"The Holidays are coming up, and I feel like we have to do something super big this year!" Emily was in charge of keeping the Winners spirits' high, it was a job she loved, and one she took very seriously. She was young for a Seraphim, and she knew that- trainee or not, Emily had earned her wings rather rapidly. Sera was worried that she was... too young, hence, all the extra training. (Seraphim always went through a training process, Emily knew that- every angel rank had its own, obnoxiously long, orientation. But she couldn't help but feel that every time she ranked up, Sera was extra hard on her. She was at the point where she almost wanted to switch mentors, but there were not a lot of Seraphim from which she could choose- and even fewer that could help with her specific job. Rochele could maybe help, being that she was part-time under Gabriel, but she was so busy. Charon and Syriel were not considered options, despite being Seraphim due to the unique nature of their jobs, and the few other Seraphim either served Uriel or Raphael. Emily wasn't really made for a medical job- but maybe she could get one of Uriel's Seraphim to train her? Knowledge had a lot to do with fun!)
"Oh, we are absolutely going big!" Molly was helping hang the decorations on the marble poles, her wings fluttering as she tied a on large crimson bow. She floated backward, examining her work. "It still needs something."
"Bells!" Emily snapped and glittering bells appeared on the bow. Molly clapped her hands together, spinning in a little circle.
"Perfect!"
"With the Arcs back in the limelight, I think everyone feels like they have to put their best foot forward. They didn't show up for... so long, I feel like everyone kinda... gave up?" Abel was adding silver trim to a large, blue, velvet ribbon.
"They're pretty much guaranteed to show, this year!" Emily wasn't really allowed to reveal that the reason for their absences from the large events was that they were absent from Heaven as a whole. It was nice to have them back though, as Emily found it incredibly difficult to come up with endless excuses as to their whereabouts. "I hope they like what we have set up."
"You don't think they will?" Abel flew up in the air to tie the ribbon to another pillar. "Toss me the garland, Molly."
"Here ya go!" Molly threw the silver garland to Abel who caught it and tied it to his pole so they were connected.
"Thanks!" Abel flew backward to examine his work. "That looks straight, right? I don't want to mess this up."
"It looks perfect." Emily assured him. She had, admittedly, been a little worried about Abel as of late. There had been a lot going on, the Archangels were back, there was a Sinner in Heaven, the hotel had exploded- there was a lot on Emily's metaphorical plate, and she was worried she hadn't been giving her friends the attention that they required and deserved. Abel had been wanting to discuss something with her, urgently, but... when she had finally found the time to ask...
"Peter says we have to do our routine flawlessly. Says performing in front of the Arcs is a big freaking deal." Molly picked up a golden ribbon to tie on the next column. "I mean, I'm a little nervous."
"There's nothing to be nervous about! They love parties! And Holidays! This is the best of both worlds!" Emily tried her best to reassure Molly who still seemed rather concerned. "They'll love your show!"
"What if I mess up and Michael cuts my wings off?"
"What?" Emily was taken aback by the very suggestion.
"I just... heard some of the Cherubim talking..." Molly tied her bow to the marble column and then started to fix it.
"He wouldn't do that." Emily had heard those same rumors here and there. It wasn't nice to gossip, but that didn't mean it never happened. Every rumor in Heaven was always born from the truth too, which made it harder to untangle. Emily wasn't that familiar with Michael. She was still a Cherub herself when the Arcs had taken their leave, and even then, she pretty much dealt with Gabriel exclusively. But she, also, wasn't the oldest one here. "Right?" She turned to look at Abel. Abel was still fluttering in the air, holding the string of garland in his hand, though his grip seemed to be slowly slipping as he stared out into the sky. "Abel?"
"Huh?" The garland fell from his grip. He blinked his golden eyes, shaking his head. "What? What are we talking about?"
"We were talking about Michael..." Emily flew up beside him. "Are you feeling alright?" She put a hand to his shoulder, slowly bringing him back down to the fluffy, cloudy street below.
"Yeah, sorry, I was just thinking about stuff." Abel gave her a reassuring smile. "So, what about Michael?"
"Is he gonna cut my wings off?" Molly looked genuinely concerned. Abel snorted a bit at the question.
"I mean, historically speaking, he's only done that the one time, though it was to a lot of angels, so I guess I can see why you're concerned. But unless you're planning on throwing some kind of big rebellion, I don't think you really have to worry about him doing more than the whole: 'I'm not mad, I'm just disappointed' talk, which hurts like getting your wings cut off but the damage is purely emotional and you can bare those scars internally where they can't be seen. Between you and me, I'd rather have the wings cut off because that's just physical pain and it can't hurt any worse than being murdered. Am I right?" He looked between Emily and Molly who were both staring at him in concerned silence. "It's fine. I know I'm right."
"You okay, Abel? It feels like there might be some baggage there that needs to be unpacked." Molly's expression was somewhere between concerned and amused. Emily, strangely, felt relieved. That sounded like the Abel she knew.
"See? He's not going to cut anyone's wings off." Emily smiled, putting her hands on her hips, looking up at Molly.
"He hasn't done it in years." Abel nodded in agreement.
"That makes me feel better. It's just a big deal for me. I've never even met the Archangels and now they're going to be watching me perform at the: Merry Everything Holiday Extravaganza?" Molly let out a sigh.
"They will love your performance!" Emily assured her. "What's not to love!? It's my favorite part of the party every year!"
"Yeah, but you're my friend." Molly reminded her.
"I'm your friend, and my favorite part is when the sheep get all dressed up and walk in the parade. Your dance comes second." Abel replied dryly, but Emily could see the teasing smile on his face.
"Those sheep are really cute, though; you have a point." Molly flew down to join them both on the ground.
"I wouldn't think too much about the Archangels being here. In my experience, they mostly just watch and clap politely when there's a big event. My dad straight up dropped a cake on Michael once during the cooking competition- which the Archangels judge, by the way- and Michael just laughed. Dad still won a prize." Abel spoke so fondly of his father, Emily recalled Adam having been a lot nicer in her younger years, but she had assumed she just didn't understand his sarcasm back then. "I mean, it's Heaven so everybody wins, but you get my point. He still has his wings- well he did- where was I going with this?" Abel rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"I know it has to be hard to talk about your dad..." Emily put her hand on his shoulder. She knew no matter how much time passed, that the pain of losing Adam wouldn't ever go away. Abel had his father in his afterlife for longer than most humans has been on Earth, they had been close.
"This Extravaganza isn't going to be the same without him... not that he was really into it the last hundred years or whatever." Abel sighed. "Sorry... I don't feel much like decorating right now." He put his hand to his forehead.
"Take it easy." Molly placed a hand on Abel's other shoulder and she and Emily pulled him into a group hug.
"Thanks, I think I just want to lie down for a bit." Abel returned the hug. Emily could feel the sadness inside him, her own eyes stinging with tears. Human grief was always so overwhelming, she had no idea how Charon wasn't constantly doubled over in tears with her job. Emily grabbed his hand as he started to take his leave.
"Do you want me to walk you home?"
"It's fine. I know you're busy with set up." He waved her off. Emily squeezed his hand, trying to stop herself from shedding any actual tears on his behalf.
"I really don't mind. Wasn't there something you wanted to talk about?"
"What?" Abel looked genuinely confused by her words. Emily sighed, she really wanted to know what it was that Abel had wanted to tell her. It sounded so important when he had brought up wanting to speak with her one on one.
