On Angels Wings
Chapter 1
The Food Shortage.
Long fingers darted from the shadows to enclose around a glass of amber liquid. Golden hazel eyes gleamed with the dim candle as the fingers retracted to a pair of burgundy painted lips. Pale skin flashed with the turning of brown, red kissed the long locks as they to flashed across the candles dim circle of illumination. The woman behind the features grimaced and moved her whole body to follow her heads quick movements.
"Cassandra..." The whispered words were held in the air by a heavy silence. The words echoed deep baritone. "Why don't you ever turn on the lights?" The silence from her pressed lips were his only response. Her left hand ached to set down her glass of Brandy, but she won't give him the satisfaction of how bad her carpal tunnel was. As large fingers enclosed on the glow 'n the dark light-switch, the world went white.
"There..." The deep, echoing voice now had a body with his detached voice and head. Sullen golden hazels raised to meet tormented gray-greens. The man, now leaning on the doorway, was six foot even and slightly heavy build. He was not more then twenty, with a weathered look to him. Slightly ragged jeans hung loosely from his waist. A plain dark gray shirt bequeathed his shoulders with an understated, but noticeable, slouch.
"Why did you have to blind me?" Her voice was soft, almost a whisper, as she turned back to her drink. Setting the glass on the table near her writing desk she picked up her ball point pen.
"Why do you have to insist on drinking?" He shrugged off the door, carefully stepping around the gray blur of a cat, and various articles of clothing. The cat's eyes, much like her mistress, but golden green, stared up at him a moment before hopping up the back of Cass's chair and onto her shoulder; The gray head rubbing against her cheek with a soft purr.
"I didn't know you cared..." The voice took an edge to it as she scribbled another line onto her picture, she whispered a hello to the huge cat. It was much larger then most cats, at 3 feet long and slim. A very large cat indeed. "Have a nice nap, Fog?"
"Gah... I'm about to give up on you! You know I..." His voice trailed off studying her back. "What are you drawing?" His chin almost resting on Fog's back as he looked over her shoulder at the piece of white paper.
"Dreams..." The whispered reply as she added another line to the cloaked figure on her paper. Another voice, this time a high tenor echoed from the door way.
"Razzie!!! I'm Home!" His voice was a soft chuckle as he moved into the room. "I see We're having a party tonight..." Long slender fingers brushed through nose length red blond hair, only to have his bangs fall back into his eyes. Deep, brown soulful, eyes... Cass snapped herself out of that train of thought.
"Shove it.." Cassie dropped the pen and shoved herself away from the desk, sliding out of her chair, only to fall on her butt. She scowled as the boys started to howl in laughter. She shrugged and got slowly to her feet. "Damnit.." She muttered under her breath and stretched. "What time is it?"
"About Midnight... Jesus woman... how long were you at the desk?" The tenor pressed his lips on Cass's forehead in greeting and the baritone did it a heartbeat later. Then the tenor shifted and stretched in his plaid sweat pants and loose daffy shirt. The latter was hanging off his form.
Cass motioned and shoved her way past them, moving to the kitchen. "Don't know... four, five hours... Keeps me busy... Unlike you two I see..." Burgundy lips curled into a fond smile as she slipped her aching digits into the handle of the refrigerator and stuck her head into it.
"Hey..." The tenor protested, following Cass into the kitchen and leaning his lanky 6'2 frame on the pantry cabinet. "I just got back from work and changed, that doesn't mean I'm slacken off!" He smirked, sending a well aimed kick at her butt, shoving her further into the 'fridge.
Cass yelped as she lost her balance once again. The baritone spoke up with a simple watch it, and she found herself being pulled out of the 'luckily' empty fridge. "Fuck you D..." She said as she thwaped him. "Dragonboy, you need to be taken down a peg."
He laughed and caught her wrist as she went to hit his head again. "Now, who would do that? You?" D snorted and twisted her around by her captured wrist, shoving her toward the baritone. "Catch Azzie..." He smirked as she slammed into his chest and they both tumbled to the ground.
Azzie wrapped his arms protectively around Cass. Only she didn't take that to well and shoved herself off his chest and back onto her feet. She was defiantly not the fighter of the group. She was smaller then the two of them, only 5'4. She had an hourglass figure- a compact hour glass figure. She muttered under her breath. "When I get my magic back I'm going to..."
"Do what?" A new voice cheerfully joined in the conversation. With tousled blond locks and merry blue eyes, looking nothing like his twin D, the man stepped into the group and grappled Cass by the waist. "Hey there little lady...." He drawled in a bad texan accent. "These aombrays given' you trouble?" Cass snorted and elbowed him in the stomach, getting out of his grip.
"Shove it Mike... Your as bad as they are! And your the oldest!" Cass pressed her white knuckled fists againest her waist. She was in black silky slacks and a embroadered dress, unbuttoned after the empress waist. It fell to mid knee, allowing her free movement, she was also the only one clad in barefeet. Even Mike, who had been in the back playing Starcraft on the computer, was in slippers.
