Novenas: Cry to Heaven
by Erika
Pairing: Angel/David, Angel/Earth Angels
Disclaimer: The series Earth Angel's belongs to Anne Rice. I am temporarily borrowing the characters. These stories will differ from the actual NBC pilot; it actually draws heavily on the version that came out toward the end of the comic: Tales of the Body Thief.
Beta: Sylvie and jamwired.
Summary: A prayer is heard above high.
Spoilers: Takes place before the episode, 'Epiphany' from the show Angel.
Warning: Some readers may be sensitive to the religious discussion that may take place in this series. If you are easily offended please read something else.
Author's Notes: This is also an AU of the series. I found out after I started writing this story that Nicholas Lea was instead going to be playing Maximilian, not David. Hopefully it will all make sense by the time you read part two.
Series: First in a series, followed by Revelation 6:8, Rising of the Sun, the Setting of the Moon, Heaven's Gate, A Rumour of Angels
Definition: A novena is a nine day period of private or public prayer to obtain special graces, to implore special favours, or to make special petitions. (Novena is derived from the Latin "novem," meaning nine.) As the definition suggests, the novena has always had more of a sense of urgency and neediness.
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No evil shall befall you, nor shall affliction come near your tent, for to His Angels God has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways. Upon their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
Psalm 91: 10-12
He had not asked for this assignment; he had hoped that Mathiel would go in his stead, but the Archangel had reminded David that it was he who had heard the young woman's prayer. He had no choice. That night, he ended up leaving his brethren in New York, and, five hours later, he found himself in Los Angeles, the city of angels.
His assignment wasn't that difficult to find. All he had to do was to feel the connection that had been formed between them a few days ago when she had first prayed to God. That was how he found her, in a church, lighting a candle, praying for a miracle, for salvation -- not for herself but for a friend.
It had been some time since the heavens had heard from her. She had lost her faith long ago. The loss of a friend, of innocence, had made the young woman leave behind her beliefs.
David moved away from the confessional box and silently walked down the aisle, careful to keep the young woman within view. She was kneeling now, holding a rosary in her hand.
Cordelia. Cordelia Chase. Seer. Friend. Sister. She was all those things to the man whose soul she hoped to save. A man whom David had not seen since Hell.
Angel. David laughed at the irony. A vampiric creature with an angelic name. A demon with a soul. He sat down at the pew, his gaze shifting from where the young woman knelt at the altar to the image of Christ on the cross.
In the sanctuary of this church, he could almost forget the demon he had met on those nights long ago. The demon whose soul had broken the barrier that separated Heaven and Hell. Cordelia stood up, and David broke away from further contemplation, watching her as she left the church. He followed her. Even from this distance, he could sense her worry, her pain at the powers that allowed her to foresee the future that foretold the destruction of all she held dear.
David wished he could reassure her that all would be well, but the angel knew the young woman would experience more darkness before she could be delivered into the light.
Cordelia crossed the street and entered an apartment building. David stood outside. From the alley, he watched as the light within her apartment flickered on. He waited. Now was not the time to confront the girl; instead, he beckoned to the ghostly spirit that guarded her. He called him forth and was not surprise to have his call ignored.
Sometimes spirits could become too attached to their human subjects.
David waited outside until the darkness fully settled. He leaned back against the wall, listening to the pain coming from the people in the city, hearing their prayers, their hopes, feeling their anguish. It was too much. He blocked them out. He could only save one soul at a time. It was at times like these he wished for flight, for the freedom and peacefulness it offered.
The archangel concentrated on the young woman upstairs, feeling her emotion, sensing her need. He walked toward the building, entering the complex, making his way to her apartment. As he approached the door, it opened before him.
He sensed the spirit that guarded the young woman welcome him in, leading David to her.
The door to her bedroom opened wide to reveal Cordelia lying on the bed, murmuring, half-asleep, rosary in hand. He walked silently to the bed. The room was draped in moonlight coming from the open window. He felt a slight breeze pass by him as the ghost gently closed the window. He turned back to stare at the young woman on the bed. They are so young, these humans; they suffer so much, he thought.
Sensing her sleepy state, he finished the prayer for her, "Mother of mercy hail, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To Thee do we cry ..." His voice soothed her, lulling her to deeper sleep, a hand gently caressing her cheek. David pulled the rest of the blankets and tucked them closer to the young woman's body. The Archangel then bent forward, pressing his lips to her forehead. She would dream, a dream of the innocent. For tonight at least, her dreams would be undisturbed from the vision that haunted her.
