When Angels Fall

by Stephanie Jackson

  “As are you,” Gabriel replied.

  They sat at the table for the rest of the night, just talking. Michael had been right, he did need the company, and he had given Gabriel a lot to think about.

  4.

  Gabriel and a man she didn’t know were at the table the next morning when Dani walked into the kitchen.

  “Donna’s still passed out on the couch,” Dani said, before she noticed the man sitting across from Gabriel.

  The stranger stood up to introduce himself, “Hello, I’m…,” he was saying, but Dani finished the sentence for him.

  “An angel,” Dani said, frowning.

  The man smiled at her, “You’re only assuming I’m an angel because I’m with Gabriel.”

  “No, I’m assuming you’re an angel because you’re with Gabriel and you’re sitting in my kitchen butt booty naked,” she said. “Thanks for getting your Holy ass sweat all over the seat of my chair, by the way.”

  The angel gave a booming laugh, “I promise I didn’t fart on it.”

  “And don’t think I don’t appreciate that,” she said, and walked over to the counter to get a cup of coffee.

  Her mom had gotten her the coffee pot for Dani’s twenty-fifth birthday, and Dani loved it. It was a Bunn with an automatic timer on it, so the coffee would be ready when Dani got up in the mornings.

  She desperately needed the coffee this morning. Gabriel may have pulled the alcohol from her system the night before, but the hangover obviously hadn’t gotten the memo, because her head was pounding.

  Dani poured her coffee and then went and sat down at the table.

  “To what do I owe the honor of the presence of yet another naked angel?” Dani asked. “Are you here to help Gabriel defeat Lucifer?”

  “I would if I could, but no angel is allowed to assist him. This is Gabriel’s mission and he has to succeed…or fail, on his own,” Michael said, and held out his hand to her. “I’m Michael, by the way; Gabriel’s brother.”

  “Nice to meet you,” Dani said and shook Michael’s hand.

  Michael was just as tall and handsome as Gabriel, only his hair was blonde instead of black, and his skin wasn’t quite a dark.

  “That doesn’t seem very fair,” Dani said. “If you’re willing to help Gabriel, why are you not allowed to?”

  “Because it’s God’s will,” Michael said.

  “Well, it’s bullshit,” Dani said. “If He really wants Lucifer dead, it makes sense that He would allow Gabriel all the help he needs.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Gabriel said dryly.

  “You know what I mean,” Dani said. “For that matter, if God really wanted Lucifer dead He could strike him down Himself. He wouldn’t even have to leave Heaven to do it. He could strike him down from His Throne.”

  “I told you, God won’t strike down one of His sons,” Gabriel said.

  “Yet He seems to have absolutely no problem having you kill your own brother,” Dani said.

  “It’s not like that, Danielle…” Michael said.

  “It’s exactly like that,” Dani said. “Has it even occurred to God that Gabriel may die; or does it even matter to Him?”

  “Of course it matters to Him,” Michael said.

  “Really, because it doesn’t seem that way from where I’m sitting,” Dani said. “From where I’m sitting God seems like a petulant child, sitting on His Throne issuing orders and damn the consequences, damn humanity, and damn Gabriel. Has it slipped His mind that Gabriel is His son too? And that maybe, just maybe, he could use a little help?”

  “That’s blasphemous,” Michael said.

  “Yeah, well smite me then,” Dani said, and then stood up and marched from the room.

  5.

  “Is she always that judgmental?” Michael asked.

  “She not judgmental, she just speaks her mind…whether you want her to or not. And you have to keep in mind that, until a couple of days ago, she didn’t even believe in God,” Gabriel said.

  “You’re kidding me!” Michael said in astonishment. “The last person on Earth to carry the blood of God didn’t even believe in Him?”

  “No, I’m not kidding. Dani’s mother was devout, but Dani never bought into it,” Gabriel said. “If I’d watched over her during her life, I would have known that. As it is, I was just as surprised as you are.”

  “You didn’t watch over her? Why not, seeing as it was your job to do so?” Michael asked.

