Eve of Heaven aka What if Eve came to Heaven, but a little later than she should have?
How long had it been?
Breath came hard to her now, slow and desperate.
How long had it been, since Eden?
Her hair had thinned and greyed, her once vibrant eyes dulled by the years.
How long had it been, since she became old?
Yet still, as she made the short climb up to the cliff above the cave, she smiled upon all that had been wrought.
It had once been a desolate and hard land, barren earth before a treacherous forest. Their cave had been the only sanctuary in this place, and even it was not always safe. They had both been so young, knowing so much and understanding so little. They had not been ready for this world, and the fault weighed heavy on her heart.
Yet the sight now lifted the weight, if only in part.
Vast fields of grain and crops had been sown, like fields of sunlight. Wells had been dug, water mercifully coming from within the earth, their pure depth dotting the landscape beautifully. The forest had been pushed back, cut down and fashioned to their benefit; Tools, huts, and more. Caves were a place of gathering now, a place of the whole family. Many huts were made now, most near the cave, others more distant by their own choosing of privacy. The laughter and call of children could be heard, in delight of some simple and pure joy or another. She saw some of her grandchildren in a distant pasture, tending to a large flock of sheep and goats.
Nine hundred and seventy years since Eden.
A couple hundred years since she noticed her body growing weaker.
Forty years since The First had left this world.
She finally turned away from the sight, turning her eyes onto something much more somber and sadder.
Near the cliff was a mound of stones, At the four corners was a stake fashioned from stone, flowers and herbs hung from them.
At the back was a large rock with a flat side. On it had been carved the likeness of a spear and of a bow. Not a bow of hunting, but a bow of music. She could never remember what it had been called, even now.
And in the First Tongue, the Words of Eden, the name had been sketched.
Adam.
Adam The Father
Adam The Husband.
Adam the First Man.
Adam, her lover, her teacher, her protector, her treasure, her delight, and so much more.
She almost smiled as she felt the tears in her eyes. Every time she thought the tears were done, she found more to give.
She didn't know how long she stood there. She was blissfully unaware of the soreness in her legs, at peace to just stand there and imagine he was still right next to her.
A bird flew just over her head with a loud cry, starting her as she turned with a surprise.
She almost forgot who she was looking at. So much like Adam it almost hurt.
"Mother?"
But she found some joy in seeing his likeness in this child of hers. "Hello, Seth," she greeted, her voice no longer as smooth as it had once been.
Seth smiled. He himself was starting to grow old, brown hair no longer as rich and lively as it had been. His clothes were fashioned from a bear's pelt, and the bird rested on his shoulder.
"Is he new?" Eve asked curiously.
Seth nodded, rubbing the head of the falcon affectionately. "You came to see Father?" he asked softly,
Even nodded. "I feel I will be leaving this world soon, Seth," she said softly, both a warning and an apology.
Seth's smile took on a sorrowful tone now. But he did not reel against the notion. "I came to tell you I'm going to be a great-grandfather soon. Mya and Jom's first."
Eve chuckled a bit. "My first great-great-grandchild. Oh, Adam, I wish you had invented word," she said, glancing over her shoulder at the grave.
"They...were hoping you could name him when he is born," Seth informed carefully.
Eve didn't say anything. She didn't even look at her son this time, instead looking to the sky. Names. They had come so easy to Adam. "It'll be a boy?" she asked absently.
"My wife, my sisters, and my nieces are all positive," he said with amusement.
Even hummed, feeling the wind in her hair and pretending it was his hand through her hair. "We'll eventually run out of names one day, Seth. There will be another Adam, another Seth, Jax, and Ran."
Seth furrowed his brow. "Are you saying, to name the child after Father?"
"No. I could never say his name and think of anyone else," Eve admitted, looking down. "I don't wish to invite misfortune, but I think it is time we honored Abel. If it is a boy, I ask that he be called Abol."
"Abol, not Abel," Seth said softly. His older brothers had once been an impossible topic to bring up. Now it was simply among the first tragedies for Mankind to endure. "I will tell them, Mother. Would you...like me to leave you alone with him? Or should I stay with you?"
"Alone, for now," Even answered, prompting Seth to nod and turn away. "Son?"
"Yes, Mot-" Seth didn't even have time to turn around as Eve embraced him.
"I'm so proud of you. Your father is proud of you, wherever he is. We have always loved you, and we always will," Eve whispered in his back.