"Ah, but that means nothing this lifetime does it?" He smirked and shrugged. "Damn woman.. It's like 60 degs in here, and your still in short sleeves and barefoot!" He shook his head, shoulder length blond curls flying.
"Shut up Shirley temple." She muttered as she shook her own waist length locks. "Who let the 'fridge get empty?? With 6 adult cooks in this house, it's stupid to have an empty fridge... We're even out of coke!" Golden hazels darted from face to face of the three men gathered.
"Eh?" Mike snorted, his arms encased around D's neck, having trapped him in a headlock. At 6'3, Mike was also the tallest of the three, and as lanky as his twin. "Don't know?"
"Because none of us thought to go get food?" Azzie said in a calm voice, before battle crying and landing on Mikes back, trapping him in a headlock. D's choked gasping for air was his only defense.
Cassie rolled her eyes. It was a good half hour to get to the store, another half for getting back and who knows how long to shop for. "Who has the money?" she resigned, looking at the brawling boys knocking over the sturdy kitchen furniture. The only breakable stuff was in her room, safely tucked away in boxes.
The boys, to busy beating the shit out of each other- for no reason but 'it was fun'- didn't answer. Cass rolled her eyes and tiptoed to the back bedrooms. "Gabbie? Duncanie? Elliiiiijahhhh..." She softly whisper hissed into the darker part of the house where the kids were sleeping with the old men.
"Here...." Gabbies deep bass rumbled from the rocking chair of the nursery. In his arms, sucking on his nose contentedly, was the youngest child of 3 months. "Kelsi decided to stay up late tonight..." His large hands encompassing her small body. Out of all of them, at 6'9, he was the largest. Long raven locks fell to his shoulders as he looked up, dislodging his nose from Kelsi's lips, slobber dripping off the tip.
Cass chuckled softly, taking her gently from his arms and cradling her close to her side. "Awwww Kelsi... you shouldn't keep Daddy Gabriel up so late eh?" Her words were hushed, for three other sleeping bodies rose and fell in their slumber. Kelsi cooed softly, as if she, even in sleep, was aware of her mothers loving arms.
"Father bless, Cassie.. Your the only one who can set her down without her getting up two hours later screaming her head off.." Gab slid from his chair with more grace then Cass had ever had. "I never thought children would be so hard to care for..." He brushed his fingers down Kelsi's cheek with callused fingertips. His voice almost a husky blurred purr.
Kelsi shifted, one arm hanging out of Cass's arms, the other shoving it's way into her mouth. Cass smiled and moved slowly over to the crib. Gab watched her with quiet emerald-gray eyes. His gaze following her as she gently set Kelsi in her crib, on her back, kissing her cheek gently.
His arm slid around her waist as she came back to his side, leading her slowly from the room of children. They passed the next door way in the hall and went up the staircase to the 'adult' section.
They had been lucky, Cassandra, Draco and Azrael had been able to find a small ghost town, just outside of a small town in southern California. The mountains shadowed, what was desert, now turned winter wonder land. It was an hour to the nearest large city, through the mountains, and a good half hour to the nearest town. "We're out of food..." Cass pressed her fingers along a brass handle and shoved the door open leading into the 'old' people section.
It had been hard work to get permission to reinhabit the ghost town, but with a promise to keep the natural, and historic, buildings like they had been in the gold rush times. With a ski lift and good gourmet food, they were going to open the town in two weeks. God, had also, been a loving factor.
"Ellijah, Duncan.... Auntie Kai..." Cass's jaw hit the floor, they were playing twister. Ellijah was clean cut, with loose robes on, like a bloody jedi-knight. Duncan had a floor length beard, blue robes and sparkling blue eyes, wearing navy blue robes. Ellijah's hair was black, and his clothes a deep burgandy. "Auntie" Kai was dressed in conservative gray, her white, gray streaked hair tucked into an old fashioned bun at the nape of her neck. They were all... playing... twister...
People who looked like they could be blown over by a stiff wind were playing twister like they were teenagers. Cassie stuffed a fist in her mouth to hold back at the laughter bubbling in her gut. Gab smirked and clapped his hands mockingly. "Come Children where are our Advisors?" His lips pealed back to show perfect white teeth. All of the boys were like that cute in their own ways. Not Cass, hell she stuck out like a sore thumb with these people.
She shoved that thought down too. Kai looked up and fell into Ellijah, causing a domino effect, and squishing the hidden member of their party... Dart, or D'Artagnan, was only 3'3. He looked like a dwarf, was built, like a dwarf. He had muscles upon muscles, with a gruff cropped beard and hard black eyes. Of course, at the moment, those black pupils were glaring at Ellijah, who had accidentally shoved a foot into his gut. Dart's hair was shoulder length and as white as snow. Only Ellijah didn't show his age much.