  “There was no need. As long as two people carried God’s Blood, there was no reason to watch over her. No demon, not even Lucifer himself, could get to her. She was safe as long as her mother was still alive,” Gabriel said, “And I had other people to watch over.”

  “Well I watched over her from time to time,” Michael said. “I know she went to Sunday school, so I didn’t know she wasn’t religious, but I know a few other things about her.”

  “Why were you watching over her at all?” Gabriel snapped. “It wasn’t your place.”

  He didn’t like that Michael knew more about Dani than he did.

  “I was curious; I looked in on every woman that carried His blood,” Michael said.

  “What do you know about Dani?” Gabriel asked.

  “I know she’s a handful,” Michael said.

  “Meaning?”

  “Well, she used to get suspended from school a lot for fighting. And when I say a lot, I mean several times a year from kindergarten until ninth grade, and she never lost a fight. At least none of the ones I saw happen. She even spent six months in Juvenile Hall for putting a girl in the hospital.

  “Her mother, Anne, took her to a psychiatrist who diagnosed her with anger issues; most likely caused by the abandonment of her father,” Michael explained.

  “But her father didn’t abandon Dani; he died,” Gabriel said.

  “True, but the family never knew that. They always assumed that he’d just run out on them. You may want to tell Danielle the truth. It may make her feel better to know her father didn’t just abandon her,” Michael said. “Anyway, the psychiatrist recommended putting Danielle on drugs, but Anne would have none of that. Instead she enrolled her in a local boxing program, hoping it would help her take out her aggression in a controlled environment and help teach her how to manage her anger outside the gym.

  “And it seemed to work well for her. She stopped fighting in school; for the most part anyway. There were a few skirmishes with this one girl, but Danielle never started those fights.

  “She finished the hell out of them, but she never got suspended for fighting again. As for the boxing, not only did it help her anger issues, but she excelled at it. She was the Montgomery County Female Golden Gloves Champion in her weight division for three years running,” Michael explained.

  “That would explain how she beat the hell out of that Cambion,” Gabriel said.

  “Danielle fought with a Cambion?” Michael asked, stunned.

  “It wasn’t really much of a fight. Once Dani got her bearings, she annihilated the Cambion,” Gabriel said.

  “Tough girl,” Michael said. “So who’s the drunk on the couch?”

  “Dani’s best friend, Donna. It was her idea to take Dani out dancing last night,” Gabriel said.

  “What does she think of Danielle hanging out with an Archangel?”

  “She doesn’t know what I am. Dani told her I was a long lost cousin from out of state,” Gabriel said.

  “So, Danielle fights, drinks, didn’t believe in God and she lies. Nice,” Michaels said with a smile. “You need to keep a close eye on her, though. She may seem fine now, but when she gets angry, she’s prone to snap.”

  “I’ve talked to her,” Gabriel said. “Dani won’t do anything foolish.”

  Michael laughed, “You keep on thinking that if it makes you feel better. But give me a minute and I’ll prove you wrong.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “You’ll see,” Michael said.

  Michael stood, pre
sumably to find Dani, when they heard a gasp from the doorway. Gabriel turned his head and saw Donna staring slack jawed at Michael, who was still naked.

  Unfortunately, Michael hadn’t spent as much time with humans as Gabriel had, so his reaction to Donna’s sudden gasp was a defensive one.

  Michael flexed his shoulders and unfurled his wings. Donna screamed at the top of her lungs, and then dropped to the floor in a dead faint.

  Chapter Nine

  1.

  Dani was in her room getting dressed when she heard Donna scream bloody murder. Dani’s reaction to the scream was to run downstairs to see what had happened. She’d only run down two of the twenty or so steps when she tripped and started to tumble down stairs. Halfway down the staircase Dani’s left foot wedged between the railing posts, and she felt her ankle snap.

  She screamed in pain. She was lodged on the staircase in such a way that most of her weight was hanging from her broken ankle…and she was stuck. Before she could draw another breath to scream again, Gabriel was beside her.