"You told me a while ago that there was something important you wanted to discuss..." it had been before Halloween. And, no matter how many times she asked, Emily still hadn't gotten an answer. "Remember?"
"Not really..." Abel shook his head. "Sorry, Emily, a lot has been happening. I don't think it was that important, whatever it was."
"I am sure you'll remember it eventually." Molly gave him a reassuring smile. Abel smiled back, some of the sadness was melting away, it wasn't quite as potent as it was before. Emily felt like she was no longer about to break into sobs.
"I do think I need a break." Abel gave them both a hug. "Try not to get everything decorated before I get back."
"Of course not!" Emily assured him. They could just decorate with magic, but the Winners and the Angels really enjoyed contributing to the festivities. Winners loved celebrating the holidays they loved on Earth, sharing them with the other residents of Heaven. The Seraphim couldn't rob the Winners of such a joy by just waving their hand and letting the décor be perfect. Having the souls put things together made the holiday all the more meaningful. "I know how much you like helping the animals get in their costumes! I'll make sure Noah waits for you for that!" Abel's smile finally returned.
"I have the cutest capes for the sheep this year."
"Can't wait!" Emily finally released Abel; Molly gave him one last hug before letting her hands drop from him as well.
"Take care, Abel."
"I'm fine, just... overwhelmed." He took a deep breath, turning to go, spreading his wings before taking off to the sky.
"You wanna just call it quits for now?" Emily looked back at Molly after they both watched Abel disappear in the busy streets if Heaven.
"Yeah," Molly gathered the ribbons in a basket and placed them off to the side. "I have rehearsal soon, anyway."
"I can't wait to see the Holiday performance!" Emily loved all of the festivities at the Extravaganza, the most difficult thing for her was finding the time to attend them all.
"It is going to be amazing!" Molly assured her, not that Emily needed the reassurances, it always was. "Do the Archangels have like a favorite song that we could perform to make this Extravaganza even more special?"
"I don't know... I think they have favorite animals, but... I don't really know their musical taste. Abel knows them better than I do."
"Can you ask?"
"If you ask them directly, you'll just get an answer like: 'I love all types of music'." Emily made her voice sound like Gabriel. Molly giggled.
"It's still so weird when you do that. Is that Gabriel's voice?"
"Yeah! I can do him the best. I haven't talked to the others enough to really Master their voices. I bet Sera could do it though."
"Well, I guess if they like all the music there is, we can't really get the program wrong." Molly folded both sets of arms over her chest.
"I promise you; they'll like whatever you put together."
"Well, Peter puts it all together."
"And he knows what the Archangels like! He will come up with the perfect playlist." Emily was excited for her first Holiday Extravaganza since she was tiny where the Archangels would actually attend. They had come to Halloween! Though, they were in costume so most of Heaven didn't realize they were there until Gabriel threw off his costume to announce the contest winners. (It was a long announcement since everyone won something. Emily got: Most Unique, she had decided to dress as a Sinner. She wanted to remind everyone that Sinners were souls too, just like Winners. Sera thought it was tasteless, hated her costume, but Gabriel liked it, so there was nothing Sera could do.)
"I know it's still a bit away, but seeing Heaven starting to decorate is really putting me in the holiday spirit!" Molly surveyed the street, which was already looking festive thanks to everyone's hard work. The mood felt considerably lighter, which was a relief, though Emily was still worried about Abel.
"Me too! I think I am going to try one of the sewing classes, maybe I'll make my dress this year."
"Oh! We should do that together!" Molly's face lit up at the mention of creating a new outfit. "I have been wanting to take some of the sewing classes. My dream was to be a fashion designer when I was alive."
"Maybe you could help me design my dress?" Emily suggested. She knew about Molly's dream, of course, and had heavily encouraged her to help design the outfits for her dance troupe. Molly hadn't taken her up on it yet, but maybe this would help her build her confidence. Molly nodded eagerly.
"That sounds like so much fun! Count me in!"
"We can go sign up!"
"Perfect!" Molly gave Emily a big hug. "I am going to run and get ready for rehearsal l, but could you do me the biggest favor and sign us both up for that class?"
"Absolutely!" Emily hugged her back. "We can get back to decorating later!" The decoration process lasted all the way until the Extravaganza. This was just the beginning of it, so it wasn't like they would run out of things to do.
"See ya!"
"Bye!" Emily gave a wave before she and Molly both headed into opposite directions. The Community Center wasn't far, and Emily really wanted to get signed up for those classes- not that space would run out, this was Heaven after all. There was always a class that you wanted to take, in a perfect timeslot. That was just one of the many great things about living where she did.
Emily was flying along happily when she noticed Gabriel in the window of one of the many quaint little shops that lined the streets. Her entire face lit up. Despite everything, Emily still wasn't accustomed to seeing him out and about. She came to a stop, she absolutely had to say hello. She could sign up for classes in a bit. She landed on the cloudy ground and opened the door to the shop which let out a warm, little jingle of welcome. Emily could instantly smell the sweet aroma of baked goods hovering in the air like a cozy, familiar blanket.
Gabriel instantly looked over with the eyes in his halos as the door opened. He had his arms full of little cookie tins and was in the middle of speaking with the baker, the Winner who had won the bakeoff last year. "I appreciate you having all these ready on such short notice. Magic cookies aren't as good as the real thing, I tell ya- Hi Emily!" He waved cheerfully, though his head was still focused on the Winner.
"Emily! Welcome, welcome!" The Winner was a sweet older woman with glasses, Nikki, Emily knew she quite loved baking, especially around the holidays. "Can I interest you in something delicious?"
"Do you have a cinnamon roll?" Emily figured she might as well get something; she was already here.
"Of course! Gabriel, please enjoy those treats! I'll be right back." And with that, the Winner headed into the back of her shop. Emily took the opportunity to talk to Gabriel- he was back, finally, and Emily was not about to miss an opportunity to spend time with him. She had missed him so much while he was gone. (Before Sera told her the truth, Emily had feared that Gabriel just didn't want to see her. She was terrified that she had somehow upset him. Now she knew he just wasn't around.)
"It's good to see you!" Emily looked at the tins of treats in his arms. "Are you a big cookie fan?"
"Oh yeah! Love 'em! Especially sugar cookies." Gabriel grinned, opening the tin to show Emily various cookies cut out and decorated in fun, festive shapes. Some had icing, some had sprinkles, but there was a definite variety. "Though, they're not all for me." He laughed. "I wish! We're trying to get to know a lot of the new Winners and Angels that appeared since we... were on hiatus."
"By getting cookies from them?" Emily tilted her head to the side.
"Added bonus." Gabriel held the tin out toward her. "Want one?" Emily wouldn't lie, they were tempting. But...
"I'm about to get a cinnamon roll."
"Hey, offer's open. I'm taking them to the main office, you know, for the staff who worked so hard in our absence! They deserve more than just treats, but this is all I could think of in the moment."
"I think they'll love them!" Emily assured him.
"Cinnamon roll!" Nikki reappeared with a piping hot, fresh cinnamon roll on a plate. Emily happily took it.
"Thank you so very much! It looks amazing!"
"So do these cookies! We'll have to keep a real eye on you at the baking competition." Gabriel gave a little wink. Nikki smiled, clearly flattered.
"I look forward to it every year! Though..." Her face softened a bit, "I will miss my friendly competition with Adam. May his soul rest peacefully- despite everything he did... Emily, tell dear Abel and Seth to stop by for something when you see them next. I know this has been so hard on both of them."
