A/N: Oh dear. It appears I lied last time: this is not the last chapter. I got carried away, and this one got rather long, so there's going to be (at least) one more after this. Thanks for your patience! Enjoy!

Chapter 4

"Have I done something wrong?"

The others had already gone, leaving only Samuel and their leader behind. The younger angel wasn't coping as well as Michael had hoped he would.

"These are Father's instructions. His reasoning is His own," Michael answered.

"It is a punishment," Samuel said, more to himself than to Michael. "None of us were supposed to interfere, but I disobeyed." He looked up at his brother, pleading with him. "This place smells of blood, pain, and death. Please do not leave me here alone!"

Michael felt his heart go out to the younger angel. Samuel was more than confused; he was frightened. The angels relied on each other for strength. Solitude was something they all actively avoided.

"You will be fine by yourself. Father is always with you, as He is with all of us," Michael said, kindly. He reached out and ruffled Samuel's dark hair, coaxing a small smile out of younger angel. The archangel returned the smile and stepped back, spreading his magnificent wings. "Remain here three days. Everything will be all right after three days." Michael took flight.

Samuel was left behind in the deathly quiet of the gravesite. Night fell, and he spent the hours watching and waiting for a sign of the triumph that Michael had promised.

The next morning, four Roman soldiers approached the tomb in full battle array, followed closely by the priests and elders responsible for the Son's arrest. Samuel stood nearby as several of them combined their strength to roll the great stone aside. He followed them in and watched them each take a turn examining the Son's body. Satisfied to find the Son cold and still, the group left the tomb and replaced stone.

One of the elders addressed the others softy, almost regretfully: "What is done is done." He was met with quiet nods of agreement.

The priests and elders went back to the city, leaving the four Roman soldiers behind. The soldiers took their places and showed no intention of leaving. Somehow, their presence made Samuel feel even more alone. He sat on a large stone nearby and continued to watch and wait.

Several hours passed as Samuel prayed for patience and for companionship, and he eventually began to listen to the idle chatter of the soldiers. One of them was complaining loudly to the others about being required to guard a corpse.

"What would his followers accomplish by stealing their lord's body? I say let them have it! Less trouble for the rest of us," the young soldier said, obviously trying to impress his brothers-in-arms. An older soldier, clearly close to retirement, shook his head.

"Haven't you heard them? His followers speak of him as we speak of Mithras. There are whispers of resurrection."

At the mention of the word "resurrection" Samuel stood and stepped closer, suddenly wholeheartedly invested in what the soldiers had to say.

"If they have a chance to remove his body then who is to stop the Jews from proclaiming their lord's ascension? The empty tomb will be their proof," the older soldier continued. The other two soldiers nodded in agreement, leaving the first to sulk as he tried to think of a clever response. Finding none, he wisely kept his mouth shut. The conversation shifted to a new topic, and Samuel returned to the rock and to his prayers with renewed hope.

"Resurrection…Is this the triumph Michael spoke of?"

More time passed, and Samuel hardly noticed when the four soldiers were eventually relieved by another set of four, nor did he notice the two other changes of guard that took place before night fell. The sun finally set, and Samuel listened to the crackling of the soldiers' torches and watched the tomb for any signs of change.

At the darkest point in the night, a bright light suddenly flashed, and a glorious angelic figure appeared before Samuel. The young angel stood and felt the warmth and light shine upon him.

"Michael!" he cried, believing the archangel had returned. But as soon as he had spoken the warmth and light vanished, and all he could see were red eyes and the outline of a form so dark that it seemed to repel light.

"You really are as naïve as you seem to be," the figure said, and Samuel instantly recognized the voice. He drew his sword and stepped back, holding it out in front of him.

"Don't be stupid," Lucifer continued. "Did your big brothers forget to tell you that only Michael's sword can hurt me?"

"Michael, help me!"

Lucifer laughed cruelly. "Are you praying for his help now? Archangel Michael would never disobey an order, not even to save the Son, much less a lowly angel. If I remember correctly, you are to be left alone." Lucifer drew the last word out mockingly.

Samuel's entire body trembled as the terror left him cold as ice. Lucifer was far stronger than Samuel could ever hope to be.

"Father, help me!"

"Don't bother praying to Him either. You are no more than the tiniest sparrow to one as great as Father."

Samuel felt despair closing in on him. How was it that Lucifer was always right? Michael would not defy orders, and it was true that a lowly angel like him might as well have been a sparrow in his Father's eyes.

Lucifer's voice returned, but now it was gentle, almost kind.

"I am not here to destroy you, little one. I am here to offer you a chance to be more than just a sparrow."

Lucifer reached out to touch Samuel, and the younger angel instinctively swung his sword, striking Lucifer's arm. The sword instantly caught fire, searing Samuel's hands before he dropped it with a yelp of pain. Lucifer acted as if nothing had happened, placing his hand on Samuel's shoulder with the same tenderness that Michael had shown.

"I see a reputable defiance in you, Samuel; a desire to do what is right in your eyes alone. I see great potential. You would not be a lowly demon, but a leader. Your wings would be ten times as big and a hundred times as strong."

As Lucifer spoke, Samuel felt his wings morphing and growing. He looked over his shoulder to see his feathers disappearing and his wings turning black. Thin, red webbing replaced white feathers as his wings continued to grow and transform. He felt power coursing through them, begging to be tested. With one mighty flap he was instantly airborne, flying faster than he ever had before. Lucifer, his own black, feathered wings unfurled, flew beside Samuel, racing him to nowhere. Samuel had never felt such exhilarating freedom and strength in his entire life.

"Remain here three days."

Samuel heard Michael's voice over the sound of the wind rushing by his ears. The young angel faltered, looking around him only to see endless white clouds. He dove straight down and quickly found his way back to the tomb, landing with flawless precision. The wings were everything Samuel could have hoped for, but they had driven reason from his mind, causing him to forget himself and his mission. The wings were as evil as they were powerful, and Samuel knew he only had one more chance to cast them aside.

"Take them away," he begged Lucifer as the fallen angel landed beside him.

"Don't you like them? They could be yours for all eternity."

"I said take them away!"

"Your old wings are gone. You won't have anything left."

Terror and agony entered Samuel's heart, but he knew he could not falter.

"TAKE THEM AWAY!" he screamed as loud as he could. He began to claw at his back with burnt and bloody hands.

Lucifer obeyed, amazed at the little one's strength of will. He reached out and plucked the wings from Samuel's back, then cast them aside where they quickly turned to ash and blew away. He waved his hand, and white, feathered wings sprouted from Samuel's back, and the burns on his hands instantly healed. Samuel looked at his wings and then back to Lucifer with a mixture of gratitude and confusion.

The fallen angel seemed to shrug with defeat.

"I couldn't leave a fine warrior like yourself so badly maimed. I will be back for you someday, Samuel."

Lucifer disappeared as quickly as he had come, leaving Samuel nearly weeping with relief at what he had managed to avoid. He knelt to the ground and gave thanks to his Father for giving him the strength to resist temptation.

"Just a few more hours," the young angel told himself as he stood back up. He resumed his watch on the rock nearby with a wonderful, peaceful feeling that the worst had finally passed.

A/N: Thanks for reading! Any kind of feedback is greatly appreciated! :)

-Samuel