Yield to Temptation [TakodaVega x Uriel Seraphim]

[TakodaVega]

Donavon Canim was an ordinary man to most individuals. Slipping through the crowd with his mind on a task ahead, he wasn't exactly paying attention to the faces but rather on his mental prowess. Demons were very much the predators in plain sight. It took special individuals to see past the well blended disguise. Granted every demon was irresistible on some level depending on what level they were from. For example, his buddy Victor was from the circle infected with Wrath so wherever he seemed to stay for too long a brawl broke up. He typically stuck to the warring Middle East and Africa to get his quota in.

Which was why Donavon was out and about to begin with. His sweet success with his angelic experiment had worked so well that Lucifer had actually lifted his need for a quota for awhile. However, now, his 'need' to obey the boss was becoming necessary. Donavon himself was a demon of lust, not surprising considering the occasional turning of heads of women that kept turning to his direction. Granted he was a good specimen of 'man' if he had been a human. At 6'3" he was a deal taller than most of the fellows around him it seemed. Broad shoulders and toned muscles covered his frame, though he was more of a lanky individual he still filled out the jeans and t-shirt he had been wearing at the time. Shades covered those green eyes of his. Green eyes that would turn to black once he got his 'game' on.

Demons had that damned quirk, life would be so much easier if people were more ignorant during sex. His lovely angel had no idea what she had stumbled into when she had met him. A simple taste of pleasure marked her for life. Poor angel, he smirked slightly, she had been a good game for him. A good student. However his job had been done, and he didn't need to worry about it anymore. He had a quota to fill, and fill it he would. With his mind on his goal his physical self didn't even realize where he was going until he walked straight into the person he had just been thinking of.

[Uriel Seraphim]

Uriel smacked face first into a broad chest of muscle that sent the stack of books she had been carrying flying about the square. "Oh dear, I'm so terribly sorry about that." She said as she bent down to pick up the ancient leather bound novels. She hadn't so much as glanced at the man before her, but something about him, his energy, just didn't seem human.

Not that she really wanted to be thinking about 'non-humans' and their energy right now. That path would merely make her think of Demons, and that would lead to thoughts of Donavon, and Donavon was the absolute last person she wanted to be thinking about. He ruined her, used her, stole her heart and had her caste out of heaven. Gabriel had been so terribly wounded by her betrayal... to think she could still see those amazingly tearful eyes as if he were standing right before her. But as she picked up the last of her books and glanced at the wondrously tall stranger. Her heart shattered.

"Oh my dear Father All Mighty!" she gasped in shock. "Why on earth are you here?" She stared at him for a moment, wordlessly.

He was back.

How was he back?

Why was he back?

"I... I thought you returned to your... Master." She muttered. Had he not been wearing shades, Uriel knew she would be as good as captured. He was attractive of course, tall and protective, the way she had always remembered. But those eyes, the bright green emerald of his iris allowed her to glimpse into his heart... a heart most would not believe existed.

Gabriel had given her a chance to return to her post. A thousand years of prophecy, protection and celibacy. If she were to abide by the Lords will, act the way an Angel of her standard should, perhaps the Lord would be merciful.

It had been 800 years since she had fallen.

And now... now that she was so close to her goal. It was fate that Donavon should reappear.

[TakodaVega]

"No trouble at all." Came that deep baritone voice as he, too, reached to help her with her books, of course not even paying attention to that specific signature. A signature that he had etched into his brain. His game with Uriel had been fun, enticing, and essentially sealed the deal with every damned moron to not mess with Donavon because he knew what he was doing. Getting one of the highest angels of heaven to fall, 'specially one who had already been paired by the Book of Life, was something to be said.

Adding the last to the pile of books he was about to return to his path when he heard her voice again. Only this time it burned. A hiss left his lips as he rubbed his ear before he shot her a glare. Only then did he realize, once more, who was standing in front of him. "Well, well, well...if it isn't the lovely Uri." His smirk dusted his lips, his arms crossed. "I see you haven't changed much, my dear." Those green eyes bore into her behind the shades. Of course the one thing he didn't need would pop back into his life. That was how things worked, both upstairs and downstairs. This was a test of wills. He needed his quota. Without Quota, he would be trapped within Hell and limited to the Human world only on specific missions the Boss sent him on.

Needless to say he wasn't in the mood for idle chit-chat.

"Oh, I did. He was quite pleased with our little game." He had to play this down, he didn't need her now, her role in his unending life already placed and was now gone and a distant memory. Though part of him still wondered, at times, a what if of what could have beens if he had actually seen her beyond his need to fill the Quota. Had he seen her after his Quota had been filled, this conversation might have ended with him dragging her away to make her remember why she fell for him.

Only he needed to her whimpers and desires. Only him. The others upstairs could kiss his ass and burn for all he cared.

However he mentally shook himself. He didn't need her anymore, he hadn't seen her in centuries and had plenty of females keep him company since then. Yet something about seeing her right then made him remember little things about how Uriel acted to his touch. He reached out to lightly tuck some of that wavy blonde hair behind one of her ears, his fingers warm as he stroked her cheek to put it away, with drawing his hand and tucking them both into his jeans. "I have a job to do, my game with you only takes so much credit with the Boss." He rose those dark eyebrows up, "The question is better why do you still cling to your faith knowing that there is much more than what they," he pointed up towards the sky, "can give you."

