03

Chapter One

Michael and Amelia approached the Throne of Heaven with trepidation in their steps. Despite being archangels charged with the operations and defense of Heaven, the news they brought had them nervously glancing at one another as they reached the first steps leading to the dais.

"My children," the strong, kindly voice of the Lord coaxed them from the golden seat of Heaven's power, "Come, tell me what troubles you."

"The Chosen One is gone, Lord," Michael spoke up. "She and another have been returned to the Maker. Her purity had been besmirched by one of the Proctors sent to retrieve her when she escaped from Purgatory."

"She escaped from a fate she could not tolerate, my son." The Lord replied, startling both archangels with the insight they had not fathomed he knew. "Did my message to leave her be go unheeded?"

Both angels knelt and bowed their heads. "I am afraid so, Lord," Amelia offered. We are not sure the message reached the Dominion or Proctors tasked with her retrieval in time."

They understood that the Savior looking down at them from his casual sprawl across his throne was all merciful, but the situation was unprecedented. A Chosen One would not be brought before Him at her appointed time. They did not know if another could be quickened in her place. The Fallen still controlled The Pit and it was unlikely that they could be persuaded to cooperate in maintaining The Balance. Michael and Amelia glanced at one another once again and waited.

"You worry about The Balance, don't you, my children?" The Lord chuckled in amusement to their shared consternation. "And how I knew about this particular Chosen, don't you?" They nodded. "Tell me, Michael, what is your impression of Rachel?"

"She is brash, profane and bonded to both a mortal and a creature of The Pit..." Michael started.

"I know what and who she is, my son. I asked you your opinion of her."

"Effective, Lord. Her decisions to act or not have been uncanny in their role of catalyst to fortunate choices by the mortals she influences as well as those under the guidance of others. That she continues to do so, even bound to that demon astounds me, frankly. Lord." Michael added the honorific almost as an afterthought and widened his eyes at the seeming faux pas. The Lord smiled.

"Thank you for your honesty, Michael." The Lord replied as his gaze turned sly. "Do you think perhaps her actions might even border on the," he paused, "Divine?"

Both Michael and Amelia gaped. "You sent her, Lord?!" They gasped.

"No. No, I would not interfere in your administration and operation of our realm in that way. Have I not always delegated? The Maker and I knew Cassandra's soul would never be a fit for her role and conveniently, the Proctor Steven was well suited to ensure she would not have to suffer that fate. Unfortunately, Rachel was the Dominion who was closest when her retrieval was ordered." Jesus sighed heavily. "It is too bad mortals cannot make any of the choices necessary to alter our protocols...but it is what it is. So, their souls are back with The Maker and it seems I'm out one concubine."

The two archangels' mouths, opened as wide as they were, could not possibly have dropped open further even though they felt as though they should. The Lord had never addressed them quite so...openly, before.

"But tell me, why have you waited until nearly the deadline to come and inform me of this conundrum? Were you attempting a remedy on your own? Surely you knew you would need my or The Maker's assistance to procure a replacement? And how is Lilith, Michael?"

The taller archangel blanched. "Lord, I, I..."

When nothing further seemed to be forthcoming, Amelia leaped to Michael's defense. "I was fully aware of Michael's attempts to contact Lilith to find a solution and I also fully supported his efforts, Lord." She bowed her head again then looked up bravely. "Lilith did not have time for our...proposals...Lord. It seems she is consolidating her spoils and new realms left for the taking in the havoc that Lorelei wreaked down there in this latest upheaval she was roped into..." The dusky-skinned archangel trailed off as she thought over her next words but the grinning deity above her interrupted.

"All of you here in our realm so worried about maintaining this Balance and one demon in love lays waste to it all." Jesus chuckled with amusement. "That Alex is such a lucky dude, don't you think?"

Michael blinked. Amelia's mouth dropped open again. If the Divine Son had suddenly leapt from the throne to begin break-dancing on the spotless floor of the throne room to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," they could not have been more surprised.

"Be that as it may, I will not have a new spawn-of-the-pit courtesan with which to appease this...Balance," He mused thoughtfully. "Perhaps Dad will let me pop back down to Earth to find one on my own this time. That whole Savior and Shepherd thing from two thousand plus years ago was fine for those times but this time, I'd like to have a little fun."

