"Good morning, Sera!" Emily was practically bouncing around the kitchen by the time Sera emerged from her room. The young Seraphim was absolutely bursting at the seams. Today was kind of a big deal. She was nervous, she was excited, she was... nervous-cited? Was that a word? Or was that just anxiety? Hard to tell.

"A blessed morning to you too, dear Emily." Sera smiled. She looked... tired. Emily had noticed that a lot as of late. Sera always seemed to have something weighing on her mind. It was strange, with Gabriel and the others back, Sera should have been less stressed out. Sure, Emily didn't see much of Michael, but the other three had been around.

"Did you sleep okay?"

"Of course I did." Sera smiled, warmly, walking over to where Emily was cooking, she placed a hand on top of the trainee's head, stroking her hair.

"You just look like you might still be sleepy."

"Hmm? Do I?"

"A little."

"Well," Sera pressed against kiss to the top of Emily's hair, "I was up working late. But as you will soon know, a Seraphim's work never ceases. And we do not require sleep."

"But sleep is nice!"

"It is nice! And it really helps with the mental well-being of the Winners. But as Angels, we do not require it." Sera was still smiling. "But yes I did sleep. No need to worry my little one."

"Okay..." Emily squinted at Sera for a moment, the eyes in her halo and dress examining her quietly. Sera simply smiled brushing her fingers against Emily's cheek before taking a seat at the kitchen table.

"Now, what in Heaven have you been cooking, my little Seraphim? It smells absolutely divine!"

"Pancakes!" Emily shook head to clear it. Sera seemed fine now. "I wanted to make something extra special for today!" Emily had been taking cooking classes from Adam when she could, though she mostly attended the lessons on baking. She didn't need to know how to: barbecue a perfect rib, as she much preferred sweet things. (And in Heaven, all food was nutritious, no matter what it was.)

"Is that so?" Sera looked at the pancakes as Emily placed them in front of her. "These look lovely, little one." She picked up her fork, but Emily hurried over with a big bottle of syrup and a box of chocolate cereal.

"Wait! Not done!" The angelic trainee opened the syrup bottle and poured it over the stack before opening the cereal box and adding the crispy chocolate balls on top. "There!"

"Oh, very creative!" Sera clapped her hands before picking her fork up once again and taking a bite. "They taste even better than they smell."

"You mean it!?""

"Of course I do. Lying is sinful."

"Great! I made extra for Molly and Abel! And Gabriel! And Raphael, And Uriel, and Michael too! They've been working so hard!" Emily had also made some for Pentious and the Port Gatory crew, but that was a bit of a sore spot for Sera and since she was in a good mood, Emily didn't want to ruin it. The last thing she needed on a day like this: was homework.

"That is very thoughtful of you, I am certain they will appreciate all of your hard work. However, you must be sure not to bother the Arcs if they are working."

"I won't. I just wanted to do something special."

"What's the occasion, little one?" Sera glanced behind her at the calendar on the wall that Emily had decorated with little drawings and stickers. "Is it another human holiday? There are so many, I am afraid I might have lost track."

"No, I mean, I don't think so..." she, too, looked back at the calendar. "Well, there are a few holidays today, but that's not why I am celebrating." She set her own plate down, pouring the syrup over her pancakes and drowning them in chocolate cereal. The crunch really elevated the flavor profile of her dish, or something like that. Cooking wasn't Emily's strong suit. "Do you really not remember?"

"Remember, what?" Sera's eyes narrowed slightly. Emily wondered briefly if she had hit a sore spot she didn't know about. She had only been asking a genuine question.

"It's been one whole year since the last Extermination."

"Oh." Sera's expression when from serious to deadpan. Her eyes flickered to the calendar and then back once more. "Yes, I suppose it has been, hasn't it?"

"Yeah! This is a big deal! I am sure Hell is more excited than we are, but I thought it might still be worth doing something small just to-"

"To celebrate the day a group of our own were murdered by Sinners? The day Adam broke a contract? Or the day your best friend's father was murdered?" Sera's voice was no longer warm and inviting as she raised an eyebrow at Emily. The young Seraphim crossed her arms over her chest, grumbling to herself under her breath.

"He got better."

"Falling is a worse fate than simply dying. Do you think Abel enjoys knowing that his father chose to break a contract over being with him? Do you think it makes him happy to know that Cain now gets to spend time as a family as Abel is left alone, isolated once again?"

"He's not alone! He has us!" Emily hadn't really thought about the Final Extermination in that light. Abel had been a little more... dreary than usual. Maybe it was the weight of the upcoming anniversary of the Exterminations that was putting a damper on an otherwise happy soul. It was Heaven, after all, and Abel was a Winner. He shouldn't be sad. (At least, no more so than usual.) "He has Seth too..."

"Seth? You have said yourself that the two have never been close. And why would they be? They never met until they had both died."

"Yeah... but..." Emily trailed off for a moment. It had started to seem like Abel and Seth were on better terms, at least, before Pentious went off to join the crew of Port Gatory. But Sera had a point, they hadn't really interacted much since. "... They're family..." she finished her sentence, though she had lost a considerable amount of steam.

"Don't be sad, little one." Sera reached across the table to put a hand on the side of Emily's cheek, careful not to trail her sleeve in the sticky syrup. "All of Heaven are there to support him through this."

"He has been sad lately..." Emily looked at her pancakes, her appetite seemed to have left her. "I've been worried."

"And why wouldn't he be? He lost his only family, Emily- Seth aside, of course, but Abel doesn't see him as much of a brother, I imagine. The only brother Abel thought he knew was the one who brutally beat him to death in an act of envy and wrath."

"... right."

"Emily..." Sera pulled her hand away, returning to the food the young Seraphim had made. "I know you are worried about Abel. So, I think, today, if you wanted to focus on bringing cheer to one Winner in particular, I wouldn't mind."

