Camille was being very careful to obey the rules of the road and stay under the speed limit due to the fact she was driving a stolen car. Granted, Natalie's husband was unlikely to notice it missing anytime soon, like too many men with too much money, he had too many nice things. Too many cars, the Mazda RX-8 being among them.
Natalie had finally stopped crying in the back seat. Camille would have been happier with her in the front seat next to her, but she was now small enough to require a carseat, which they didn't have.
Having no clothes that could fit her, she was wrapped in a blanket, quietly staring out the window. They still had another hour before they'd reach the secluded bungalow. Once there, she could leave Natalie alone long enough to go get supplies and purchase some clothes for her...
She hoped. Part of her was terrified that if she left Natalie alone, that the cursed woman would try to hurt herself. Her sister had lost her legs in a car accident, and depression had hit her hard. Then one day, she seemed to be getting better...
Natalie had gone out on a date, only to come back to find her sister had taken too many pills and died in her sleep. Her family had never been the same after that, and her mother had even blamed her for going out on a date and letting her sister die.
That's when Natalie had emigrated to the United States. She couldn't take it anymore. Now she feared she was in a similar situation, having to protect someone she loved from themselves.
The impossibility of the afternoon still plagued her, but she couldn't deny what she'd seen with her own eyes. Couldn't deny that her lover had been diminished, reduced to a small child not even four feet tall.
A child with haunted eyes, eyes too old for her face. And God, she was so beautiful now- if she had been one of most beautiful women in the world before, she had the promise of being a goddess in flesh whens he grew up. If she ever did.
That horrible Gemory girl had said she might be this way forever! Though as long as she watched over her, she would not age either. As if she needed incentive or she would tire of Natalie.
She refused to admit to herself that she ever would. But she knew that Natalie had many lovers. That she was just one of many. And that the woman was notoriously fickle- cheating on her husband without a care in the world, even as she benefited from his wealth.
Not that Marcus cared. He was wealthy, and wanted all the best things. That included the best trophy wife. Camille knew that he cheated on Natalie just as well.
They were horrible people. So why did she love Natalie? She couldn't say.
So she continued to drive.
Finally, the girl spoke up, her voice so soft and quiet, she thought she imagined it. “I'm hungry.”
“Ok honey. I'll stop to get something to eat.” Camille signaled to turn off the next exit.
“Why?” It was a simple question, and it could mean anything.
“Why did Danielle do this to you?” Camille replied.
“No. That I understand. Not how she did it...but why. I made her hate me so much...I'm evil.” Natalie choked back a sob. “Why are you helping me?”
Camille got off the expressway. She couldn't have this conversation and drive at the same time. She pulled into the parking lot of a McDonald's, parked, and turned to face Natalie. “Come here.”
The tiny girl clambered over the console into the front, between the two bucket seats, careful not to lose her blanket. Natalie put the seat back and pulled the girl into her lap, holding her. “Because I love you, my darling.”
Natalie started crying. “How can you love me? I can't love anyone!”
“Shh. I know. You are twisted up inside. I don't know why. But I don't think you are evil. Even though I was only your servant, you were gentle with me in bed. Do you remember?”
“I...I was fond of you. But it was only sex. It didn't mean anything.”
Camille sighed. “Didn't it?” She stroked the girl's long blonde hair. “Love can be a blessing and a curse. I know you don't love me. And maybe you would have turned me aside eventually. But what we have, it is important to me.”
“What we had. Look at me!”
Camille turned the girl's head to face her. “I am.”
“I'm a baby. A freak!”
“No, not a freak.” She knew what she had to do. So she kissed the girl.
Natalie's eyes were wide in shock after the kiss was ended. “But...but...how can you love me like this?”
“I don't know. But I do. I see the eyes of someone I care about staring out at me from that little girl's face- eyes that are full of pain. And all I want to do is make that pain go away.”
Natalie was quiet for a bit in Camille's arms. Then, she spoke. “I don't deserve you.”
Raphael watched them for a bit. Really she was here to examine the magic that was used in order to satisfy her curiosity, but Camille's love for Natalie was unusually strong, and she wanted to help out.
Natalie herself was on the borderline. Not good enough for Heaven, not bad enough for Hell. She could go either way, and right now, she was in a vulnerable state. If a demon popped up right now and offered her a deal...
