Where The Baptized Drown [Gabriel]

[ELIZABETH]

Central Park, New York

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Spring had not yet sprung but she didn't mind the cold. She sat on a park bench, with a dark purple scarf around her neck. The woman watched as people passed her on the park path. It was a pleasant afternoon, and it was a perfect day to dish some wrath. As the people passed, her eyes scanned over them like items in a check-out line. Sinner, sinner, saint, child, dog, sinner... and so on it went. As she settled herself against the back of the steel bench she continued to people watch. Well, it was more like hunting. She was just looking for the best type of prey.

Elizabeth was concerning herself with the worst of the worst, for the time being. She didn't know how long this feeling would last, this urge to destroy the wicked, and just the wicked. Had she stepped onto the same path Lucifer did so many years ago? Was she, too, going to eventually smite the saints as well as sinners? The angel tried not to think about that right now. It was a distraction from her main cause right now.

Hello there... she thought, a small smile crossing her full lips as she spotted a jogger go past.

She had been in New York for a few days now. Ever sense her arrival the murder rate had risen drastically. Papers were printing the deaths she had caused, calling her work the acts of a horrific Serial Killer. She wasn't doing this for the publicity though. It was a labor of love, bad, bad love. Elizabeth got up to 'stretch her legs' as she kept her gaze on the jogger.

She could see his thoughts, his actions. He had been a very bad boy and now he was in her cross hairs. She started to follow the man as her fingers wrapped around a wickedly sharp blade in her coat pocket. Her pace quickened as the man slowed to take a drink from a nearby fountain.
Why hadn't she left Heaven earlier?

[GABRIEL]

Gabriel sank his teeth into the savory chocolate bar in his hand. He could never get over the rich taste of chocolate or the delectable flavor of sweets in general; candy made his mouth water—that, women, and smiting the wicked; in style of course. Countless individuals evaded the law on a daily basis and ensnaring those who committed the crime was a leisure pursuit. Not to mention he took “artistic liberty” which effectively entertained him century upon century. The looks on their faces were absolutely priceless and in the end they got what they deserved.

The angel chose to pay good ol’ New York a visit and his plans had run smoothly enough. However, it appeared that someone had foolishly decided to rain on his parade, which did not settle well with Gabriel; in fact, he found the unexpected intrusion irritated him to some extent. It was only a matter of time until he dealt with the pest infiltrating his territory. Though he had to admit she had guts; kudos to the sorry son of a bitch.

Stuffing the now empty wrapper into his pocket, Gabriel could not help, but suppress a grin as his eyes followed the young woman. Clearly, she was not human and it was not difficult to pinpoint her location. He may have been away from home for a few millennia, but he knew an angel when he saw one. The trickster decided he would have a little fun before he got his hands dirty; this time the joke would be on her. He snapped his fingers and the concealed knife transformed into a harmless plastic play toy. This was only the beginning.

On a side night, the winged dick had a fine ass.

[ELIZABETH]

The man leaned over the fountain, not noticing the woman that had been following him. His headphones were plugged tightly in his ear and he looked up after a good minute of quenching his thirst. Eliza ran her fingers along the handle of one of her favorite blades. She was completely focused on her task right now and hadn't noticed the other supernatural presence in the park. Being so driven on one idea or event had it's draw backs; it left her with a sort of mental tunnel vision. She had been working on this problem for many years now, but it still happened to be an Achilles' heel from time to time.

She stood a few steps behind the man, silent as a panther. The handle of the blade still felt the same to her fingertips but even a five year old child wouldn't be afraid of the 'weapon' she held now. As she drew it closer to draw it over the anterior portion of his throat she noticed the blade. It was...blue? And plastic? She was very confused and a soft "What the hell?" escaped her lips. Of course the jogger had heard her and practically jumped out of his skin. What she hadn't known about her potential victim was that he was an expert at the Judo martial arts.

The man, in his perfectly logical panic, spun and kicked her square in the jaw. She flinched and her head twisted from the force, but it was his food that was the most injured. He let out a cry of pain as most of his metatarsals had snapped from the contact with her jaw.
"What the fuck!?" he yelled, as he hopped on one foot a couple of times before trying to stand on his injured foot.
"Oh shut up", the angel growled at him as she fixed the hair out of her face.