"God must be laughing his ass of right now..." Dart muttered, rubbing his head and glaring at his companions. That sent Cass laughing, her fingers, so intent on stopping the bubbling laughter, now grasped helplessly at her sides, trying, in vein, to hold her insides in.
"What is it now?" Duncan grumbled. He looked, and acted like a druid, hell, he looked like Disney's version of Merlin! His hands fumbled, around Kai, earning him a slap, and he finally got to his feet. "Mike blow up the bathroom again with hairspray and a match?"
"Nope!" Cass squealed as she fell onto her butt, Gab relentlessly tickling her sides. "Hey! Stop it! Help!" She squirmed under his hands. Ellijah snagged a pillow and thwaped Gab upside the head.
Gab looked abashed, for about half a second, before getting to his feet and tackling the old man to the floor. That was a good 300lbs of muscle slamming into him. Ellijah humphed all his air out of his lungs and glared at Gab.
"Okay... Did Az contact a demon and taunt it into coming into our plane, only to find out it was one of the higher fallen?" Duncan was standing there, honestly trying to think of what went wrong.
"Nope." Cass grinned over at Kai and the two women went stalking Ellijah and Gab.
"Well... Did Mike twist D's head to the point we'll swear it's not attached?" Duncan moved slowly, for the door. "Or how about Mike and D beating Az black and blue? How about the time Az tied up D and left him for dead on the side of a road, that was fun..."
"Nope nope, and happily, nope." Cass's voice popped up at his elbow, Ellijah and Gab tickling each other, thinking Kai and her were still in the middle. Kai wrapped her arms around her ancient love, Duncan, and nudged him to move faster.
"Then what could be so important?" He muttered with his soft, but gruff, old man voice. "I mean we were playing twister."
"I'm starving..." Cassie whined brushing her face against Duncan's shoulder, only to get scooped up into Gab's arms. He held her, not unlike a baby, cradling her as he walked down the stairs. "Gab!"
"No way, I remember the last time you said you were hungry. You hadn't eaten in a day and a half, and fainted on those stairs...." Gab's arms encircled her protectively. They all were like that, protective of her and the kids.
"He's right you know..." Kai chuckled and slid down the banister. "You did..."
"That was a month ago!" Cassie whined, shifting in Gabs arms. "Who has the money?"
"For what? There is no way were going outside..." Dart did his run-skip to keep up with the almost 4 foot taller Gab. Ellijah and Duncan were about 6'0, and Kai was 5'8. Everyone was taller then her... Cass snagged a lock of Gab's long hair and started braiding it. "The word is a blizzards comin', a bad one... The others are comin' home as quick as they can."
"Food?" Cassie asked hopefully, looking down from her perch in Gabs arms to him.
"Their lives are less important then food to you?" Dart scowled, not playfully up at Cass. She scowled and slunk back in Gab's arms.
"Calm Cassandra... you know he doesn't take anything lightly..." Kai's soft whisper drifted up to Cass as the woman bounced ahead with Duncan in her arms. I scowled more... She had to bring out the full name. Parents or sergeant parents, they were all alike. You get in remote trouble, out busts the full name and your screwed from the get go.
The children's rooms where quiet as they slunk silently along the halls. They were currently in the hotel, with the blizzard coming and not all the work done, they were all put up in one spot... At least, until the rest of the group got there. So far there were 7 children present. The number, however, was expected to raise in the coming months.
As the small group made it's away back into the front hall, the kitchen, dining room, and parlor all with entrances, a strange silence fell over the hotel. Cassie froze, tensing in Gab's arms, the little laughter left on her lips vanishing in a second. "Get Down." she screamed, diving out of Gab's arms and darting back the way they had come.
Gab, Kai, Ellijah and Duncan all, instead of getting down, darted to find the other three, to make sure they got down. Dart, darted, after Cass to the kids rooms. He dived into the first one, with the older kids, just as the earth started shaking it's fury.
Chapter 2
Awakenings.
Cassandra was an old mage, a very old mage, she was also one of the few mortals, to see Heaven before her death. Her bloodline, starting back in ancient times, had always held a power to it, something almost undefined. Most of the line breed true, giving mages, witches, and prophets to the world. Her true name was Razael. Or, she is sometimes fondly known as 'Razzle Dazzle'.
She had been reborn many times into her bloodline. She had seen countries rise and fall, but she always remained behind the scenes. Even now with the world on the brink of total destruction she was behind the scenes. She held Kelsi, a small little boy with brown curls and bright sky blue eyes, a small girl with blond pigtails, with almost violet eyes, and a younger child with brown eyes and black curls.
Kelsi was hushed with a light finger. "Theodore, take your sisters and hide them behind the beds." Cassie's voice was hushed as she motioned the eldest, at 8, to go with his sisters. His sisters, four and a half old Annabelle, with her two pigtails flying she ran with him. Her 'father' was Azzie. Marie, the other small girl with raven curls, was 3, and called D father. Each child had a different father, so the responsibilities were shared. Teddy called them all father, and was carefully taking Kelsi behind the beds with the two girls.