Donavon pushed back some of his dark hair from his face. Though slightly long it didn't pass his shoulders, but it stood out against his tanned skin nonetheless. He needed to get moving. But something about her always make him want to linger. Lingering meant wasted time, and wasted souls. Quota was a bitch.

[Uriel Seraphim]

Uriel shivered when Donavon touched her skin. His fingers, still warm and rough made her ache from a place that had lain dormant for centuries. Uriel could not feel the warmth of the sun anymore, but this creature, this demon made her burn. He was evil, his lustful ways were nothing but pure evil.

Or at least, that's what she told herself.

She bit down on the corner of her lower lip at his words. A game, it was all just a game to him. It made her wish Gabriel had been allowed to teach her these demon's ways. Perhaps she would be able to resist much easier if he had. "Credit. So nice to hear you have your priorities straight at least." She said in that sing-song sarcastic tone of hers.

His questioning her faith brought flames to the front of her mind. Flames she had hoped to never see again. "You have no knowledge of what my kindred give me. Had you been born into that kind of eternal love and strength, perhaps you would not be as callous as you are now." Not that she really minded that aspect of him however. She found his crudeness... endearing, in an all too perverted way.

She tightened her arms around the books and allowed a small crease to appear between her brows. "There is more to eternity than Lust you know... Something's are supposed to be about the soul, not the body. If I had not fallen, I could show you that much. How to feel with your heart and see with more than just your eyes..." her words and fantasies had gotten away from her again. He had done that to her often, if Uriel were to recall correctly. She wished to show him what it was like to feel the Holy Spirit caressing your soul, filling you like a cup that could never runeth over.

She shook away the thought as a light blush crept over her cheeks. "But I doubt you'd be interested in eternal contentment. Your kind are too heartless to understand true beauty." She murmured, more to herself than Donavon. She glanced up at him and before she could stop herself, she smiled a good heartfelt twitching of the lips.

"Had things been different I would have shown you that much. Truth in itself is a difficult subject to master."

[TakodaVega]

"And you don't Uri?" He pulled off a book from the top and dusted it, "Looks as though you're fulfilling your job here just fine as well." He gave her a devilish smirk before replacing it on top of the neat stack. He needed to get moving and was about to take a step to definitively end the conversation when her voice chimed up at him again. That made him stop a moment before sliding down his shades to give her a hard look.

Those green eyes could read her soul like an open book, "You forget Uri, that where you have eternal love and strength with your Boss, there is no passion, no single minded attention to you and your every need. Oh sure you are partnered to...who was it again? Gabe? How often do you think your Partner would have shown you what I had shown you? Your kind is satisfied with that impersonal love and devotion where as my kind thrives on a personal connection to yes appease our needs but we have an understanding of give and take."

He snorted, "Lust is the ultimate fuel for what humans call Love. Without Lust, Love cannot happen, without that first sinful glance people would not see what you see, and see the devotion that lies in wait for them if they stroke the flames of that lust. Remember that." She was doing things to him again, trying to make him feel like he was human or one of them. She needed to learn beyond her self-reliant devotion to someone who treated her the same as all the others. Why this bothered him, he didn't get.

He still had to get those souls though. "On contrary, my dear Uri, we Demons have love, they are rare and only one exists for a Demon. We do not feel contentment till we find that One. We die protecting that one, even against Lucifer himself. Until you actually understand that Heaven and Hell are not so much unlike each other you will never understand what you are missing, Uriel. True beauty, for a Demon, will be the calm in the storm. Yes we have our Quotas to fill, but so does Heaven. How many Souls did you have to redeem, Uri? Think about it."

He pulled away from her and tucked those hands into his pockets once more, "You'll see me again, perhaps sooner than you'd like to." He made his way back into the crowd. Souls were easier to find in certain places along the city. He was a demon for Lust so Lust would take him where he needed to go. That still left the nagging thing in the back of his head. Uriel. His little pet project hadn't changed in 800 years. It made him happy, for some reason, yet why did he have to tell her about the One? Pah it was a closely guarded fact and he had let that slip to the one creature who did not need to know that information.

[Uriel Seraphim]

She watched her shadow disappearing into the crowd with angry confused eyes. He did that often; linger at the back of her mind, following her around like a shadow that refused to give her away. And sometimes, sometimes he whispered to her, whispered the memories of what had been, and what could be...

If she never saw him again it would be far too soon.

He made her wishful, hopeful almost. Donavon had been... exotic to her. He made her love on a physical level, on a primal needy level. It was... evil, primitive and completely beneath her. Or at least, that was what Gabriel would have said.

But Uriel knew once she returned home to her Beloved and her Father, all would be as it should. Perfection would return to her being and the filth Donavon dare impose upon her would dissipate back into the darkness from whence it came. But the idea of Donavon's disappearance... that thought alone made her stop and think. She felt for him, what she felt however, was unknown.