She was certainly pissed. Well, she was at the point that 'pissed' didn't quite cover it anymore. Something strange was going on and it was messing with her fun time. This was her way of relaxing...A stressed out celestial soul like herself might just level a town. "I'll figure out what happened later," she thought to herself as she quickly looked around to see if anybody was around. She wasn't done with Mr. Running shorts.

Even as the injured man struggled to hobble and run away from her she gave the man a bit of a head start. She could catch him pretty easily. Humans had a tendency to be slow. As she finished looking around her attention turned back to the murder she had been stalking for the past day and a half. She broke out into a run after him.
"Come back here you son of a bitch! We're just getting started!" she laughed as she ran.
As she caught up with him she swung a punch to his gut, sending him flying into a tree trunk.
"That's better..."

Of course sense the knife incident, she was on edge, nervous even. Whatever had decided to mess with her might still be around. Her 'friend' wasn't going to get all the attention he deserved. Lucky him. She slowed down and walked over to where the bloodied man was struggling to get up, begging for mercy, offering bribes of money.

[GABRIEL]

Gabriel’s lips curled into a devious smile as he gauged the angel’s reaction. He watched intently as the winged ass-monkey beat the living hell out of her unsuspecting victim, genuinely entertained by her complimentary mixture of both anger and confusion. Removing the wrapper from another chocolate bar, Gabriel continued to watch the scene unfold, struggling to decide which brilliant idea he should bring into play next. The sword mishap was merely his opening act and he had a lot of tricks up his sleeve—centuries upon centuries in fact. They didn’t call him the Trickster for nothing.

He materialized before the angel, admiring her womanly figure as he closed the distance between them. Gabriel stepped over the sniveling pansy, not interested in the sinning SOB; he would have used his mojo to nip the yahoo in the bud sooner or later. Instead he glanced at the angel, swallowing the final piece of the Hershey’s bar; allowing the metallic wrapper to fall onto the sorry ass human’s head as he moaned in obvious pain. “You enjoy—I couldn’t resist myself,” he stated, motioning to the rubber sword. “The look on your face—priceless!”

The archangel’s grin widened—eyes gleaming mischievously—despite the hostile atmosphere. “So, tell me hot shot, what makes you think you can shit on my skittles?”

[ELIZABETH]

She looked down at the man and just gave him a small smile. His money didn't mean anything to her, nor did the other things he was trying to offer her so that she might spare his life. She shook her head and crouched, wrapping her hand around his throat. She gave a decent squeeze, applying just enough pressure to cause even more fear and pain. She felt his grip on her arm, his nails trying to dig into her flesh. She didn't mind as she admired the panic settle into his eyes. She admired the frantic beating of his heart as it tried in vain to supply blood to his brain. She loosened her grip a little and let him take a few breaths before smacking him, the force causing a fracture in his jaw and loosening a few of his molars.

Should she hurry and kill him now? Should she let him go, considering something had tried to stop her? Or should she continue on with her plans. As a hand returned to the man's neck she battled with her own thoughts as she slowly squeezed the life out of him. The hair on the back of her neck raised a little as she felt the presence once more. She looked down and noticed his shoes before he spoke. She let go of the human and jumped up quickly. The look on her face was of shock and confusion.

As she looked at Gabriel her fists clenched a little. He had dabbled with her play time and now he was mocking her for it? He thought this was a game? Her surprise changed as he spoke, twisting into various levels of anger. She gritted her teeth a little and glared at him as he called her 'hot shot'. She didn't understand the reference, but she didn't like his tone. She also didn't like that she didn't know him, or at least couldn't recognize his vessel. She knew a lot of angels when she had lived in Heaven, but he certainly wasn't one of them. It made her concerned. Who was she dealing with?

"I have no idea what you're talking about," she said as she didn't know what Skittles were in the first place, "But I certainly didn't you stake a claim anywhere here...They're fair game," she said, her tone was cold, but there was a level of rage that bubbled through. She was going to play it safe, for now, until she figured out who he was.

