Bad Omens (The Final Cut/Definitive Version)

Chapter 20

"Did you really have to crack the window dear boy?" Aziraphale tutted as he healed Crowley's broken fingers. The demon had indeed punched the window and cracked it. It was an easy fix, of course, but it was rather embarrassing and frustrating because it interrupted their daughter's special moment!

Crowley scowled as he rubbed his freshly healed hand.

Eden and Gabriel returned inside the cottage to join Aziraphale for evening cocoa, the rather embarrassed angel served them steaming mugs of cocoa and quickly left to treat his husband. As soon as he took a really pissed off Crowley upstairs, the couple burst out into laughter. The sound of cracking glass had startled Gabriel so badly that he nearly launched a blast of celestial energy at the cottage.

Later that night, Eden crept downstairs and slipped on her Papa's white gloves. She grabbed the small pile of parchments and took them to her Daddy's study.

She sat on her Daddy's golden chair and began to search the yellow pages for any answers, hoping that a prophecy may reveal what she could do to stop Satan. At first she read some of the unmarked pages, but they just foretold events of the past couple of decades, which already happened....even a prophecy about her birthday, but she got impatient and finally turned to a marked page.

"The Champion shalt become intertwined with The Messenger. One lost soul found by the other. " Eden read aloud, feeling her heart start to race.

She turned the page, "The Messenger shall turn thee away." What did that mean?

She kept reading, "And he shall be the one who the Champion falls for."

Eden had to stop, she rippedout the page, feeling guilty as she did so, and took it back to her room once she put the other parchments and gloves back in their proper place.

She tucked the page under her pillow. Her father's couldn't find out about this......

Gabriel must have fallen asleep...the concept was still rather strange to him, but he seemed to quite enjoy it, that is until he sensed something....wrong. He sensed an angelic presence....an angelic presence that wasn't welcome.

To Gabriel's horror, Sandalphon was waiting for him at the border of the border Crowley and Aziraphale set. At least he didn't cross it...

"Greetings Gabriel." Sandalphon said cooly.

"What do you want Sandalphon?" Gabriel said, he saw right through the angel's false politeness and he stepped over the boundary. He would make sure that Sandalphon would not make any attempts to step over the border.

"Head Office has been made aware of your....infatuation with a certain....Abomination..." Sandalphon's voice became as cold as ice. "That simply will not do for the War."

"If you come anywhere near her..." Gabriel snarled, his hands clenched into fists as he took a step forward. The next thing Gabriel new, someone came up from behind Sandalphon and socked Gabriel right in the jaw.

Gabriel fell to the ground, tasting blood on his tongue. "Jehoel." Gabriel spat.

"Hello Gabriel." Jehoel said arrogantly. "It's not nice to interrupt." Gabriel glared balefully at Jehoel as Sandalphon continued, "Thank you Jehoel, Head Office has a proposition for you Gabriel. You leave and forget about this...whatever it is you have with the Abomination and you will be given your old position back, and even lead the charge against the Other Side."

"And if I say no?" Gabriel asked as he glanced at the tree that marked the border, if he could just crawl a few more feet...

Jehoel kicked Gabriel in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. Gabriel doubled over, then he cried out in pain when he felt something sharp dig into his shoulder. Jehoel's finger nails had turned into long black claws. Blood was dripping on the forest floor.

"Then that so called "Champion" will be dealt with accordingly, and you will become Fallen."

Gabriel, his head swimming with pain, felt his heart freeze with horror. He couldn't let them hurt Eden....he didn't care about becoming a Fallen Angel....he had to keep Eden safe.

Pushing through the pain, he rose to his feet and punched Jehoel in the face. The other Archangel was quite surprised. "On one condition...Heaven swears that no harm will come to Eden."

Sandalphon smiled wickedly. "Deal. Now, you have forty eight hours to return to Head Office. Come along now Jehoel."

As the two angels walked away, Jehoel whispered, "Why would you make a deal like that? The Abomination is slated for death!"

Sandalphon still had a wicked grin on his face when he replied, "He didn't say anything about Hell."

Gabriel hobbled back over the border, clutching his injured shoulder. His lip throbbed and his shoulder ached. But they didn't hurt as much as what he was going to have to do....