Seth held her hand supportively for a moment. "Thank you, Mother," he said, tears gleaming in his own eyes.
They lingered there for a moment, as mother and son, joined in love and grief, before Eve pulled herself away reluctantly.
She heard Seth's footsteps moving away as she turned back to the Grave of Adam and approached the headstone.
Around the stone bearing his name were things left by their children, and their children's children, and their children. Pelts, wood sculptures, stone carvings, sometimes the burnt remains of a meal. They weren't sure if the dead could receive gifts from the living, but it was still a sentiment they liked to express, to show gratitude and remembrance for the life he had lived.
Death was no stranger to all of them, not anymore. But Adam? Adam was the first to die from the passing of time, the first to reach the natural end of their limited lifespans. Sometimes she wanted to curse the Heavens for not allowing them the Fruit of Life, the one thing that could spare Adam the touch of death. But she didn't, knowing it would only shame his death.
Shame was something that came early to her.
She knelt by the stone and placed a hand upon it. On its backside was the faded image that children had painted on, as if to tell stories to their dead ancestor. The rain washed much away, but it only encouraged them to pain more stories for him to know.
"Hello, Adam. I'm sorry, it's been a while, Love," she said softly. "I'm sure you heard. Seth will be a great-grandfather soon. Our first great-great grandchild."
She let the silence reach out now, almost as if he might answer back.
"Getting old was such a strange concept. I thought for the longest time that we might live on forever, watching as our descendants came to outnumber the stars themselves," Eve said with amusement, pausing to take a breath.
The sun bore down on her gently, just like his eyes use to. His golden eyes, the one thing no children of theirs ever had. Blue, green, brown, and more. But never those bright eyes again. The world felt darker without them in her life, all light dimmer.
"I don't know how long I have, but I think I will leave this world very soon," Eve said with a sad smile. "These forty years have been longer and harder then the hundreds that came before. Without you, I..."
She trailed off, tears in her eyes. Everything felt harsher, sharper now. The cold, the heat, the ache. Everything.
"Adam? My love, do I still have a place with you? When I...when I die? Can I be with you again?" she all but pleaded with the stone. "I know I'm selfish. I did this to us. But if I could, I'd..."
She trailed off, realizing she was no longer alone.
She raised her head, looking up to see a bird now rested upon the grave. An eagle, but one with white feathers, tipped with gold. The head had a spot of brown, as dark as the earth. The bird stared right at her.
With golden eyes.
"...My home was with you, Adam," Eve whispered, tears running like the waters of the rivers. "Can I ever come home, my love?"
The bird cocked its head before suddenly flapping its great wings, flying forward to land on her shoulder.
She stared at it for a long time, too scared to truly hope but still happy for the comfort the company brought. "You always loved it when I sung. You said my songs were always...peaceful."
The bird moved closer to rub her cheeks with its head. It was strange, the talons were sharp and her skin seemed thinner, but she couldn't find any discomfort.
"I sung you a song when...when you finally found your rest," she said, choking on the words. "I can almost remember the words, but I can't bring myself to sing again. So, if I still have a place with you? I'd like to sing it to you again."
She felt her body growing heavy and tired as she slouched against the stone.
"For right now, my love? Please, let me just...rest here a bit."
The bird cooed and stayed with her as she drifted off to sleep.
It started to rain, but Eve did not awake.
She drifted into some place between Eden and Earth, a place before and after Heaven. She slept there for so very, very long. It was almost dreamless, but not quite. Light enough to know she was sleeping, deep enough for time to blur blissfully by. And all she was aware of was this...feeling, that was like bleeding, but good. As if poison and venom drawn from a wound.
What was this poison, she wondered? Was it the Apple? Was it Lilith and Lucifer? Was it something foul in her? Was it the Sin that she had released upon the world?
Oh, how it clung to her, wanted her, needed her. Why, she didn't know. But she didn't want or need it.
And it had hurt everything she loved and desired, brought every misery her bloodline would suffer.
So she let it bleed, wanted it to bleed. To be expelled, thrown out, gone forever.
Perhaps then she could feel like she once did, cleaned and renewed. Before Lucifer, before the Apple, when it was just her and Adam with the angels.
Then, finally, she breathed.
She awoke.
She was renewed.
"Can you hear me? Are you awake?"
She knew that voice, from so long ago it almost felt like the voice had only ever been a dream. But as she opened her eyes, she saw it was no dream. "Sera?"