Love was impossible for the two of them. After all, love was a gift only the Father dare gift to her. Gabriel was her love; the Book of Life itself prophesied such a pairing. She needed no other, was to want for no other, and love no other than Gabriel.

But Donavon... there was always Donavon... Lingering at the back of her mind like a down cast shadow that refused to disappear...

And yet she would never want him to.

"I... don't want you to go." She whispered at last. He had been gone for a good five minutes now, yet Uriel had not moved an inch. She could not move...

'We do not feel contentment till we find that One. We die protecting that one, even against Lucifer himself.... True beauty, for a Demon, will be the calm in the storm.' He had said.

For a moment, Uriel wanted to be that One... But Donavon could not be calm; his heart was filled with too much passion, and his eyes, too much lust and longing. He could not be calm and contented as she... but Uriel would never want him to.

His love would not be that of Gabriel's all-knowing perfection, but it would be perfect, they would be perfect...

She shook herself of the thought and quickly scrambled away, leaving her heart and thoughts of Donavon far behind. There was no need for him where she was going... no need for love.

(Twenty Five Years Later)

"She will lead you astray Matthew, do not follow her down that road of sin and corruption." Uriel whispered as she held onto the wrists of a man across the table. He was human, but an important human of sorts. Uriel was never really sure, after all, who honestly followed human politics?

He was crying, soft clear tears were falling from his eyes as Uriel forced him to relive all the horrible little evils his beloved had committed against him. This was always the saddest part as far as Uriel was concerned, watching these humans as she replayed the most intimate of detailed memories through their minds. Watching them cry, watching their hearts break and reform before her very eyes...

To some, it may have even been uplifting when they chose a path of divinity over a life of perpetual self gratification... But such a thought always reminded her of Donavon.

Uriel sighed and let go of her charges wrists, allowing the images to slip away from his mind as she began to clear the misty indecisiveness from his conscious.

"Your right," he choked out between sobs, "She's an evil heartless bitch!" the word make Uriel cringe. Such a horrible thing, this cursing was. Why use such crudities when there were so many more suitable terms?

"Thank you," Matthew said as determination and a strong mindset bubbled over onto his face, "I'll do as you've asked."

Uriel slipped on her fake yet surprisingly convincing smiled and nodded her acceptance of his gratitude. One should never really smile unless they mean it, but these humans seemed to need the constant reassurance. A smile seemed to be as natural as breathing to them. It was quite annoying really.

He walked away, his form strong and focused as he disappeared into the crowd. He would forsake the woman and she would die a shameful death of those who dare forsake their true religion, sending her to Lucifer's realm. It was not Matthew's fault, but in the end he would take his own life in return. God had plans for him however; plans that would fall into place once Matthew met Saint Peter outside the pearly gates. It was an even enough bargain, after all, Angels were sent to keep the peace, not create perfection on earth. If fact, Uriel had thought it was these humans' imperfections that made them perfect...

Uriel sighed and slumped ever so slightly in her chair, she felt tired today. She had moved once again, as she did every five to ten years. She looked too young to pull off 30, but no matter where you went there were always more libraries to organize and books to restore. Prophesies were not subject to a time or place either and no matter where she went Uriel knew her Gabriel would be looking after her.

Italy was a nice enough place at least, though she did have many questions about its transport system, Uriel felt it to be... rather beautiful. The very atmosphere in Italy was preciously vibrant; it was as if the very country had a pulse, a loving heartbeat that thrived on passionate heat.

She was dressed appropriately enough, what with her black leather boots, white V-necked dress that rested delicately between her breasts and ended around her mid thigh, huge tinted sunglasses and a thick grey woolen scarf completed the ensemble. She had dressed as to not draw attention, and hide her scars of course, but even an Archangel could not fully hide her true nature.  

The quaint little café she had decided to visit this morning smelt of roasted coffee beans and fresh pasta. It was such a beautiful scent. And even though there was a coffee shop on each block, so far, this one had become her favorite. She allowed herself a small, dainty smile as she glanced over the many faces roaming past the café. They all look so determined, as if everyone in Italy had somewhere of momentous importance to be. She doubted these humans understood such a thing as Importance.

She read their energy, glancing from aura to aura, tasting emotion after emotion and falling deeper in love with their kind as each second past. There was something magical within these humans, something born of ignorance and a yearning to learn. They felt like newborns, like Cherubs that flittered about in a carefree beautiful manor.

It was not until a few minutes later that she noticed something different; a form that caged a wild beast who fed on love and lust, spitting it out like tobacco on the cool concrete below its feet with little regard for who may tread on it in the few short moments to come.

"Donavon..." she whispered.

As if their first test of loyalties had not been enough. 175 years to go. Why did he always show up when things seemed to just be getting easy again?

[TakodaVega]

Donavon had hated his last job. Why? Because Uri had her fingers all in it. He swore like a sailor as he rubbed his temples. Granted, there had been nothing he could really do about it. The woman in question had made a deal with Donavon to save the husband. Sex just happened to be the natural seal to the deal. Granted it seemed as though the wife's selfless act was becoming more like a death sentence. She was damned before she even approached him asking for help. Not that Donavon came off as the kind of guy you would, well, want to sell your soul to usually.

