alex ran up to the humvee and climbed into the passenger seat. Gabriella drove for an hour before they found an abandoned gas station, pulled around the back, and hid the humvee under a tarp.
After thoroughly clearing the inside of gas station, they bunked down, Michael and Alex crashing hard after the adrenaline crash. Gabriella lay beside Michael, unable to sleep, and finally stood quietly and went outside.
She stood looking up at the stars, and wondered where this journey was going to take them. She felt her tattoo on her left forearm swirl and looked down, seeing that it now read, "Follow the sun, look for the sign of three." She stared at the message before it disappeared and then laughed, guessing God or the scribe, or whoever, couldn't make this easy. Eventually she went back inside to lie down beside Michael, waiting for sleep to take her.
The next day
Despite rising early and taking turns driving, they were making horrible time. They had been plagued by 8balls since their departure, having to stop and take them out at least 4 times. It was only mid day and they were already sore, tired and covered in grime. They were currently stopped, fighting of a pack of 8balls. Gabriella was fighting an 8ball hand to hand, and was struggling, trying to get a shot at his heart with her knife.
She kneed the 8ball hard in the groin, and then punched it in the throat before stabbing it in the heart. As it dropped she whipped her gun out and put a bullet in its head. She turned and saw that Alex and Michael were each fighting an 8ball. She ran to help Alex, knowing Michael was fully able to fight on his own. As she ran to help Alex the 8ball expanded its wings, buffeting her, knocking her to the pavement.
She tried to roll, and ended up smacking the side of her face against the pavement, stunning her. She lay, stunned for a few minutes, until she felt her head clear of the humming noise and knew both 8balls were dead. Michael was at her side instantly, helping her to her feet and into the humvee. Michael drove another 50 miles before finding an abandoned farm house for them to hunker down in.
After unpacking slightly, Gabriella was making dinner for the group when she was suddenly overcome by pain, her tattoos writhing and changing, but no message appeared. Gabriella dropped to her knees with a scream, overwhelmed by pain before passing out. Alex and Michael ran into the kitchen to find Gabriella on the floor, her tattoos still, her skin icy, her eyes flickering behind the lids. Michael picked her up gently and carried her to the bedroom upstairs, laying her gently on the bed.
-Gabriella was in the forest from before, and once again, God stood before her, clothed in white. This time however he looked like he wasn't expecting her. "I wasn't expecting to see you so soon my dear" he said with a troubled look.
Gabriella laughed, "Well I didn't exactly ask to be here." He frowned and grabbed her wrist, examining her tattoos. At his touch, she fell to the ground, her bones humming.
He nodded, "The change is happening."
Gabriella felt a bolt of fear, "What change?"
He shook his head, "I can't tell you that, but you should know that everything that follows from here on out is meant to happen. You will become even stronger and will be different." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a necklace, a small pendant of three silver interlooping circles on a leather chain. He gave it to her, "This will guide you to the sign of three." Gabriella took it, and when the metal touched her skin- Gabriella's eyes snapped open.
She could see early morning sunlight filtering through the blinds, it was the next day. A groan escaped her lips, her bones were aching. She felt like she was a kid again and going through a growth spurt. She tried to sit up, and immediately found Alex and Michael at her sides, encouraging her to lay still. Alex held up a bottle of water to her lips, helping her drink.
She nodded when she had enough, and sat up reaching a hand up to her aching head, surprised to find the necklace in her hand. She held it out to Michael, "I had another chat with your dad." He took the necklace and examined it, curious.
Gabriella stretched her legs and arms, wincing at the pain, and then looked at her body; was she….taller? She leveraged herself off the bed, Michael's hands automatically steadying her, and to both of their shock, she was taller, at least an inch.
"Holy shit Gabriella, how did you get taller?" Alex exclaimed.
"I-I don't know…" she whispered, looking to Michael for some sort of explanation. He had no idea how any of this could be happening to her, and was extremely concerned. Gabriella took the necklace from Michael's hand and put it on, feeling the humming in her bones lessen.