The Seraphim looked down at her with awe, shock, joy, and so much more. "Eve? Is it...truly you? That is your face, but..."
Eve sat up. She was on...something. It was like a bed, but off the ground and covered in these cloths that were not animal furs. Everything was bright and clean. But her body was like new. Flawless skin, vibrant hair, dressed in a flowing white robe, and...
With surprise, she accidentally unfolded her large wings from her hips. They were blue as the sky, and felt lighter than air on her.
"Where...where am I?" she asked in bewilderment. But not fear or alarm. There was something soft and soothing in her soul, telling her all was well. Everything was fine now.
Sera smiled down at the Frist Woman. "You're in Heaven, Eve."
Heaven. The realm of the Angels. The place they had meant to pass to one day, but the path to Heaven had been marred by her sin. "You mean...you mean that I...?"
"You were redeemed, Eve, by the good life you lived after the Fall," Sera said before a touch of something sad came to her features. "But I fear your mistake had one final cost for you."
"What do you mean? Tell me, where is Adam? And Abel? And the others?" Eve asked in concern.
Sera reached down to touch her hand. "Eve? I need you to listen carefully. When you died, you were set free of Sin. But sin held you as hard as it could. It could not keep your virtuous soul. We thought it had, in truth, but the truth is obvious now. It took...a long time for your soul to be cleansed, for you to reach heaven."
"What do you mean? I don't understand," Eve inquired with growing worry.
"Eve? I'm sure it feels like you died recently. But you have been missing for a very...very long time," Sera informed softly.
Eve stared at her. "How long? How long have I been...dead, but not here?"
Sera's hand squeezed gently. "Nine thousand years."
Eve stared. She stared because she could not ever wrap her head around that. Nine thousand. She had been nearly one thousand. Her lifespan had passed over eight more time since she died.
"And...and Adam? Where is he?" Eve asked quickly.
"Rest assured, Adam is in Heaven. The First Man was the first to be honored in heaven," Sera assured softly. "But we have not told him yet of your salvation. Eve, it...it has been so long since you two last seen one another. I had to be sure you were..."
Eve nodded numbly. She would have loved to have been welcomed by Adam himself, but this...this was so surreal. "He...I can't imagine what he must have thought. He must have thought I didn't...that I failed to redeem myself."
Sera stood there as a being of comfort and support.
"May I see him?" Eve asked, begged almost.
"Soon, Eve. But I warn you, in many ways, he has...changed much since you last knew him," Sera informed, something apologetic in her tone.
"I can only hope he still remembers me with love in his heart," Eve said before frowning. "My children? They're all dead as well."
It wasn't a question, but Sera still nodded. "There are...many things that have happened, Eve."
Even the peace of Heave could not quell the concern growing in Eve's heart.
"I understand. And...please, even if he hates me, I need to see him. I need to know he's here and...and..."
Sera wrapped her wings around Eve in comfort. "Very well, Eve. If that is your wish, I will grant it."
With a flash of light, they were somewhere else.
What Eve saw, she wasn't sure she had the word for. It was like the village her family had built, but grander and more. Buildings that towered and were made of something better than stone and mud. Everything was colorful and shined yet it never hurt the eyes.
It was like being in Eden in some ways, where everything felt more real.
She saw thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands of people walking about. Many looked almost human, but most had something off about them. A strange tone of skin or hair, much like how Sera was grey. Some looked completely animal or unreal to her, but all seemed peaceful and harmless.
"These are...?"
"The souls of heaven. Angels born to it, and those humans that earned their salvation," Sera informed gently.
Eve nodded numbly, overwhelmed as they walked. These were her descendants, many of them. She was thrilled yet still reeling. But she noticed something important. "Why do some look at me funny?"
"Only humans born in the Old World retain entirely human appearances," Sera answered. "It has been sometimes since any saw someone like you and didn't recognize her."
Eve hummed, supposing that made sense. Granted, she didn't know what Sera meant by the Old World. Did she mean Eden? But that would be just her and Adam, right? Maybe they remade Earth?
And why was everyone so short? She thought they might be children at first, but the more she looked, the more she realized that there were just many adults who were short to her.
Still, no one gave them pause or interrupted them as they walked. Sera led her away from the hustle and bustle of the City of Heaven, taking her somewhere among the clouds. Clouds they could walk on no less.
Then again, Eve remembered that she had wings now too. She wondered how hard they would be to use.