"Thank you, Sera." Emily had originally been planning on a celebration to commemorate the end of an era of antagonism with Hell. But Sera was right. There was a lot of negativity surrounding this day. Maybe her efforts would be put to better use if she just focused on Abel.

"If anyone can help, my little one, it's you." Sera finished her food, picking up her plate and taking it to the sink. "You are responsible for filling hearts with cheer, it is your specialty. I doubt even Abel's sour mood is any match for my trainee." She snapped her fingers, and the plate was cleaned in an instant. (Typically, angels liked to do mundane chores themselves rather than using magic to complete them, as it gave them a sense of accomplishment. However, when rushing sometimes it was just easier to clean with the wave of a hand. It was better than just leaving food and syrup all over a plate.)

"You mean it?"

"Of course I do." Sera walked toward the door, pressing another kiss to the top of Emily's head as she walked past. "I love you, Emily."

"I love you too, Sera."

"Thank you again for the breakfast. It's such a perfect start to my day." She stopped in the doorway, leaning against the frame. "I am sure it'll be a big hit with the others." She turned to leave. "And do try to cheer up dear Abel. I trust that you can help remind him of the paradise and love he has found up here."

"Of course!" Emily knew that Sera wasn't usually a big fan of her interacting with the Winners on such a personal level, so, this was big. She looked at her food. It would be wasteful to just throw it away. She thought about it for a moment and decided to finish eating. She could use that time to come up with a game plan.

Immediately she was texting Molly to come over and brainstorm. A big mission like this would need backup. They had to come up with a strategy. Abel wasn't exactly big on lavish parties or extravagant and crowded events. It made sense, there weren't exactly a whole lot of humans around when he was alive. Even Heaven could get a little crowded for his taste when it came to extravagant events. So, a party was right out.

Emily stacked another plate of pancakes on the table, covering them with syrup and chocolate cereal, readying it for Molly's arrival. (One of the many benefits of Heaven was that the food never cooled, the syrup would never truly absorb, and things would not become mushy or soggy.) When there was finally a knock on her door, the pancakes were still as good as the moment she pulled them out of the pan.

"Molly!" Emily practically threw the door open, wrapping her arms around the pink and white Winner. Four arms wrapped around her in return.

"Heya, Em!"

"SO, glad that you could make it."

"You said it was important."

"YES! Very. But first!" Emily ushered Molly inside, closing the door behind her. She gestured to the steaming stack of nicely browned, fluffy disks dripping in golden syrup, covered in crispy chocolate spheres. "I made us fooooood~"

"Oooo! That smells delish!" Molly happily took the seat Emily had pulled out for her. "Thanks!" She grabbed a knife and fork and began to dig in. "Oh, these are amazing! You really learned something from all those baking classes. I also like the added crunch of the cereal. It really... I dunno kinda elevates the textures."

"I know, right?" Emily was very excited that her crazy concoction had been a success. (Of course, it was very difficult to fail at anything in Heaven- unless you tried very hard to do so. Things just had a way of naturally working out for the best.) "I am so happy you enjoyed them! I made lots so help yourself!"

"You're too sweet. Not like these pancakes! They're just sweet enough!" Molly took a big bite, chewing thoughtfully. "So, what was the big emergency?"

"Abel."

"Oh, yeah. That checks." Two of her arms were cutting her next bite as a third arm picked up the napkin and dabbed her lips. "What about him specifically?"

"Have you..." Emily took a deep breath, trying to think of the right words. "... noticed anything... off about him?"

"You mean that he's a lot more..." It was Molly's turn not to finish her sentence. Her eyes flickered up to meet Emily's gaze.

"... yeah."

"Uh huh. I've noticed it too." Molly nodded. Neither of the girls wanted to say it out loud. Gossiping wasn't nice, even if it was coming from a place of genuine concern. If one did not have something nice to say, then nothing should be said at all. And Abel was their friend it wouldn't be right if they talked negatively about him behind his back.

"I was thinking, maybe, we could do something nice for him today! It's... the anniversary of his dad's kind of death. I know he must be feeling pretty lonely right now." Emily put the suggestion out in the open. Molly nodded eagerly.

"I love it. He's been a bit of a shut in recently, though..."

"I hope he's feeling okay..."

"It's Heaven, Em, can we even get sick?"

"Huh..." Emily had to think about it. Gabriel had talked about Corruption. That, theoretically, would be able to make a soul sick- very sick. But Corruption was kept out of Heaven. There were all sorts of security measures in place to stop it. Emily wasn't sure exactly what these measures were, but she knew that Heaven was immune to that sort of thing. "I don't think there is anything around here that could make a soul sick." There was no need to panic Molly over theoretical things. So, Emily carefully worded her answer to wave off the concern. "Sera thinks he's just... really sad right now because of his dad."

"That makes a lot more sense." Molly nodded. "I mean, Adam was kind of a dick bag toward the end there, I guess he got a bit of an ego, but I know how much Abel loved him." Emily covered her mouth at Molly's more colorful language. The Winners didn't have an issue with swearing of any kind, but it was still incredibly strange to hear in Heaven. Molly smirked seeing Emily's expression. "Don't gimme that look, you've heard way worse."

"I have."

"And I hear angels swear plenty. So, I think that rule is just something Sera made up for you specifically."

"It's not like... illegal or anything. I can swear. It's just not really something we do." Emily gave a small shrug. "So," she felt the need to steer everything back on topic as somehow, they had managed to veer off course. "About Abel..."

"We need to think of a reason to get him out of the house. If we try to make it like it's just a fun outing, he might not want to come."

"Good point." Emily knew that Abel had been staying inside more and more frequently as of late. "We could take him to the zoo! He loves that place!"