"Of course! Thank you so much, it will mean a lot." Emily nodded, Abel and Seth were still getting food from empathetic Winners. (Others still kept their distance, as if expecting Abel and Seth to have been in on Adam's plan.)
"I... um..." Gabriel looked a little confused by her comment, but nodded to her. "I hope that too." Emily immediately recognized Angel-speak in his response. How odd. "Anyway, I have some more errands to run, thank you again for everything." He started toward the door, Emily was instantly at his side, her treat still in hand.
"Can I come with you?"
"Oh, um..." He glanced down at her. She could see him thinking it over. "Sure, I suppose that's fine!" He smiled and reached toward the door. "I gotta get these cookies delivered while their still warm!"
"It's Heaven? The cookies never cool off." Emily reminded the Archangel, as she watched him open the door and walk through. But he didn't appear on the other side. Emily blinked. Through the door, rather than the sunbathed gilded street outside, she saw the hallway of the Main Hall. Her eyes lit up with excitement. She hurried through the door and Gabriel closed it behind her. The door vanished and suddenly she was standing in the long, arching entryway of the office building where the highest-ranking Seraphim, the Archangels, and even the Metatron herself worked.
"I know they don't." Gabriel continued down the hallway, passing the beautiful statues and the stained glass that told the story of Heaven. She noticed how Gabriel picked up his pace, hurrying past the panel that told of Lucifer's Fall into Hell. "But why risk it when it comes to cookies, right?" He walked into the large front office, the desks now fully staffed by angels. "Who wants some cookies!?"
"Gabriel!" There was a chorus of greetings as Gabriel swept into the room, placing the cookie tins on each of the desks. The angels all immediately got to their feet, though by the time they had fully stood, Gabriel had already placed the tins and was standing on the other side of the room.
"Just a little something to say: thank you for doing such a good job keeping this place running while we were bogged down with work."
"You shouldn't have!"
"Happy to help!"
"You're too kind!"
There were many gracious responses, but Gabriel simply shook his head. "Please, I insist! Emily, come along." He gestured for Emily to follow. She noticed he still had two tins tucked away under his arm.
"Coming!" Emily tried not to talk over all the earnest 'thank yous' that filled the room as the angels began to enjoy their cookies. Emily had not been in the Main Hall except to see Sera in quite some time. Eventually, once she was fully trained, she would have her own office. When she was still a cherub, Sera had taken her to show her the office that could one day be hers if she worked hard and earned her wings. She saw it again on the day she got her last two wings, then after that, she was only allowed to use the office as a study space. She even saw the room she had picked as she followed Gabriel down the hall. (It was next to Sera's.) Sera's door was open, but she wasn't in her office at the moment. Emily did see someone else sitting inside- "Rochele?"
"Rochele?" Gabriel came to a stop. He turned and was instantly behind Emily, peeking into Sera's office over her head.
"Oh! Emily! Gabriel! Hello!" Sure enough, Rochele was sitting patiently in the chair in front of Sera's desk, but she stood when she heard Emily call out, tripping over the chair and knocking it over before getting fully to her feet. "Oops!" She knelt down going to pick the toppled chair back up.
"What brings you here? Is it that time already?" Gabriel looked down at a watch on his wrist. Emily knew it wasn't time for Rochele to be in Heaven, as she had only just seen her when she had harnessed her help to free Pentious- if only temporarily.
"I just wanted to talk to Sera!" She got the chair upright but ended up knocking over one of Sera's desk's decorations with her wing. "Oh dear." She pushed her glasses up toward her eyes as she grabbed little trinket with her other hand, putting it back. "Don't mind me! I know you're busy setting up for the Merry Everything Holiday Extravaganza!" Emily gave her a smile.
"Are you coming?"
"I wouldn't miss it! Even if I can't stay the whole time." Rochele did, often, attend the celebration, but given how it could last for multiple weeks, it made sense as to why she couldn't stay the whole time.
"Good to see you, Rocky." Gabriel gave her a playful wink. "Let me know if you need anything, I'll be in my office."
"I will!" Rochele bowed her head quickly, the blue curls bouncing with the movement. "And welcome back! Truly, we have missed you." Gabriel gave her an enthusiastic thumbs up.
"Glad to be back!"
"Did you..." Rochele hesitated, but continued, "did you find anything out? …While you were gone?" The smile faded from Gabriel's face. He let out a sigh, it sounded... sad. All at once the eyes in his halos flickered to the floor.
"Not as much as we would have liked. And none of it was good. We'll have a meeting about it later. You, especially, need to be careful right now. Double your security on deliveries and production."
"That bad?" Rochele covered her mouth with her hands. A hint of a smile returned to Gabriel's face, it was still not his usual, carefree grin, but he was clearly trying to give her some reassurance. The eyes in the halos finally returned their gaze onto the blue and white Seraphim.
"No... not yet. But it's better to be safe than sorry."
"Of course..." She nodded, her expression serious, she straightened her posture, giving a firm salute. "Consider it done, Gabriel."
"Wow, you are definitely one of Michael's." Gabriel chuckled a bit at the reaction. "Well, I have some things to work on, so I'll be around if you need anything." He immediately perked back up, giving a wave and heading back toward his office. Emily hurried after him. He took a seat at his desk, placing the last two trays in front of him, gesturing for Emily to have a seat.
"What's going on?" Emily was concerned. After an exchange like that, how could she not be?
"We have concerns about Corruption." Gabriel was honest with her, but the answer made Emily feel worse.
"Like... From Hell?" She very much didn't want to believe that Hell would try anything to hurt Heaven, especially not Rochele and her delivery angels! They helped everyone! Charlie didn't seem like the type of person- or, well demon- to attack souls before they even had a chance at life.
"Oh, goodness no. I don't think Luci would try anything so brash..." Gabriel paused for a moment before quietly adding: "... again." Under his breath. "No, this is Corruption with a capital C, Eldritch Corruption. It must have been covered in your Seraphim studies, probably not in detail... that's really more for... in person lessons, but you get the basic idea."
"I... don't think I've quite gotten there yet... I'm still on Fountain Repair in Doggy Heaven."
"That's a lesson?" Gabriel blinked all of his eyes.
"It's one of the protocol manuals."
"Oh, that makes sense. Uri made a lot of those in case of an emergency. But I feel like this is a little more important. Not that fountain repair isn't important but- you get my drift. We have bigger issues at the moment."
"Is there anything I can do?"
"We're still getting all of our information, but for now, I want you to focus on keeping everyone's spirits up in Heaven."
"Oh." Emily's face fell a bit. She had been hoping for something a little more... important than the job she was already tasked with doing.
"I know it doesn't sound like much," Gabriel smiled, looking down at her from behind his desk. "But Corruption feeds on negativity. The more good will and joy we have in the air, the better we are at staving off a complete disaster. Not that I think there will be a disaster... but..." the eyes in Gabriel's halos flickered to his desk where there was a picture. Emily could only make out Gabriel, Uriel, and a woman in Death's Halo that didn't look like Charon. She could only assume that was Azrael. Emily had only met Azrael a few times as a Cherub. Her memories were faded, but pleasant. She knew Charon much better. "It pays to be safe."
"Oh..." Emily didn't know much about the Old Ones, the Eldritch abominations who had once run wild. She just knew they were... gone? Sleeping? Their current whereabouts were always a little unclear.