[GABRIEL]

The archangel reveled in the shock that shown on Elizabeth’s face, good-humoredly waggling his brows in response. Gabriel leaned casually against the adjacent tree, folding his arms across his chest. He sensed her mounting agitation, though the antagonism toward him did not deter the Trickster in the slightest. Scrutinizing the woman through curious brown eyes, he briefly wondered what had motivated the angel to go rogue; it was obvious she was not adhering to the monotonous instructions provided by Michael and the God Squad. Her rebellious nature interested him—though it wasn’t the only thing that managed to capture his attention. He chuckled to himself, grateful that it was a hot angel babe and not the unflattering mug of one of his brother’s henchmen. Perhaps he could enjoy himself a lot more than he thought.

“Au contraire,” he responded, voice teasing. “I called dibs on this slice of paradise and I don’t need anymore muttonheads intruding upon my R and R.” Gabriel inclined his head, gesturing to New York as a whole. He already had to deal with the hunters, who foolishly rained on his parade on a daily basis, and now one of his kind had taken the liberty to do so—which was a first. It’d been a buttload of millenniums since the bastards had decided to interfere, however his decision to enter his personal witness protection service definitely aided him in the long run. He expected a demi-god or Pagan deity to be stupid enough to take a crack at stealing his swagger; not Elizabeth, that was for sure. Gabriel assumed she didn’t know what she had gotten herself into; he’d be lenient—just this once. He had a soft spot for good-looking woman; it was his Achilles heel so to speak.

“Listen here sister, I’ve been staking my claims for centuries. Take my advice and carryon your child’s play somewhere else—just being honest, but you are so out of your league right now, sweetheart.” He gazed down at the human who remained barely conscious, nudging him with the point of his shoe, earning an anguished moan in response. “Where’s the entertainment in playing an old-fashioned game of cat and mouse anyhow? You need to come up with something more creative than a knife—I mean come on!”

[ELIZABETH]

She lifted an eyebrow slightly at him as he wiggled his own eyebrows. What was up with that? She didn’t like how he seemed so…calm, right now. It made her uneasy. She was used to being the predator of the situation, not on a possible even field - with a rival, or prey. Oh she hated not having the upper hand in situations. This current scene was, unnatural for the angel, even mildly disturbing. Elizabeth also didn’t like how he was looking at her, or maybe that was the vessel talking again in the back of her mind. She wasn’t quite sure at this point. She was going to have to learn a lot about this stranger, and fast, if she was going to be able to set her guard down in the slightest.

Muttonheads? R and R? What was he talking about? She had heard some things from the humans but she had to search through some of her vessel’s memories to figure out what he was talking about. Well, at least she figured out what ‘R and R’ was after a brief second. Rest and relaxation? On Earth? Well that was a bit of laugh, of course, she thought of being on Earth as a job, not a vacation. Oh no, sooner or later that war was going to explode out of control. She wasn’t sure when, but something in her…gut, so to speak, told her it was going to rear its ugly head soon.

As with owning the ‘upper hand’ for so many, many years, it somewhat had gotten to her head. He was telling her off? Oooh, no, no, no – that was not going to happen. No, she had found this guy, she had made this hunt, and she was going to finish it her way. It did not matter what, jerk, told her.
"You have no idea who you’re talking to, mister." she said softly, a dangerous tone in her voice.
Of course, neither did she…This was going to be interesting. Angel’s best, and former, interrogator, vs. Mr. Funny Ego.

"And what’s wrong with the classics?" she called out sharply as he pealed apart her methods.
They were classics for a reason. He wanted different? Fine. She could do different. Elizabeth looked at the stranger and then back to the jogger. Of course what she had in mind might make most people puke upon sight. Still, she wasn’t really the ‘fun in games’ type. Elizabeth was rather serious, deadly serious, a great contrast to Gabriel here.

She gave him a venomous gaze and then looked back at the battered human. The woman crossed her arms under her chest and looked at the jogger. As she watched him the bones that made up his skull started to vanish. The cells that made of his skull started to pop, like bubbles at the surface of boiling water. Some of the atoms that made up the dense tissue just vanished elsewhere into the depths of time in space. Case in point, his skull was evaporating, while the rest of his muscle, brain, nervous system, and blood vessels remained intact. Of course, the structure was vanishing, and so his head just sort of started to ooze downward with the force of gravity.

The man wasn’t really dead yet, but he certainly wasn’t going to survive long with so much pressure on the brain, and his spine poking into it. She smiled softly to herself as she looked back at Gabriel while the man’s body twitched and bled.
"Is that more, creative, for you?" she asked.