"True!" Molly clapped all four of her hands together in excitement. "I think the zoo would be a great idea! Noah says that he hasn't even come in to volunteer recently. I know those sheep miss him so much."

"And I bet he misses them too!" Emily liked having a plan. She could deliver her pancakes to the Archangels (and to Pentious) after she was certain that Abel was feeling back to his old self! Maybe he would even want to join her!

"Let's do it!" Molly pumped both of her left hands up in the air, "but first," she lowered them back down. "Let me finish these pancakes!"

"Of course! I need to pack some away for Abel! I was also going to bring some to the Archangels! You know, as a bit of an: I missed you, kind of gift."

"That's so sweet! I haven't really gotten to talk to them much, other than Michael's big, scary, burning sky announcement he made about the Exterminations. Which was terrifying. Not what I was expecting to see in Heaven of all places."

"Yeah... Michael is a little scary." Emily, of course, didn't know him personally. She had minimal interactions with him before the Arcs all left to do important tasks away from Heaven. But she knew the stories Sera and the other Seraphim had told her. She knew his claim to fame was slicing the wings off his own brother in a brutal battle. Then the moment he returned, he set the sky ablaze. (He had even had a sword to Sera's throat. Or at least, that's what Emily thought she had seen. It was only for a moment.) BUT he HAD stopped the Exterminations. He had even given Pentious a chance to prove himself! That had to mean something, right? Maybe he was just an intense kind of dude. The Metatron was intense, but she was perfectly nice! At least, in the few interactions Emily had ever had with her, she was lovely. "But perhaps pancakes can help give him a brighter start to his day, or, by the time we actually get to him: his afternoon!"

"Maybe you give Michael the pancakes. You know, by yourself. I happen to like my wings still on my back, thank you very much."

"Why would he cut them off, Molly? You haven't done anything wrong." It was rare for Winners to commit any type of crime. It was possible of course, thanks to free will, but it wasn't exactly a common occurrence. "Plus, I think he only does that to angels."

"That doesn't make me feel better. I accidentally took two cookies from the take one pile at the bakery last week and I have been eating myself alive over it. And I just KNOW if Michael sees me, he will know."

"I mean, he might know. I'm not sure how that works."

"See!? You deal with him!"

"I'm sure it's fine, Molly." Emily was not, in fact, sure that it was fine. She had broken rules too, especially where Pentious was involved. But Michael had yet to bring that up to her in the ... one interaction they had together since his return. Maybe he was waiting? "But if you want, I'll give him the pancakes."

"But put in a good word for me?"

"Of course I will!" Emily finished packing the food away in a nice little silver and blue picnic basket made of whicker and adorned with a bow. (Emily had made it herself in basket weaving. There were way too many interesting classes to take in Heaven!) Molly seemed to have finished her food and was taking her plate to the sink to clean it.

"Thanks again for the breakfast! You really outdid yourself!" She washed the plate and put it on the drying rack behind Emily's and Sera's. "Let's get Abel some of this grub! I bet he is starving!" Molly hurried to the door.

"Nothing puts people in a good mood like a freshly made breakfast!" Emily was also worried about Abel getting enough sustenance. His appetite had not been great upon their last few visits. But at the same time, souls didn't require food in the traditional sense. But eating, drinking, sleeping; they were all things a soul would do while alive. It helped them maintain a sense of normalcy to continue these actions in Heaven. It was important for their mental wellbeing. "I bet he'll be so excited to see us!" Molly nodded in agreement.

"I know he will!"

He was not.

Emily and Molly knocked excitedly on the door, basket in hand and they waited.

And waited.

And waited some more.

Then they knocked again.

Still nothing.

"Abel?" Emily put her hand on the doorknob.

Locked.

That was... weird. In Heaven there wasn't much need to lock a door. Or course you could but most Winners lost the habit after a few years of perfect safety. And Abel had never really developed the habit to begin with. Adam didn't really start locking his door until... Emily shook herself; Molly glanced at her uncertainly before deciding to knock again, a little louder.

"Hey Abel! You in there?"

"We made pancakes!" Emily felt a little worried. She didn't like not knowing if he was okay. But it was Heaven. He should be okay. Nothing would hurt him, nothing could hurt him, but still-

The door finally swung open. "Hey." Abel looked as if he had just woken up. His gold and black hair was a mess. His eyes looked sunken, even his movements were lethargic, like the air around his limbs was as thick as molasses. He blinked as the warm, morning sunlight streamed through the cracked open door, washing over his face. "What's up?"

"Did we wake you up?" Emily tried to peer behind him into the darkness of his house. She really thought he would be staying with Seth more, as Abel was used to company thanks to staying with Adam for most of his afterlife. Maybe the house was too crowded for his taste, with Seth's kids constantly popping in and out to visit their parents.

"Yeah," Abel yawned, "sorry about that. You said something about pancakes?" He hadn't moved from the doorway; it didn't seem as if he was interested in letting them inside.

"I made pancakes!" Emily held out the wicker basket and opened the lid so Abel could see the sweet treat in all of its glistening, sugary glory.

"Nice." He made a show of sniffing the air above the basket. "Smells amazing, Emily. You really knocked it out of the park with that one."

"They taste good too, you know." Molly put one hand against the side of the doorframe as she spoke. Abel blinked, as if he didn't quite understand her at first.

"Oh, um, yeah, I bet they do."

"Do you want some?" Emily wasn't sure what exactly was wrong with him, but he definitely wasn't himself. Abel was never what one would call enthusiastic. He was cheerful, but calm. However, this was almost... muted. "I thought you might want a little something delicious to kickstart your morning!"

"Yeah... no, I could eat." He stepped out of the house, closing the door behind him. Emily was a little confused as she handed him a plate.