However - here in Italy things were much harder to keep under control. Angels felt more at home here simply because the center of the prominent faith that Man had in the 'UppityBoss' as he liked to think of it, seemed to stem from this country. He could feel it the more cities he wandered here, it made him slightly paranoid. However something about his current feeling of being watched brought his senses to the foreground. That was when her scent hit his nose making him freeze. He seemed to stop breathing for all of a half second before looking through those shades of his.

He had been keeping tabs on her much longer than she had realized, but then again Uri had been one of those ones that liked to be consumed by their work so Donavon had been able to slip in and out of her area virtually unnoticed. "Until now," he muttered under his breath, sighing softly. He had been barely managing to keep up with the insane Quota that Lucifer had put on his head the past decade so having his little project appear more directly rather than just be a cursory glance in the distance was the last thing he really needed.

There had always been something about Uriel though that he could not keep himself away from for too long. Now that he was aware she had seen him he made his way to the café, finding her table he promptly took a seat across from her. "I told you we would meet again, Uri." Though his thoughts were far from calm he took this opportunity to at least talk to her rather than just catch a look of her from the corner of his eye. He was drawn to her for no reason. Or was he?

[Uriel Seraphim]

She watched as he caught sight of her, his tall strong form changing direction in order to sit across from her in the quaint little café. Uriel sighed and brought the cup of coffee to her lips. Angels did not need to eat as humans did, but the occasional drink or piece of chocolate was something little Uri just couldn't pass up. It was a simple desire, not gluttonous of course, but Uriel always managed to moderately sate her hungers.

"At least you are a man of your word Donavon." She sipped at her coffee with silent grace, refusing to remove her glasses for fear of being lost in his eyes. "I would have thought Italy to be the very last on your list of country's to visit, after all, no one of your sect would willingly come to a place filled with so much loving faith now, would they?"

He seemed to be behaving himself at least. But still, he was a beautiful specimen... How anyone expected her not to be tempted was pure insanity. But it was not merely his appearance, it as his confidence, his warmth, his witty nature. What more could she possibly want in a male companion?

But such things were not to be thought of. Not when one was already paired, gifted to a man of her own importance. The Archangel at the left hand side of god, second only to the messiah. Uriel was lucky, the book of life had been merciful... so why did she still feel as if she were being ripped away from something her heart truly desired?

Had she been a weaker woman however, Uriel likely would have paid for her bill and run. But there was no point in weakness. Donavon could find her anywhere after all, and an Archangel would never run from someone of his circle.

"How have you been Donavon?" she asked in earnest; they were words most humans seemed to throw around without importance, but words she wished to hold honest curiosity. "I trust Lucifer is not running you ragged with his perverted little missions."

[TakodaVega]

"And when have I not been a Man of my word? I told you once upon a time that you would understand the true meaning of passion." He rose an eyebrow, "Did I lie then? Or are you still satisfied with the hollow of impersonal devotion from your so-called 'Chosen'?" His shades hid those normally green eyes of his from view, he could already feel them changing though. That vivid emerald green would begin the fade to black when something enticed a deep emotion out of him. It was something he could not help even if he tried. And it only seemed to happen around Uriel. Only she could make him loose his head.

His former experiment was about to drive him up a wall if he wasn't careful. "Normally I would agree but the Boss sent me on a mission here, apparently to get a one up off of one of your own." He said solemnly enough as he carefully tilted his glasses forward once he was certain the darkness of his iris had vanished back to the emerald facets they had been before. "You know that wife who cheated on her husband had done so to save his life. She made that deal with me." He shrugged carefully before pushing those glasses back up. Whether Uri cared or not about that wasn't his concern, but at the same time now mentioning seemed wrong. "You're starting to rub off on me if I spare a Human male's soul in exchange for someone else's."

His lips thinned a minute, "As well as to be expected. This place is sated with the blessings of the blind faith Humans have." Pulling off his glasses completely he sent them down on the table. Nothing to hide now, "If you wish to keep away from my kind I will tell you where to go, there three places in this world that none of my kind can wander to, those who have served for Lucifer long enough  anyway, newly made Demons not so much as they are still stuck in limbo for a bit before they get assigned their Rank."

Why the hell was he telling her this?

"You know the places well, if you think about them hard enough." He rose from his chair tucking his sunglasses back on. "I have the feeling though sometime you may need my help, you know how to find me when that day comes." Pushing the chair back in he was about to leave before he turned to her, gently grabbing her chin in his hand before kissing her forehead, "Stay safe Uri, times are about to change." He could feel it in his bones as he left her there to contemplate what he said before disappearing into the fires of hell.

The screams never changed this far down, but he could feel it. Something was off, knocking at his senses as he disappeared into the very bowels of hell.

[Uriel Seraphim]

"You were always a man of your word Donavan, I did not mean to offend you. But passion is... you think too highly of it. Passion does not last forever, but Love does. Even if it is not the kind of love you could live with, my devotion to Gabriel is by duty. It is not for me to question the greater powers and what they have decided for me, nor is it your place to judge me for adhering to their wishes. After all, is that not what you do for your master? Adhere to your masters wishes."