[GABRIEL]

Elizabeth’s voice resonated beautifully within the archangel’s ears, her threatening tone having the opposite effect on Gabriel, especially when combined with such a softness to compensate for the aforementioned. “And who am I talking to?” he responded cheekily, purposefully goading her. Of course, he already knew the answer to that question, though he’d rather hear her reply than ruin the fun. Her reactions amused him greatly, especially when she referred to him as mister—how kinky; this was one angel he wouldn’t mind sharing a bed with. However, the devious smirk upon Gabriel’s lips faltered, diminishing, as he realized what she meant when she referred to the classics.

“That wasn’t creative. That was a turn-off as well as slightly disturbing; definitely not what I had in mind.” His family didn’t know the meaning of creative and he wasn’t exactly surprised she lacked style; angels tended to be kill joys—Gabriel thought they could all take a page out of his book for future reference. The act of murder didn’t always have to be all work and no play, there was definitely room for the latter as long as you knew how to play your cards right. The image human’s painted of angels had always entertained them; hell, they didn’t give a rats ass who they killed as long as they pwned Luci—the friggin’ drama queen—in the end.

The malformed figure disappeared with a mere snap of his fingers. “Good riddance—well, wasn’t he a sight for sore eyes. Though, I can’t say I’ll miss the son of bitch.” Now that the dunderhead was taken care of he could focus on what was most important. He stepped forward, invading Elizabeth’s personal space, rising in inquisitive brow. “So, what brings you here of all places? Take a tumble down the stairs?” he asked. Now that the end of the world was just around the corner, he’d seen a buttload of angels roaming the earth—it was like attending the shittiest family reunion. Although, she seemed to have a different agenda and he planned on finding out what exactly her plans were one way or another—bed or no bed.

[ELIZABETH]

Who was he talking to? Of all things, he was asking her? Oh brother. Elizabeth let out a frustrated and exasperated sigh from hearing his question. He was an angel, for that she was certain, but whom was the important question. Elizabeth rolled her eyes ever so slightly before looking back to the corpse as he spoke about the human. She was delaying answering the question.
“I should ask the same of you,” she finally retorted as he made the corpse disappear.

She felt the soul slip away along with the body. Well, she wouldn’t be taking that one, and besides, her little ‘hobby’ was a secret. She certainly wasn’t going to be soul snatching while another angel was around. She didn’t want one of Daddy’s ‘follower’s tattling on her. E looked at the spot where the jogger had once lain, wondering if she should tell him off the bat or not.
“Why should I trust you with that information?” she said, somewhat voicing her concern.

Elizabeth gave a small smirk at his dislike of her…artistry. It gave her a strange sort of pleasure that it disturbed him, well, that’s what he got for trying to tell her what to do. Maybe it was her inner rebel talking, or the fact that she really liked being free of having to take rules…Either way, maybe he would learn that she wasn’t going to bend so easily.

As he stepped closer, she glared at him. She wasn’t going to move away, that could be seen as a sign of weakness, but she wasn’t going to move forward as she didn’t want to pose too much of a threat. She scoffed at his little comment. This guy was full of one liners. How did he come up with them so quick…He must have had a lot of – and then an idea flicked into her mind…No, it couldn’t be the ‘mischievous’ child? It couldn’t be the light bringer, as he was still stuck in a hole…as far as she knew.

Was she dealing with one of the arch angels? Oh boy.
“No,” she replied in a cold tone, a bit of a nervous tint in her voice. “I left for…personal reasons.”
She didn’t want to delve into that psychological mess. She crossed her arms tighter over her chest, her fingers itching for the comfort of an angelic blade right now. Though if he had turned one of her knives into a plastic toy…What else did he have up his sleeves?
“Why do you want to know?”

[GABRIEL]

They call me Loki,” Gabriel replied nonchalantly. “I’m sure you’ve heard of me and my badass rep, Elizabeth—the chicks eat that shit up.” He leered up at the angel in a suggestive manner, arching his brows as if to accentuate the underlying meaning of his words. Elizabeth stood one or two—more like four, but who was counting anyway—inches above him, however Gabriel found the obvious difference in height sexy. He had a thing for women taller than himself; perhaps it was because he was closer to their rack—duh, WINNING! It also helped that he had a natural appeal; the ladies couldn’t keep their hands off him.

