A/N: Sorry everyone that you didn't get a chapter any time sooner than this :s everyone's been so busy with the holidays, and I can't say I blame anyone for that since I am too XD However, we were able to squeeze this one so think about it like it's a slightly early Christmas present :) I'm glad the last chapter took you all off guard; and now since this story is done it frees me up even more; all I have to do is get the other chapters up! So I hope you like how this will all end, and that you'll stick with it :) I think it's like 10 more chapters to go!

Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you spend it with your family and enjoy it! :D

Celest ^I^

Amy walked up the steps to the flat, her feet dragging under her. She sighed as she felt her wings shift in place on her back, pulling at her muscles and making her wince. Even though they were invisible, under a powerful cloaking spell that she had mastered, she could still feel every twitch they made. Shifting her shoulders again, she winced at the pull of her back muscles from their overbearing weight. She'd have to ask Missy for some more muscle relaxant for herself; she knew that the other nephilim carried it around on her person.

Exhausted, she was about to open the door when it swung open harshly in front of her, bathing her in the light from the front hall and the warm air as it blew past her into the cold night. Gabe stood in front of her, his hair slightly askew and his golden eyes blown wide, the pupils dilated. She frowned at that, but before she could say anything, the trickster enveloped her in a large hug, squeezing her into his hard chest, his arms like steel bands around her body, keeping her trapped within his embrace.

Hesitantly she raised her arms and hugged him back, burying her face in his neck as she breathed in his ever-changing scent, this time of warm chocolate and cinnamon.

"Are you okay?" he whispered in her ear. His warm breath tickled her outer shell and she nuzzled closer to his warmth.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she reassured him. "Why so worried though? I was just out for a walk. How did your little run go?"

Gabe pulled back enough to stare her straight in the eyes. "It went fine. And don't change the subject. This is about you, not me. Jazz just told me you went for a walk around eight. It's after ten, you know."

She shrugged, but before she could offer an explanation Jazz came bolting from around the corner. She saw the elf sag in visible relief as she took in her friend in Gabe's embrace. Letting out a gust of breath, Jazz smiled as she came closer.

"Where the hell have you been?!" she exclaimed in indignation. "I was worried sick about you! Starting to wonder who I had to go ape shit on."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Let me guess. You fell asleep."

Jazz opened and closed her mouth a few times, like a fish out of water, before she turned red. "Okay fine! I'm sorry I worried about you for the last half hour that I realized you weren't home! And sue me; I get tired too, okay? Besides, what kind of walk was that anyways? Training for a marathon I don't know about perhaps?"

Amy couldn't help the snort of laughter that escaped her. "I just had some things to mull over, but I'm okay, Jazz. And everything's fine."

Jazz rolled her eyes and snorted. "You know what I've learned after all this time?" Amy raised an eyebrow in answer. "It's that whenever someone says that, usually it indicates that the shit is about to hit the fan."

She shook her head at her friends' analogy. "Well, not tonight, Jazz. So you can rest easily knowing that."

Jazz grumbled, rolled her eyes and flounced out of the room. They heard a closing door and not too long after that, the steady beat of Marilyn Manson coming through the walls of her bedroom. Amy had to wonder sometimes about her friend and maybe if she wasn't a little too angst at times.

Gabe was still studying her and she bit her lip under his scrutiny. "I'm guessing we need to talk," Amy said.

He raised an eyebrow as if to say, "You think?" and walked off to the room they shared at the end of the hall. She followed him somewhat more slowly. Upon coming into the room she closed the door behind her and shrugged off her jacket, tossing it onto the back of a winged armchair. Gabe sat poised in the middle of the bed and he patted the quilted covers beside him.

Walking over she crawled into the middle of the bed on her hands and knees and joined him. He gazed at her quietly for a few minutes then slowly and quietly, he asked, "So where were you?"

She sighed at this. "Umm, I had someone come up and start talking to me," she told him somewhat elusively.

He nodded in understanding. "And that someone didn't harm you in any way did they?"

