Hello again!

I apologize for another late update. I just finished my first year of college and now can spare some time for writing! :D

I Just checked my account and still can't believe that so many people are reading this story even though I hardly update now ;P

Really glad it's still going on and hope you'll all get through to the end!

Well without further a do here is chapter 14!

I do not own Fallen!

Enjoy!

Fourteen: Reminiscence

The halls at Sword and Cross somehow became quieter.

October was drawing nearer and the weather was becoming colder. It's been over a month since I last spoke to Daniel, and he'll hardly even glance at me when we cross paths in the corridor or courtyard. I thought many times about walking down to his door to talk to him but was too afraid at what he would say to me.

I still remember everything that he told me. About how he was cursed. How he fell in love. How I was cursed.

Every time I stopped to think of that, my heart would skip a beat and my chest felt like it was caving in on itself.

A part of me really wanted to just embrace Daniel and tell him how sorry I was for him.

I couldn't exactly see what I had to be sorry for. I never did anything to hurt him. But there was something about him that just seemed to be in need of someone. Someone that understands him. I wanted to be near him, but there was something that was holding me back. Something that didn't want me to be with him.

"Luke?"

"Huh?" I closed my locker door and dark onyx eyes had met my lost ones.

"You feeling alright?" You seem a bit distant..."

"Yeah, why do you say that?" I tried giving him an honest smile.

"You hardly took notes in English and you look like you haven't slept in a while."

"Oh. Well, I just have some things on my mind now."

"Everything okay?" He rested his elbow on the locker door. He started wearing jeans and shirts with sleeves since it started getting colder.

"Yeah, everything's just fine teddy bear. You don't have to worry, I just have a bit on my mind now is all." I smiled again and lightly shoved his shoulder.

"Okay," he said and stepped closer to wrap his arms around me. I instinctively brought my arms over his shoulders and nestled into his warmth holding on for a bit longer. "You know if anything's wrong you can talk to me about it right?"

"Mhm," I nodded in his chest with the smell of his laundry detergent and deodorant, glad for once that his gym class was canceled today. John's gesture made me think of Daniel. If he had anyone that could comfort him like this. He mentioned that he met with a friend one time, but he always looked like he wasn't close to anyone. Another thought had crossed my mind. "John?"

"Yeah, cutie?"

"You still haven't told Jack about what happened that night I spent at your house?"

He sighed. "No, I haven't." He pulled away.

"Why haven't you?"

"I just... I'm still angry at myself for doing that. I could have ruined what we have, and what you and Jack have. I don't know how he'll react and I'm scared. I'll be okay with a black eye or a few broken teeth, but I don't want our friendship to end."

"John," I reached up to tousle his soft hair. "You know I love you right?"

He nodded.

"And you know Jack loves you too?"

He nodded again.

"So you shouldn't be afraid. I know that you're sorry for what you did and I accept it. I'm sure Jack will be okay with it too. You're his best friend and there's nothing that can get in the way of that."

"You're such a good friend Luke." He brought me back into a bear hug. "I love you so much." He nestled his head in my shoulder.

"I love you too you big teddy bear." I patted his head.

When he pulled away this time there was more light in his eyes. He sighed. "Thanks cutie, I feel much better now. I'll tell him today, if I can get him to be alone with me. Do you know where he is?"

"Uh, I think he has soccer practice today. He won't be getting off till three-thirty, so you'll be waiting almost three hours."

"Oh, well, I guess I'll call him and invite him to my place after he gets off practice. You going straight home now?"

"Yeah. Lucie said she was spending the night again at Em's. Feels like I've hardy seen her since we came back to school."

"I know. Charlotte and I used to hang out a lot during summer break. Now she mostly hangs out with her old friends from Junior High."

"How are Cole, Sam and Beck doing?"

"They're okay. They'll be doing another short tour during winter break and then they'll go back into the studio to record their next album."

"Huh. Time seems to be going by so fast. Just one year after that and we'll be in college, kinda scary to think about."

"Yeah, but we'll still be together." He gave me that goofy smile of his I missed so much over break.

"Now that you say that, I feel a bit better."

"Good." He smirked. "Well, I guess we should get going now. Can I walk you home?"

"Sure." I smiled back at him.

"Brrr, it's sure getting cold, even for me," John said closing the door behind him.

"Really? I thought all teddy bears never get cold."

"Haha very funny." He poked my side making me squirm.

I set down my bag and took a seat on the sofa turning the TV on to Lifetime. John set his bag down and sat right next to me sling his arm over my shoulder.

"Hey John?"

"Yeah?"

"What are you planning after High School?"

"To go to college of course. As good as my music career is I don't think I can make a proper living off of it. Why do you ask?"

"It's just, after Junior High it seemed like we had our whole lives ahead of us. And now that we're nearly done with High School we really have to start thinking about our future now. I still can't stop thinking about how weird that is now."