"I can give you a more detailed lesson later, but for now, I'll have Sera brief you on everything. I wish I could do it myself, but I don't know where you are in your education, and I really don't want to overwhelm you. You're still young, new."
"Thank you." Emily did feel a little overwhelmed, she wasn't going to lie. She knew the Archangels were doing something important... but this sounded... borderline apocalyptic. "This..." Emily's mind snapped back to her friend from down below, the Sinner-turned-Winner that Sera treated like a monster. "This doesn't have anything to do with Pentious, does it?" She didn't want to believe it did, she didn't want Sera to be right. Not about this.
"I don't think so, at least. Not directly. There was Corrupted blood in that laundry detergent he used, however, so that is something we can't ignore."
"Is he Corrupted!?" Emily didn't want to believe it. That could mean that Hell purposefully sent someone to them to hurt Heaven. Charlie wouldn't do that! Sure, she had only met Charlie for like... a day, but she refused to believe she would be capable of some sort of targeted attack on Heaven.
"No. We can't be one hundred percent sure, because Heaven masks the symptoms incredibly well. But we don't believe he is. We need to have a proper trial for him about that whole incident in the hotel, but Mikey is... preoccupied at the moment. So, a full trial will have to wait."
"Where is Pentious right now?" Relief washed over Emily like a wave at Gabriel's response. So... maybe this wasn't some sort of secret attack by Hell. At least, Gabriel didn't think so, and Emily trusted Gabriel.
"We have been moving him around from place to place. Mikey doesn't exactly want to parade him out on the streets at the moment."
"So, he's... still a prisoner?" Emily's shoulders drooped. She knew why. The whole fiasco with the laundry machine had been her idea, and now? Now it was nothing but a disaster. She had made things worse for Pentious. "I don't think he wanted to hurt any of you! I don't know how the machine exploded- but I saw it work so many times! I-"
"Well, it exploded because of the Corrupted blood. Corruption and technology aren't super friendly. That really isn't a mystery. Also, I'm no expert, but we think some screws might have been loosened to make it unstable prior to the display."
"Pentious wouldn't-"
"We... don't think he did it, Emmie." Gabriel smiled at her, reaching over his desk he put a hand on the top of her head, gently ruffling her hair.
"Then why are you keeping him locked up?" Emily did feel better the moment Gabriel's hand made contact, but she was still distraught on Pentious's behalf.
"He may not be the culprit... but..." Gabriel let his hands fall back onto his desk, "Mikey is concerned that he was the target. And even if he wasn't he might be now after that disaster in the hotel. We don't want anything to happen to him. Guilty or not, he is a soul and thus is deserving of our protection."
"You think someone in Heaven would do something to try and hurt him?" Emily very much wanted to believe that the explosion was a mistake- despite knowing how well Pentious's invention worked prior.
"I think they already did." Gabriel's tone was serious. "He isn't safe here, and I hate that for him because he should be. But there is something much bigger going on and, unfortunately, we can't fix it all in one day."
"Is... it still safe to have the Extravaganza?"
"We'll be keeping an eye on it, personally. So, it should be. I think it's actually really important to have the party. We want to proceed as normal. Stressing everyone out only feeds into the problem. I am sorry to burden you with all of this, but you are a Seraphim, and therefore you are in charge of protecting Heaven."
"But I'm not one of Michael's-"
"I know." Gabriel let put a sound that was almost like a laugh but it was devoid of all humor. "Trust me." Emily couldn't even name any of Michael's Seraphim, now that she thought about it. Only Rochele- and she was technically shared between Michael and Gabriel. "You shouldn't have to fight, but on the off chance it comes to that... we'll train you."
"What about Michael's Seraphim?"
"He doesn't have any. Just Rochele. He hasn't had any since before Adam was created. But he'll have no choice but to take some under his wings if things get worse." Gabriel let out a sigh. "I feel like I am putting so much on you already, but you are my Seraphim, just as Sera is. You are an important part of Heaven, and I trust you, Emily. Also..." he bit his lip. "You're friends with Abel, and I need to talk to he and Seth."
"Is Abel in trouble?" Emily couldn't bear the thought of something happening to one of her friends. "He didn't know what Adam was doing! He-"
"Relax, little one." Gabriel flickered and, in an instant, he was behind Emily, putting a hand on her shoulder. He was gentle, reassuring. "No one is in trouble. I mean, Adam is, but even then, we aren't entirely sure how much of that was his fault."
"Adam..." Emily squinted behind her, up at Gabriel. "Adam is dead." Gabriel squeezed her shoulder gently.
"No. He's not."
"WHAT!?"
"Relax, little one. That's what I want to discuss with his sons. Not sure how the rumor got started that Adam died, but he didn't. Well... he did back on Earth, but that was ages ago and I doubt anyone is still torn up over it. But, Adam's soul is fine. Relatively speaking. He's in Hell. He wasn't killed. He Fell."
"Fell?"
"He is doing quite well for himself, I think, given the circumstances. My brother is keeping an eye on him."
"Michael? Is that where he is?" Emily was relieved. Falling wasn't great, no, but it was a whole heck of a lot better than being destroyed.
"Yes, but also Lucifer. I know Adam is in good hands, and I think his kids have the right to know about their father's fate."
"Abel will be so relieved." Emily almost wanted to cry on the spot. Gabriel gave her a hug before blinking back to his seat. Emily could feel the rush of wind from his movement, though he was too quick to see. The papers on his desk fluttered gently.
"I thought so too! Unfortunately, he isn't really responding to any of our requests to speak. I was hoping, as his friend, maybe you could tell him to see me? He can bring Seth if he wants, I need to talk to both. Whatever makes them feel most comfortable. But I just feel like letting him believe his father is dead is cruel."
"I will tell him to come!" Emily was happy to get a job she knew she could do. Poor Abel, he was probably terrified that he was in trouble. If he knew the truth, he would have been rushing to Gabriel's office.
"Thank you, I appreciate all of your hard work." Gabriel folded his hands on his desk. "If there is anything else you need, please go ahead, if not, enjoy that cinnamon roll and tell Abel we need to speak." Emily couldn't really think of anything at the moment. Her mind was racing from everything they had discussed. She had to talk to Abel!
"Thank you for everything." Emily bowed her head, grabbing her cinnamon roll. "I will go find him right now!"
"Wonderful! Do you know what cookies he or Seth like?" Gabriel opened one of the tins on his desk. "I want to make sure I have some they like."
"Abel likes anything animal shaped. Seth likes anything aquatic, I think, but I don't know him as well." Emily's wings fluttered as she got to her feet. "I will be right back!" She took a bite of her cinnamon roll- it was still warm thanks to the wonders of Heavenly baking- and opened the door. "Bye Rochele!" She waved into Sera's office as she hurried down the hall toward the exit. Rochele poked her head out.
"Bye!"
Emily was an angel of Gabriel. That meant her speed was above that of any of the other Seraphim from the other Archangels. So, she was at Abel's front door in no time. (She was no Gabriel, but she was still quite speedy when the need arose. She even had the time to eat her cinnamon roll on the way.) She knocked rapidly on the door. (It was rude just to burst in.) It took a moment, but Abel finally answered. He looked... tired? "Is it time for the sheep already?"
"No! I-" Emily had almost forgotten about their prior conversation, she was so focused on her new task. "You and Seth need to talk to Gabriel." Abel looked less than thrilled.
"What did I do?"
"Nothing. It's good."