Cassie stood, moving swiftly to try to open the door. Jammed closed. She wasn't really surprised she foresaw it happening. "Damnit. Not Now!" She slammed her fists against the door, sliding down to the floor, a tear slipping down her cheeks. That meant her boys were out there fighting a loosing battle.
"Raz." A deep gruff voice whispered from a wall. "Razael Dayn, Get up this moment." Cass leapt to her feet, fists ready to take the voice down. It was only D'art, standing dwarfed almost by the four older children. Joran, the oldest, at 16, had short cropped flaming red hair, and emerald eyes. His hands were fulled with Kelsi, who got shoved into them as soon as Teddy had seen him.
Joran, though younger then the other boys, had claimed Kelsi when he first had seen her, making Azzie's father count fall by one. Kelsi cooed softly against him. He had the temper to go with his crimson hair, and if Kelsi was in danger, it was hotter then magma. The girl at his side, with Marie's raven curls, falling to her waist, with deep brown eyes, with a Hispanic ancestry rested her cheek against Joran's shoulder. She was Gab's daughter and his apprentice in the fighting arts.
"Kado, help Annabelle and Marie out from under the bed." Dart motioned to the girls wiggling from their hiding spot. Kado at 9, was quick to comply, though like Cass, was a bit more heavy set then the others, and Japanese. He was gentle with the girls as he looked back to Dart.
"Father, Annabelle scraped her knee, do I put a bandage on it?" Kado's eyes were soft as he questioned the hard man he called Father. Dart actually softened a moment to nod then turned back to Cass.
"Rachel." Cass motioned to Gabs daughter, beckoning her closer. "Check the other rooms door, see if you can get out." Rachel nodded, moving swiftly to check. The fourth child, was 8, like Teddy, with sunkissed brown locks and gray eyes. His fingers tugged gently on Cass's dress. "Yes Nathan?" Cassie leaned down and kissed his forehead. Nathan smiled and sucked his thumb pointing, with his free hand, to the now open door.
"Gab!" Cassie slid from Nathan's side and ran to Gabs, hugging him tightly. Gab tossed the door aside and held her tight. "Gab, I was so worried..."
"We need you and the kids..." Gabs' voice was soft, something was wrong with it... It was off. "Hurry..." Cass gasped as he fell to his knees beside her. "Hurry... the others..." Gabe's fingers caressed Cass's cheek before he feel to his hands and coughed up blood. Twin stains of red were behind him on his shoulder blades. Cass was on her feet in a second.
"Rachel, Stay with Gabe. The rest of you come with me. Dart, you go upstairs and look for the others on the widows walk. Take Kado with you, if they are close enough, take the Jimmy and go out after them, bring them back as soon as possible." Cass commanded and took off to the living room.
Bodies, littered the ground, all in various stages of pain and bleeding. Cass skidded to her knees beside Kai. "Auntie..." She whispered, brushing her hands down either side of her face, caressing her temples with her thumbs.
"It's time.." Kai whispered, wincing as another coughing fit took upon her. "The Enemy..."
"Kai.. Kai.. please..." Cassandra whispered, brushing her aunts cheeks with gentle fingers. "You must stay still... I'll get Dart and..."
"You know child, it's not to be, we must... rise..." Kai's lips turned into a brief smile as she was overcome by coughing, blood splattering on Cass's dress. Cass nodded slowly and looked up. The boys were being tended by the children. Even little Annabelle was rushing back and forth trying to help Azzie.
Cass felt the pain rush upon her. "No... Not now..." Cass clasped her side glaring holes into the ceiling. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as her lungs constricted, causing her to breath in steady little gasps. Teddy ran to her side, small hands caressing through her hair. His whispered words of love and concern barely breaking past the pain rushing through her veins. Fire burned across her cheeks, as she fought to regain her footing.
"Father...." Cass managed to force out. "Not now... please..." She clasped her hands into white knuckled fists, looking for the Enemy. Invisble, it's aura of evil pressed close. The children, stood blantly infront of their fathers, and the old ones, as if daring the Fallen to go through them to get to their sergeant parents. Teddy crept over to protect the old ones.
Cass closed her eyes, willing the pain to go away, like it so always did after a moment or two. No such relief came to her system. Breathing hard she forced herself to take a step forward, toward the nonilled fallen. The creature was beautiful. His hair was long and white, as if carved from living marble. Strong freatures were curved into a milcious smirk, watching Cass with a wry eye.
"They are changing... I won't let..." Cass stumbled, almost falling to her knees. "I won't let you stop them..." She let her knees give out as he swung a huge sword at her, know resting at his feet. White, pupiless eyes, staring down at her, bloodless lips curling to chuckle.