"Hey," he scooted himself closer. "I told you before that we'll still be together. If one of us lips up we'll all be there to get the other back on their feet. And no matter what happens we'll always be together. We're a family."

"How are you always so positive?"

He ran his fingers gently through my hair. "Well cutie, in my own experience always looking on the down side of things never got me anywhere. I started to become distant, people began to avoid me and I was scared that I wouldn't make any friends. But then I met you and Jack, and then everything in my life started to get so much better. I was smiling almost every day and actually beginning to feel happy. In all honesty, you're the reason I look at things more positively now."

"Really?' I asked.

"Yeah, really," he shifted to kiss my forehead.

"Well, I guess I'll try to look at things more positively now."

"Good," he said while rubbing my shoulder. A few minutes later a ringing came from his pocket. He pulled out his phone and looked at the screen. "Mom says she needs some help at the bakery. Too many orders for her to work alone."

"I'll bet." The thought of her pastries made my stomach growl.

I walked to the door with him as he slung his bag onto his shoulder. "Well I guess I'll see you tomorrow at school."

"Okay." I smiled and was welcomed again with a warm embrace.

"I'll uh, make sure to tell Jack." he said firmly pulling back with a hopeful smile.

"Okay." I smiled back

"Take care of yourself cutie, and stay safe."

"I will, and you too."

"Thanks." He winked as he walked into the hall and slowly closed the door behind him.

I was left alone with the sounds of the TV the only company I had. I rested my head against the door and waited a few more minutes before opening it. Before I could realize what I was doing I was at the front door of room eight.

I lightly tapped the door with my knuckles. I waited a few seconds but there was not response. As I was about to reach for the doorbell I heard the deadbolt slide back and the doorknob turning.

Daniel was dressed in a white shirt and faded blue jeans that had old and new dark smudges from paint as well as on his hands. It felt like such a long time since I had seen those violet eyes.

"Luke?" He said sounding as if speaking to a ghost from his past, but the look in his eyes showed something different. They showed fear but in some sense relief at seeing me.

I tried to speak but nothing came out of my mouth.

His arm fell from the doorway. "Luke... I thought you'd- "

My face buried into his painted shirt as my fingers clung to the fabric on his back. "I'm sorry." Hot tears had clawed their way down my face and were absorbed by the cloth. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Daniel." I sobbed into him.

His arms were brought up not prepared for what had happened but I soon felt them over my shoulders pulling me closer. "You don't have anything to be sorry for Luke." They wrapped around me tighter as he gently gripped the back of my hair.

Nothing else came out of me except silent sniffs and sobs. Comforted only by Daniel's warm embrace and the steady beat of his heart. He still held me even when I grew silent.

"I don't want to believe you," I said within the silence.

"I know." He loosened his grip on my hair and smoothed down the disheveled parts.

"But it's true. Isn't it."

He lowered his face and inhaled deeply. "I never thought I would be this close to you this time."

I could feel my heart cave in. I nestled more into him, feeling as if I would break in two if I didn't.

"I said that I would let you go."

I pulled back immediately. "I want to understand what you're saying Daniel. I just..." more tears began to fall from my burning eyes as leaned back in to him. "I feel something so strong inside me whenever I think about you and... I want to feel more of it so bad but something won't let me."

"Luke."

"I just keep thinking that you're all alone and it hurts me to think that you are- "

"I'm not alone Luke," he pulled me back slightly. "I'm not alone. There... there are others like me. I have friends that I usually keep in touch with but sometimes I like being alone for a while. It helps sometimes."

"You're, You're not alone?"

"No Luke," his violet eyes reassured me. "I'm not alone. Not really."

I nodded and was beginning to calm down by his words.

"Hey, why don't you come inside. Maybe we can talk better here."

"Okay."

He stepped aside gesturing me to the hall.

I let out a deep sigh as I sat down on his sofa. There was a large canvas perched in the center of the living room that already had outlines of a dark forest painted. He was probably working on it before I got here, which explains all the smudges on his clothes.

"I honestly didn't think you'd come back," Daniel said walking back into the living room. He changed into clean sweat pants and was pulling a new shirt over his head. He tamed disheveled golden waves as he sat next to me keeping a close distance. "I didn't really know what to expect after that."

"I'm here now," I said and rested my hand on his.

"What made you change your mind?"

I looked down at one of the graphite drawings on the floor focusing on its design. "Everything that I thought about after what you told me kept leading me straight to you. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't get you out of my head. I thought more about you, about what you said. How lonely you must be."

"Luke..."

"You don't deserve this Daniel! Why did this happen to you? Why... How could..."

"Luke." He turned his hand so it firmly help mine. He seemed to have trouble finding proper words. "It gets more complicated."

"How?" I sounded more demanding.

"You remember I told you that I was the one that fell in love. The reason that I was cursed was because of a choice that I made. I... I want to tell you so much more. More about you. More about us."

"Then tell me, please Daniel."

He paused for a moment. "We've shared many lives together, Luke. As lovers."