Just then, she sensed a presence. “Oh you have to be kidding me!” She really needed to learn not to tempt fate!
Sure enough, a handsome man wearing a suit and tie was walking up to the Mazda. An incongruous flat cap was perched atop his head. A Salesman.
Contract devils were insidious. Very little power on their own, but they could make binding and powerful deals between mortals and their masters. Though if they did well, and grew fat on the mistery and torment they caused, they could become much stronger.
And this one seemed rather well-fed. What Danielle had probably not realized was that the magic she had poured into her Mother would make her stand out like a bloody steak in shark-infested waters. Well, not tonight, buster!
Raphael cracked her knuckles as she moved to intercept the devil, becoming visible as she did.
The Salesman lost his cocky grin, and instead looked confused. “You can see me?!”
“Oh yes.” Raphael grinned. He was over 6' tall and looked like he worked out. This was going to be fun. When was the last time she'd had a good scrap?
“Whatever, little girl, if you run, I might not rape you and send your soul to Hell.” He hissed, his eyes becoming snakelike.
“Oh you stupid idiot. You had to say the one thing that was going to piss me off, didn't you?” Of all sins, even murder, rape was something Raphael could not stand. She remembered the streets of Sodom, so long ago, when she and the Angel of Death, Azrael, had gone to save Lot and his family.
Her heart had been sick by what she had seen that day, and she felt no remorse, even after Azrael lay waste to the accursed cities.
She revealed her halo then, and it lit up the parking lot like the sun. The devil shrieked in pain, momentarily blinded. Most Angels simply rely on superhuman strength to smite the wicked. Raphael had a sadistic streak that she kept buried, save for special occasions.
This was one such occasion. Angel of Love or not, she had learned how to fight, and how to make people hurt. And what better teachers for that were there than humans? Krav maga was a truly terrifying art, no flash, no art, it was a skill designed to break an opponent.
And that's what she did, until her fists were covered in whatever passed for the devil's blood. She grabbed him by the neck until his eyes bulged out. Eventually, he did the only thing he could do to escape her wrath, and retreated to Hell, his physical form turning into so much black slimy ichor.
“Ugh! I hate ichor!” She wiped her hands clean, only to find they were red and bleeding. Not because of anything the demon had done- her anger had made her very bones break her own skin as she hit the Salesman.
Squaring her shoulders, she walked to the Mazda. Because of the magic they had been affected by, they could see her clearly, and both girls were terrified. Quenching out the light of her halo, she put on her most cheerful smile and waved. “Hey, can we talk?”
Sitting inside the McDonald's, Raphael idly sucked down her milkshake while the two picked at their food, still staring at her wide-eyed. She didn't need to eat, of course, but ever since Raziel had shown her ice cream, she was a huge fan.
“Come on, I know what you saw in the parking lot was scary, but honest, I'm friendly!” She tried to calm them down.
Raphael had conjured clothes for Natalie, who looked positively adorable in a white, long-sleeved blouse and rainbow-colored skirt. Somehow, the skirt reminded her of Joseph's coat, though it was much brighter. A furry cap shaped like a cat's head perched on her head. It was ridiculous, but so cute!
And being a fashion model, Natalie had put on what she'd been given without a second thought, even the bobby socks and two-toned saddle shoes.
Raphael had to put a glamour onto to the girl, however. She was really -too- attractive, and she didn't need to be punching out perverts until dawn (though, just like Steve Rogers, she really could do that all day).
Camille, on the other hand, was plain next to the tiny girl. Which wasn't fair, she was a very pretty girl in her own right. Curly blonde hair, above average height, just enough padding in the right places, and bewitching hazel eyes. She was wearing jeans and a black t-shirt with a crudely drawn heart on it, and the words “Phoenix Ti Amo”, which she assumed was a French pop band.
The two stared a moment longer, but then Natalie reached for a fry and munched on it, apparently deciding the Angel wasn't here to hurt/punish/curse them.
“I am sorry, Miss Raphael.” Camille had good manners, at least. “But after what we've seen today...”
“No no, I get it completely. Two demons and an angel roll up on you, with one pissed off, empowered mortal girl in tow, Natalie gets totally cursed, and you're already skittish. Then I show up by pounding a devil flat...it wasn't the entrance I wanted to make.” Raphael smiled, then stole one of Natalie's fries.