An arch, feminine voice admonished from behind the throne: "You are about to give them heart attacks, son of mine. Do not toy with them like that. It is unbecoming."

"Yes, Mother," Jesus replied over his shoulder, immediately contrite. He watched as the beautiful olive-skinned woman emerged from behind the throne where she had come up

from her quarters nearby. Her shrouds and coverings still hinted at a Middle Eastern heritage but she looked more a modern woman of Dubai than any depiction made by Western or European artisans.

"And about that permission you seek, will you ask your Father or my husband?"

"Wellllllll..." The Lord drew out, "I did mean Dad. He's always been the softer touch."

Mary threw back her head and laughed, her hood falling back to her shoulders, as they shook with her mirth. "Do you remember what he said to you after that fracas at the temple? He was beside himself."

"Mother..."

"Oh, stop. You really want a mortal this time? Now, THAT would certainly upset the apple cart of The Balance."

Michael and Amelia stared and would have fallen over in delirium if anyone had so much as touched them with...one of their wing feathers. They couldn't believe what they were hearing.

"It'd be different, wouldn't it, Mother? But the mortals, bless their souls, would fall all over themselves again, working their heads and hearts into those unbelievable knots they can tie themselves into. Second Coming, indeed! And worse if there were third and fourth and hmmm...endless comings..."

"JESUS!"

"Just kidding," the Lord sighed. "But...ah well, nothing."

"You miss Magdalene, my son. I know. I don't think it coincidence that every Chosen One ends up looking like her by the end."

"I don't know why He won't release her soul."

"He...has His reasons."

Michael finally found his voice although he had to dig deep within himself to locate it again. "Lord...if you please, we will go to see what can be done." The very strange conversation they had and witnessed with two of the Principals of Heaven had his mind going to very strange places. Amelia searched his face and nodded.

The Lord raised an almost negligent wave to dismiss them but also fixed Michael with a last piercing look. "Say hello to Lilith for me when you see her."

Michael froze. "I...I will. Sire."

"Oh, come off it, Michael," Jesus huffed. "You've been in love with that woman since Lucifer created her, and it's high time you came down off that very high horse of yours and admitted it." He shook his head, "Some wild monkey sex with that Fallen-spawn would do you good, I think."

Michael and Amelia fled, Mary's bright and way too knowing laughter chasing them out.

Chapter Two

Carkeek Park looked much the same that it had the last time Lilith was here but the two she was meeting this time were much more formidable than the vaunted succubus Lorelei and one of her mortal friends. Lilith snorted. That damned...what had she called the demon who had turned The Pit inside out in her quest to save her loves? "...the proverbial whore of Babylon." Yes. Lilith remembered how she had nearly dismissed Lorelei's request in favor of offering her pretty little head for the bounty that the other Dukes of Hell had offered. Oh, the temerity the succubus had displayed in throwing Baal's lands into disastrous chaos. Fortunately, Lilith had not betrayed Lorelei. She thought about the holdings she now ruled over in The Pit: Baal's, Azazel's...and Belial's. She was now the most powerful of the active lords in her dark realm.

Well, save for that snot who'd brought her into being but Lucifer rarely ventured from his hidey-hole anymore. She looked up from her musings as the two messengers from Heaven approached and her mouth hardened into a thin line. "Fuck," she thought, "why did it have to be him?"

Michael narrowed his eyes as he strode towards the black-haired daughter of Heaven's former Most High and saw the contempt that dripped from Lilith's sneer. Although he had Amelia's presence and support, he almost wished he could have done this alone. He couldn't help but notice that her dark, nearly ravenous beauty seemed to be enhanced even further by the power she exuded. He knew she controlled four of the fiefdoms of Hell now, and he wondered if his former brother Lucifer had stirred from the self-imposed exile he wallowed in.

Damn that Fallen Lord's eyes! Michael had been inordinately proud of his creation, Eve, but one look at Lucifer's concept in Lilith and he knew that he'd been outdone. And worse, although The Lord had chosen his design for Adam, it was Lilith who filled his thoughts with unfamiliar emotions.

Greed. Possession. Lust. And longing.

"Lilith." Michael halted before the dark demon.