"No one gets called to talk to an Archangel for something good." Abel narrowed his eyes. "Is this about dad?"
"Please, you're not in trouble." Emily grabbed his hand, his palm felt sweaty. She could feel unease radiating off of him. "I promise." At those words, she could feel Abel relax. An angel wouldn't break a promise. (And neither would a friend, for that matter- Emily was both, so she knew Abel would trust her.)
"Right... okay." Abel let out a breath he had been holding. "I guess I can come... does he need Seth and I together? Or...?"
"He just needs to speak with you both. If you're more comfortable together, that's fine. Or if you want to talk separately, that's fine too."
"Can you come?"
"Oh!" Emily didn't actually know the answer for that, but she couldn't imagine why she wouldn't be allowed. She was a Seraphim, after all, and Gabriel trusted her with fetching Abel. "Yeah, I think that would be fine." She felt more relief as Abel visibly relaxed more.
"I will go if you go with me. We can text Seth to meet us at the office."
"Perfect!" Emily wrapped her arms around him, trying to ease the worry still heavy in his heart. "I will be right there with you."
"I know." Abel smiled; he hugged her back. He pulled away, pulling out his phone, Emily assumed to message Seth. "Thank you for agreeing to come."
"Anything for you. You're one of my best friends." Emily offered him her hand, he took it, and together they took to the sky. She could feel the nerves start to settle in again as they neared the ornate, and beautiful Main Hall. She could feel Abel start to pull back. "It's fine, remember?" She gently squeezed his hand. "I promised." They landed on the stone steps. Emily could see an anxious looking Seth pacing back and forth, even he looked fatigued.
"Emily! Abel! What... what seems to be the issue?" Seth smiled, but Emily could feel nothing but nervousness coming from him.
"No issue. Gabriel needs to speak with both of you. You're not in trouble, okay?" Emily used her other hand to grab Seth's hand and squeeze it gently. "I promised Abel and I promise you too that you're going to be okay."
"I mean..." Seth let out a nervous sounding laugh. "I would hope I'm okay, I haven't exactly done anything worthy of a meeting with an Archangel. At least it's not Michael, I guess." Abel tilted his head to the side.
"Unless Michael is standing behind the door to cut our wings off for what our father did to all those Sinners."
"No! That is not going to happen!" Emily snapped quickly. "I don't even think Michael is in the office right now."
"That explains why we're seeing Gabriel." Seth looked contemplative. "But you say we're not in trouble then I believe you."
"Good! Then let's go see Gabriel!" Emily opened the doors in front of her. Seth and Abel just stood still, staring at the long, ornate entryway, unmoving. Emily glanced back at them both, still holding the doors open. Abel came behind her, holding the door as well.
"You first."
"Okay!" Emily walked ahead, looking behind her to be sure that Abel and Seth did follow. And they did. They were clearly nervous, unusually nervous, in Emily's mind. Abel could be a bit of a worst-case-scenario kind of guy, but Seth? Seth was typically pretty grounded. She didn't mind taking the lead, she just hoped Gabriel wouldn't be offended by their obvious hesitation. Emily passed the door to Sera's office which was now closed. She assumed Rochele had finally managed to get her meeting with Sera. That was good! Emily continued until she reached Gabriel's door. She knocked politely and almost instantly heard the warm response from the other side.
"Come in!"
"I brought Abel and Seth!" Emily opened the door, walking to see Gabriel still at his desk, going through a bunch of old papers.
"Excellent! Come in, come in!" Gabriel eagerly beckoned them into the office. Seth and Abel stepped inside and at once Gabriel was in front of them, towering over Emily and the two Winners. "Cookie?" He had the tin in his hand, holding it forward. Abel looked for a moment like he's been stabbed, but instantly relaxed the moment the sweet smell hit his nose.
"Wait, are these from Nikki? Do you have the one that looks like a little sheep in a bow and top hat?"
"Right here." Gabriel snapped, and the cookie lifted out of the tin and floated into the air. Abel grabbed it, taking a bite. Seth, still hesitant, looked at the tin.
"Do you have the ones that look like penguins?"
"Right here!" Gabriel smiled as the penguin cookie floated to the top. Emily missed her cinnamon roll; she would have saved some if she knew they would all be eating. Then again, she hadn't originally planned on attending this meeting. (She still needed to sign up for classes at the Community Center, but this was definitely more important. Molly would understand.) "Now, I need to talk to both of you, so please, have a seat." The two chairs in front of his desk turned so they faced Seth and Abel. "Emily, thank you so much for bringing them both so quickly. You're dismissed."
"Can Emily stay?" Abel was staring at the chair as if had combusted into flames before his eyes.
"If that makes you happy, then absolutely." Gabriel didn't fight her presence. Emily felt a wave of relief coming from either Abel or Seth, it was hard to tell. (It might have been both.) The Winners took the two offered seat. A third seat appeared behind Emily and scooped her up, pulling her to the front of the desk so she could sit right between Seth and Abel. Gabriel sat on the other side. "I know this is quite sudden and a little ominous, being called back like this."
"If this is about dad, we didn't know." Seth spoke up, sitting straight in his chair, his shoulders back.
"We know, Seth. No one thinks you two were involved. I promise." Gabriel's smile made both Seth and Abel relax. A promise from an Archangel. "But this is about your father, about what happened to him..."
"He died..." Abel looked down at his hands resting in his lap. "It's okay... They already told us."
"Well, it's not okay," Gabriel took a deep breath. Emily reached for Abel's hand, holding it to give him comfort through what he was about to hear. Gabriel cleared his throat. "Because your father isn't dead."
"WHAT!?" Abel could have choked on his cookie if he still had lungs. He still started coughing mostly out of habit. Emily put a hand to his back. Seth's cookie fell into his lap as he fell back into his chair looking completely bewildered.
"C... come again?"
"Your dad was not killed on the battlefield. There has been some... miscommunication, and for that you have my deepest sincerest apologies. I know that this has probably been deeply traumatic for both of you so we would like to remind you of all of our wonderful mental-health resources-"
"We HAD a FUNERAL-" Seth had his hand gripping his own dark curls as he raked his fingers through his hair.
"Where is he!?" Abel was on his feet; his hand gripping Emily's so tightly she could feel him shaking.
"He Fell." Gabriel was gentle in his delivery. "Not surprising given the whole... Exterminations thing- but he is not dead- well, no more so than usual, I suppose- he's just... in Hell. Though, he is safe. We have spoken with him, and he has been very worried about the two of you."
"He's... okay?" Abel fell back into his chair. Emily wrapped an arm around him to try and console him. He felt stressed. And who could blame him? Seth let out a rather shocked noise, staring at Gabriel as if he had grown a second head. (It was something Gabriel could easily do, but he still only had the one head currently.)
"I guess Falling shocked him back to normal..." Seth just shook his head.
"Normal?" Gabriel raised an eyebrow.
"Dad... was not... great toward the end-" Seth spoke very carefully, but Abel interrupted him.
"He was an ass."
"I-" Seth glanced at Gabriel who looked indifferent to the wording. "I mean, yeah, he was pretty terrible. He was still good to us- mostly." Seth continued before Abel interrupted once again.
"When he remembered."
"That's... true." Seth made a face.
"Still..." Abel cleared his throat, he met Gabriel's eyes (or at least, the eyes on his face). "Thank you. Thank you for telling us. I'm... I'm glad he's not gone. He's still my dad and I miss him."