"Do you want to get like a fork, or-"

"Nah, it's fine." Abel grabbed the pancakes on top with the hand not holding the plate and shoved it in his mouth. "Everything was finger food back in my day."

"I guess, that's true." Emily had seen him eat with his hands plenty of times before. She shouldn't have been surprised by the choice, but it still felt a little odd as she had also seen him use silverware plenty of times in the past. "We were thinking of going to the zoo after this, doesn't that sound fun!?"

"Why?" Abel looked up; his mouth still full of food as he spoke. Molly and Emily looked at each other once again. Molly cleared her throat.

"We just haven't been in a while!"

"Hmm... guess not. But there's nothing new there so it's not like you're really missing out." Abel must have been ravenous because he was practically shoving the food in his mouth. "But if you guys want to go, that's fine. I might just go back to sleep for a bit-"

"No!" Emily had not intended to sound so desperate. But oh well. Abel was staring at her, confused, sticky syrup dripping from his chin and fingertips, bits of cereal sticking to his face. "I mean," the young Seraphim tried to back-pedal. "We don't have to do the zoo! We can do something else! I was going to the Head Offices to find the Arcs and bring them pancakes! You haven't really been there before, right?"

"We miss ya, Abel, you've been kinda... not yourself lately." Molly added, putting a hand on Abel's shoulder. He almost seemed to flinch away at first, but it happened so quickly, Emily couldn't be sure if she had just imagined it. Sera told her that Abel had been rather skittish around everyone when he first got to Heaven. When the first Winners started coming that weren't his father, he would give them a wide birth. But that had been years ago now. In the time since Emily had known him, Abel was fine around others, if not a little introverted.

"I... suppose I have been kinda standoffish... my bad. It's been rough." Abel looked at the pancakes before returning his gaze to his friends. "Sorry."

"You don't have to apologize; you didn't do anything wrong. We just worry about you." Emily tried her best to assure him. "I know you miss your dad."

"Are we going to the offices now or like... later?" Abel immediately changed the subject. Emily didn't push. She knew that would be a sore spot. Though, he was aware that his father was alive there was no denying the fact that the two were permanently separated.

"We can go now." Emily clapped her hands excitedly. "I figured that the Arcs have been working so very hard to help all of us, that they might like a little treat!"

"I suppose they do work hard, which is why they are so rarely available." The bitterness in Abel's tone stemmed more from the fact that he had tried to schedule meetings with the Arcs when they were a gone (of course, Abel was not privy to the information that they were off, doing important work, so it was understandable that he might feel a little neglected).

"They really do!" Emily felt it was best to avoid that topic too. "So, did you like the pancakes?" Abel must not have hated them, because the plate was nearly empty.

"Oh, yeah, they were amazing, Em, thank you." Abel smiled and Emily felt a little relief wash over her as she saw her dear friend looking more like himself again.

"Right? She did such a good job." Molly placed one arm around Emily's neck and another around Abel's. "So, now let's get this delivery going!"

"One second, let me wash my hands first." Abel held up his dripping hand, covered in the remains of cereal and pancakes alike. Molly let out a laugh.

"Fair."

"Be right back." Abel used the hand with which he had been holding the plate to open the door and close it abruptly behind him.

"He seems more like himself, now." Emily let out a sigh of relief as she had been able to see him smile. His movements seemed less strained than before. Molly nodded, folding both pairs of arms over her chest.

"Maybe he was just hungry?"

"Maybe... That, and he probably misses Adam."

"I miss Adam and he's not even my dad. I mean... I miss his cooking a least."

"You didn't even get a chance to try it that much." Emily was a little sad that Adam seemed to have lost interest in his favorite hobby by the time that Molly had died. He would occasionally still make something whenever Abel would ask, but Adam didn't seem as invested in all the new culinary discoveries the way that he had been before.

"But those ribs? To die for. Or I guess... to die again for." Molly laughed at her own joke. Emily couldn't help but giggle. "Listen to me, I sound like Abel."

"That is a joke he would make." She looked back at the closed door once again. Silence fell over the two as they waited patiently for Abel to return. Patience was a Virtue, after all. (In fact, it was Raphael's Virtue.) Though, the longer they waited, the more Emily was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"He sure is taking a long time, huh?" Molly shifted a hand to her hip as they continued staring at a closed door. "What, did he get lost?" Emily waited a little longer, she didn't want to rush him, but time was passing, and she couldn't even hear the sounds of Abel stirring on the other side of the door. She took a deep breath before raising her hand and knocking politely.

"Abel?"

Nothing.

"Abel? Is everything okay?"

Still nothing.

"Abel, did ya get distracted?" It was Molly's turn to knock. When there was still no answer, Emily decided to try the doorknob once again, as she hadn't heard the sound of a lock clicking shut when Abel had gone back in. Sure enough, this time the door swung open.

"Hey, Abel? We're coming in!" Emily took a step into the house. It was dark, Abel didn't have any of the lights on. Emily, being an angel, was able to see perfectly, despite the darkness. There wasn't much to see, an occasional discarded bit of clothing, the big sheep that Adam had made for Abel years ago had been dragged out into the center of the living room. The television was the only lighting, as Abel had left it on, but there was static on the screen. That was unusual, given that the televisions in Heaven didn't often malfunction. Over the faint lull of static, Emily could hear the soft noise of a faucet running in the distance. It was a little difficult to differentiate, but she was fairly confident about hearing it.

"You in here?" Molly followed Emily inside. The two walked a little further into Abel's home. The kitchen was empty, though Emily could see burned food on the stove. She knew Abel wasn't the greatest chef; she was glad she had decided on bringing him some food.

