Two chapters in one day, man you guys are luuuucky! Lol More to come, though I only have two more chapters planned, I am a little stuck on where the story should head from the point it is at. No worries, just be patient and I will figure it out! thank you for reading! ~please review~ xoxo
The next morning they repacked the hummer and ate a cold breakfast of the last night's leftovers before getting back on the road, file in hand.
Gabriella re-read the written reports, noting that multiple people over the years had discovered the abandoned cabin, had taken refuge there during bad snowstorms or other bad weather, and had found themselves safe, with plenty of firewood, and miraculously, food.
But when the rangers went to look at the cabin, there was nothing, no wood, no food, and more importantly Gabriella thought, no chest with a spear in it. She sighed, dropping the file into her lap, rubbing her face tiredly.
They had been driving for over two hours, over bumpy dirt and gravel roads, and she was more than ready to get out of the car. She was nervous and felt twitchy, knowing they were getting closer to their goal.
She reflected over the past few months, amazed at how much had happened, and how far they had come. But she was worried that it wasn't far enough. They needed to convince Gabriel to turn away from his war, to help them win back heaven, and she didn't know how to do that. He was convinced that God wouldn't be coming back no matter what happened, and that he would be a better ruler of humanity than his Father ever was.
Gabriella stared out the window at the snow covered ground, trying to figure out how to appeal to Gabriel, to turn him to their side. She ate a protein bar and sipped on a bottle of sports drink, wondering if it would be possible to reach out to Gabriel in a vision state.
It was something she hadn't ever tried, but she thought with her growing array of powers, though she wasn't sure she was an angel yet, it may be possible.
She ate the last of her protein bar and washed it down with a sip of her sports drink before she settled into her seat more comfortably, closing her eyes, reaching into herself for the pool of power that she had come to associate with the visions.
Taking deep even breaths she sunk into her power, letting her spirit flow out of her body, out of the car, and began searching for Gabriel.
She travelled over the snowy forests moving further and further north, until she found the fiery form that was Gabriel. She sank down into the forest and found him, sitting by a blazing fire, surrounded by other angels.
Her spirit form stood in front of him, staring at him evenly. Gabriel stared back at her, expressionless for a long moment, and then laughed, "Well! This is a surprise!"
Gabriella cocked her head to the side, that wasn't the reaction she had been expecting. Gabriel stood and moved close to her, curiously reaching his hand out to touch her hand, both of them registering surprise when his hand passed through hers.
Gabriella flinched slightly, but held her ground, staring into his eyes when they locked onto hers. "You've gotten stronger my dear" he murmured.
Gabriella nodded, "Yea, well that's not what I came here to talk about. Can we speak in private please?"
Gabriel stared at her for a moment before dismissing his guards with a wave of his hand. He motioned for her to sit on the sawed off log next to him, and Gabriella moved slowly, not sure she would be able to.
Concentrating on making her form more solid, she sat slowly, and found she was able to rest on top of the log.
She turned to face Gabriel, "Gabriel, tell me something. All the stories and Bible passages my parents used to read to me about you suggested that you were God's right hand man…literally. So what happened?"
He stared at her for a long moment and then shook his head, "I was. But after millennia of watching humanity tear itself apart, Father grew tired of humanity. So he asked us to clean Earth of your scourge. I did as I was asked, employing the lower angels, and began to rid Earth of humanity. But Michael refused to follow through, deciding instead to save humanity. He wanted to give Father what he needed not what he asked for, or so he said."
Gabriel shook his head and made a noise of disgust. "Him, the great bringer of floods, now stopping one, now the savior of humanity. Well, we'll see how that holds up when everything he loves is in danger."
Gabriel gave her a dangerous look and then went back to staring at the fire.
Gabriella stared at him, frustrated; she knew all of that already. "Come on Gabriel, you know what I'm talking about. You could be better than this, I know you can be! Why do you want to rule humanity? Why do you want to be a God over humanity? Michael loves you and wants nothing more than to have you back, helping him, being his brother in arms again. So why can't you do that?"
Gabriel stared at her, and then shook his head, "You are an idealist, aren't you? No, don't answer." He sighed and then rubbed a hand over his face, "Father abandoned us after Michael and I began fighting. Someone had to take control."
He made a noise of disgust and anger, "Why can't we be brothers in arms again? Because, how do you trust someone who betrayed you? Someone who was always supposed to be at your side, and instead is now fighting against you. How do you recover from a betrayal like that? I will never trust him again."
He said nothing else, and remained sitting, staring at the fire, anger, disappointment, and a mix of other complicated emotions written on his face.
Gabriella stared at him for a long moment and then stood, "Gabriel, I strongly suspect I will see you in a few days. I hope that when I do, we are on the same side."
She reached a hand out and willed herself into stronger existence, touching his cheek softly, startling him into looking up. "I think you will find that humanity and God have an amazing capacity for forgiveness. I forgive you, Gabriel, and I love you. Trust in that forgiveness and you may find that your world will change."
She turned and walked away into the forest, hoping that her words had done some good, following the tug she could feel leading her back to her body. Gabriella sank bank into herself, her eyes snapping open.
She found Alex and Michael both staring at her, the hummer idling on the side of the road. Michael and Alex exchanged a relieved look before turning their attention back to her.
"Are you alright, your eyes turned white, and you were murmuring to yourself." Alex asked concern in his voice.
Gabriella looked to Michael who appeared frightened, but he gave her a warm smile, though it did little to dispel the tight lines around his eyes.
Gabriella nodded, "I'm ok. I just, had a talk with Gabriel. I-I had hoped that talking to him, heart to heart might help, but I don't know that it did."
She sighed and ran a hand over her face, "I don't know that he wants to be helped. He's scared that he's going to be hurt by you Michael. He saw you disobeying God's orders as a betrayal, of your friendship, your family and of the trust between you."
She held up a hand at the look on his face, "I'm not saying that's what I think, I don't. But it's what he thinks, and it's a hard attitude to dispel. You two will need to have a heart to heart, a real one."
She saw the look on Michael's face, a complicated one of anger and despair. He was so angry with Gabriel, but she knew he loved his brother, and wanted him back, as his brother in arms, his friend, and comrade. It broke her heart.
Gabriella sighed, "Come on, we need to keep going. He's going to be meeting us there, and we need to be ready."
It was mid afternoon, and they were getting closer to the cabin, Gabriella could feel it. Like the tug that had led her back to her body, she could feel a tug pulling them closer to the cabin, and her necklace was glowing softly against her skin. She was finally feeling stronger, more rested, and had some weight back on her frame.
She didn't know how she would be a match for Gabriel, but she hoped that God would grant her strength.
She had no idea what type of fighting skills he would employ, but hopefully everything that Michael and Alex had taught her would be enough to keep her alive, and to help bring him to heel, without killing him.
She prayed she wouldn't have to kill Gabriel; she knew that would break Michael's heart and very likely would tear them apart.
She rested her head against the glass of the window, her breath fogging it up, idly drawing patterns as the time passed. She drew the fleece blanket around her more tightly, drifting into a light nap. A short time later a hand jolted her awake.
"Gabby, we're here." Alex's voice reached into her subconscious and pulled her into reality. She sat up, shedding the blanket and looked out the open car door, seeing the cabin covered in snow, framed by large oaks and pines. Alex and Michael stood by the hummer, armed and waiting for her to exit.
Gabriella sighed, knowing as soon as she did, destiny would take over, and she would have little control over the path that her feet would travel on. That weighing heavily on her mind, she stepped out of the hummer and into the bright whiteness of the snow.