Lilith ignored the taller angel and addressed Amelia, "To what do I owe this second waste of my time and yours? Not that I care all that much now, although I would have thought my last refusal was clear enough. What part of 'not until your Lord grovels in the filth at my feet and promises me that one's head'," she spat, glancing contemptuously at Michael while pointing an accusing finger at him, "was not understandable by your virtue-addled pea brains?"

Amelia bristled as Michael stepped forward menacingly. He might secretly obsess over this magnificently evil creature but there were limits. "You go too far," he growled, eyes narrowing as a violet sphere of power crackled into the air around Lilith's fist and her chin rose defiantly.

"Come to me, oh Archangel," Lilith mocked derisively, "Let us see whether your precious Balance teeters on the razor's edge or if the scale has been irretrievably tipped."

With her free hand, Lilith beckoned her angry nemesis forward. Pinching her fingers shut immediately extinguished Amelia's flaming sword, drawn from the female angel's palm as Michael had stepped forward. Amelia's eyes rounded in surprise. Michael's own weapon flashed from his palm and swung up high as though to strike, the arc infused ball of energy leaving Lilith's hand to clash with Michael's broadsword. The Heaven's Glory infused blade released a thunderclap with the impact. The two held where they touched, sparks, flames, and the most fearsome of apocalyptic sounds surrounding the two combatants.

Amelia made as if to charge in, heedless of whether or not her Sword of Judgement had been nullified but a gesture from Lilith's free hand sent her flying against one of the thick, barren trees. Hearing it crack, she scrambled away, limping, as the tree split further, bent, and toppled with a crash.

Neither Michael or Lilith noticed, locked in their deadly struggle, fierce grimaces mirrored, his deep blue eyes locked in mortal combat with her even darker violet ones. Rage played deeply in his vibrant pupils as well as even darker emotions. Her eyes were just as wild, scorching in their searing anger and a deeper, more desperate one.

Betrayal.

Michael blinked. Lilith's power surged, her sphere sliding down his flaming blade to wallop him on the side of his head and send him tumbling as she leapt after him to take advantage. He rolled and raised his sword just in time to catch her overhand hammer blow barely inches from his face. He grimaced, then slowly stood, pushing her back, his halo glowing brightly with Heaven's Light, his pure white wings spreading high and wide behind him. Lilith's eyes widened and although she redoubled her efforts, was soon forced backward until Michael had her pinned against one of the largest of the winter-shorn trees, flaming blade at her throat, and her sphere wielding fist immobilized over her head with his other hand.

"Yield." He growled menacingly.

"Fuck you," she spat back, attempting to twist her face away, the purple sphere above them roiling and crackling with thwarted rage.

"Lilith," Michael replied, his lowered voice losing its ire. His look became pained. "Please. Yield."

Lilith glared at him with a rage fueled by frustration at her inability to overcome Michael's hold on her wrist and throat as well as the pain that had wrapped her heart ever since he'd rejected her oh those millennia ago. His eyes remained with hers, seeing too much, knowing too much, expecting too much. "What the hell do you want from me!?!" she yelled in his face even as her struggles ceased.

He did not release her, but she felt his hold on her wrist ease and the flaming sword at her throat dropped away. His eyes grew softer yet, into twin blue pools that hurt even more than his anger. She couldn't take it any longer and wrenched away, turning to stand with her back to him as her shoulders heaved. Amelia came up to stand beside him but he shook his head in warning. Turning back to face them, Lilith lifted her chin. Michael spoke.

"The Chosen One...we need another. Cassandra is no more. She ran, but not before consummating a love with one of our best proctors. He shared her fate."

"How is that MY concern? I care not for your precious..."

"The Balance must not fail. Not now. It may, and soon. But not now." Michael explained resignedly.

"What is soon, Michael? A year for them is but an instant for us. I am sick of this so-called Balance! I, who have conquered four realms in Hell cannot even overcome one, fucking one, godforsaken archangel!! WHERE IS THE BALANCE IN THAT?!?" Her voice rose until she screamed the last at him.

"That isn't what The Balance is about and you must know that, Lilith," Amelia interjected gently. She seemed to bear no animosity towards the First Daughter of Hell for blasting her into the tree.

"Of course, I know that!!" Lilith rounded on the smaller archangel savagely. "Why do they get to choose?!" She railed, her arms flailing above her head. "What about us?? What if I am absolutely done with this stupid state where I am forever consigned to that fucking wasteland of filth and evil and cruelty..." She trailed off realizing she must sound like some crazy mortal. The two archangels stared at her in mute shock, completely amazed at the complaints pouring from her. Her, Lilith, who'd orchestrated much of the same corrupted state of The Pit that she now revealed her abhorrence to.