"Hey, did you go back to sleep?" Emily continued in further. She stopped as she moved slowly closer to the sound of water running. She followed the noise, seeing the bathroom door was cracked open. "Are you in here?" She slowly peeked in the bathroom. It was pitch black like the rest of the house; the blinds had been drawn to stop the sun from streaming in. Abel was standing by the sink, the faucet was on, but he was just staring at the mirror across from him. His expression looked... blank. "Abel"

"Huh?" Abel's head snapped toward Emily so abruptly she nearly jumped. He blinked, for a moment it didn't seem as if he saw them. But his eyes focused, and he smiled. "Emily, Molly, is something wrong?"

"You hadn't come back from washing your hands yet... it's been nearly half an hour... we were worried..." Molly was gripping Emily by the shoulder.

"Washing my..." Abel's golden eyes almost seemed to reflect the light of the halos of his friends as they shifted to look at the syrup-soaked hand that was gripping the edge of the sink so tightly his knuckles had turned white. "Oh, yeah, sorry about that. I got a little distracted." He stuck his hand under the water before pulling it abruptly back out. "Too hot."

"Oh?" Emily went to touch the water, but Abel turned it off. "We can have someone look at that." It shouldn't have been possible for the temperature to be too hot. It was Heaven, after all. Abel pulled on the side of the mirror over the sink, and it swung open revealing a cabinet behind it. Emily couldn't see what was in it, but Abel pulled out a little package of wipes, using those to clean his hand instead.

"That's not necessary." Abel closed the mirror again. "I have been messing around with the pipes, I probably screwed something up in the process."

"Why were you doing that?" Molly narrowed her eyes. Emily was a little confused as well, as Abel hadn't really shown any interest in plumbing prior to this moment.

"What brings you guys here?" He didn't answer the question.

"We just brought you pancakes, remember?" Emily glanced at the syrup starting to drip slowly down the side of the sink. Abel quickly wiped up the mess.

"Of course I remember. I just meant: why are you in my house?"

"You were taking a while." Molly repeated herself. "We were worried." Abel tossed the wipes in the trashcan behind him, turning back to face his concerned friends.

"Sorry, I got lost in thought."

"Did you still want to join us in order to bring pancakes to the Arcs?" Emily patted the side of her basket. Abel was looking a little more like himself again, the smile helped immensely.

"Sure!"

"Great!" Emily gestured toward the door. "Let's go to the Main Hall and see if anyone's around!" She thought it might be a nice change to get Abel out of the house.

"It's weird to go to the Hall when you're not in trouble." Abel mused, but he followed along behind. Emily and Molly were the first outside. Abel joined them on the porch as he closed the door behind him. He turned, pulling out a golden key and locking it, before putting the key back into the pocket of his sweater

"Are you... worried about something?" Emily put a hand on his shoulder as the First Soul in Heaven pocketed the key. Abel shrugged.

"Not particularly, but, like, it's good to be safe, you know?"

"... sure." Emily wasn't entire sure if she understood, but it was just nice to see Abel out and about again. "I hope the Arcs will love the pancakes!"

"I am certain they will! You worked hard on them." Abel put his hands in his pockets as the three flew over the glittering, clean streets of Heaven.

"I am excited to maybe, finally get to meet one of them!" Molly did a little spin in the air. "Raphael is the only one of them that's married, right?"

"Molly!" Emily giggled. She knew it was a joke. It was just nice to have the jovial air back. This was the way Heaven was supposed to be! Breezy and carefree. It was a nice flight over to the Main Hall. Everyone seemed to be in a better mood, especially Abel. The sunshine and fresh air had done wonders for him. The trio landed by the fountain outside.

"I have only been inside this place a few times." Molly looked to be in awe as they walked up to the massive, gilded doors. Emily pushed them open without hesitation.

"I imagine you haven't needed to come here. This is really only a workplace for angels."

"It's also a little intimidating for a Winner." Abel added as they walked inside. The desks were now fully staffed with angels, going about their respective duties. They all looked up when the trio entered.

"Good morning!"

"Emily! Abel! Molly! Good to see you!"

"Welcome! Welcome!"

"Can someone assist you?"

Immediately they were greeted by a happy chorus of welcomes. The front office itself was a large room, surrounded with stained glass depictions of some of Heaven's most historic events. (Emily was always partial to the window with the creation of the Archangels. It was nice seeing them all together, though, someone had painted over Luciael's face. It was sad, it felt as if it ruined the art. It was obvious that there had been an attempt to remove the paint, but it had stained the glass.) But being in such a busy, important building could be a little overwhelming for some. (Not for Emily. She couldn't wait to have her own office here one day.)

"Are the Arcs in their offices?"

"Not all of them, I'm afraid." One of the Angels at the front desk answered politely. "But I believe Gabriel is in!" So, Michael was gone again? Huh.

"Great! Thank you!" Emily hurried down the hall, Molly and Abel sticking close as she headed to Gabriel's office. She stopped in front of the beautiful, wooden door, knocking politely.

"Just one moment!" Gabriel's voice came from the other side. Emily saw Abel and Molly both tense. (Although, the last time they had visited Gabriel, Abel and Seth had received the newest that their father wasn't truly dead; it seemed as if being in front if such an important angel was still intimidating.) There was a brief sound of movement from the office before the door opened. Gabriel towered over the three as he held open the door. "Emily! Abel! Molly! So good to see you, come in, come in!" He smiled warmly and instantly both of the Winners seemed to relax in his presence.

"You know my name!" Molly looked up at him, she appeared to be in awe of the Archangel.

"Oh, yes, I know everyone's name. It's an angel thing." Gabriel tapped the side of the halo that fully encircled his head. "Can I offer you something? Food? Drink?"

"Oh, no thank you." Molly bowed her head.

"We just ate." Abel added quickly.