She shrugged. "I don't think it's me rubbing off on you Don. I always knew you could be capable of great things; you have a larger heart than you give yourself credit for." She smiled at him, "perhaps you are merely realizing more about yourself. Mercy is not a weakness; it is one of the purest forms of beauty." She looked at him then, stared into his eyes and let him see the happiness there. "but we always knew you were beautiful, now didn't we?"

"I do not agree with blind faith." She said in all honesty, "humans are born inquisitive. Obviously they will question something they cannot see and feel with their own two hands. But it is those who come away from such questioning with a knowledge and true belief that are truly faithful. It takes much courage to accept that a higher power governs your life, despite the fact you cannot see his magnificence. It is those humans I can respect."

"I will Don," she said with a sweet smile, "Just don't forget to take care of yourself as well, alright?" She missed those lips against her forehead. Donavon had always been so careful with her, so gentle. It was strange to see a Demon with such a tender side. Some days, Uriel thought it to be the reason why she had fallen for him so easily. She had felt as if he were concerned for her, as if he was worried for her safety. It was a thought she was not used to, after all, Gabriel had believed she was capable of taking care of herself. He thought no harm could ever come to her independent self... The more she thought of it, the more she realized that when she returned she would never likely have that independence ever again.
 
The times were changing she supposed, but she found his fear of it concerning. After all, she was used to the world, the times changing. Humans had a way of reinventing everything around them in only a matter of years. The past two hundred though had perhaps been the most entertaining to watch.

She could not feel and impending darkness however, if nothing else, she felt more jubilant as time went on. 175yrs to go before she was reunited with her kind, with her mate, with her God. Until then, she would merely wait out whatever troubled waters dare come her way.

[TakodaVega]

In Hell, where Donavon was going was no laughing matter. His glasses faded away and as he kicked a random Succubus off his shoe he finally made it to where he was going. The great black doors that led to the ruler of the City around them. Well what the mob had turned into in the source from the City. Dis was always chaotic, what with the Furies and the damned who had become heretics/ Here they would learn their true source of Hell. The graves had remained burning forever in eternity but where he was going, there was only one person who needed his fully attention.

The doors, as always, opened at their own accord, and as promptly as they opened and let Donavon in they promptly shut behind him. In front of him, books lined the shelves that took up nearly most of the room, save for the large window against the back wall room of the room, which was what he currently facing. A high backed chair sat there, a black marble desk in front of it, however the chair was turned away from him as he took a few steps closer he felt rather than saw those blue eyes on him. "Donavon." came that deep voice from the other side of the chair as Donavon himself carefully bowed to the chair, "Yes, sir?"

Finally the chair spun around, great wings unfolding from their perch. The once pearly whites not ebony from the fall. Unlike Uriel, no one tore away the great Lucifer's wings away. He could, however, make them disappear at will. Time, though made it that keeping them contained in his 'normal' self was painful. The tanned skin stood out against his white button up shirt, slacks hidden behind the desk, Donavon was well aware would be black. Lucifer's head was covered in dark hair, his bangs falling across one side of his face, though the part in his hair revealed the unnaturally blue eyes. The inner flame from hell burned there as his hands remained steepled, fingers resting against his lips in a silent shushing moment at first.

Lucifer slowly lowered his hands and stared openly at Donavon, "We have a situation on our hands, Donavon. Involving you're first...conquest." Donavon, for once was unsure what to think, however fear for his Uri- wait when had he started thinking her of his? He mentally shook himself however he saw the measuring look from Lucifer. Lucifer knew. Fuck. "What does Uriel have to do with anything?" he asked carefully trying to come off as aloof, but he knew that the worry was there somewhere on his face. Lucifer could see through such things. Then again there was a rumor once, a long time ago, he had been through the same thing with a woman. Whatever became of her remained a mystery to all, Lucifer wasn't one to disclose personal information.

"I have reason to believe that a rogue Demon of ours has been playing about as Satan's puppet - using your Uriel as bait." Donavan carefully gripped his hands into fists before flexing them. His desire to protect Uriel was stronger now. However he took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, "And what do you think they are dong, Boss?" He was well aware his green eyes were now almost black, but he took notice of the blue flame dancing in Lucifer's gaze. He was calculating him before he continued, "There is a ritual in Heaven that all Angels must know how to do, it is to their bonded pair. It's usually preformed in Heaven where both angel should reside. But if an angel becomes fallen, and manages to fill the requirement of one thousand years of their core virtues then they can return to heaven on the condition their partner 'partners' with them before hand."

Donavon narrowed his eyes carefully, "So what does this have to do with Uriel? And what happens if the wrong one shows up?" He was truly worried about her now. He'd kill any demon, human or angel that tried to use her for his own ends. Damn it, the Seraphim was his. Lucifer's gaze remained on the demon of lust in front of him, sitting behind his desk he remained imposing even if the demon in front of him was filling with the protective anger he once felt for his own lady. But that was millenia ago and this was now. "No one knows, but the portal to Heaven opens for a brief period so that Jehovah's direct radiance filters through and restores the former angel to his or her glory. That means an open opportunity for invasion. While it means the ultimate betrayal to those in question to have put Heaven into such a position."