"It's all YOUR fucking fault." She huffed finally, staring at Michael. He didn't even blink, his blue eyes turning even darker than when they'd been fighting. His right hand twitched, then lifted, reaching out towards her. Amelia blinked, as did Lilith, whose eyes then narrowed, while Amelia turned towards him with a questioning look.

"I-I'm sorry, Lilith. I...never meant to hurt you that way..."

"Well, the road to Hell IS littered with good intentions," she sneered back at him. "Fucking literally, in my case." She pointed at him. "You rigged the trial so that blonde twat of yours ended up going to The Garden. And when MY asshole of a father went off the deep end because YOU cheated, who got fucking dragged down with him? It sure wasn't YOU!!" Lilith was nearly as angry as she had been earlier, and a faint purple glow began building around her fingers again.

Amelia's shocked gasp caused both archangel and demon queen to turn towards the dark-skinned angel as her incredulous countenance told them both she'd figured it out. She stepped back from Michael as though he might burn her with his nearness.

"You?!? YOU?!?? Y-you are the reason for The Fall?!? The Balance must be maintained because of YOU?!?" The other archangel was nearly beside herself with shock and revulsion that was beginning to morph into righteous rage.

Michael looked down while reaching up to squeeze at the corners of his forehead in a gesture of chagrin and frustration and...defeat. "Yes," he murmured tiredly, with the air of someone having to reveal and explain a tragic mistake, again. Of having to relive the pain and regret and guilt anew after having run from it nearly his entire immortal existence. "Yes, to it all. I have spent my entire time as a leader amongst you trying to remedy the disruption and upheaval my pride wrought in our universe. There would be no Hell...but for my pride...and...and..."

He turned away from them both, his wings sagging so that the tips of the end feathers dragged on the ground behind him, his hands coming up to rest on his hips as he bowed his head, deep in thought. He turned back and his gaze went straight to Lilith. "My pride...and my lust."

"You...bastard." She seethed. "YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!" Lilith roared as she charged and threw a violet fueled punch at Michael's head which he neither dodged nor attempted to parry. He went sprawling and she was on him instantly, throwing punches in flurries that would have made the best of Earth's MMA fighters quail. He took it all, inviting her fury as though he would atone for eons of guilt and judgment and a universe gone terribly awry.

A universe ruined...because of him.

Her blows broke skin, capillaries burst in his eyes, and crimson streams flew from his nose to speckle her face and still, she didn't...couldn't stop. After a particularly devastating combination knocked out two teeth that landed near Amelia's feet and his eyes rolled up in his head, Lilith paused in her onslaught, her breath coming in panting, overwrought gasps. Michael's eyes, swollen and already darkening with bruising that was likely to extend to much of his face, blinked open at the feel of wetness dripping onto his nose and cheeks.

Above him, Lilith's features swam in a swirl of rage and pain and frustration. He blinked again, trying to focus on how far he had apparently pushed her if she was...was she? Crying? He reached up with a tentative hand, rubbing his thumb across her cheek and feeling the wetness there.

"Lilith," he croaked, then cleared his throat by turning his head and spitting out the blood that had collected in his mouth. "Please don't cry."

"Why the fuck not?"

"I know I've hurt you badly and ruined this universe by sowing the seeds of its nemesis...but I don't think I can take it if you're...you're crying..."

"You are such an asshole! Fucking unbelievable! THIS," she gestured at her face, "is all I had to do to get you to fucking admit you were wrong?!? She cocked her fist again, ready to rain more punishment on his already nearly ruined face but Michael held up his hand.

"I'd let you pummel me into the earth here until you no longer could...if I thought it would ease your pain. I'd forsake my place amongst the Hosts if I thought it would...undo what I have wrought. I-I even tried to, but He forbade it. I would let you take me to your realms and damn me to the harshest punishments you could conjure if I thought it might ease...my own guilt and sorrow... But...please...I don't think I can take it, take you...crying..."

"AND WHY THE FUCK NOT, MICHAEL?!?" She yelled at him, her anger about to erupt past her control again.