“Hey! I was going to eat that!” The tiny girl glared at her, before realizing what she was saying. She looked stricken.
Raphael giggled at the sight of her. And that broke the ice, because soon all three of them were laughing. 'Yep, still got it', the Angel said to herself.
“Sorry, but you know what they say, no calories in stolen food!” She took another sip of her shake. “Man these things are so good.”
“Miss Raphael, you are an Angel, can you get fat?” Camille asked.
“No, not really.” Raphael admitted. “But I liked the joke when I heard it on Night Court.”
Natalie blinked. “You watch TV?”
“Oh yes. Angel culture is pretty much, venerate God, sing their praises, yadda yadda. It's pretty, but not very entertaining. So a lot of us become addicted to pop culture.” Raphael explained.
“You seem so...human.” Camille said.
“Well, in my case, I've always liked humans. I mean sure, you're capable of some pretty terrible things, but so are Angels. One of my friends is an Angel of Death, she once killed 185.000 people with a flaming sword in one afternoon. Just. Like. That.” Raphael made cutting motions with her hand for emphasis.
Camille shuddered. “They were...bad people?”
“Generally, yes. Sometimes though, good people get hurt because they have bad leaders. It's regrettable, but you can't intimidate Kings the same way as a normal person. World leaders, they think they're untouchable. They won't bow to you no matter what you threaten them with. So you have to hit them where it hurts. Dry up their resources, deprive them of rain, afflict their people with plagues, anything to lower popular opinion. Once they realize their own people are ready to rise up and depose them, they generally get the hint.”
“Killing first born sons?” Natalie added.
Raphael sighed. “Boy. I really need to stop alluding to the Exodus. It's really unflattering to us. But yes, in the case of particularly stubborn Pharoahs. I mean, you have to understand, the Egyptians had their own Gods, not as powerful as mine, but there were a lot of them. And of course, the Pharoah thought -He- was a God. That takes a special kind of hubris.”
“Wait, there are other Gods?” Camille blinked.
“I know you're a good Catholic girl, Camille, but yes. Why do you think the Commandments say 'Thou shalt have no other gods before Me'? Though, really, that's not what God said, but Moses had some funny ideas about things...” Raphael trailed off. “Ah, that's not important right now.”
“Can you help us?” Natalie asked.
'Hm, she said “us”, not me. That's a good start', Raphael thought. “Yes, and I will, though I can't remove your curse. Sorry, but it's a right mess. There's demon magic, the power of a scorned heart, and, of course, the fact you did bring some of it on yourself. Some people call it karma, but really, the bad things you do have a way of coming back to you, either in this life, or the next.” The Angel explained.
Natalie slowly nodded. “So I deserve it.”
“I don't think you 100% do, but maybe...I dunno, 60%? The good news is, you can overcome this. Make amends for the person you were, and try to become a better person going forward. But you have to be in it for the long haul.” Raphael was probably pushing things by giving Natalie explicit instructions- God wanted people to become Good on their own. But the way Raphael saw it, that was his own fault for not taking world religions to task, Christianity being a prime example, which was full of rules and commandments. Many of which were ignored, of course.
One didn't need to have religion to be Good. Just faith. It needn't even be faith in God, though atheists who end up in Heaven are often very confused! 'We should have a Heaven set aside for them', Raphael thought to herself, making a note of that for later.
“That..won't be easy.” Natalie frowned, but ate more of her food.
“Nothing worth doing ever is.” Raphael admitted. “But what I can do is keep you both protected from devils, and keep you hidden.”
“Like you are now, oui? We are invisible?” Camille spoke up.
“Oh you are a bright girl! Some people wouldn't have noticed. It's not precisely invisibility- it's more like, people don't see you as anything out of the ordinary. Though it does break down if you start acting suspiciously. So no running around naked or robbing people. But as long as you act in a way people would find normal, they will tend to not notice things that don't make sense. Like not aging.”
“What kind of normal?” Natalie asked.
“Well, if you're living in a town, for example, if you both act like...well not mother and daughter, I mean, you'd have had to have her at what, 15, Cam? Sisters, maybe? You don't make out in public, you go to school, Camille gets a job and does PTA things and bake sales...it could be decades before anyone realizes the same girl has repeated the 3rd grade two or three dozen times.”