He took in a deep breath, looking at Lucifer, "So I have to find her before the ritual? Before he finds her? Do you even know which demon it is that is doing this?" though his thoughts became more in-tuned, 'Are we allowed to kill our own?' However he could tell by Lucifer's expression that those details were privy or unknown, which knowing what was going on he favored the latter of the two. "So what do we do?" he asked softly as he waited for Lucifer to speak. "That is simple, you find her and remind her why Heaven isn't always right and why Jehovah gave us the innate ability of free will before Humans ever did. Now get out of my sight, Donavon and don't come back until you've completed your mission."

"Yes, sir," He bowed and slowly backed out of the room as the doors opened and he obeyed the pull to get out of the room, turning only after the doors had shut and he let out the breath he hadn't realized he still held. "Fuck," He said softly rubbing his face. This meant having to find Uriel somewhere in the world, and two it meant finding her before she was found by whoever wanted her. Except there was one problem as he slowly made his way back up to the upper levels. A Day in Hell was twenty-five years on Earth. It would take him at least five days to get back to the surface. Then he would have to find her, and he had no idea where she would go.

He can only hope that his quest was an easy one...

[Uriel Seraphim]

Uriel had missed her Paris; it was where she had first fallen, where she had first met Donavon... and hopefully, where she would ascend in a mere 150years. Had she not been faithful to her Gabriel for 850 years now? Had she not held strong to her virtues? Even when faced with the one creature on earth who could make her fall? The day she returned, Uriel would never again weep for what she had lost, her family, her kindred and her Lord Father All Mighty. If nothing else, she had missed his face, the face no human or mere low level angel could lay eyes on.

Soon though, she would return, an all but spotless history restored to her. It was only her wings that would change. They would return of course, but they would be blackened by her sin. How Gabriel would feel about such a constant reminder of her betrayal... she was not sure. If it had been Uriel, she knew she could not forgive him. A single tear fell from her eye as she thought it. But was not one physical scar better than the knowledge of eternal banishment? Was it not better to be disfigured than to be one of the Forsaken? One like Lucifer?

She sighed at the thought. Lucifer had been a friend before the dawn of man; he had done what was asked of him, loved above even Gabriel by their Master. But Jealousy was his sin, a sin he had not repented for. If nothing else, she could take great solace in the fact she could at least admit her own short comings. But Uriel held no grudge against Lucifer now that she had fallen. Uriel understood how tempting sin could be now, she understood how Lucifer could be jealous of these humans and their free will. She hoped if she ever saw him again they could meet on friendly terms... but she was unsure of how he would see her willingness to return home. He would likely see it as a weakness, she thought.

But it was Donavon who had made her weak, made her whimsical and careless. It was not for one of her station to feel such things, truth be told, it was not for any angel to feel.  Emotions such as love were impossible... they had always been forbidden. Her mating with Gabriel was to ensure the purity of their rank, the purity of their devotion and power. But Uriel was no longer pure...  

For now, she merely wished for her beloved by her side, merely wanted to have him hold her the way Donavon had. It was not the Lust which had made Uriel fall; it was Donavon's love, his own attentive devotion to her needs. Gabriel did not feel that. He did not understand that she needed to be held and loved in order to feel truly alive.

Uriel sighed as she stared out into the setting sun from her perch on the Eifel tower, "And yet I miss you all the same Gabriel... and yet I miss you all the same."

[TakodaVega]

Marquis hovered invisible to most eyes, as with most new demons who had not been sorted truly yet he appeared mostly to be human, and even gave the vibe of a human, though quite a bit a darker than some would think. But his almost coal back eyes were focused on his target. The twit of an angel who had been his puppet for the time being as he tilted his head. The goal was to bring the Deceiver back from the frozen wastelands to his rightful place above on high where the mortal below would be crushed the ants they were. The goal was simple enough however it was entirely time-consuming. The rumor of the world where Angels must remain chaste for one thousand years so that they may of course seem to be pure in the eyes of their Lord was ridiculous, who could remain that pure? It was a test of wills that much he had gathered.

What caught Marquis offguard though was the approaching of the one and only Betrayer from the depths of hell. Or at least what appeared to be him. He narrowed his eyes as he eyed the male closer, he seemed solid enough but invisible to the naked eye at the same time. Not like Marquis and his ability to blend to the surroundings but it was as if he didn't exist but did at the same time as he seemed to always side step a body or a human. "Missing someone like that Uriel, is never a wise choice." came his deeper voice behind her. Once she turned, the thing that appeared like Lucifer crossed his arms across his chest.

"Not everything is as it seems, little Redeemer. The light of Jehovah is bright with you, as it always has been. But even the Fallen and Forsaken know the truth that you have only just tasted. There is something more than what Jehovah has offered." he tilted his head before a slow smirk danced across his lips, "Finding a Haven in this place is much easier if you wait. He'll come back, I promise you, and to you why would I ever lie to?" He seemed to dissipate into the air and it was only then that one would realize it had been a bit of an illusion. Of course Lucifer would try to warn the Seraphim, hadn't he once been in her shoes?