She couldn't help but snort at that. He looked at her in confusion and at his slightly worried look she sighed tiredly. "In all honesty, Gabe, how many things can really do me harm in today's world?" When he didn't answer, she sighed again, rolled her shoulders, and said quietly, "No, they didn't. She just made me doubt certain things about myself."

He frowned at that. "She?"

"Pandora," Amy offered by way of an explanation.

She couldn't help but notice the slight stiffening of the trickster beside her and laid a comforting hand on his upper thigh. The act seemed to soothe him somewhat but his eyes still burned a furious liquid gold as he looked off into the distance.

"Gabe?" She gently put her hand up to his cheek and turned his face so that he was looking directly at her. She waited until his eyes refocused on her and then gave him a small smile when she saw that she had obtained his full attention once again. "She didn't hurt me, Gabe. She just wanted to talk to me."

Gabe grumbled in frustration and ran his hand through his shaggy, honey-brown locks. Her eyes crinkled in worry at his obvious agitation. He bit his lip as he looked at her.

"She's psychotic, Aim," Gabe began slowly; "she could have hurt you."

She shook her head at that. "I don't think she's ever going to, to be completely honest with you, Gabe."

Gabe raised an eyebrow. "And why's that? Because she didn't this time?"

"No. Because of what she had to say."

Gabe paused all motion and stared at her silently. Swallowing, he asked, "What did she have to say?"

Amy twisted her fingers nervously in her lap as her heart thudded painfully in her chest. Her stomach felt as if butterflies were taking wing inside her, in an effort to break free. Taking a large breath to help steel herself, she answered, "She said I'm her hope."

Gabe stared at her in puzzlement. "You're her hope?"

She nodded. "Yeah, she said we were the same person. Two halves of a whole. She's apparently been looking for me for … a long time. Anyways, she can't become one with me without my consent. But Gabe, I'm confused." Gabe gave her a questioning look. "I thought Pandora was never punished, but the way she told her story tonight, she was. Is that true?"

Gabe merely shrugged at that. "There's no real way to know. Well, there is, but do you really need to know?"

She frowned at that. "I don't know if she's telling the truth or not."

He looked down at the quilt and kneaded it with his fingers. "Well, what does your heart tell you?"

"My heart?"

He shrugged. "Some people have a scary good instinct about people. Like if they're lying. Do you feel as if she was lying to you?"

Amy thought back to her time in the shack with Pandora. She went over everything that the woman had said, and what she had shown her in emotion. Slowly Amy shook her head.

"No. I mean, she was angry, frustrated, upset, but I guess that's to be expected if that's really what happened to her. But I didn't get the impression that she was lying to me through it." Amy hesitated for a second. "But what if I'm wrong, Gabe? What if my instinct was wrong and she was lying the whole time?"

Gabe pondered this for a few moments in silence as she waited for him to respond. He bit the inside of his cheek.

"Well, if I were you, I would take my time and not rush into something like this. Merging with her? If she's not telling the truth and you have any doubt about it, it could be disastrous for you. All I ask is that you don't rush into anything," Gabe told her gently, grasping her hand in his own firmly yet gently.

"Don't worry about that," she reassured him. "Is it okay if I talk to you some more about this whenever I need to? I promise I won't do anything stupid without your knowledge first," she teased him smiling.

Gabe winked at her. "You can talk to me about anything at any time, sugar-cakes." She giggled at the nickname and Gabe gave her a quick peck on the lips. Before it could snowball into something more he pulled back and looked at her kindly, his eyes sparkling like the stars in the sky. "However, there is something I want you to consider."

She cocked her head to the side in interest. "And what is that?"

"A mark," Gabe said quickly as if he was scared to actually say it.

Amy frowned in consternation. "A mark?"

Gabe nodded at her. "I would create a mark somewhere on your body, of your choice of course, and have a matching partner to yours. It would help me be able to locate you no matter where you were, or whatever shield you are in or using at the time."

Amy opened her mouth but he raised a hand to stall her. "Let me just finish first. It would be permanent and not reversible. We would be joined in our souls, closer than anything you can even imagine. It's not something to be taken lightly. Think of a marriage; just on steroids and times infinity. It's a very powerful bond."