"You? Stop me? You may be at gods hand Girl, but that will not stop me." He reached down, grabbing Cass by her long locks. "You, a soul immortal, cursed by God himself, still fight with them. Why?" His eyes burrowed into her soul. THe feeling of evil soaking into her skin. Cass faught it, faught his eyes, his grip. She kicked, squirmed and bit. But no scream could be spared from her aching lungs.
He shook her hard enough to send her brains, gut and teeth rattling. "Stop that you vixen... I am not here to kill you, my lord has plans for you...." He smirked and tossed her into the wall behind him causally. Cass did scream then as her bones smacked with flesh into the wall.
As the fallen moved to Cass's family on the ground she faught to regain her brains and footing. The pain was gone, the moment of terror shattered with the pain. The real pain. Her eyes blazed gold as she gathered her power. She didn't want it. Didn't want to hear the angels not yet physical, nor the demons. Not the voices trapped on this plane, between and in hell and heaven.
"No." She whispered firmly, accepting herself. She wasn't Crazy. She was a key, a mage and she wasn't going to let this thing wipe out her family. "No." She said louder, now the wind howled through broken window panes, gathering around her. Glass, from the broken window, snow and blood mingled with each whirl as some glass slid across pale flesh.
The pain gave her sanity. Sanity to hold the power she was capable of channeling. Power that had been blessed on her line since the lord made the different planes. She was a misfit, cursed by a fallen and mortals love. She held blood of an angel and a human in her veins. This lifetime she was what she had been before, is, and will be again. "No." She closed her eyes. She had no choice, there was either life or death.. or rebirth. Her lips curled into a burgundy, mixed crimson, smile.
When her eyes opened again, they were compeltely gold, The wind whipped her hair into a frenzy of movement, like medusa's snakes. "I've gone through hell.... Earth and Heaven...." Her voice broke through and over the howling wind. "I've been, is, and will be." Her eyes scanned over her friends, furys of color were slowly breaking out of crimson and flesh. Even the children were down, though by the fallen's hand. "I am one, I am Many, I am none."
Her feet left blood prints as she took steps across the floor, splattered with glass. More wind howled through the broken window pains. Fury in it's voice, mixed with sadness. "You, calling yourself Balaken, come into my haven..." She stopped, not five feet away from him, his sword raised over D's head. "You, who would interrupt my Fathers will." Cass's right hand lifted slowly, like a dead weight, to point a single digit at him. "You. Will. Die." Balaken, the fallen angel, screamed as the wind left her, with the glass gathered from her steps, tainted with her blood. And with all the accuracy of a sword, his head slid from his shoulders, to roll on the ground near Mike.
Cass fell to her knees, two tears steaming down her cheeks, leaving clear tracks in the blood. "Go." She whispered to the lackys, small demons and fallen, who had hovered on the outside. "Go, tell your prince of darkness, we walk again." Her eyes blazed as she turned to look at them. They scattered like leaves on the winter wind.
She remained there, staring at the broken window panes with hazel eyes. Her hair falilng againest her back with the winds last whisper. Tangles fell into her eyes like a veil. Her fingers clawed into the ground. Behind her, the angels started to awaken, to do the lords will. Her cheeks laiden with tears.
Chapter 3
D brushed off his mostly torn up shirt. "Ow... I forgot how painful that was..." He turned his head to flex a wing. His wings were like his namesake, like a dragons. He shifted it slowly. It was black, with lines of hunter green at the talans and muscles conntecting it. He smiled slowly and then full out grinned. "Very cool..."
"Draco!" Michael skidded to a halt beside him. "You see the head?" He raised it to shoulder length level. "Cool huh?" He shrugged and tossed it beside the body of the fallen. Michaels wings were the normal dove type, feathered and white. He smiled and hugged his twin tight. "I missed you."
"I've been right here!" Draco smiled and hugged him back. "But I know what you mean... You missed all the fallen we beheaded over the years..."
Michael snickered and nodded. "You see Azzies? His wings are soooo cool."
"Huh? Draco looked around and to Azrael. He was sitting with Annabelle, who was sniffling, and getting healed. Azzies fingers gently sealling her scraped knees and elbows. Azraels hands were glowing softly as he worked and hummed. His wings were wrapped gently around her figure. They were midnight black, with soft glimmers of amber when the light hit them just so. "Yeah... great..." D responded dully fingering his own wingstips.
"I forgot how much feeling were in them..." Mike shifted his wings carefully, letting the cool air blow through them. "Or how much it fucken hurt.." Mike kicked the head of the fallen to Nathan. "Catch kiddo!" he called out.
Ellijah grabbed it before the eight year old could grab it from his father. "Mike. You know better..." He scolded, holding the head daintly with two fingers, pinky in the air and nose crinkled with total discust. "Really Michael... Nathanel is but a child.. Playing with heads is not something Cass would agree on for games." Ellijah tossed it to Azzie. "Catch." he said five seconds to late as the head bounced and rolled near Annabelle, causing her to screetch in alarm.