They reached a gate among the clouds, guarded by two angels. They were very intimidating, wearing dark outfits with black halos. They wore masks that gave them horns and looked like an eye was crossed out.
"Your Grace," they greeted respectfully, looking to Eve curiously.
"Someone wishes to speak to Adam. Allow us in, please."
They shared confused looks, but opened the gate regardless for the Seraphim. They entered, seeing many more of the same kind of angels flying and training in combat.
"Hymn, get your tight ass moving!"
Eve froze at his voice.
"Lute, where the fuck did you find these tit-brains?!"
Sera watched the frozen Eve carefully.
"Cynthia, I am renaming you Cunthia if you don't learn how to fucking throw a spear right!"
Eve didn't recognize him, but how could she? Wrapped in that large robe, and his very skin covered in something black? He was donned with a strange mask that covered everything, ends resembling horns dangling back, while lights danced across the mask to imitate a mouth and eyes.
"Okay, Thorns? Good effort, but try to tone done the laser beams! Yeah, I know they're cool as shit, but you're not me! You can't spam them without getting exhausted, I can!"
Sera was about to speak when Eve slowly began to approach from behind.
Adam stood there, watching the exorcists and blissfully unaware at who was drawing near. As he rambled off criticism to the Exorcists, she only had eyes for him.
Suddenly, Adam grew quiet. He raised his head with a thoughtful look as he began to smell the air.
Eve opened her mouth, closed it, and smiled. "May you bring love and may you bring happiness~" she whispered in song. Adam stiffened but did not turn around, and all the training ground grew still and silent at Eve's voice, watching the meeting with confusion. "Be loved in return to the end of your days. Now fall off to sleep, I'm not...I'm not meaning to keep you. I'll just sit for a while and sing."
Adam slowly turned, and the heavens might as well as shook with every step he took. He gazed at Eve with an expression that was...impossible to read.
Eve let out a smile of sorrow, love, and many more things. "I'm...sorry. I heard it took me a long time to get here. I...I know it might sound strange, but it still feels like I just died and-"
Adam reached up, hand trembling as he all but ripped the helmet off.
For the first time since she parted with him, Eve felt like she had finally seen the sun rise again.
It was still him. The face was shaven and the hair shorter, but it was definitely still Adam. And his golden eyes were still as wonderous as the day they met in Eden.
"Adam?" Eve whispered, her wings flittering softly. "Can...can I come home?"
"..." Adam reached out and placed his hands on her sides, just above the wings.
"Adam?" she asked again. "My love, please? Is...is something wrong?"
His hands began to tremble.
"If...if you hate me, please speak. I won't trouble your shadow again," Eve requested in resignation. "I just wanted to see you again. To now you were here, even if I can't be with you."
Adam's hands stilled.
"I've seen that face many times now, and heard the voice," he spoke with a heavy tone, every ounce of his normal persona melting away. "But no one else smelled more like Eden than you."
His wings embraced hers as he smiled.
Eve inhaled sharply and threw herself into his embrace, which he returned gladly.
Sera smiled at the scene, and could see the Exorcists were watching on, happy for their leader and his surprise reunion. She turned her attention to Lute, who made her way over discretely. "Your Grace?" Lute started in a low tone. "I believe we should inform Hell that tomorrow's Extermination Day will be canceled for this year."
"I believe that wise as well, Lute," Sera agreed softly.
Every day was a Happy Day in Heaven. But this was a joyous moment that few could compare with.
Adam and Eve, the First Man and the First Woman, reunited at last after all these years.
She could only imagine the sadness Eve would endure, learning of all that had transpired. But if nothing else, this was a moment no one, not even the Devil himself, could ruin for the pair.
And if Lucifer or Lilith tried, she'd personally kick them back down to Hell this time.
End of Chapter
So, yeah, I know all the many theories about where Eve may or may not be. But I decided to go with a heartwarming idea that she was NOT in Hell, but just took a long time to get to Heaven after dying. And yeah, this is a happy reunion.
Left this very vague about when this happens- it's near canon's start, but this might be even before Vaggie got kicked out or before Lilith left Hell. Regardless, the ripples effect of Adam getting his wife back would be profound. But also heartbreaking, because she's going to have to learn about EVERYTHING that happened on Earth. And the Exterminations, of course.
I also love the idea that Adam recognizes Eve by her scent. Because he's probably seen a thousand women by now that have some resemblance to her. But the smell of Eden on her is unmistakable.