Despite long years of service, and being one of the “Famous Three” (Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael- technically it should be the “Famous Four”, including Uriel- but every band has it's quiet member. Uriel often joked about being the “George” of their group by saying “At least I'm not Pete Best!”), Raphael was a fairly unassuming individual.
Her chosen form was that of a girl in her mid-teens. Dusky skin, long, light-brown hair, and olive eyes. Noticeably slender, with a small chest, and no more than 5' tall. She didn't wear her wings openly unless she needed to fly, and similarly, she kept her halo invisible (a good thing, because despite being only an Archangel, hers was unusually bright, and she didn't want to disrupt protocol).
Like Michael, she had been up for promotion before, but she always begged off, saying she felt she could serve the Lord better as an Archangel. Despite all of this, other Angels tended to look at her in awe, and were very respectful.
It was a little tiring, really. Raphael didn't feel her fame was really deserved- sure, she helped out with a few problems over the years, but she was barely even mentioned in most mortal Scripture (probably a good thing- her portrayal in the Book of Enoch was both wrong and decidedly unflattering).
She really wanted to be seen as a 'regular Angel'. The way others treated had led to a rather unfortunate irony- the premier Angel of Love was lonely. Oh she could get hookups, but everyone wanted to put her on a pedestal, and that's not what she wanted at all. But she shouldered her burden and kept her nose to the grindstone, because that's how she could serve God best.
Even though she was privy to a lot of information about the Lord that some other Angels would be aghast at (like the unfortunate incident with Lilith), Raphael's faith in her Creator was unwavering. God was infallible, but Creation was unpredictable by design. Sometimes, stuff happened that even a Supreme Deity was unprepared for.
Really, she felt that God should talk to Jesus (even the Son felt that “Yahosua” was a little old-fashioned). The kid had a good head on his shoulders, and understood that things don't always go according to plan- but that doesn't mean The Plan is in jeopardy.
But something was brewing. That old-fashioned Chaos. Raphael knew it well. Fortunately, crisis-management was her specialty.
She walked into the Dominion's office wearing a simple, off-the shoulder white gown. It was a little short, showing off her legs, and she was barefoot. Raphael didn't care for shoes at all. God hadn't created anyone with them, and she felt a lot of girls were obsessed with them (some Angels as well).
Sure, heels could make a girl's legs look good, but honestly- the torments women went through to look better! She was pretty sure high heels were demonic in origin.
She halted at the proper distance, and bowed, clasping her hands together. “Archangel of the Second Order, First Class, Raphael, as requested, Lady Dominion.”
The Dominion sighed, and dispensed with her usual choir of speaking voices. “We can dispense with formality, Raphael.”
“Unless it's that bad, do we have to?” Raphael complained.
“While I'm aware you hate special treatment, it very much is that bad.” The Dominion explained the situation to Raphael.
Rather than shock or surprise, Raphael remained calm, her usual expression (an enigmatic smile that the Mona Lisa would be jealous of) intact. “Gemiel in love. Well that's quite fascinating.”
The Dominion coughed.
“Oh right, sorry, Gemory.” The Fallen's original names were not to be used- and in some cases, they had been erased from memory. The Morning Star being the sole exception.
“It's...fine, just don't make a habit of it. It might get her attention, and we need to be subtle with how we proceed.”
“Have you asked the Metatron about this girl, Danielle?” Raphael asked.
“Her file remains sealed. No discussion. We are not to interfere.” The Dominion frowned.
That could only mean one thing. Danielle was an important part of The Plan. What was her Creator up to, she wondered. Well maybe Jesus would know.
“But it seems like Amielle may have already interfered.” Raphael pointed out.
“Yes, but there's nothing we can do about that now. And reigning her in, now that she's one of the players, might cause more problems down the road.”
“I take it you want me to verify the love both couples have for each other?” Raphael was probably one of the best suited Angels for the task.
“Yes, that is correct.” The Dominion confirmed.
“I exist to serve. But I have a request.”