Alex laid a hand on her shoulder, "You hungry?" Gabriella nodded. "I'll be right back."
A few minutes later Alex came back with the finished food from the night before. They all ate in the bedroom, discussing what the necklace could mean, not really sure of anything. Alex grabbed the plates and before heading downstairs smiled at Gabriella, "It's going to be ok. I'm going to take guard duty, you guys get some rest." Gabriella nodded and smiled her thanks.
She turned to Michael, "Can you give me a massage? My whole body feels like shit."
He nodded murmuring "Lie down" his voice soft, like velvet. Gabriella kicked off her boots and socks and pulled off her flowy top slowly, wincing at the soreness in her muscles. She laid down on her stomach pulling her hair to the side, sighing in pleasure when she felt Michael's strong hands begin to work on her back and shoulders. Her breath hissed between her teeth as his hands worked on a particularly tough knot.
Eventually she felt more relaxed and her bones hurt less. She reached a hand back, and stilled his hands on her back, "Thank you, that was wonderful." She rolled over, tucking herself under Michael, staring up at him. She could see the concern in his eyes, his beautiful blue green eyes that captured her heart more every day.
Michael was worried about Gabriella, whatever was happening to her was beyond his understanding, and he didn't like that. He wanted to be able to protect and help her, and if he didn't know what was happening to her, he couldn't.
"I'm sorry I worried you" Gabriella whispered, laying her hand on his cheek.
Michael stared at her, his eyes as deep as the ocean, "My love, it's my obligation to worry about you, it's what one does when one is in love." Gabriella smiled up at him brilliantly before pulling him down for a kiss, soft at first, then growing more passionate.
Gabriella pushed at Michael's jacket, trying to get it off. He pulled back from kissing her and shrugged out of his jacket, tossing it to the floor, kicking off his boots, tossing his sword to the floor. He rested on his elbows, hovering above Gabriella, staring at her beautiful face. A small smile rested on his lips as he whispered, "You are the loveliest creature", his voice low and sweet.
Gabriella laughed softly, "Ever the romantic, huh flyboy?" Michael lowered his head and nuzzled her neck, placing soft kisses down the side, delighting in the shiver that ran across her skin. His hand trailed across her stomach, a feather light touch that made her yearn for more. His fingers trailed across her hipbone, as his mouth worked down to the swell of her breast.
His lips captured her nipple through the cotton of her sports bra, teasing her, sending shoots of pleasure through her body. Michael watched as pleasure skipped across Gabriella's face, her breathing becoming rapid, her hips swiveling up into his. Gabriella moaned, "Please Michael…please…" He pulled back from her and quickly shucked his shirt, and then pulled off Gabriella's pants.
Michael stared down at Gabriella's mostly exposed body, and felt himself harden, he wanted nothing more than to bury himself inside her, feel her clench around him, and moan his name at her release. But he had to take his time, he knew she was sore from earlier, and he wouldn't use her like he had Becca.
Gabriella reached a hand up, looped her hand into the waistband of Michael's pants, and pulled him down onto the bed. She pushed him onto his back and moved to straddle him, pulling her sports bra off. She saw his eyes darken with lust when he took in the sight of her naked chest. She leaned down and captured his lips with her own, nipping his bottom lip, flexing her hips, writhing against him, feeling him groan and place his hands on her hips, pushing her harder against him. Gabriella broke away and trailed kisses down Michael's chest, nipping and sucking at his nipples, loving his throaty moans.
She wiggled her way down his body and worked at the ties of his pants, giving him a wicked look. She pulled his pants off completely, tossing them on the ground. She leaned over him, and licked the tip of him, before taking him into her mouth, swirling her tongue around him like a lollypop.
She looked up at him as she lowered her head, taking him further into her mouth, and saw his eyes were wide open, watching her intently. Michael reached out a hand and wound it into her silky black hair, pulling on it softly. Gabriella moaned, she was getting wet from getting him off, and she wanted to stop and climb on top of him and ride him all night long…fuck…Gabriella sucked harder on his dick, scraping her teeth gently on him, feeling him shudder beneath her.