  “I’m stuck,” Dani cried.

  “I can see that, but I’m going to get you out,” Gabriel said.

  He grabbed one of the two posts that her ankle was pinned between and broke the hundred year old post like it was little more than a twig. He then scooped Dani up, carried her down the stairs, and laid her on the couch.

  He examined her ankle for a few seconds before he spoke.

  “I can fix this, but I have to reset the bone before I can heal it; it’s going to hurt,” he said, and snapped the bones back into place.

  Dani screamed again and felt sweat pop out all over her body. Then Gabriel cupped her ankle in his hands. She felt her ankle get really hot, then really cold, and then the pain was gone. She stood up and put her weight on the ankle. It felt fine, as if it had never been broken at all.

  “Thank you,” she said to Gabriel, and even though she knew that she shouldn’t, she wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a hug.

  To her surprise, instead of pushing her away, he pulled her tight up against him.

  “You’re okay now,” Gabriel said softly.

  She looked up and found he was gazing back at her. The expression on his face was unreadable, but he almost looked like he was in pain. He was brushing his knuckles gently down her cheek when someone cleared their throat behind her. She looked over her shoulder and saw Michael; he was holding Donna like a baby and his wings were spread.

  “What should I do with this one?” Michael asked.

  Dani jumped guiltily away from Gabriel. She had gotten so wrapped up in looking at Gabriel that she’d clean forgotten what had made her come hurtling down the stairs in the first place.

  “What did you do to her?” Dani asked.

  “She startled me, and I had a…mishap,” Michael said.

  “By ‘mishap’ do you mean you whipped your wings out?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Michael admitted guiltily.

  “And Donna saw them?” she asked.

  “Unfortunately,” Michael said.

  “Great,” Dani said, pinching the bridge of her nose, “How exactly am I supposed to explain that away?”

  “You don’t have to,” Michael said. “I can take the entire memory away. She won’t remember anything after she passed out last night.”

  “She didn’t exactly ‘pass out’ last night,” Dani said.

  “I thought it sounded better than ‘She won’t remember anything after Gabriel overreacted and took down everyone in the bar’.” Michael said.

  “I did not overreact,” Gabriel said. “There was a clear threat to Dani’s safety.”

  “It was a bar fight,” Michael said.

  “And I ended it,” Gabriel replied.

  “Yes, by knocking over a hundred and fifty people unconscious,” Michael said sarcastically. “Clearly not an overreaction at all.”

  “I didn’t overreact,” Gabriel said, looking down at Dani.

  “What are you looking at me for? I’m good with it,” Dani said. “Plus I got to fly, which was totally wicked.”

  “See, she’s good with it,” Gabriel said smugly to Michael.

  “That’s good, because obviously the girl who put another girl in the hospital for two weeks for spitting in her face has the best judgment,” Michael said.

  “Oh, you know about that,” Dani said, embarrassed.

  “I know about much more than that, little girl,” Michael said. “That one just kind of pops to the top of the list.”

  “Don’t call me little girl,” Dani said angrily, unknowingly balling her hands into fists. “You don’t know me.”

  “I know you. Apparently I’m the only one in this room who really knows you,” Michael said, then turned to Gabriel. “Look at her, Gabriel. She’s ready to attack an Archangel for what she perceives as an insult. She has no sense of personal safety at all.”

  “Why don’t you kiss my…” Dani was saying, stepping towards Michael.

  “You hush, little girl” Michael said.

  Dani didn’t want to hush, but she didn’t seem to have a choice. As soon as Michael told her to ‘hush’, she found herself frozen in place and unable to speak. What had she been thinking? Had she really been about to punch an angel?

  She hated to admit it, but that was exactly what she’d been about to do when Michael stopped her. And she had a sneaky suspicion that Michael had pissed her off on purpose, just to prove a point to Gabriel.

  “Pay attention to her, Gabriel, or she’s libel to get herself killed. She has more self control than she had as a teenager, but not by much,” Michael said, and then turned back to Dani.