“Oh?” The Dominion was intrigued.
“I'd like to take personal charge of the operation, and of Amielle. If she's still loyal, then she'll need supervision.”
The Dominion frowned. This was really above her paygrade, but none of her superiors wanted to be bothered- their duties and interests were far above the mortal sphere, or so they claimed. Cowards. If this blew up in Heaven's face, she'd be blamed for it. Putting Raphael in charge felt like passing the buck- 'covering her ass', as the mortals called it. And, as a matter of pride, she never covered her perfect ass!
“I'm hesitant, because there could be serious blowback, and it is my responsibility.” The Dominion admitted.
“Oh, that's so sweet!” Raphael smiled up at her superior. “It really helps morale when the boss says they care.”
The Dominion quirked an eyebrow. For someone who didn't like special treatment, Raphael didn't seem to mind taking liberties with decorum. But the Angel of Love was charming by nature, so it was hard to be angry with her. “You think so? That wasn't really my intent- I just think a leader should be responsible for their decisions.”
“Well you see, that's even better! That shows you're the best kind of leader! You wouldn't give anyone orders you wouldn't follow yourself!” The Archangel's smile widened. “While I'm happy to hear that, of course, the fact is, I'm probably your best option. I mean, you don't have to put me in charge, and I won't be upset, but I think we both know I'm better at dealing with mortals- I have the experience.”
The Dominion saw the logic and nodded. “Very well.”
Raphael went on, as if she didn't hear. “Well, second-best choice. I mean, Jesus is quite the charmer you know...”
“No, please, you handle this! I wouldn't dare involve The Son!” The Dominion paled. Impressive, since her skin was already the color of white marble.
“You know, you really could. He gets bored a lot, and he loves to help out!” Raphael was pressing her luck, but she secretly enjoyed teasing the higher ups. They really could stand to relax!
“That...should not be necessary. You have operational command, Archangel.”
Raphael beamed up at the Dominion, bowed, and took her leave. What she didn't realize was that it wasn't just awe that the other Angels looked at her with...but fear as well.
She found the Son in the Garden. Despite being closed as a workshop, it was a beautiful place, and closer to Earth than Heaven. He was having a picnic with Mary Magdalene- they'd been having an on-again/off-again relationship for over two millenia, so this was no surprise.
Mary, of course, had stayed true to her leftist radical roots. Even though she adored Jesus, she was a feminist and had a militant streak- when Jesus had found her, she had been working with a Zealot cell, pretending to be a prostitute so she could assassinate high-ranking government officials.
He had shown her gentleness, and that had changed her, but old habits die hard. Mary's hair was shaved on one side, and dyed purple. She was wearing purple lipstick as well. Other than that, however, her outfit was more conservative- jeans and a My Chemical Romance t-shirt. At least she'd gotten rid of the nose ring.
Jesus, was, well, Jesus. He looked like a regular guy. His skin was a little darker than how he was usually represented, and his hair was done up in a man-bun. Most depictions of the Son have him looking a bit on the thin side, but he'd been a Carpenter, so while he wasn't bulky, there was definitely meat on those bones. He looked up at Raphael approached.
“Rafe! It's good to see you!” His brown eyes were warm and friendly.
“Sorry to intrude, you two.” Raphael smiled sheepishly.
“Oh no, it's good to see you, girl.” Mary Magdalene was a rare beauty, there was no doubt about it. True, those brown eyes could be as hard as gemstones, but today, she seemed pretty mellow- the Son had that affect on people. “I know you're probably here on business, but still, how have you been?”
“Oh you now, keeping busy. The other Angels seem to hate to call on me, so I have to find my own work, most of the time.”
“I know how that goes.” Jesus rolled his eyes. “Everywhere I go, Angels are asking if they can help me with something. It's hard to find work for them all.”
“Oh poor you, the Son of God, having a hoard of Angels at your beck and call.” Mary teased.
“Ugh, don't start with that. It's not my fault that Dad made them to physically need to serve their Creator.” Jesus frowned.