"I know you do. Both of you." Gabriel kept the gentle smile on his face. "I wanted you to be burdened by the overwhelming loss no longer. Though," His smile faded. "Adam cannot return to Heaven."
"Well, yeah he's a Sinner." Seth replied flatly. Abel looked over at Emily who quickly shook her head. She wasn't sure if Abel was supposed to know about Pentious, and this was definitely not the time to ask. Abel nodded, quietly putting the cookie into his mouth and holding Emily's hand tightly.
"Yes, but he is in good hands." Gabriel didn't mention that it was Michael who was with him, but Emily figured that might be secret.
"C... can we still talk to him?" Abel finished his cookie, his grip on Emily's hand finally starting to relax.
"Of course. We have ways to set up conversations between Heaven and Hell. He has been desperate to speak to you both, so that will be quite easy to-" Gabriel cut off mid-sentence. He frowned, all of the eyes in his halos narrowed looking at the closed door behind him. "I am so very sorry to cut this short, really, I am. But I will have to set up something for you and your father at a later date. Something came up." He was instantly at the door. "You are welcome to stay here and I will be back as soon as I can! I'm happy to answer any other questions you have but-" He poked his head out of the door and then brought it back in to look back at the Winners, "again, I am so sorry." And in a burst of wind, he was gone.
"Wow... you weren't lying." Abel stared at Emily, still somewhat in shock. Seth slowly got to his feet, finishing his cookie.
"That's a lot to process, I'll be honest. I'm sure I have questions, but my brain can't think of any right now."
"Yeah... I think I'm still coming to terms with it." Abel stayed seated. Seth walked over putting a hand on his shoulder, looking down at him with genuine concern in his warm, brown eyes.
"You okay, big bro?"
"I'm fine." Abel smiled weakly at the affectionate nickname. It was weird to think about, given their appearances, but Abel was quite a bit older than Seth. (And they were both older than Emily.)
"I'm going to have to tell all this to my wife..." Seth sighed, lifting his hand, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Abel, you should join us for dinner later."
"I think I'd like that." Abel nodded.
"Take good care of him." Seth turned to Emily.
"I will!" She gave him her most reassuring thumbs up. "You take care of yourself too! Okay?"
"Yeah... I will..." Seth turned to the door and took his leave; Emily swore she could hear him muttering something the along the lines of: 'Of course dad's in Hell. Why not?' But she couldn't be entirely sure. Emily looked back at Abel who was still sitting in his chair, staring at the desk.
"Are you going to be okay?" Emily squeezed his hand.
"Yeah." Abel shook himself, blinking as if he had just woken up from a particularly deep sleep. "Sorry... it's just... a lot. But you weren't lying. We were not in trouble." He smiled, but Emily could tell it was forced.
"Do you want to stay and wait to talk to Gabriel more?"
"Not really." Abel made a face. "I kinda just want to get out of here, clear my head, not think about this for a second."
"Well... I was going to the Community Center to sign Molly and I up for sewing classes, did you want to come with me?"
"To the Community Center? Or to the sewing classes?"
"Either? Both?" Emily shrugged.
"Yeah, why not." Abel got to his feet. Emily kept her hand on his, she could tell he was a little unsteady on his feet. "The fresh air sounds nice."
"Awesome!" Emily stood as well, walking with him out of Gabriel's office and closing the door behind them. They started down the hall when, suddenly, there was the loud bang of a door being thrown open. Emily and Abel both turned to see Sera holding the door open, and a very angry Rochele storming out.
"OUT!" Sera's eyes were all open.
"This isn't over!" Rochele's eyes were open as well, all glaring into Sera's eyes. Gabriel followed out behind Rochele.
"Let's all calm down, and continue this conversation when we're not as riled up, okay? You both agreed to take some time to cool off."
"She is the one who burst in here with accusations-" Sera was glaring daggers into Rochele who was slightly smaller than Sera, but could still stand to look her dead in the face. Emily had never seen either of them so angry.
"You are the one who let my beautiful souls get destroyed-"
"Sinners. And I was simply following orders. As head Seraphim-"
"I outrank you! This should have gone to-"
"LADIES, that's ENOUGH." Gabriel's voice boomed so loudly it made the windowpanes and doors that lined the hallway rattle. Sera and Rochele both went quiet, turning to look at him.
"Sorry Gabriel." Rochele bowed her head.
"Sincerest apologies, Gabriel." Sera bowed her head as well.
"Now," Gabriel's voice returned to normal. "Why don't you both take some time to relax, gather your thoughts, and we can discuss your issues together- with a mediator." He had a hand on each Seraphim and Emily couldn't help but get the feeling that he was holding them apart.
"Of course." Sera straightened herself up. "I apologize for any outbursts, Rochele. I do hope you have a splendid rest of your day." Sera's eyes fell on Emily and Abel in the hallway. "Emily."
"Um... hi..." Emily gave an uncomfortable wave.
"She was helping me with something." Gabriel still had his hand on Sera. "Thanks Again, Emmie!"
"You're welcome." Emily waved at him.
"It's so great to see you, Emily." Rochele was all smiles when she looked at Emily, but the young seraphim could see the eyes in Rochele's and Sera's halos were glaring at one another despite the smiles.
"We can discuss this issue later." Sera turned and Gabriel released her shoulder as she headed back to her office. "Emily, I apologize if you saw any abhorrent behavior. Abel... you as well."
"I saw nothing." Abel held his hands up as if in surrender.
"Disagreements happen." Gabriel laughed; he seemed to be successfully calming both Seraphim. "The important thing is that we come to each other with respect and love. I think emotions just ran a little too high."
"Agreed," Sera went back to her office, stopping in the doorway. "Thank you, Gabriel, for everything. I hope I did not cause you to much duress."
"Never." Gabriel assured her.
"Then I have work to do." And with that, Sera closed the door.
"What like I don't?" Rochele looked offended, all her eyes narrowing at the closed door to Sera's office.
"She didn't mean it like that." Gabriel patted Rochelle on the back, pulling her into a one-armed hug. "Why don't you treat yourself to something nice, maybe a tea to calm those nerves. Then we can talk. How does that sound?"
"You're right." Rochele took a deep breath. "We really were accomplishing nothing back there." She looked at her watch. "Oh dear, I am going to be very behind schedule because of all this-"
"It'll be okay, Rocky." Gabriel assured her gently. "Don't overwork yourself. Take some time to relax before you head back. That's an order."
"Right." Rochele giggled and the tension slowly started to dissipate. "Thank you, I think I will grab that tea."
"I'll be in my office if you need me." Gabriel smiled at her. "Are you and Seth doing okay?" He turned his attention back to Abel. "What about you, Emmie? Are you holding up? I know today has been a little chaotic."
"We're good." Abel gave a quick nod.
"I'm fine." Emily added quickly.
"Perfect! But if that changes, you know where to find me." And with a wink, Gabriel vanished and Emily heard his office door close. Rochele took a deep breath, her face in her hands, her wings drooping.
"Sorry I made such a scene."
"We saw nothing." Abel assured her.
"It's okay." Emily gave her what she hoped was a reassuring smile on par with Gabriel's. "I got pretty heated about the Exterminations too. But it wasn't Sera's fault! She thought the Archangels ordered it."
"Of course." Rochele finally looked up. "Emily..." She smiled, kneeling down a bit. "Thank you."
"You're welcome?" Emily was a little surprised her reassurance had been so successful. Rochele reached out, taking the hand that Emily didn't have clasped in Abel's. Her eyes flickered to Emily.