  “If I let you go, can you control yourself?” Michael asked, as if Dani could answer him.

  All she could do was narrow her eyes and glare at him.

  “I’ll take that as a yes,” Michael said, and released Dani from the hold he had on her. “I’m not trying to be mean, but you need to understand the situation that you’re now in.”

  “I do,” she said.

  “No, you obviously don’t, or you wouldn’t have come at me like you just did,” Michael said. “I heard that you managed to defeat a Cambion on your own, and I’m impressed. But a demon is not a Cambion. If a demon gets his hands on you, even a low level demon, the game is over. It’s unlikely that Gabriel will be able to recover you before they drag you to hell.”

  “Drag me to hell?” Dani asked turning to Gabriel, “What does he mean drag me to hell?”

  “You didn’t tell her?”

  “I told her she would die. I think that’s enough,” Gabriel said.

  “No, it’s not,” Michael said. “How is she supposed to understand what’s happening if you don’t give her the full scope of what’s at stake?”

  “Michael, don’t,” Gabriel warned. “She’s scared enough.”

  Michael ignored Gabriel and spoke directly to Dani.

  “If Lucifer get’s a hold of you, you won’t just die; your soul will suffer all the exquisite torturers of Hell. Our brother will roast your soul on the coals of Hell until it is unrecognizable,” Michael said. “Picture the same daddy issues that you have, only on a universal scale. And the only person Lucifer will have to take those issues out on is you. How do you think that’s going to work out for you?”

  Dani considered this for a moment. She couldn’t deny having anger issues about her father. Or the fact that it had caused…difficulties in her life. Then she tried to imagine how angry she would be if her father was God himself. What she imagined wasn’t anything good.

  She looked back at Michael, and he must have seen the panic in her eyes.

  “Exactly,” Michael said, “I think you’re finally starting to see the light.”

  Dani nodded.

  “I’ll take care of you,” Gabriel said. “Don’t worry about Lucifer; he’s my problem to deal with,”

  “And you need to pull your shit together,” Michael said to Gabriel. “I see the allure. I can’t d
eny that, but you need to make some decisions and make them fast. Decide what you want, and settle your mind. If you don’t, you will fail. And if you fail, everybody on this planet loses.”

  Dani had no idea what they were talking about. She looked at both of them, but neither one of them seemed to be on the verge of providing her with anymore information.

  “What’s going on?” Donna said weakly, raising her head from Michael’s chest.

  “Go back to sleep,” Michael said casually, and ran the fingers of one hand down Donna’s face.

  Donna’s head fell back, and just like that, she was unconscious again.

  “How did you…wait a second,” Dani said, realization dawning on her, and she turned to Gabriel. “You did that to me the first night you were here, didn’t you?”

  “You’d had a very stressful day, and you needed the rest,” Gabriel said.

  “So you knocked me the fuck out?!” Dani yelled. “Are you insane?!”

  “And…that’s my cue to leave,” Michael said. “I’m just going to leave this here,” he added, and dumped Donna back on the couch, and then vanished on the spot.

  2.

  Donna woke up again about an hour after Michael had left. True to his word, Donna didn’t remember a thing.

  “I can’t believe I drank enough to pass out?” Donna said, “I don’t even remember how we left the bar.”

  “We took a cab,” Dani said.

  “You’ll have to drive me back to my car,” Donna said.

  “She can’t,” Gabriel said from the kitchen doorway. “Someone cut all of her tires last night. I called a cab to take you back to your car.”

  “Someone cut my tires!?” Dani said, and ran out the back door to her driveway.

  Donna followed her out. Gabriel stood at the back door and watched them.

  “Who would do this?” Donna asked, looking at the four flat tires.

  “I have no idea,” Dani said, but she glared across the yard at Gabriel like she thought he’d done it.

  She wasn’t wrong. He had driven his sword through each one of her tires while Michael had stood and watched.

  Dani’s only mode of travel from here on out would be by foot or by air.