“So change it? Set them free?” Mary shrugged.
“Let's not get into that debate, Mary. I've explained it, if he did that, most of us would be confused and lost, and the rest would just get into trouble. Not much difference between an Angel and a Fallen, you know.” Raphael tried to make peace.
Mary blew a stray lock of purple hair out of her eyes. “Sorry, maybe if you all didn't look like women I wouldn't get so worked up. It still seems unfair.”
“It might have been a mistake. I'm capable of those. But overall, it seems to have worked out fairly well. I like to think it was one of my good calls.” Raphael sat down with the couple. “That virgin thing, though..it keeps coming to bite me in the ass.”
“I've seen your ass, it looks good to bite.” Mary teased.
“Mary, must you?” Jesus shook his head.
“Oh don't you start. You knew I was bi when you met me. What, you thought I would change?”
“No, and I don't want you to. But not all the Angels are equipped to handle your personality. Especially in the presence of the divine.” He rolled his eyes.
“He's not wrong. I tease the higher-ups all the time, but nothing seems to get them to lighten up.” Raphael confirmed what Jesus had said.
“Bah. Heaven needs a good revolution, if you ask me.” Mary picked up a stray rock and tossed it away.
“Yeah, well, I was here for the last one. A lot of us are still shell-shocked by it.” Raphael said.
“Have you seen Michael lately?” Jesus asked.
Raphael sighed. “Of course. I think I'm the one who checks up on her the most. I've tried everything I can think of. She doesn't look good, either. Her hair is a mess, she only bothers to change her clothes when I say something (Angels didn't sweat or produce bad body odor, but Michael often worked at her forge, and her clothing would eventually burn or get coated in soot). I think she's getting worse.”
Jesus reached out and put his hand on the Angel's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze. “You've done the best you can for your friend. Do you think I can help?”
“I don't know, J. I really don't. I think it would have to come from God. Michael still feels terrible about turning on the other Angels to end the Rebellion. Sure, God offered a reward, but it's not validation that Michael needs. It's to understand why.”
Jesus nodded. “And the answer could destroy her.”
Mary frowned. “What is the answer, out of curiosity?”
Jesus sighed. “For Dad to admit that he fucked up.”
Mary looked at him for a moment, then at Raphael. “Shouldn't...just hearing that, mess with you, Rafe?”
The Archangel shrugged. “Hearing it from Jesus is not quite the same as hearing it from God. Plus, I got over my existential crisis a long time ago. I was there, I supported Michael, I fought against my own kind...and it was horrible. With Michael, the difference is, he made it happen.”
“Well I wasn't there, but from what I heard, Lucifer is to blame.” Mary folded her arms.
“Yes, and even Lucifer admits that he was too proud, too stubborn, to back down. But it's true- Dad let them all believe he was infallible, and then he fell on his ass. He didn't create Angels with Free Will, so they aren't free to believe in whatever they like. To accept that God can make mistakes is hard enough for humans, but for Angels, it would be like suddenly realizing up is down, hot is cold.” Jesus chose his words carefully, as he always did.
“You've never seen what happens when an Angel confronts a logical impossiblity, Mary. It's like the Blue Screen of Death. We just...shut down. There's a lot of mental gymnastics you have to go through to be able to function after something like that. Sadly, for most of us, they simply decided that, if it looks like God fell on his butt, then he meant to do that.” Raphael looked down.
“What did you end up deciding?” Mary moved closer and put an arm around the Angel's shoulders.
“That you can only be infallible in a vacuum. You can put all your calculations on a white board, and prove them with mathematical certainty. But once you take them out into the universe, you're going to encounter X factors you didn't take into account. That you couldn't take into account. The universe was created to be an orderly place, but there are Angels whose whole existence is to keep it that way.
Chaos and Entropy are facts of existence. Things change. Stuff breaks down. It doesn't mean that The Plan is flawed. It just means you have to put in the hard work to overcome and adapt.”