"Actually, we came to bring you something!" Emily held up her basket. "I made pancakes for all of you!" She opened the lid pulling out one of the plates. Gabriel's face seemed to light up upon seeing the treats and all of the eyes in his halos seemed to be looking at Emily's cereal-topped confection with hunger.

"How wonderful! Those look delicious!"

"Are the others around?" Emily handed the plate over and Gabriel set it on his desk, carefully moving papers aside so he had room. He shook his head.

"Big Blue is doing some important work, and I'm afraid I can't send you his way; Green Machine is out with his family; and the Scarlet Scholar is working on some important spells. However, if you want to leave their share here, I'll be glad to be your delivery angel." He gave a little wink.

"Oh." Emily was a little disappointed that she wouldn't get to see the others. They were always so busy. (Though, it was nice to know that Raphael was getting some much-needed time off.) "Well, if they're unavailable, I understand. I just wanted to say thank you for everything you have done!"

"That is just so sweet of you for thinking of us!" Gabriel seemed genuinely grateful as he took out the other plates. The halos glanced back in the basket as his eyes maintained contact with Emily. "There's some extra plates in here."

"Yeah... there are." Emily's eyes flickered down to the basket. Gabriel looked almost bemused as he handed the basket back to Emily.

"Were... there some others getting pancakes?"

"Well..." Emily bit her lip. Her gaze flickered upward, and she could see all of the halos squinting down at her. Gabriel put his elbows on his desk, resting his cheek in his hand, there was a hint of a smile on his lips. (Though, perhaps that was simply Emily's wishful thinking.)

"Well?"

"I just... you see, it's Pentious's one-year Death-iversary... or... maybe, Redemption-versary?" She felt a little sheepish under his gaze. "I just thought maybe he wanted a treat? And of course, if I got him something then Jazeerael and Jezebel should too, and... you know..."

"And how were you planning on getting these to them?" Gabriel raised an eyebrow at her, a fork appearing between the fingers in his free hand.

"Could I, maybe, if it's not too much trouble, have permission to take the Ferry to Port Gatory?" Emily was not a fully trained Seraphim, and she had yet to gain the ability to navigate the wilds of Purgatory on her own. Gabriel's expression didn't really change.

"Were your friends going too?"

"If... that was okay? They are his friends too!" Emily knew Souls didn't really go to Purgatory again once they were processed. But she had to ask.

"Port Gatory isn't exactly safe for souls, Emily." Gabriel stuck his fork in the pancakes. "I'm really sorry, but I am going to have to deny your request. However, I can make sure Pentious gets your gift. It's incredibly thoughtful. I think his chick-bois, that's what he calls them, right? They will especially enjoy the pancake part. Though I do not envy Jazeerael for having to clean up whatever mess they make." He chuckled, as he took his first bite. "Wow, Emmie, this is so good."

"Thank you!" Emily wouldn't lie; she was a little disappointed. She wanted to see Pentious, to ask how he was doing. But she wouldn't go against Gabriel. "Do you... know how he is?"

"Doing remarkably well, he fits right in with the crew down there. You know, maybe I can see if he has enough free time to come visit Heaven sometime soon. How does that sound." Gabriel must have sensed her disappointment. Emily immediately perked up at the suggestion.

"You mean it!?"

"Wouldn't say it if I didn't." Gabriel gave her another little wink. Immediately Emily felt better. Maybe she could make Pentious a cake!

"Have you heard from my dad?" Abel who had been sitting quietly watching the whole interaction, finally spoke up. Gabriel had a bite of pancake in his mouth, the eyes in the halos shifted to look at Abel as the Archangel finished his bite of food, covering his mouth with his hand.

"Your dad is doing quite well, all things considered. He misses you and your brother terribly. He asks about you both every time we see him."

"So, he's okay?" Abel looked so sad. Emily wished, just once, that they could go to Hell just so that Abel would be able to see his father again. What was Heaven without those you cared about the most? Poor Molly had to be here without her twin, and now Abel was going to have to spend the rest of his eternity without the loving father that had kept him company for so long. No, that couldn't be the way things ended. If Pentious got redeemed, there had to be hope for Adam! And for Anthony too! Everyone could be together up in Heaven!

"Aside from missing you, he's fine." Gabriel's voice was reassuring. He smiled at Abel, and the Son of Adam seemed to relax.

"Thank you."

"Is there anything else I can help with?" Gabriel glanced around the room. Molly, Emily, and Abel all looked at one another before Emily shook her head.

"I think that's everything."

"Great! Well, I hate to eat and kick you out, but unfortunately, I do have a lot of work on my plate at the moment. Though, Emmie, if you are really interested in learning more about Port Gatory, I'm sure I can get a few lessons set up for you. Rochele has just been begging to steal you from Sera for a few." Gabriel laughed.

"Rochele?" Emily was a bit surprised to hear that. Sure, Rochele had offered to teach her last time they crossed paths, but Emily just thought she was being polite. (There was also the matter of Rochele's notoriously bad sense of direction. Was she really the best angel to help Emily navigate the labyrinthine wilds of Purgatory?) "I mean, I'll be super happy to learn from anyone! But you know that Sera has been in charge of all of my education thus far."

"Right, I know, but it doesn't hurt to let you see some other jobs every so often. Back in the day we used to do a full rotation, where trainees would circle between all of the top Seraphim. But I guess we got a little lazy." He leaned forward on the desk, cupping his hand to the side of his mouth. "Don't tell Uri." (Uriel was the Virtue of Diligence, so it made sense that she wouldn't exactly approve of Heaven slacking). "I would love to have you follow Polly or Bina but that might have to be a rain check." Emily assumed Polly was Hippolyta the Head Seraphim for Raphael, as Bina was Uriel's top Seraphim. "I know you're technically one of my girls, but I think it's important to know what everyone does."