She reached a hand down and began stroking the thick base his cock, feeling him twitch, jumping his hips up into her mouth. Gabriella increased the pace of her hand and her mouth until Michael came with a groan, his hips bucking hard.
Gabriella broke away from him and kissed up his chest, before placing a passionate kiss on his lips. Michael kissed her back firmly, before grasping her hips and flipping her onto her back. He kissed her neck and down her collarbone, fingers tweaking her nipples, drawing loud gasps from Gabriella. He dipped his head and captured her breast with his mouth, tugging on her nipple with his teeth.
Gabriella felt the telltale shocks from their skin meeting, and the pleasure was all the greater, her skin felt like it was on fire. Michael trailed his hand down to her hips and pulled off her underwear, grunting as he tried to get them off. Gabriella let out a breathless laugh at his momentary struggle.
Her laugh quickly turned to gasps as Michael's mouth landed on her clit. Her back arched off the bed, her whole body felt like lightening….Michael sucked on her clit while thrusting two fingers into her deeply, finding her gspot after a few moments, and began working on sending her into ecstasy.
He had never tasted anything as sweet as Gabriella, and the noises she was making were driving him mad. He wanted to be in this space of time with her forever, watching her beautiful, strong body come apart just for him. He pulled his mouth away from her clit and grinned at her whine.
He kept curling his fingers against her gspot, using his thumb to stroke her clit as he whispered in her ear, "I want to see you come apart for me, over and over again." Gabriella shook her head, gasping out, "I-I can't" even as he pushed her closer to the edge.
He bent his head and sucked on her breast, tugging on the nipple, thrusting his fingers into her deeply, making her moan and buck her hips against him. "Fuck! Michael!" He rubbed harder on her clit until with a gasp of his name, she shuddered and clenched around him, coming hard.
Michael watched her face as she came, seeing the pleasure on her face. Michael rolled onto his back, pulling Gabriella on top of him. He lifted her easily, and guided himself inside her slowly, both of them groaning at the sensation. Gabriella's eye slid shut, "Fuck me...you're perfect Michael" she moaned on a whisper, feeling him fill her.
The spark that normally came from them touching was intensified tenfold, and when she began to move, slowly, she whimpered, it felt like electricity was under her skin. "Oh baby, you feel that?" she gasped. Michael nodded; this was like nothing he had ever felt before.
Gabriella rocked, moving until just the tip of Michael's dick was inside her, and then plunged back down, moaning at the sensation of him rocking into her. Michael thrust his hips up, meeting her thrusts, both of them breathless. Michael reached a hand up and tweaked Gabriella's nipples, eliciting raw moans from her that made him want to be inside her forever. His other hand stayed at Gabriella's waist, guiding her smooth motions.
His hand at her breast trailed down and began to work on her clit; Gabriella's moans becoming louder. Her hand scratched down his chest, leaving him with marks as she worked towards her climax once again.
Michael pulled his hand away from her clit and used his hands at her waist to steady her, hold her still. He sat up and pulled her more deeply onto him, and relished in her lusty whimper. He began to thrust his hips, pushing into her deeply, each time hitting her spot. Gabriella laced her fingers through Michael's hair and pulled his head back to kiss him, their breathing unsteady.
He worked a hand between them and began stroking her clit again, feeling her tightening around him. Michael and Gabriella kissed hungrily, both feeling their climax building. Michael felt the electricity in their movements building to a final clap of lightening, and knew it would be huge.
With a gasp and a cry, "Michael!" Gabriella arched against him, her orgasm crashing down, the spark running down her spine. Michael thought he saw it in her eyes before they squeezed shut, and then with a final thrust, he felt the lightening crash around him, blowing his world apart.
They lay together for a long time afterwards, saying nothing, just holding each other. Michael ran a hand up and down Gabriella's spine, and wondered how it was possible to love someone this much. Gabriella wondered how she would ever be able to survive without him, and hoped she would never have to find out.