Azzie slammed a hand over her mouth and glared over Annabelles head. "Damn it Ellijah, you know Anna doesn't like severed heads." He gathered his daughter in his arms and tucked his black feathered wings around her carefully. " I swear...." Eliijah grinned and rubbed his hand over his scruffy chin. Azzie scowled, brushing his fingertips lightly along Annabelles cheek.
D switched Marie from his arms to his shoulders. "Anyone know where Rach n Gab took Cass too?" His brown eyes were concerned as Maries fingers grasped tightly onto his hair for balance. "Marie... Let go of my hair...." He scolded lightly, cupping her small feet in his hands.
"Yes Da.." She whispered and let go of his hair, only to grab onto his ears. D rolled his eyes heaven ward and refrained the urge to shake his head. "Da.... I want mommy..." Marie leaned down, pressing hersmall body as close as she could to D's head, neck and shoulders.
Nathan entangled his arms and legs around Mikes right leg, hanging on close. MIke looked around, besides Marie and Anna, the other kids were in their own state of shock. Little wonder, when the pain had worn off enough to gather their bearings, the children were able to leave their sides. Joran looked possitvely a wreck, kelsi carefully tucked in his arms as he stood over Cass's body. If there was a bit of flesh still on her bones, Mike would of been surprised.
But she had won againest a fallen. Something that a non-angel had never done. Mike looked over at Joran. He was leaning againest a wall, nearest the bedroom where they had taken her. Kelsi's normal bubbly giggles were silenced with her sorrow, as if she too understood what poor condition her Mother was in.
"Damnit." Mike cursed, brushing his fingers through Nathans hair. He felt useless, his gifts in healing, were very minor compared to his prince or Raphel. He knelt down carefully, gathering nathan in his arms and hugging him close. To comfort the child, or himself, no onlooker knew for sure.
Kai stepped out, her wings were like a butterflys, transparant and thin. They were lavender, sky blue and pink, like the first rays of a sunrise. Her silver hair fell just below her waist in tangles. It was well past four now. "She'll live." She whispered. Joran let out a cry of triumpth and darted past Kai, only to get stuck in Gab's way. Gab held him back with a open hand, nudging him and Kelsi back out.
"She is coming out... hold your horses..." He smiled gruffly and vanished back into the blackness of the room. Kai slunk over to Duncan and kissed his bearded cheek lightly. Duncan whispered something in her ear, making her lips part in a tired, but happy, smile.
Gab slipped out, with Rachel on his arm. Rachel was dressed in loose black robes, not unlike Duncan and Ellijah. Her raven locks were loose down her back, strangely, no wings rested on any of the children's backs. Not even Joran.
Mike and Nathan moved closer to the door way, both blonds, normally so cheerful were saddened, and had lost their 'sparkle'. D slipped Marie off his shoulders and held her close as he too moved closer. Azzie and Anna were a bit slower to move to the gathering, but they to made it when Cass made her grand? enterance.
Her skin was pink, like she had a very high fever, but her hazels were clear as they scanned over the crowd. She noted, with some remote sense of saddness, the girls hadn't made it back. Then, she was mugged by small bodies. The children wiggled, giggled and snuggled into every reachable part of her body. Even Joran, who normally was 'to adult' for hugs, crowded in like Nathan or Anna, to make sure for hismelf that she was okay.
She was dressed in a long huntergreen spaggtti strap nightgown, brown locks silky in their cascade down her back. The blood having been washed carefully out. She slowly untangled herself from the small bodies and flung her arms around D. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she hugged him tight. Then she was in Mike's arms, then Azzies. Tears flowed like rain down their cheeks. It had begun.
Chapter 4
"Higher" Azzie shouted, motioning to the two flying angels, both with white feathered wings. "Damnit! You know you can't see anything from there!" Azzie was spazzen, his woman hadn't come back over the nights gathering, and he was freaken.
"Shut up! My womans out there too!" Mike screamed down at him, then flew closer to Gab. "Jesh, you'd think his woman was the only one missing." Mike snorted and swooped higher on a gust.wings, deep burgandy and feathered, were shifting angrily around her black clad form.
"I..." Mike started to sputter, only to be silenced by her lips. Nathan and Nick both looked away and made faces. Nick was younger then Nathan by 2 years- Nathan being 8- and a bit smaller than his adopted brother. They desided to go collect the other kids and have a snowball fight.
D rested lightly againest the side of the porch not crowded by couples. He had a a few girls here and there, but nothing serious. He liked to keep it open. His eyes flickered over to Joran and Marie. Teddy was holding kelsi as Joran and Marie searched for some holly.
He shook his head, of all the people not worried about the ladies, it was him. Lord knows they had proven themselves without wings, that they could handle the most dangerous situation.. Diapers. He smirked and half closed his eyes. Marie was the one who noticed the bloodstains first.