"I understand." Emily was actually thrilled at the idea of learning from some of the other Head Seraphim. She couldn't even remember the last time she had even seen Polly or Bina around. "I appreciate you letting me learn more about Purgatory."

"You're a Seraphim, Emmie, and one of mine. We're messengers. It's very important for you to know all the realms." There was a burst of wind and suddenly Gabriel was beside the door. "I'll tell Rocky that you're interested. Thanks again for the pancakes!"

"Happy to help." Emily got to her feet as she, Molly, and Abel filed out of the office. She understood that Gabriel was busy. They all seemed to be occupied with things now a day. (She knew why that might be, but there was no way Gabriel was going to discuss Corruption in front of innocent Winners. THAT would cause panic. Emily was still surprised that she was able to know the details. Gabriel trusted her. And that meant everything.)

"Now what?" Molly was looking around at the decor as they headed back through the busy lobby into the sunny streets outside.

"You guys could come over! Maybe help me come up with a cake recipe for when Pentious visits? OH! We could plan a little party!" Emily didn't know when the visit might take place, but it was always good to be prepared.

"He liked birds, maybe we could borrow some from Noah?" Abel seemed on board. Relief washed over the angel trainee as Emily finally started to feel like her friend was acting more like himself again. She bounced up into the air.

"That's a GREAT idea! How do you think he feels about streamers?"

"I got big 'pro-streamers' energy off of him when he was here." Molly nodded as she joined Emily in the air.

"I feel like he'd also like confetti canons. He has a thing about canons." Abel joined the others in the air as they started flying toward Emily's house. It was nice, flying around in the warm, Heavenly air, laughing, talking, planning a future party. Things were finally starting to feel as if they were back to normal. Abel's mind wasn't on his father, and he seemed to be legitimately enjoying the party planning. All it took was a delicious pancake-related adventure. Who knew that pancakes were such a perfect fix?

They landed and Emily quickly ran to the table. "Okay, this is our headquarters for party planning!" She gathered all the paper she had and put it on the table with a pile of pencils. "We'll need more supplies."

"I'll help you grab some! I feel like glitter is going to be a must." Molly examined the blank pages. Abel pulled out one of the chairs, taking a seat.

"I'll start drawing out some ideas while you guys get more supplies. I think we'll also need the decorative edge scissors."

"Oooo, good point! Everyone loves a funky border." Emily had so much crafting supplies that they could throw twelve parties without needing to use magic, or to resupply. She was in charge of maintaining cheer, after all, and what was more cheer-inducing than a party!? "C'mon Molly!" She dragged Molly into her room.

"How much glitter do we have on hand?" Molly took a seat on Emily's bed as the Seraphim started raiding all of her various crafting nooks.

"A lot." They would need scissors, paper, markers, probably crayons, paints, brushes, glue... Emily was slowly compiling quite the mountain of items that Molly was desperately working to organize in a way that they would be able to easily transport them into the kitchen. Emily found an old box in the bottom of her closet. She smiled; it was one of her older craft projects. Maybe Pentious would like to see it! OH! They could do an arts and crafts party! Emily fished out an old sculpture of a bird she had made about twenty years ago. "Molly! Remember this?"

"Oh yeah! That sculpture holds up. Looks so beautiful even to this!" Molly gushed as she saw what Emily had managed to uncover. "I still think my feathers made it look so cute!"

"I like that it had all of our..." Emily trailed off. "Huh." She looked harder at the bird. She remembered making it. The sculpture had been part of an art class that she, Molly, and Abel had decided to take together one day. They had all contributed feathers to the figurine, but... Abel's feather seemed to be missing.

"Where's Abel's feather?" Molly must have noticed too. Abel's wings had a golden color that was unique only to the First Family, so it wasn't as if it were easy to mistake his feather for anyone else's. Emily shook her head, putting the bird on the bed, careful not to damage it, as she returned to look at the box.

"Maybe it fell off...?"

"Emily?" A voice interrupted the trainee as she picked the box up off of the floor. She turned quickly to see that Sera was standing in her doorway. Emily hadn't even heard her enter the house. (Maybe she had been around the entire time? It was hard to tell.) "I didn't expect you home so soon, and Molly too, lovely to see you, dear."

"Hello, Sera." Molly waved.

"We were going to plan a party, nothing serious, just something to get Abel's mind off of the stuff with his dad..." Emily didn't feel as if telling Sera the purpose of the party would benefit anyone. (She knew how Sera felt about Pentious. And she had Gabriel's permission, so it wasn't like Sera could stop her, anyway.)

"Oh, that's a lovely idea." Sera clapped politely.

"Sera," Emily went back to her bed, holding up the sculpture in question. "Have you seen Abel's feather? It was on my sculpture and now it's gone."

"Hmm? No, I can't say that I have." Sera shook her head. "But I remember that piece. I quite liked it. You shouldn't keep it locked away, put it up on one of our shelves." Emily looked again at the bird in her hand. There was a very obvious space missing where a feather should be. She looked back at Sera.

"You haven't seen it?"

"No, I'm afraid not. Perhaps it fell off." Sera might have wanted to say more, however, there was a commotion in the kitchen that drew everyone's attention. Emily practically dropped the bird as a shout shook the house.

"HE WOULD BE BACK IF IT WASN'T FOR YOU!" Abel's voice was more intense more bitter, more angry than Emily had ever heard before. She, Sera, and Molly all hurried back into the kitchen to see Abel standing, wing spread, glaring at none other than Lute.

"I did everything I could to protect your father! Adam was my Boss, my friend! And unlike you, he would do anything it took to protect Heaven!"

"He shouldn't have been down there in the first place!" Abel had tears in his eyes. Sera cleared her throat, stepping between the Winner and the Exorcist, all of her eyes open and blazing, her wings outspread.