Marquis glowered before slipping away from his place, he would need to make his move soon to secure his hold and the idea he had for Uriel had held despite Donavon's interference. He would have to get rid of the Demon lord if he was going to have success in his mission, though it seemed as though Uriel had been rather set on her own mission he, himself, had tasked her to, and continued to egg her on. Marquis was a Demon of illusion and appeared as he needed to at his Master's bidding. The problem was he appeared as the person the person in question desired most right then. Seeing as how every time he had seen Uriel it had been Gabriel the job had been relatively easy.

Until Donavon and Lucifer's interference it seemed.

[Uriel Seraphim]

She turned towards the voice whispering behind her. Lucifer... strange how powerful the Will of an angel was. He crossed his arms over his chest as she answered him, as if upset by her answer. "But he is my mate Lucifer, I cannot merely forget him."

"What if it is only something more to you Lucifer? What if that was your destiny? Then you have committed no real crime. But the 'Book Of Life' does not prophesied my fall from grace Luci... I can't believe the life Donavon offers is truly for me. I just can't."

His comment about a Haven on earth confused her. How could such a place ever offer her anything other than the constant reminder that her fated mate and Father would never again accept her into their good graces? As he began to evaporate however, she found herself reaching out to stop him. "Lucifer wait! I don't understand!" but he was already gone, as was Lucifer's way.

It was a lie though, that she had not known what Lucifer meant. Donavon would be hers if she could accept it, her safe Haven... But Uriel was unwilling to give up all she had ever known and loved for a man who was not rightfully hers. What would happen should she be taking away Donavon from his true soul mate?

She had no answers, but in that moment, she wanted Donavon there to gift them to her. If he would merely hold her in his arms, just for a moment... perhaps she would not feel quite so lonely. Perhaps she could make up her mind before it was too late to do as Luci had suggested...

And then, as she looked to the last few rays of light glistening on the Horizon... she thought... "Donavon? Is that you?"

[TakodaVega]

Marquis mentally swore. If Uriel backfired from their plan, a plan which that had been working so hard to keep underwraps, his boss would string him alive. Literally, and make sure to watch as he ate him too. He shuddered at the thought as he listened to the conversation between the Lord of Pride and the subject in question talk. The true answer to all the gateways resided into the fact her devotion to her supposed Lord and that need to be accepted by that Almighty being would blindside her to the truth. That not all that was written in the Book of Life was set in stone forever.

If the Lord saw was Omniscient shouldn't He, too, have seen that Uriel's fall was to happen and  had written it in the Book as well? Some things that are formed by unblinded faith in a being would always lead to one's downfall if one wasn't careful.  So when Marquis opened to speak he spoke carefully, not revealing himself from the shadows. He could still sound like Gabriel, but that doesn't mean now with Lucifer's tampering that was Uriel's ultimate desire unless he made it so once more.

"You shouldn't let the Betrayer blindside you, Uriel." Came the calm, collected voice of an Angel, or so she thought. "Of all people to believe, why should you believe him, who is most fallen from grace? Who chose the Deceiver over the Love of our Almighty in source for his greed?"

Of course that wasn't the whole story, Lucifer and his once long ago Promised Bride knew that story. But that was neither here, nor there and right now his focus was solely on tempting Uriel back to the 'right side'. So long as Lucifer didn't interfere again.

Back in Hell...

Donavon cursed under his breath as he paced the boat that Charon drove across the river of Styx which surrounded the fifth level of hell. His need to find Uriel was burning just beneath the surface. He needed to tell her the truth. The whole truth, something no High-standing Angel like Uriel would like to hear. "Doesn't this thing go any faster?" He growled out to the Charon as the people below the boat grunted in their wrath and misery. The River Styx was not something anyone wanted to be caught in, and as a Demon of Lust, Donavon wasn't even supposed to be this far down. He could from the sexual depravity in the second to get him the hell out of, well, Hell.

The longer this took the less time he had time to find her. He knew he could always find her eventually, but he hoped this was sooner rather than later. As Charon muttered something about the rewards to those who succeeded in keeping in their temper almost reminded as an oar bashed the head of one of those confined to this level, Donavon took in a deep breath. He would find her. He had to.

[Uriel Seraphim]

(I'll apologize to anyone who reads this, but Uriel's speech will now be in green and only her thoughts will be italicized. Thank you. x)


His voice echoed in her mind and froze her body solid, a mixture of both fear and excitement ensnaring her heart in an instant. "Gabriel..." she almost fell from her perch, all her heartache, hopes and joys poured into one little name. Her mouth open, chin wobbling as tears swelled in her eyes, she squinted to try and catch a glimpse of her beloved, of the man she was destined to love for all eternity. She clutched her hands over her chest as if she could stop her heart from beating so savagely against its cage.

"Forgive me," she whispered, "Your right my love, please... forgive me. Show me your face..." she struggled to see beyond the sudden onslaught of tears falling from her eyes, shaky hands brushing them away hastily so not to miss a single moment of this impromptu meeting. "Do you hate me so much to deny me a single glimpse of you, love?" if she could have flown to him, she would. She would take him in her arms and repent for every possible sin she had ever or could ever perpetrate.