However, Elizabeth was playing hard to get—the woman was a friggin’ cocktease—but he didn’t mind a game of cat and mouse; he enjoyed a challenge every now and then. Hell, he just met the angel and on shitty terms no less, but she was different; whether it was due to the fact she wasn’t cavorting about him like a moth to a flame or maybe it was on account of he could kind of relate to her situation. After all, he had ditched out of Heaven due to a few personal reasons himself—though, who could blame him? Sure, he loved his siblings, but he couldn’t stand their constant bitching. If only Michael and Lucifer could get their shit together. It was about time they grew up and shut up or a got a good kick in the ass. Too bad the old man hadn’t stuck around to do so; he would have enjoyed seeing that.

“Simply curious,” he responded sincerely, scrutinizing Elizabeth through inquisitive brown eyes. “I don’t see many of you cloud-hopping pansies gallivanting down below of their own free will. Had enough of the winged dicks?” the archangel scoffed, the slightest trace of contempt evident within his voice as he spoke of his family. Humankind may be full of dumbasses; however, they knew how to have fun. He had a life worth living on this sinful piece of paradise, and Gabriel planned to remain chillaxing on earth till kingdom come.

[ELIZABETH]

Why was it that she didn’t believe him? Was it from the centuries of being in Heaven, the fact that she wasn’t trusting of others in the first place? Could it have been that she got an ‘angelic vibe’ off of him and he just gave her a Pagan name? She squinted at him in thought while he spoke. She finally also gave into the urge of rolling her eyes at him at his choice of words. How…crude.
“Yes…” she said dryly, trying to hide her nervousness and replace it with the act of being…very unimpressed. “I’m so sure, that the girls are just eating that Pagan shit up” she mocked.

She wasn’t quite picking up on his suggestive undertones properly. She hadn’t been on Earth again as long as he had. Currently she just thought there was something wrong with his face. Her vessel was picking up on what he was saying, but Elizabeth found the subject too…disturbing, to really listen in full. She stiffened her back in response to his eyebrow waggles and pressed her crossed arms closer to herself. She frowned slightly, furrowing her eyebrows back at him.

Pagans…always thinking that they’re hot stuff…cause they think they got here first; Idjits. she thought to herself as she stood her ground. She let her eyes wander away from the stranger, just for a moment, but they flashed back at his direction as he spoke of her family. She curled her fingers into a fist and took a step forward in a threatening manner. Was he one of her siblings and just messing with her head, or was he really one of those Pagan gods? She pointed at him as she hissed her words at him.
“That’s my family you’re speaking about. I’d be careful with your words, and that…tone of yours,” she said darkly.

Her family was a touchy subject. She loved them as well as hated their actions. Had she crossed a line? She hoped not. As many faults as her family had, they were the only one she did have, even though she left home. He was right though, she had had enough of them, as well as some other issues – like doubt. Still, if he wasn’t an angel, he had no right to stab at her family tree like that.
“My reasons for leaving Heaven are my own, and you have no right talking about them like that, Pagan,” she practically spat at him.

If anything this guy was really starting to grind her nerves a little. Still, there was something in the back of her mind telling her that there was more to this…thing…whomever or whatever he was. She took a breath and lightly stepped back from him as she finished her warning. She really wanted to punch him right now. She shifted her shoulders and loosned her fist a little bit as she got hold of her emotions again.

[GABRIEL]

Gabriel merely smiled in response, amused by her reaction. The angels may frown upon Pagan deities, however he preferred their company to his siblings’ winged asses. Yeah, he was one of those winged asses, but his ego was nowhere near as large as his brothers’; Michael and Lucifer’s antics made him look like a friggin’ saint. Who would want to hang around a bunch of stuck up, constantly bitching dicks in the first place? Once upon a time Heaven had been the epitome of paradise. Now it was an all-out warzone, and Hell would freeze over before he became involved in their century old hissy fit. He was content kicking back and living the life on this wondrous marble; candy, women, and sex---what more could an angel of the Lord ask for?

“Family? More like a bunch of pricks if you ask me,” he replied flippantly, undaunted by Elizabeth’s threatening tone of voice; he could turn her into canned tuna with a simple snap of his fingers. Her act merely entertained him, provoking the archangel to carry on their conversation; otherwise he would have smote her a long time ago for so rudely interrupting his current game of hide-and-seek with the earth’s sinful sons of bitches. They deserved a good mind fucking every now and then; the looks on their faces when they got Godsmacked was truly a Kodak moment worthy of a frame and spot on his wall of shame. “Believe it or not, but us Pagans know how to live it up. We’re not the ones about to herald in the apocalypse; unless that’s your idea of fun? I wouldn’t be surprised.”