"And if you don't feel like your training is going well with Sera, you know you could come train with me, right?"
"What?" Emily's wings fluttered as she was taken aback by the statement. "Oh! No! Sera is doing a great job!" Mostly. Though, Emily had to wonder if Rochele might have her reading fewer manuals.
"Good! That's all I needed to hear." Rochele got to her feet. "Now, if you will both excuse me," she nodded to Abel, "I have a tea with my name on it! Oh! And Abel?" She quickly turned to look back at him.
"Yeah?" Abel blinked. Rochele, who had been clearly heading toward the exit, turned suddenly and was right in front of them again. She knelt once more taking Abel's free hand in her own.
"Your dad misses you very much."
"You saw him!?" Abel's hand tightened on Emily's.
"I did. He and Lucifer broke into my office building!" Rochele giggled at the memory. "It was quite the unexpected surprise. But it was good seeing them both. He told me to talk to you if I saw you."
"Thank you." Abel nodded and once again Rochele was on her feet, heading down the long hallway toward the exit.
"All right! Delicious tea, here I come!" Rochele threw open the doors, and in the blink of an eye, she was gone.
"You still holding up?" Emily looked back at Abel; it didn't seem like he could catch a break today.
"Yeah, I'm good. But can we just go to the Community Center? I think I need that fresh air now more than ever."
"Of course." Emily and Abel left the Main Hall, and Abel seemed to breathe a little easier once they were out on the sunlit streets. They walked in silence for a while. Emily could feel Abel gradually start to relax.
"I'm glad he's not gone... dad I mean."
"I am too." Emily assured him quickly. Adam had not been her favorite winner later in her life, but when she was small, he had been absolutely great! Emily recalled Adam sneaking her out to play when Sera wanted her to hit the books.
"At least I can still talk to him. And he's in Hell with Cain... so it's not like he's all alone. Hopefully Cain doesn't take care of dad the same way he took care of me... but you know, I think dad'll be fine."
"Sinners can't die unless they're killed with angelic steel." Emily assured him. "And Cain probably doesn't have that."
"So, yeah... he's fine." Abel finally released Emily's hand, lacing his fingers together and holding both hands behind his head as they walked. "It almost feels like I'm dreaming, not gonna lie."
"You're not!" Emily assured him.
"I'd say pinch me and prove it, but we don't feel pain in Heaven."
"I don't want to cause you pain either." Emily added. "So, you'll just have to take my word for it."
"Thanks for coming with me, by the way."
"I told you that you weren't in trouble."
"You did." Abel mused as they came upon the Community Center, busy as always with all sorts of Heavenly citizens bustling in and out with craft projects galore in their arms. Abel held open the door for Emily as they went inside. Emily found the sign-up sheet, with sewing right at the top.
"Do you want to join us?" Emily figured she could ask Abel. She didn't know if he was interested or not and she had no desire for him to be left out. "Molly and I are doing this to make Merry Everything Holiday Extravaganza dresses."
"Yeah, why not? Sign me up too." Abel gave a shrug.
"Great!" Emily signed their names down for one of the later classes the next day. (She felt like Abel needed to recover, and Molly would be practicing until Peter was satisfied with the performance, and who knows how long that would take.) "Tomorrow sounds good for you, right?"
"Yeah. No offense, but after this, I think I'm going to just go sleep."
"Until dinner with Seth, right?"
"Oh yeah, I already forgot about that." Abel sighed. "Yeah, until dinner with Seth. Then tomorrow we can actually enjoy ourselves."
"Yeah, that sounds like a plan." Emily finished signing all of their names before turning around to see another angel waiting. She recognized him, though they weren't super familiar with one another. "Jazeerael? What are you doing here?" It was strange to see him outside of Purgatory.
"Trying to learn advanced mechanics." He nodded toward the sign-up sheet. "I figured, since I'm not actively sailing, I might as well learn everything I can about repair." Emily looked at his Captain's uniform, then back at the signup sheet.
"Why are you not sailing the Ferry?"
"It's automated now." He signed his name on the list. "I mostly do boat repair, which I am fairly well equipped to do, but recently the Hell Liner got wrecked so I'm a bit over my head. Luckily, Uriel was able to get the boat running again, but if we're going to get caught back up, I need to make some modifications..." He trailed off looking at both Emily and Abel. "Sorry, you... don't care about this."
"No, I do!" Emily insisted. She didn't really know as much as she wanted too about Purgatory. She knew the gist. It was a vast, dangerous landscape full of twisting rivers that lead to any and every afterlife. She knew that the boats were the safest way to navigate the waters, and that the two Captains (Jazeerael and his Hellborn counterpart) were tasked with getting the souls safely to their destinations and caring for the boats. There were not a lot of holy or unholy residents in Purgatory- just the Horsemen and the boat Captains... which meant...
Emily... might have an idea.
"Long story short, we're behind on soul transportation. But we'll figure it out. We always do." Jazeerael sighed.
"What if... you had help?" Emily spoke up.
"I've asked but it's not exactly job of the year. The automated staff do... fine but we're low on them as well. I've had to take a few shifts on the Hell Liner and let me tell you: I am not cut out for that." Jazeerael made a face and let out a shudder. "Because we are low on our automated staff too. We still only have half a Paul."
"Paul?" Abel looked confused.
"One of the automated staff. They sometimes have names depending on who is talking to them." Jazeerael's explanation really just left Emily with more questions. She knew about the automated staff, but she had never met any of them. Not for lack of trying. She wasn't really allowed to go to Purgatory, and the one time she had tried, Sera had been very upset with her.
"What if... I could get you some help?" Emily had an idea brewing at full force. She looked at Jazeerael who mostly looked confused.
"I mean... that would be great, but to get someone permission to stay in Port Gatory long-term you would need Sera to approve it." Jazeerael replied, he sounded polite, but Emily could tell he was unconvinced that she would be helpful.
"Or the Archangels!" Emily clapped her hands.
"I mean..." all of Jazeerael's eyes blinked one by one. "I guess?"
"On that note, I'm heading back. As much as I love the Archangels, I have had enough for today." Abel spoke up.
"That's fair." Emily gave him a big hug. "Text me when you get home, okay? And let me know when you're with Seth too."
"Weird request, but okay." Abel shrugged as he hugged Emily back. The Seraphim wasn't really sure why she was making that request either. It was Heaven, it's not like anything bad ever happened.
"Thanks." Emily watched as Abel took his leave. She turned back to face Jazeerael. "You, stay here. I need to talk to Gabriel." Jazeerael glanced from the sign-up sheet to Emily and back again.
"I mean... can I still go to the class?"
"Oh, um, yes. Of course. But don't go back to Purgatory-"
"Port Gatory."
"What?"
"It's called: Port Gatory now, Charon changed the name."
"Omigosh! That's so cute!" Emily clapped her hands excitedly. Charon always seemed so sweet. Emily felt like they would get along excellently if they ever had the chance to interact for an elongated period of time. But Charon was busy. And Sera didn't exactly like her. Whenever Emily would ask, Sera would simply state that Charon 'was no Azrael'. Emily wanted to talk to Azrael too, but she wasn't sure where the old Death had gone after her retirement. Emily hadn't seen her since she was a freshly made cherub, before Gabriel had left.
"Yeah, we like it. It makes things a lot more digestible for the souls, if I'm being honest." Jazeerael nodded.