Mary gave the Angel a kiss on her forehead. “I think you just put it better than Jesus ever has.”
“Hey! I was limited to mortal understanding back then!” Jesus feigned looking hurt. “I did the best I could!”
Mary laughed. “Yes you did, and I can attest, it worked. At least, for a little while.” She then frowned, thinking about the past.
“Yeah, I'm not 100% sure it all worked out in the end. Sure, my teachings exist, but a lot of people who claim to believe in them, don't live by them. And so much pain happens in my name...” He shook his head. “But I have to wait for Dad to say it's time to go back. And even if I succeed- that means the experiment is winding down. The thousand year peace. Then Judgement. And then...once all the souls are gathered...turn off the lights and lock the door.”
“It's ok to say you don't agree with it, babe.” Mary looked to the Son.
“I mean, I mostly do. I understand what Dad wants in a way that no one...well...almost no one...ever has. But I'll miss the universe.” Jesus admitted.
“You mean your Sister?” Mary asked.
Raphael quickly looked around, afraid someone might be listening. But the closest Angel was Uriel, on guard duty, and he already knew. “Mary! Be careful!”
“Yes, please. Only a few of the Angels know about that. I think it might break them worse than putting down the Rebellion did.”
Mary didn't seem to agree, but she nodded.
“I know she's out there, I can feel her, but we've never met. I really want to. How does she feel about Dad? Creation? The Plan? Or me?” Jesus rubbed the back of his neck.
“Then go look for her.” Mary stood up. “Anyways, sorry, I know you had questions for J, Rafe. I'm going to go talk to Uriel for a bit.” She walked off without another word.
Jesus sighed. “Part of me wishes I'd never told her that story. But I love her, how could I keep the truth from her?”
“It's one thing to love a God. Another to love a person. And you're both.” Raphael tried to soothe her friend.
“Yeah. Yeah. When I was a kid, I could scream at the sky and say it wasn't fair. But I'm an adult now.”
“Well, mostly. If you were mortals, I'd say you could use some counseling.” Raphael grinned.
“Oh, you mean me and Mary? Or...me and Dad?”
Raphael shrugged. “I'm afraid I can't help with that. It's all way above my pay grade. But maybe a family reunion is in order. At least before the Second Coming and all that.”
“Speaking of which, I can tell you came here to talk about something important.”
“Yeah, let me fill you in.” Raphael told the story as she knew it.
Jesus frowned. “Danielle Western. No, doesn't ring a bell. But that's intended. I'm a part of God, but separate. Dad can keep secrets from me. I don't know what part she has to play- it could be anything. She could bring about world peace, or be lined up to be the next Madonna.”
Raphael's eyes got very big. “No..you don't think...?”
“What, that she's part of the Bloodline of David? Anyone could be. Still, I'd like to think that if the person who was destined to become my Mom was engaged to a Demon, Dad would be moving Heaven and Earth.”
“Unless that's part of the plan.” Raphael pointed out.
Jesus made a face. “No. Not with how he feels about the Nephilim. Which any child they produced would be.”
Raphael frowned. “God doesn't hate the Nephilim, you know.”
“Hate? No. But their existence is not part of The Plan. And it's a reminder that everything evil in the world, is as much his fault as everything good. Hey, on that note, when you see Mist, can you tell her that I miss her and would like to chat sometime?”
The Angel nodded. “Will do. I'm looking forward to seeing her again myself.”
Jesus stood. “I'm going to talk to Mary. Then I think I need to talk to another Mary. Two thousand years later, and Mom still gives me the best advice.”
Raphael stood as well. “Moms are a gift from God. Well, the good ones, at least.”
“Heh. You're not wrong. If I find out anything that can help, I'll be in touch. And if you need help...” Jesus gave Raphael a hug. “You call me.”
“Will do, J.” Raphael felt warm and loved. Jesus gave the best hugs!
“And good luck.”
Raphael spread her wings and too flight. She felt she was going to need all the luck she could get.