"Have you not watched?" she asked, "I have been dedicated have I not? Faithful to you for all these years on this sinful plane, even in the very face of temptation... Gabriel..." Before The Almighty, she felt the need to give reverence and praise. In his presence she felt the universe in perfect balance and blazing glory. But it was only Gabriel who could utter a single word and bring her to her knees. Who could touch her with a tender hand and make her heart break in two as she submitted to his dominance over her. She belonged to god as devoted follower, but to belonged to Gabriel as mate, made for the purpose of redeeming lost souls and mating with Gabriel. She was as much his gift as a tool for her master, and in their presence, it brought her heart no contempt at all, but fulfillment.

"Have you forsaken me as well.... my love?"

[TakodaVega]

Marquis was not one to be swayed by the supposed pure soul that was Uriel. "Yet you have not repented for your grave Sin, not only against our Lord, but myself.  The book wrote that we were to be Mates. Why did you forsake me for a lowly demon?" He had to admit the thought of being the powerful angel who spoke for the Almighty's place. Human's couldn't survive the spoken word of God. Only his Angels and the strong Demons, like Satan, could.

"Is it that you associate that our Matehood is akin to what you felt with the demon? That we would soil ourselves in the Sin of Lust before God?" He refused, however, to show himself. It would be his luck that he would appear as Donavon and then the whole plan would be ruined. He would rather play mind games with the angel who seemed so easy to deceive versus the angry Overlord of Hell. Granted right now he was still out of Lucifer's jurisdiction but that could change from moment to moment.

Meanwhile

The ship in the underworld groaned as it finally, for what felt like the first time in hours, reached the entrance to the fourth level, the heavy stones constantly being pushed along the walls of the level. He paid Charon the two gold that any crosser needed to pay and ran to the entrance, only to be blocked. It was as if every single person wanted to make sure he couldn't reach Uriel in time. Time was the ultimate question and how much did he really have?

[Uriel Seraphim]

"I can pay my penance no faster than time allows, my love..." she whispered. "I have lost my wings, my position in gods graces... you love. But I'm still here Gabriel, I'm still trying to pay for my sins my love. Can you not see how I am suffering for you? Can't you see it?"

His words tore at her heart, breaking it further. And yet, even with every shattered piece, she loved him for it. She lowered her head in disgrace as he spoke of her soiled body. "He tempted me Gabriel... He made me feel beautiful..." she brushed the tears from her eyes and cowered from his voice. "I did not think of it as soiling ourselves Gabriel; I thought our love was written for its strength more than our physical coupling..." she looked to him then, all the hurt and sorrow and hatred she had ever felt staring out into the open skies. "Am I so disgusting to you Gabriel? If you were my mate, why did you have no love for me as I did for you? Why did you not wish to be mine as I did yours? Why do you not show me your face and accost me for a sin I have been striving to correct for years? Why I am torturing myself here if this is what I am to return to?" and with her last sentence, she froze... why was she torturing herself to return to those things? And then the simple truth was there.

"I am broken by you Gabriel, and it is not for you I repent." She whispered, "I miss my purpose and my family, even if when I return you chose to no longer be a part of that." She trembled and looked to him with hatred, "Only my God will judge me, and if you cannot forgive me, then ask him for another who will stand by you, despite your neglect!"

[TakodaVega]

"Penance may go no faster than time allows, but suffering is nothing compared to the scorn of one's chosen Beloved choosing another for the desire to be something more of the Flesh than the Spirit." He continued, remaining in the shadows. "Do you not think that I, in all my messages to those over the years have not also been tempted? Time and time again the bond you and I should have shared never has been tested most. I have never once yielded to that temptation. How could you not see that?"

What Marquis hadn't expected was the cold anger as he listened to her. Shit, she was overthinking the situation, that was the last thing he needed and he scrambled to save the future of the plan without truly overfucking it. "There will be no one else, Uriel. You of all people knows the laws as well, if not better than I. Once a pair, always a pair." Of course there was the question of if Uriel and Gabriel really had meant to be together forever, and if the Lord had truly intended for Uriel to remain in heaven, how on earth could have Donavon tempted the female archangel. She should have truly been immune to his temptations.

Unless of course, the stories were true and Angels could be mated to Demons.

[Uriel Seraphim]

"Then tell me what to do. If my 1000 years of exile are not enough, whatever will be? What will make you love me?" Uriel looked down at her entwined hands then and rested her head against one of the metal beams. "You know, you talk about how unfair I've been to you. But in that one night I spent with Donavon, he looked at me in a way you never have. He looked at me as if I was the only creature alive worth his attention. When he looked at me, I felt loved Gabriel." She looked at him then, "You have never so much as held me in your arms, Gabriel. How did you expect me to stay faithful when I went completely ignored under your gaze?" She shook the thought from her mind.

"Then forgive me!" She shouted. "If you can't..." Uriel stopped to steady her voice, "If you cannot find it in your heart to forgive me, I can see no way to make amends for my sins... If you can't forgive me then our forever has already ended."