She smiled gently at him. "It does sound like you're proposing to me, Gabe." She said this with laughter bubbling up from deep inside her. Gabe turned slightly red at her response and scratched the back of his head in nervousness.

"I guess you could say in a weird roundabout way that I am," he said evasively. "It's completely up to you though, although it would give me great peace of mind to know that you're always safe."

Amy mulled what he had told her over in her mind. Could she deal with being attached to him for the rest of her life? Even the rest of her afterlife? The answer surprised her with how loud it shouted from within like a storm breaking against the shore. Yes, she could. And the reason for that was because she loved him. Her heart stuttered as she came to that realization and she blinked the tears back from her eyes. Gabe, misreading her tears as something else, scooted closer to her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, like I said, girl, we don't have to actually do it. It was just a suggestion I thought I should make for any future precautions," Gabe said gently to her.

She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Yes."

Gabe frowned in confusion. "Yes?"

Amy laughed slightly. "Yes, I'll let you mark me."

Gabe blinked his eyes in shock. "You're sure? I mean, it's a big thing, Amy. Seriously."

She laughed at his dumbfounded expression and lightly slapped him on the shoulder. "Are you trying to make me say no, Gabe?" she asked jokingly, "besides, I think it's a good idea. You never know what the future holds, after all."

Gabe laughed nervously at that. "Yeah, I guess that's true." He moved so that they were facing each other head on and nodded to her. "Okay, so where do you want it exactly?"

Amy raised her index finger to her lips and tapped her mouth for a few seconds, frowning in thought. Finally, she raised her hand and hiked up her shirt slightly over her left hip. Pointing to just above the bone she said, "Right here."

Gabe nodded. "You're sure?"

She nodded to him to help pacify him. "Yes, I am. Gabe I trust you. I know you're not going to do anything to me that I don't want. And this helps prove it; go ahead."

Gabe swallowed nervously and pushed her back slowly onto the bed until she lay flat on the pillows. He hovered over her on his hands and knees as he placed his warm hand on the place she specified then looked back up to her.

"Just so you know, this is gonna burn like a bitch. But it won't take too long and it'll be over before your even fully aware it's happened," he told her. "I'm going to keep you pinned down while I do it so that you don't hurt yourself."

She nodded at this and even braced herself, balling her fists into the covers on the bed. Gabe moved one of his hands onto her upper arm and gently, but firmly, braced his knees on her upper thighs to help keep her legs pinned. His hand on her hip took a slightly stronger grip and she could feel a gentle weight push down on her. It wasn't harmful, just slightly uncomfortable.

Gabe looked at her with his bright, gold eyes. "Just try to relax as best you can. I gotcha, girl."

She nodded and tried to relax as best she could. A bright light began to emanate from Gabe's hand and onto her skin. She could feel the area of skin around her hip begin to heat up and as the light steadily became more intense, the heat turned into a burning inferno. She writhed and thrashed as best she could under Gabe's hard strength, in an effort to buck the trickster off of her. But he was too powerful, and kept her easily pinned. She could hear screaming in the background but was otherwise too preoccupied by what was going on to realize that it was herself that was screaming. As this was happening, the skin above Gabe's right hip began glowing as well. He was able to ignore the searing heat burning the mark into his skin as he concentrated on Amy.

Finally, after what felt like eons since it began, the light began to fade, taking with it the heat and scorching pain. Amy took a large gulp of air when she could and wiped at her eyes, not having realized that she had been crying during the process.

Sitting up slightly, she winced and sucked in a breath of air at the sharp pain centered just above her left hip. Looking down, she saw in awe an angel wing tattooed on her skin and half of a Judeo Christian Star. She stared in awe at the ink-black lines. The straight cut of the star and the detail given to each individual feather on her hip was absolutely mesmerizing. It almost appeared that the wing could just rise from her body and fly away on the breeze. She brought her hand up to touch the tattoo but Gabe gently grabbed her wrist in his own and forced her to stop.

She looked up at him in puzzlement. He smiled gently at her so she wouldn't panic. "It's tender. Just leave it be for a little while and you'll notice the sting will lessen quickly."