"Daddy." Marie tugged on D's pants. "Dadddy... There are bloody footprints..." She grabbed his hand and made him get off the wall to look at the footprints. Sure enough, there were indents in the snow, and blood, or some other crimson fluid bright red sparkling in the sun.
"Their recent..." D's eyes lightened into an almost tan. "Damnit... Joran, go find Cass." D looked up, following the trail with his eyes, praying she didn't go and do what he thinks she did.
Chapter 5
Mistakes.
D'art flew one way, leaving kai, Duncan and Ellijah to report to their lord in heaven. D'art said he was flying home to double check and make sure the girls got home okay. Kai's fingers entangled in Duncans, something in her heart told her something was wrong. She just couldn't place it as they waited in line to see their Commander.
"Calm down my heart..." Duncan brushed his thin lips against Kai's temple. "We will be home soon. And D can handle anything Cass does... He knows her well enough." Duncan's fingers tightened their grip on her shaking fingers.
"You don't understand my love... something is seriously wrong." Kai shifted. "I wish he would hurry up..." She looked over at Elljah, arguing with a small, chubby creature. "I feel that we should go home..."
"It will be alright..." Duncan tucked her fingers in the nitch of her arm and watched Ellijah work his people skills, starting to feel his mate's 'wrong' feeling himself. "Please D... don't ruin my faith in you..." He whispered under his breath, eyes glancing outside the west gate.
"Damnit! where is she?" Joran opened the Den door, where she had been last. Nothing... Wait. Fog cowered in the corner under the chair by the fire. "Fog.. Fog, come here girl..." Joran coaxed the gray fured creature out of her hiding spot. "There's a good girl..." He whispered, brushing his fingers down her fur.
"Blood?" He muttered, bring his hand to his face. Blood, from Kais' fur, he bent to look closer, it wasn't hers. But there was the beingings of a somewhat large bruise forming. Joran was up in a second. Cass was fallen, she had to be, and it was up to him to warn the others. Before she flipped totally.
Tears streamed down Cass's cheeks, freezing againest her already chapped and red cheeks. She stummbled on, through the underbrush of the forest. She hadn't meant to hurt Fog... It had been an accident... but how many murders had said the same thing? "Damnit... DAMN ME!" She screamed, her own curse echoing through the trees.
She had been sitting there, staring out into the night when Fog had mewed from the floor. Mewed, innocent and sweet. Cass swung her feet down and brushed her fingers through Fog's silver blue coat with soft loveing strokes. Then fog tried to claw at her barefoot. She moved it, placing her hand lightly where it had stopped stroking her fur lightly. Then Fog clawed her other foot, drawing more blood.
Cass didn't mean to loose her balance, pressing her hand down. Fog had screetched, scatching her hands, so there were now long gashes on her barefeet and palms. Accidents... She didn't mean to hurt... "Damn me...." She whispered brushing her cheeks. She couldn't go back, she was a walking timebomb, she'd only hurt them.
Cass tripped, slamming facefirst into a tree stump. She laid there stunned for a few moments, trying to ingore the tears of pain as she blinked back the spots. "Damn the tree... Damn my heart... Damn everything." Cass shoved herself to her knees, whispering to herself to stop being a baby, that it didn't hurt. Her body knew the truth, it hurt, everything hurt.
As the night gathered, Cass hadn't moved from the spot where she fell down. She sat there, waiting for death to claim her.
D and the others weren't so motionless. After Joran had ran back with the news, the women had desided to take the kids to town. Away from the nearly destroyed hotel. Gab, Mike and Azzie would go with them. D and Joran were going to go looking for Cass. As they said their goodbyes, Marie and Kelsi both wailed to stay with their fathers. To no Avail. Teddy, however, would not be persaded otherwise, he would go with them, or follow them.
"I'll see you at the house." D whispered to Marie, kissing her forehead lightly. 'Take good care of Fog..." He smiled, stepping back from the small girl, whos arms were full of monster cat.
"Yes Papa... Bring mommy home..." She smiled and tottled to Domi and Jewls. Her other mothers. Raven locks bouncing with each step. D smiled a bit before looking off into the forest and muttering a curse about his fool luck.
"Come on." He said gruffly to Joran, snagging his pack and trudging off. As much as he liked Cass, it was one thing to like a person, a complete other to track them when the sun was going down 3 days before Christmas and a night after becoming an angel. "If she's not dead.. I'll kill her myself." He muttered, stepping in what seemed to be the 4th pile of 2 foot snow. Her tracks keep going deeper and deeper into the snow, and off the road.
Joran was silent at his side, Crimson hair darkened with sweat as he tried to keep up with his Angel uncle.
Cass was going crazy. Everything reminded her of something forbidden. Love. She clasped her head and buried it in her knees. When she had been younger, she and azzie had a relionship... They had been engaged. She broke it, and he loved her for months afterwards. "Damn me...." She whispered, the memories surfacing and breaking over her like waves.