"What is the meaning of this!?"

"I was just asking him how he was doing," Lute was also in an aggressive stance, wings outspread, glaring at Abel across from her. "You know, like a nice fucking person!"

"How am I doing!? My dad is in HELL! You dragged him there for some horrible Extermination every year until it finally killed him. And now, now he's trapped there, and NO ONE will help him! How do you think I'm doing!?"

"I didn't give the fucking order!" Lute spat back.

"It was Michael's order." Sera spoke calmly.

"Not really." Emily knew the situation was tense, but that sort of technicality she couldn't let slide past her. Sera shot her a look.

"At the time it was presumed to be Michael's order." She corrected herself. "But it is not as if you are without your family, you still have dear Seth."

"I didn't even KNOW Seth!" Abel was fired up in a way Emily had never seen before. There was a thunk against the window. Emily turned to see birds were starting to fly into the glass. Molly hurried to open it, and the birds flew to Abel's side. "He was born after I was murdered- by Cain- who now gets to spend ALL the time in the world with dad- so I GUESS he is getting his way- AGAIN. Seth was BASICALLY a stranger to me- a replacement!" One of the birds dove toward Lute, but Sera caught it in her hands, gently cupping the creature so as not to hurt it.

"Abel," her voice was stern, "you need to calm down." Where Sinners had powers, Winners had gifts. It was really only differentiated on a technicality, as they were basically the same concept. Abel's gift was that animals seemed to understand him. Not a flat-out communication, so much as the animals around seemed to feel his will and would act accordingly. He rarely used it, outside of occasionally getting the zoo animals to do little tricks- and Emily had NEVER seen him use it out of anger before now. "Your losing control."

"My dad is in Hell," Abel repeated the words as more birds started to fly in, "And IT'S ALL." Sera was forced to catch another bird. "YOUR." And another. "FAULT!" The birds started to swarm around her. Sera spun around and, in a flash, gathered all the fluttering animal souls into her arms. She turned to look at Emily and Molly.

"Take Molly home."

"But Sera!" Emily tried to protest, but Sera wasn't hearing it.

"NOW!"

Emily had no choice but to obey. Hesitantly, she flew out of the house, pulling Molly behind her by the hand. They didn't really talk. Emily didn't know what she could say. She had no idea why Abel was acting so angry when only moments before he had been happily drawing at the table. As they reached Molly's home, she took Emily into her arms.

"Em, please keep me updated."

"I will." Emily squeezed her close. She was worried about Abel. They both were. It wasn't like him to get angry. Though, Emily had the sneaking suspicion that it wasn't truly anger they were seeing, it was grief.

They parted ways, and Emily returned to the house to find Lute and Abel both gone. Sera was standing in the kitchen, waiting for her. Emily hesitated.

"Where is-"

"I took him home. He's resting. I'll be checking in on him periodically." She gestured for Emily to have a seat. "How long has Abel been acting like this?"

"This was a first..." Emily floated over to the chair, sitting, looking up at Sera, desperate for any kind of answer.

"Have you noticed anything else unusual? Fatigue, coughing? Lethargy? Difficulty focusing? Sleep problems? Memory issues?"

"Well..." Emily had to think about it. "He has been a little tired... I..." She bit her lip, her fingers tightened on the chair in which she was sitting. "Sera, you don't think he's Corrupted, do you!? Gabriel said Adam had it and he was around Abel-"

"Impossible. You can't spread Corruption in Heaven. In fact, Adam could not even enter Heaven if he WAS Corrupted. So, he wasn't infected until his last trip down. One last trick by the Devil." Sera heaved a heavy sigh. "Emily," She knelt down, putting her hands on either side of Emily's shoulder. "My little one, my darling student..."

"Y... yes?" Emily did NOT like where this was going.

"Abel isn't Corrupted. I've seen these symptoms before I..." She stopped for a moment, clearly choked up, "he's Falling."

"FALLING!?" Emily covered her mouth with her hands.

"I feared all his negativity would weigh him down one day... but I had hoped I was wrong. He had seemed so happy these past hundred years..."

"We have to tell Gabriel-"

"Why? So, he can have Michael quicken the process? Do you want your friend's wings hacked off? To be made an example of? Michael nearly skewered me for being the victim of deceit. What do you think he'll do to a Winner who betrayed Heaven and ventured down a dark path from which there is no return?"

"What about Pentious!?"

"Pentious was an exception. Truly it is amazing he is here, but it hasn't happened before, and it will not happen again. ... perhaps, Adam had to Fall for Pentious to Rise. The point is we don't know what will happen. But I promise you that I will help Abel." She cupped Emily's cheeks in her hands, her voice was passionate, desperate. "I will do everything in my power to Save him, and if all else fails, we can go to the Arcs then. But I want to spare him, the humiliation, the pain. He is our oldest resident; we at least owe him that..." she pressed a kiss to Emily's forehead, pulling back, looking into her eyes. "Do you trust me?"

"I..."

"Do you trust me, little one?" Sera was Emily's mentor, like her older sister, the only trainer she had ever known. Sera had guided her for her entire existence. Since Gabriel had left, it was Sera who had cared for her and loved her. Emily knew that Sera would do anything to help. She loved Sera, and Sera loved her. Emily had no doubt. She put her hands over the hands on her cheeks, closing her eyes.

"I trust you."

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

The Q&A is now open!

Please leave any questions you have for me (or for any of the characters- if you prefer!) And there will be Answers at the end of next week's chapter!

I can't believe we've reached an entire year of updates! This is really crazy to link about lol. ONE WHOLE YEAR LATER! We are over halfway, pretty sure. Kinda creeping toward the end of Arc 2.

Then the final Arc.