She nodded and gently retracted her hand. He was sitting cross-legged in between her spread thighs, still staring at the tattoo he had just created. She cocked her head.

"You said you have a matching one?"

Nodding, he pulled the shirt he was wearing up slightly, and she could see that just above his right hip the second half of her tattoo was on his skin. She noticed that when he shifted even so slightly it almost appeared that his tattoo shimmered a royal blue for a split second. Looking down at hers, she noticed the same thing, only it wasn't royal blue, it was a honey gold.

Gabe noticed her staring at the marks and he shrugged. "I think it's just our energy signatures. That's why they change colours. Blue for you, gold for me."

Amy nodded her head slowly. "A little Christian for you, though, isn't it?"

Gabe quirked an eyebrow at her. "What do you mean?"

She shrugged. "Well, the Judeo Christian Star? And a pair of angel wings? For a Pagan God it seems odd that that's what you would pick."

Gabe smirked at her and wiped his thumb across his nose. "Well, I never said I made any sense."

"No, you never did, and you kind of don't," Amy remarked, smiling.

"Hey!"

She laughed at his affronted gesture. "Just saying, Gabe." She raised her hand and cupped the side of his face gently in between her palms. He nuzzled her left palm gently and her eyes softened as she gazed at him. "Thank you," she whispered.

His eyes sparkled as he looked at her. "For what?"

"For caring so much about me," she said softly.

Gabe huffed out a small breath of air, and she caught a whiff of mint on his breath. "You deserve to be cared for."

Gently she pulled him to her and placed a kiss on his lips. Her eyes closed along with his as they fell into a heated kiss, becoming lost in the soft caress of their lips touching. She could feel her heart soar in her chest and her stomach do flip-flops as they passionately made out on the bed, their tongues twining together in a sensual dance that had been done for many ages and would continue for many more. She could feel the gentle tug of his teeth on her bottom lip, something she had found quite quickly he liked to do to her. Moaning as she allowed his tongue entrance, she didn't even realize that he had pushed her back onto the bed until she felt the soft pillows cushioning her once again.

They didn't break contact. She threaded her fingers through his soft locks and keened into his mouth as he swiped his tongue against hers. His left hand travelled up her body, sending shivers up her spine. His warm hand gently stroked her smooth, soft flesh as he slowly trailed kisses across her jaw and down her neck. She tilted her head back in order for him to have more access to her sensitive points and moaned lowly as he latched onto the skin where her neck and shoulder connected.

He gently sucked on her flesh, nipping it to add a little sting. When she squeaked at the sensation, he laved his tongue over the abused flesh as if in apology for the harsh treatment and gave little kisses and sucks around the area. She knew that she would have one hell of a love bite by tomorrow but was too caught up in the steamy kisses and his hand gently stroking her side just below her breast, to care too much.

Her hips arched up off the bed and rubbed against him slowly and he moaned into her shoulder as he ground his hips back down onto her. She gasped and glorified in feeling the hard press of his cock against her sensitive center as she bucked up into him again. Gabe groaned lowly as the two of them ground their lower bodies against one another, in an effort to try to relieve some of the pressure.

Without his knowing Gabe gripped her left hip, the one that had just been branded, and a jolt of pain shot up her spine making her cry out in agony. Ripping himself away from her quickly, he looked down at her hip, which glowed an angry gold that slowly faded. He rubbed his hand over his face, breathing deeply.

"Sorry, I forgot about that," Gabe apologized. He avoided eye contact with her as if ashamed of himself.

She sat up and gently cupped his chin so that he had to look up at her. Leaning forward, she pecked him on the lips. "It's okay; we can continue what we started next time." With a wink, she got up off the bed slowly and walked towards the bathroom.

As she closed the door gently behind her, Pandora's words from earlier echoed in her mind.

"Oh, and Amy? That recurring dream that you still have even to this day? The man in the golden light? He's a lot nearer than you think and not everyone is being entirely truthful around you."

She sighed as she turned on the water faucet to splash some cold water onto her face. Pandora seemed to be more correct then she would like to admit. She had an inkling that she knew what Gabe was, and it wasn't a trickster.

A/N: Hope to hear from you all soon! Have a good holiday!