Is this what it was like? To love someone so completely, to be so close, yet so far from their hearts? She felt like someone was dancing over her heart with high heels. She would die for him... Did die. Last night, she was fighting for him, no one else. "Damn me..." Her lips were cracked and bleeding, her voice raw from repeating the phrase over and over again. She should of died last night. Protecting him, justified with her death, protecting.. loving him.
But God denyed her death. He tortured her soul, spirit and mind. How can she go on without his looks, his movements. His very air of him. his smell, his touch... his cute look when he's sleeping. His Trust. "Damn me..." She knew the tears had stopped flowing. Crystallised on her cheeks.
How can life be so cruel? To show you how to be complete, happy, and yank it away like it was just some childs babble. She would live.... Even if she died, she'd just come back. She was fallen. "Damn me..."
"Damn you? Why? I have much more fun watching you play with the idea He might even remotely love you." A light tenor, teasing, mocking filled the air. "Besides, my dear fallen, you are a childs babble, a plaything. A Tool. A tool who turned on her maker." The voice was personaifed.
Tall, painfully elegant, beautiful in every sense. He was the prince of darkness, lord of lies and deceit. "Luci, how... kind.. of you to come see me..." Cass narrowed her eyes, god, can't a woman go crazy *alone* these days?
"Cassie... Still the smart ass I see..." Long limbs convulsed into eachother, leaving him in a strange form of sitting. "Hows Life? Still kicking yourself?"
"Shut up." Cassie spat blood at his feet. She was barefoot, black n blue, the bleeeding had stopped, leaving dried blood caked on her feet, hands and body.
"Awww... Cass... You look like your in pain... and tired... cold... Wet too I bet." Lucifer leaned down, long fingers easily reaching the distance between them to caress her cheek. "Ready to finally accept our side? You already got the looks..." He smirked, hitting her down verbally.
"Didn't you hear me? Shut up." Cassie firmed her little resolve left, but each sharp comment he made, made her crumble. She was a wreck.
"Now... I came on a slight matter... You see, you killed another Fallen, and that just can't be done... My numbers are low compared to His you know... 1/3 against 2/3? Hardly seems fair now does it?' His lips curled into a smirk as he reacted his fingers before Cass could bite them.
"Fair? No, but Draconius and Michael could wipe out your ass in five seconds..." Cass was silenced with a sharp slap across her right cheek.
"Don't speak their names around me girl. You've done your duty. I could kill you now if I wanted."
"But you can't, you just said you needed every Fallen,. Besides, this one is doomed to come back." Cass smirked, on her last nerve, one more blow and she would snap under his will. Lucifer knew it, his fingers reached out and caressed her cheek.
"What if I made you my wife? What would your precious little Dragon do then?" Cass sucked in a sharp breath. "What? Like I didn't know? Come on! You little mouse, you think you can hide something like that? You practicly swoon whenever he walks by!" Luci smirked as Cass's eyes filled with tears, she was his!.
"There's a girl, I knew you'd help me..." He smiled slowly, brushing his fingers along her cheek. "What do you want? to be Beautiful? To be loved? Adored? Cherished?" His fingers wove down her temple to chin, in soothing motions. "I could make you his dream, his perfect love." Cass closed her eyes, falling prey to the lies, she so desperately wanted to hear.
"Aye, there's a good Lass... Let me play with you a bit, make you his dream...his desire..." Lucifer's voice turned into a velvety purr as he wrapped his arms around Cass, lifting her up gently. "Come... princess... I shall take you to your castle."
((Who else is screaming at Cass *not* to do it?? ~gets a brick 'n' fires it off at Cass's head~ ~would like to take this time to point out she's not cass? hehehe~ Umm Jewls is Jewls, D is my buddi James. ~noddles~ Azzie is Luke, Domi is mandies ~grin~ kinda? sorta? ~playing matchmaker!!! hehe!~ Mike n Gab are um.. themselves? hehehe... writers liberty!!! Ummm... Just cuz I stole some things from mah n lukes past don't mean *shit* okay? so no one get ideas... ~noddles cute like n that's her authors notes for that chapter.~ OH, one more thing. Animal abuse n Cassie abuse is *bad* okay? ehehhe good. n Beth is a mix of like 50 zillion people i know... ~fires them in~ Michelle, Joanna, my childhood friend named Elizabeth, but she went by beth (gray-trask, so no one think it's our ellie) n amy. so no one die okay? Just another friendly reminder... FEED BACK is good!!! More likely I am to finsh this thing.... is the more feed back I get.
Now.. Ceeeeej would like to take this time n Thank her James bro for letting her steal his stuff n use him for twisted purposes... in her stories.... cuz he's just her best bud in da whole world (but for luke, mandies, Michelle, Robert, Danny, mike (the real one whos' a history major at Asuza Pasific....) ) So... *THANKS JAMES!!!* hehehe the one person who listens to me ramble about online when he doesn't really play and life n stuff... ~blows him a smooch~ Thanks luv.))