David sat on the foot of the bed. He listened to her breathing, assured that all was well. Tonight he would watch over her, and tomorrow he would deal with the vampire.
~~~~~~~oo(O)oo~~~~~~~
It was getting close to dawn, and David rose up from his vigilance by Cordelia's bedside, making his way to the rooftop. He wasn't surprised to find Angel there. For the past two hours he had sensed the demon's presence, but David had instead chosen to stay by the young woman's bedside, knowing that the longer he stayed with Cordelia, the more the vampire would worry. Angel may have kicked the seer out of his life, but the bond between them was still strong. And through that bond David could feel him now.
A demon with a soul whose anguish was eternal. Among the millions in this city, his cry was the loudest, his destiny the most fought battleground between the forces of good and evil, a demon who carried the cries of his victims within him.
"Angel," he whispered. Getting no response from the vampire who hid from him, David called out one more time. "Liam."
Swiftly, he was knocked against the wall, his arms spread apart, the Angel growling by his ear, "That's no longer my name."
"Angel," David said the name one more time, breathing in the other man's scent, remembering ... remembering how those hands that now held him captive had at one time caressed his body. He shifted slightly, aligning their bodies, gazing deeply into Angel's eyes, willing him to recall those nights long ago when David had ventured into Lucifer's kingdom to answer the plea of a demon whose cry had reached to the Heavens.
Angel released him, refusing to play this game. "What are you doing here?" he asked, anger and fear radiating throughout his body.
David rubbed his bruised wrists and pushed himself away from the wall, stalking the vampire before him until it was Angel whose back was now pressed against the building. "Cordelia ..." that was all he was able to say before the Angel launched himself at David. David stepped aside, tripping Angel and then dragging him up, holding him close. "Don't tempt me, demon."
Angel continued to glare at him, his body ready for flight.
"Cordelia called to me," David explained. Sensing the panic within Angel's gaze, David's hand reached out to soothe the vampire. "You have nothing to fear from me." Noting Angel's scepticism, he explained. "She prayed to me, demon. She prayed for your soul. The power within her warned her of Angelus's return, of the death and destruction he will bring in his wake. Of the end of days."
"No." Angel refused to believe this. He had pushed his friends away to protect them, to prevent all of this.
"Yes." David's hand cupped Angel's face, his thumb rubbing the vampire's lips. "But there is a way ..." What he was about to do would break the rules that the angels were forced to follow during their stay on Earth. There would be no turning back; he would be punished, but didn't God call him his 'beloved?' David pushed aside his own fears as he leaned forward, his lips touching Angel's. Soon Angel's lips parted, and David's warm tongue finally smoothed over their lushness.
The vampire's hands went around David's back, desperately bringing the archangel closer to him. They both moaned as their groins rubbed lightly together, their clothing further increasing the friction between them. David pricked his tongue against Angel's fang. Blood flowed.
Angel growled deeply and started to suck on David's tongue, drinking the archangel's blood. The blood of an innocent, the blood of God, blood that would anchor the demon's soul.
As David's arousal grew, his wings appeared, spreading wide, slightly quivering, in tune with their owner's needs. Angel caressed their softness, the vampire still bent on drinking the other man's blood, feeling the warm liquid travel down his throat.
Too soon the fast approaching dawn forced the two men apart. David spread his wings, feeling the sun's early rays hit his back and shielding Angel from them. Angel retreated, seeking protection from the early morning sun. His back hit the wall. The only thing keeping him from combusting into flames were those spread wings. His hand sought the doorknob.
David wiped the blood from his mouth. It was time to go. He had answered the young woman's prayer. The demon would not lose his soul.
As he turned around, about to seek flight, Angel asked, "Why?"
What could David say? 'My body still remembers your touch. Still aches for your kiss. I close my eyes at night and dream of you. Dream of your body laying next to mine? When I ventured out of hell, part of my soul was left behind in you?' All those things he could have said, but instead he looked back at Angel. "You're too important to the upcoming battle. Take care of the seer, demon." He watched as Angel's eyes turned bright yellow, felt the anger directed at him by the vampire, the anger mixed with pain.
As David walked away from the temptation Angel's body offered to him, Angel opened the door and ventured inside to the safety of the darkened room. Meanwhile, the archangel sought flight, going back to his brethren who waited for him in New York, running away from the memories of the vampire's touch ...
~~~~~~~oo(O)oo~~~~~~~
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