He shrugged his shoulders, casually extracting a lollipop from his pocket. Talking to one of his own was different and he was enjoying the interaction between the two of them thus far. Gabriel just needed to keep a low profile like he had been doing for the past few millennia’s; at least the lesser angels were easier to dupe, so there was no harm in hanging around a bit longer than usual. Removing the wrapper, he popped the sucker into his mouth, swirling his tongue around the cherry flavored candy. The perks of being an angel: consuming as much junk food to his heart’s content without losing his handsome physique—that was definitely a plus.

[ELIZABETH]

Her gaze at him continued to harden. She was giving him one of her best glares at the moment. Inside her blood was boiling. She had warned him and he hadn’t paid a lick of attention. Who did this schmuck think he was? She swallowed as she ran through a long, long list of vicious things she wanted to do to him right about now. Each one happened to be more painful than the last and she was just itching, even hoping a little, that he would push her further – to the brink, so that she would have some sort of excuse to smear Pagan deity blood all over this park.

Elizabeth dug one of her boot heels into the ground a little in her frustration. She tensed up as if she was about ready to tackle him and simply rip his head off, for good measure of course. It wasn’t her fault that the Apocalypse was coming. It wasn’t her idea of fun. Those plans were coming from the higher ups, and there was nothing she could do to really stop the coming war. How dare he…how dare he?! She curled one hand into a very tight fist. Her grip was tight enough that she could be crushing diamonds into dust.

She moved before she even knew what she was doing. Pagan…She could take him on then. Of course he might actually injure her, or at least drain her powers a little, but she had confidence in herself and her abilities. She had been trained in Heaven, there were very few things she was afraid of, and a snarky Pagan deity wasn’t on that list in the slightest.
“I said…”

She speedily grasped the collar of his shirt, curling her fingers into the fabric hard enough that the strands threatened to tear from the force. Her eyes were practically blazing with fury at what he had said about his family. He was right, a lot of them were jerks, but they were her jerks.
“Watch your tone,” she said through clenched teeth as she almost pulled him off his feet.

She really wanted to put him on the rack and send him through the ringer of pain. Hell hath no wrath like a woman scorned. Elizabeth had a personal stake in that coin of phrase. One of her brothers had been studying her work, and the demon in question had really pissed her off. Whilst the creature was being tortured to death, she had heard her sibling say that. She enjoyed proving that point every single time she got the chance. He had spoken bad about her family, that was good enough for her.

“Look, Pagan,” she snapped as she closed the gap between them, “You should cut your losses, tuck tail, and run. There are worse things out there than the Apocalypse coming, and if you keep talking like that and stay here you are most certainly going to find out personally,” she said while she wanted to jam that piece of candy into his lungs right now.

So why was it now that she felt a distinct angelic vibe coming off of this guy?

[GABRIEL]

The Trickster’s grin remained plastered on his face, even when Elizabeth seized him forcefully by the collar of his shirt. “I’m shaking,” he replied sarcastically, staring up at the angel without batting a single eyelash. “Just so you know, I like it rough,” Gabriel added suggestively, his eyes wandering over the vessel’s amazing figure lecherously. If only he could convince her to fly her beautiful winged self over to his place, but that wasn’t likely considering that bad temper of hers. Obviously, she would rather rip his head off instead of fool around with one another, which was a complete pain in the ass. He imagined she would be a beast in the bed, especially if she drew upon her frustration; perhaps he could sweet-talk her into a round of makeup sex—that always raised his spirits when he was down in the dumps. The good news was that hooking up was not completely out of the question—not yet at least. Never had he met a woman who had been able to resist his charm thus far and he didn’t expect to lose this time around, even if she did have anger management issues.

