Gabriel was making his rounds in the hospital when he got a ping on his pager.
"There is someone here who wants to see you."
Gabriel rolled his eyes. Could he never get some peace at the hospital?
Gabriel sighed inwardly. Ever since Gadrial's reincarnation, he had been at the hospital; he didn't get rest. There was a new type of disease spreading through the people.
To put the cherry on top, the immortal souls were multiplying, the gathering was happening. . .when they had to choose their sides on the battlefield.
Gabriel didn't like it. After each battle, the souls would go to a 'special' graveyard where they wait to see if their souls would reach heaven or go to hell.
It wounded him, and he was the angel of healing after all. The souls were endless, and it was a shame that most of them were the lowly angels.
Gabriel made a mental note. He had to go to the memorial graveyard, and he hadn't given his respects in a long time to the fallen.
Gabriel came into view of his secretary, Cynthia; she was ogling someone. Out of curiosity, he looked at the waiting area; it was Uriel.
He has seen Uriel more than he had in the past two hundred years. "Well, Uriel. . . What do I owe for this visit?"
Uriel stood up at his voice. "Gabriel, we have to talk."
Gabriel nodded at Cynthia, and she was really in a dreamlike state. "Cynthia, cancel my appointments for the rest of the day."
Cynthia hadn't heard him, and Gabriel stood in front of her to block her view from Uriel. Yes, Uriel was godlike, and he had shoulder-length brown hair, eyes as blue as sapphires, and a body like a bodybuilder, just enough muscle in the right places, and his skin tone bronzed and tanned.
"Cynthia, I said to cancel my appointments."
Cynthia snapped back to reality. "Of course, doctor."
Gabriel indicated to Uriel, and he opened his office door. He waited after Uriel stepped in before he closed it, locking it.
"Are you afraid of something, Gabriel?" Uriel said without turning around.
"I don't want us to be disturbed. Cynthia was stripping you in her mind imagining every way possible to please you."
Uriel rolled his eyes. "I am not interested."
Gabriel smirked. "Are you into men then?"
Uriel took a seat on the couch, turning his gaze to Gabriel. Gabriel winched. Since when did Uriel become so utterly expressionless?
"I am not into men. I prefer women, just not that woman."
Gabriel took a seat behind his desk. "What is wrong with her?"
Uriel sighed. "I haven't come here to talk about women. I came to talk about Gadrial."
Gabriel folded his arms. . .of course, it was about Gadrial - it is always Gadrial. Gabriel did love his sister, but every time the war came - it was the only topic everyone was talking about.
"What about Gadrial?" Gabriel couldn't help that his voice was sarcastic.
Uriel noted the sarcasm. "You don't care, do you?"
"It is not like I don't care, Uriel. It is just the same old record playing, and I am tired."
Uriel leaned forward. "This could be our last battle?"
Gabriel inhaled. "Wait! Your scent has changed! You have chosen sides."
Uriel felt irritated, he wanted to talk about Gadrial, and here Gabriel was talking about his scent. "Yes, I have chosen the side of the fallen."
Shocked, Gabriel replied, "Who made you choose sides?"
"I ran into Lucian, and he explained that Gadrial's mortal body never got baptized."
Gabriel cursed Lucian in his mind. Was he fucking insane to tell Uriel? Yes, Uriel was the turn of the tide, but he was supposed to choose freely. The last person to tip the scale was Gadrial.
"Yes, I have learned this from Michael."
"Michael? So that explains why he was after her."
Gabriel nodded at Uriel's revelation. "Yes, he wanted to kill her before Gadrial woke up."
Uriel balled his hands in fists. "That would mean an upscale war! We will surely lose. . .what is Michael's end goal?"
Gabriel unfolded his arms. "I do not know, and how can we lose if we don't even know that Gadrial will be on our side?"
"Our side?"
Gabriel remembered he never told Uriel he was one of the fallen, that he saw Michael's ambition become madness at the last battle they fought. "Yes, I am fallen too."
Uriel widened his eyes. "Fallen? You who were always at Michael's side?"
Gabriel fiddled with his fingers. "Yes, I saw his conquest turn into insanity. He was getting more obsessed with war."
Uriel turned his gaze to the floor. "Why did we ever follow him?"
"He was so loyal to the Creator, and all we wanted was to be in his graces. He was the sun, I the moon, and you Uriel, you were the stars."
Uriel scoffed. "That was until I had to drive my sword through Gadrial's heart. Gabriel - that broke me..."
Gabriel stood up, and he kneeled before Uriel. "I know. . .I saw you broken - you are the voice of the Creator. Your words became his law."
Uriel was crying now. The scars of the passed broke him, Gadrial's pale-blue eyes, which had widened with shock, her lips parting in a silent scream. Will he ever get that image out of his head? "Gabriel... I am in love with Gadrial."
Gabriel never saw Uriel shed tears in the years he had known him, but the words he spoke. . . 'Gabriel, I am in love with Gadrial' made more sense to him now. "Since when?"
Uriel wiped at his tears, and he turned his gaze to look Gabriel in the eye. "Since she was created."
Gabriel's mind was running. How was that possible? Uriel was already a full-fledged angel when they met him. "Uriel..."
Uriel stood up, startling Gabriel that he fell backwards. "Don't, Gabriel. I know what you are thinking. I know I was a full-fledged angel, but when she looked at me. . .it clicked."
Gabriel stood up from the ground. "What clicked?"
Uriel turned his back on Gabriel. "She is my soulmate..."
Gabriel placed his hand on Uriel's shoulder. "That is impossible, and she is Lucian's."
Uriel shrugged Gabriel's hand off his shoulder. "Can we really believe that?! They were forced on each other - it was a coincidence that they happen to think alike?"
Gabriel didn't know how to answer Uriel's question. "Why did you come here?"
Uriel faced Gabriel now. "I wanted to tell you that I love your sister and this time. . .I will not back down."
Gabriel saw the determination in Uriel's eyes. Houston! We have a problem. "Is that all you came to say?"
Uriel shook his head. "No, I want to wake Gadrial early or get her baptized."
This made Gabriel angry. "We can not wake Gadrial early, Uriel! Do you have any idea what impact it will have on the mortal body she inhabits?"
Uriel grabbed Gabriel's doctor's robe. "I think you are forgetting that I do not care! We need her."
Gabriel placed his hand on Uriel's. "Correction, you need her! You have to think about the impact it will have in this war!"
Gabriel couldn't dodge in time as Uriel's fist hit him square in the jaw, and Gabriel staggered. "War! War! Did anyone of you ever stop to think about Gadrial?"
Uriel was screaming now. "She is just a pawn to all of you! You never really cared for her, did you, Gabriel!"
Uriel stormed to the door, and he turned back. "You can say you love her all you want, but you want this to stop as much as I do! You will see her die, never to reincarnate again! I can not let you do that, Gabriel."
Gabriel rubbed his jaw. "You will destroy us all if you waken Gadrial early! You can not do this, Uriel!"
Gabriel's office door slammed shut. Gabriel blinked a few times. He had to get hold of Lucian; they had big problems. Uriel will have to be stopped.
Gabriel took out his phone. "Lucian, we have a problem, Uriel. Uriel is going to wake Gadrial. He needs to be stopped."