"Well, you enjoy your class, and by the time you get out, I will have some help for you!" Emily clapped, her wings fluttering with excitement. Jazeerael stared at her, his mouth drawn into a thin line.
"Right."
"Just you wait!" Emily could barely contain her excitement as she flew out of the Community Center and toward the Main Hall. She stopped only briefly to see a text from Abel confirming that he was home and heading to bed. Emily put her phone back, bursting through the doors and zooming her way right to Gabriel's office knocking excitedly on the door.
"Come in!" The cheerful voice of her Archangel came from the other side of the door. Emily thrust it open to see Gabriel half way through the entire tin of cookies. He gently pushed the tin forward as she entered. "Cookie?"
"YES!" Emily hurried forward grabbing a cookie that looked like a star. She had earned a cookie. "Gabriel! I have an idea!"
"Oh, that's fun! I love ideas!" Gabriel clapped his hands politely.
"Okay! Hear me out: You're worried about Pentious in Heaven, but what if: he wasn't in Heaven?" Emily took an excited bite of her cookie, swallowing hard. Gabriel looked at her a little confused.
"Loving all the enthusiasm. Not sure where we're going with this, but I am excited to find out!"
"Okay! This might sound crazy BUT! I was just talking to Jazeerael, you know, the boat captain for the Heaven Ferry?"
"Yes. I am aware of who Jazeerael is."
"He was just telling me about all the issues in Port Gatory and... well... Pentious IS an inventor! What if: we put him in Port Gatory! That way he's AWAY from whoever might be after him in Heaven! AND he can help Jazeerael and the Hellborn on the Hell Liner with the boats! Won't that be great!?"
"I..." Gabriel started to speak, but stopped himself. He looked thoughtful as he pulled a cookie from the tin on his desk. "Huh." He chewed thoughtfully on his cookie, the eyes on his face looking at Emily, though the eyes on his halos were staring off in various directions. "It's not easy to grant someone the ability to access Port Gatory full time. That's why we use the automated staff."
"I know, but it won't be forever!" Emily tried to assure him. She knew there were side effects to overstaying one's welcome in Port Gatory. She didn't know much about them, but she knew they could be severe. However, there were items, items that Heaven made that granted immunity to these effects.
"Hold that thought." Gabriel pulled out his phone. He placed it in the center of the table and Emily could hear it ringing. It kept ringing for a moment before there was the sound of someone answering.
"Hello?"
"Mike, you busy?" Gabriel leaned forward on the desk. "I have Emily here with me, you're on speaker."
"Hi Emily, how are you?" Michael's voice was polite, earnest. Emily still felt nervous talking to him, despite being a Seraphim. He was The Michael. The head of the Archangels, the leader of Heaven's legions... the Angel who had Felled the original leader. Emily couldn't help but feel her wings itching just the slightest bit when she spoke with him, despite how nice he was when they had interacted before. (Though... she HAD seen him holding a sword to Sera's throat when she had come home that one time. He could be really scary when he was mad.)
"I'm fine! Thank you so much for asking!" Emily tried to keep her voice level. Michael was a nice guy. (Though it was hard to ignore all those stories of how he would cut off the wings of disobedient angels.)
"How are things Downstairs?" Gabriel spoke up again. "How's Adam? I talked to Seth and Abel, they're relieved."
"I'm not sure how that whole he's dead rumor got started in the first place- and I intend to find out." Michael's voice briefly shifted into the booming, angry tone he had used when he was 'just talking' (as Michael put it) to Sera. The phone crackled and the words were a little hard to understand, but Emily could guess exactly what he said without issue. "But," and just like that, Michael's voice was back to normal. "I'm glad we have that all sorted out now. Adam is doing well, as is Lucifer. There is real progress- with Lucifer especially."
"Oh, that's great news!" Gabriel looked over at Emily. "There was a little scuffle in Hell. We got everything fixed and no one was hurt."
"Oh, that's good!" Emily clapped her hands together softly. Were scuffles common in Hell? She really didn't know enough about the place to know if this was important information or not. At least everyone was okay!
"It's very good. But anyway," Gabriel looked back at the phone, "I bet you're wondering why I called."
"Yeah, I'm curious." Michael replied sounding almost amused.
"You know we're struggling with what to do with Cedric, that Sinner-turned-Winner who was involved in the explosion-"
"Was framed, I would say." Michael interrupted Gabriel's explanation and Emily felt relief wash over her. They really didn't think Pentious was guilty after all! "But, please, continue. It was rude of me to interrupt."
"No, no, I understand. You're passionate about Justice, you always have been." Gabriel assured him.
"Still. It was rude." Michael insisted.
"Mikey, it's fine." Gabriel shook his head. "Listen, Mr. Justice, it's not fair to Cedric to keep him moving around, never letting him settle down."
"I know, I don't like it either." Michael sighed heavily on the other end. "But we have to assure his safety above all else."
"I know." Gabriel continued. "And this might sound a little... counterintuitive... but Emily suggested it and it might actually work? So, hear me out: what about letting him stay in Port Gatory? Temporarily of course."
"I literally just said we needed to assure his safety. Port Gatory doesn't exactly have a shining record in that department." Michael did not sound sold on the idea, judging by his voice. Gabriel cleared his throat.
"I know, I know. But the city is safe. We can just have Jazeerael keep an eye on him. He's been working for us for literal millennia. Plus, Cedric IS an inventor. It might not be a bad idea to have him around the boats."
"I don't know about this-" Michael started to protest, but it was Gabriel's turn to interrupt this time.
"Port Gatory is... horrendously understaffed right now. They need all the help they can get."
"Right. No. I saw." Michael sounded almost... defeated? Stressed? It was hard to tell over the phone.
"He's a VERY hard worker." Emily wanted to plead her case as well. "And Jazeerael was just telling me they only had: 'half a Paul' right now, whatever that means." There was a heavy sigh from Michael on the other end of the line.
"Ah yes, Paul."
"What do you think, Big Blue?" Gabriel urged.
"I..." Michael was quiet for a moment. "We can try it- temporarily. See how it works. We'll still give him protection against Port Gatory, but this is a band aid at best. The problem is still here. Ugh, I wish I could just be up there-"
"You're doing important work where you are, Blue." Gabriel assured him gently. Emily was surprised they would put Michael in Hell of all places, but she assumed maybe they just needed extra protection.
"This is temporary," Michael stressed the word, "but I give you permission to take the soul to Port Gatory. I have to go, Adam's got dinner ready."
"Aww, Adam's cooking again?" Emily was surprised. She recalled Abel saying Adam had lost all interest in cooking when he was still up in Heaven.
"Yeah, he is making shocking progress." Michael replied, sounding genuine. "I'm surprised, but not upset. Keep me updated Gabe, I gotta run. Love you, bro. Bye Emily! Thank you for your suggestion!" And with that, the line went dead. Emily looked up at Gabriel, who was ginning down at her. The Seraphim felt her wings fluttering with excitement. Gabriel picked up the phone from the desk and put it back in his pocket before picking up the- still unopened- second tin of cookies.
"Well," He snapped and a little bow appeared on the tin. "These were going to be an I'm sorry about all the moving gift to Cedric, but I guess they can be a: We found you a temporary spot gift."
"This is so exciting!" Emily would now have the perfect excuse to go to Port Gatory. She had always wanted to really see it.
"Thanks for the suggestion, Emmie." Gabriel stood, ruffling her hair as he walked past. "Let's go get Cedric."