"How many lives?" I asked.

"Hundreds," he muttered. "But they all never ended happily, especially for you."

"How?"

"Every seventeen years, we meet. We fall in love. And you die."

"I can't Luke. The last time I did I... I don't want anything bad to happen to you Luke. If anything..." There was fire in his eyes. "I love you too much to..."

The way those words were spoken by him had broken the flood gates within my heart.

He released my hand and turned away. "I shouldn't have said that."

"You can say that Daniel."

"You're not, you're not like how you used to be."

"What do you mean?"

"What you told me before Luke. The way you want to feel something for me but something's preventing you from doing so." His weary eyes rested on me again. "I'm the reason for that."

Something made me feel betrayed by his words.

"What you read from that journal," he said. "About how I was going to let her, you go, it severed part of our connection. It' explains why you weren't so drawn to me like how you used to be and even..."

"And even what?" I asked.

"And even why you were reborn as a man."

"I still feel that I care about you Daniel." I almost pleaded with him.

"But do you love me?"

"I..." Why did I stumble on answering his question.

He sighed. "It's exactly as I thought."

"Daniel?"

"Yeah?" His expression was wan.

"I know that it's a little late to ask this, but as much as I believe you I... If there's a way you could prove al this to me, it would makes things a lot easier to take in."

"I think I can do something." There was more light in his eyes now.

"Okay." I nodded.

"I don't want to risk anything by telling you everything about us. The last time that I did that it was too much for you to take in. But there's on thing that I can show you that won't do you any harm. I've shown it to you before." He smiled which made me feel slightly better.

He rose from the sofa and held out his hand to me. I took it and followed him to the middle of the room where he took my other hand and faced me in front of him. It was almost as if he were asking me for a dance, our only audience being the discarded drawings scattered across the floor. "Close your eyes," he whispered.

My sight was gone and all I could sense was his warm touch and the sound of his steady breath. Suddenly I heard a sound like cloth being torn and a short gust of air. But then I felt more warmth radiating from the body in front of me and then spread its way over my shoulders and behind my back like a comforting wildfire..

He released my hands. "You can open your eyes now."

My sight was drawn back to the neck of his shirt where it last was, but wandered back to his face. His eyes looked at me with an expression that looked like guilt, but they also held honesty. There was a faint smile on his face but I was quickly drawn to blur of white.

I looked over his shoulder to see of fold of ivory white feathers. As I trailed the path of feathers past his arm I knew instantly that it was a wing. I looked towards his left shoulder and found another one as warm and iridescent as the other. The folds of his wings were just above his head and reached all the way down to the floor. I instinctively reached out to touch his right one. They were unlike any sort of soft down-like texture I had ever felt. It moved slightly at my touch and I looked back to Daniel with his eyes closed, savoring my touch as I was to his.

"Beautiful." He opened his eyes and his wings fluttered like a bird waking from a long slumber. I looked over my shoulder and saw that I was completely engulfed by them as if they were embracing me. I thought again about what he had first told me about what he was, how who we called God had created him. "You're an angel."

"Yes," he said. "A fallen angel."

"What I've heard what people would say about 'the fall', it was because one angel had went against God's will and he was casted out of heaven. Daniel... are you..."

"NO!" I flinched back at his fierce tone. "I'm sorry," he said his wings drawing me back into him. "I'm not him," he said.

"Oh. So, Lucifer is real then."

He nodded his eyebrows fully arched.

"Is he as bad as he's made out to be."

"Yes. Many great and terrible things were born from his rage."

"Is there any more you can tell me about him?"

His eyes looked away from me but his face remained still.

"It's okay," I said bringing a hand to his stubble face. "I understand."

There was a more lustrous shine to his eyes now. Before I could ask him what was wrong he crushed me to his chest and buried his face into my shoulder. It reminded me of the day I met him again at Forsyth park.

"Daniel..." I brought my arms up around his broad frame running my fingers through his hair. His wings enfolded me more casting a dark shadow from the light. His body was trembling slightly and I felt a familiar warmth on my shoulder. "Daniel," I said now rubbing the upper part of his wing. "It's okay Daniel, I'm right here."

"You don't know how much I've wanted this," he said his fingers digging into my shirt. "How much I've wanted this for you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I've always wanted you to have a life like this. Where you could be free and not have to relive everything over and over again. Please forgive me Luke please..."

"Sh, Daniel. It's okay. I forgive you. I really do. You didn't get to choose this."

"No Luke," he said nodding his head against the fabric of my shirt. "I, did something terrible to you."

My hand froze with a few feathers trapped between my fingers.

He released me, pulling back with his head facing down. "I gave you a life like this not too long ago." I watched as two more tears fell to the ground and landed on one of his drawings. Blurring the scattered petals of a rose. "And... I stole it from you."

*Sigh* -_- haven't written anything this good in a while.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter and don't fret just yet, there is still more to come!

Until next time!