Her words merely amused him further and he laughed quietly to himself, dismissing what she had said. The archangel was not sure what could be worse than the end of the world its self, but Elizabeth was in no way, shape, or form as intimidating as the preordained day of reckoning, which was only a hop, skip, and a jump away. Her threats were comparable to a cat's purr of contentment, insignificant and void of any possible danger whatsoever. If anything, it managed to entertain him more and more each time. He was used to the female variety throwing themselves at him left and right, not fighting back; unless they had a death wish that is. Of course, she had no idea who he really was, so he could easily forgive her. Michael, Lucifer, and Raphael were the only beings in existence he feared. His older brothers were major dicks and he wouldn't put it past them to smite his ass if he ever showed his face in Heaven again. They weren't exactly the most merciful of God’s creations and when things didn't go their way, they tended to kill whatever happened to interfere with their plans for world domination. Gabriel picked on those who caused trouble, the ones who should be punished. Supposedly, he was the only archangel with a conscience. Go figure.

"I was here first," he countered. "My game, my rules, and I think you need to loosen up before you blow a gasket." He snapped his fingers, as he willed them elsewhere. In the fraction of a second, they were strapped into a Ferris wheel overlooking a brightly lit amusement park—this was more like it. They were at the very top of the ride, the various colorfully designed rides and booths spread out before their very eyes. In the distance, the sun was sinking below the horizon, the sky gradually darkening as it set. He glanced over at Elizabeth, waiting for her reaction; had she even been to a theme park before now? He doubted it, bearing in mind that he was probably the only angel in the entire universe to ride a roller coaster. Although envisioning Michael and Lucifer here—eating cotton candy, participating in the games, happily conversing with each other—made him smile. Why couldn't his family resemble that of an ordinary human family? They actually cared about their children as well as their siblings, genuinely enjoying their company. Yes, they fought, however it was family first, through thick and thin, and not the stupid apocalypse or Father's orders or anything else. Why did it have to be this way?

Not wanting to remember what he had left behind, he faced Elizabeth. "What do you think?" They were fastened securely in the compartment, side by side. He could feel the Ferris wheel shift ever so slightly as it moved, gradually bringing them back down to earth. A part of him wanted to stay up here all day, with only the sweet summer breeze enveloping him and the setting sun, with his angel. No brothers, no Judgment day, just peace and quiet; a life of his own. That's all that mattered to him anymore.

[ELIZABETH]

The dog days

[/color]

She sneered at him as he spoke. On one hand she could appreciate the fact that he really wasn’t shaking like a leaf. On the other, the lack of his concern about his own life was annoying, disturbing even. Her grip tightened on his shirt. Her fingers actually cut through the fabric from the angelic force she was exuding upon the strands. She didn’t understand the point he was trying to make. She heard her vessel give chuckle and refused to assist her. Elizabeth liked her vessel, she was fond of the woman, but the fact that she wasn’t helping…It annoyed the angel further.

“I don’t appreciate your sarcasm,” she hissed at him in return. Elizabeth continued to glare at him fiercely. After the great war many of her own kind had seen this look, but she had never met Gabriel in Heaven. Sure she had heard of him, but he had run off shortly after that large series of battles. She tried to loosen her hold on his shirt but she really wanted to claw into his flesh.

“You Pagans, thinking that you were here first,” she huffed and shoved him away angrily. She took a step back, but he reached out. She glowered at him until she found herself somewhere else completely. She frowned and looked around at the new scenery. Renae instinctively gripped the bar that rested over them as she peered forward. The little cart they were in rocked and swayed. Elizabeth was fine with heights, but Renae was completely terrified of them.

It took her a few moments to figure out where they were. She looked around from side to side before settling her gaze back upon Gabriel. Her anger slipped away into confusion. How did a Pagan do this? Maybe he was one of the more powerful ones. She swallowed and leaned forward again. She felt her wings flicker under her vessel’s back. It was if her wings were being willed by their own brain. She wanted to jump out, to spread them and spread the blinding light over the scene below. She really didn’t want to hurt the humans, but she missed flying freely.

“Why did you bring me here?” she asked as she stared downward.

The cart continued to rock back and forth. Her movements were only slowly beginning to intensify the swing. Renae was pushing her to do this, wanting it, and Elizabeth wanted her vessel to be comfortable. Her tone as she had asked the question was almost somber in nature. Renae’s emotions bled through into her voice. So much sadness that vessel held. Renae had been to places like these, in much happier times.

Why was he being so bothersome? Why was he still here? Why didn’t he feel a twinge of a threat when she blatantly threatened his life?
“Who are you?” she asked.

Are over

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