Natalie blinked. “Go to school? Third grade!?”
“Well, you are pretty tiny, I guess you could go to the second grade first, then third, maaaaaybe fourth, but fifth would be pushing it.” Raphael shrugged.
“Oh my God.” Natalie stared at her hands.
“Quite.” She wanted to say God didn't have anything to do with this. Sure, ultimately, he created the universe, so he bore a little responsibility...but there was one thing Raphael hadn't mentioned. While the spells that Dani used were, themselves, created by Gemory, their power came from the user, not her.
And Danielle had way too much power for a mortal by far. Combine that with the fact that no information was available about her, and there was a standing order to leave her alone...Raphael knew in her bones (even if she didn't always -have- bones!) that her Creator was up to something. She didn't know what it was, but she knew it was going to be -good-! She wanted to rub her hands with glee, but she restrained herself.
Camille was blushing, probably about that 'making out' comment. Raphael fixed her with a stare. “No, it's not a sin, I know what you're thinking.”
Camille deflated. “You can read my mind? Of course you can...”
“Well yes, but I don't have to. I'm the Angel of Love, dear. I'm really good at reading people. You're completely in love with Natalie, of course you still find her physically attractive. Now if she were actually a child, and an innocent, things might be different, but she's not either of those things.”
“But she looks...” Camille frowned.
“Oh you're thinking that something is wrong with you, and you're going to be attracted to any pretty little girl you come in contact with?” Raphael shook her head, then assumed a much younger form, that of a girl of ten. “You want to go make out somewhere?”
Camille looked repulsed. “What, no!”
Raphael giggled, and Natalie joined her. Camille looked at Natalie in disbelief.
“I'm sorry, Camille, but the look on your face!”
Camille smiled sheepishly, blushing. “Forgive me, Miss Raphael. You are very pretty but...no.”
Raphael grinned. “Just making a point. Huh, I've never been this young before. It's kind of neat, everything is so big.”
“I don't think it's very neat.” Natalie grumbled.
“Ah, well it's not really a new experience for you. And I'm not exactly stuck like this. I'm guessing the first time around wasn't all that hot?”
Natalie sighed. “No, it wasn't.”
“Well, maybe this time will be better. After all, you have Camille.” Raphael smiled.
Natalie actually brightened a bit. “You're right.” She reached for Camille's hand and held onto it.
“There we go. You two are going to be alright.” Raphael beamed. Outside of stomping devils and people who acted like devils, nothing made her feel better than a successful hookup.
“Forgive me, Miss Raphael, but can I ask a question?” Camille looked very serious.
Raphael bowed her head. “By all means.” She assumed her older form (for now, at least), and tried to look serious.
“Is my sister in Hell?” Camille looked very upset, and near tears.
Surprised, Natalie glomped onto the taller girl. Another good sign.
Raphael had already accessed Camille's file, of course. “I'm not going to lie to you. Yes, she is. However, as much as most Angels would refuse to admit it, Hell isn't necessarily a bad place. Some parts are actually quite nice. Only the worst of the worst get consigned to the Pit.
Most people who go to Hell are guilty of small evils. Selfishness. Narcissism. Being hurtful for no other reason than they themselves were hurt.”
Natalie buried her face against Camille's side. Direct hit.
“But she was in pain...” Camille protested.
“Yes, she was. But rather than endure that pain, to try and become stronger, she took the easy way out. With no regards for the people who loved her. Even now, your heart is full of pain. Pain she left for you to live with. So while we can pity Emmanuelle, we can't ignore that sin.
Don't think I don't understand depression- I know more about it than you could ever realize. Some people can't grow past it, for a variety of reasons. They are damaged inside, perhaps from abuse, or life experiences they can't forget. Perhaps they suffer from some affliction or mental condition.
Not all suicides intend to be selfish. But it's like the say about the 'road to Hell'. It may very well be paved with good intent. It's rare, however, for someone to take their own life and not leave behind someone in pain.
When it was agreed that suicides would go to Hell, I admit, we weren't feeling as understanding. We would probably have done things differently now. But Lucifer treats every soul that goes to Hell fairly, and if someone went there who truly does not deserve it, there may be a chance for them when Judgement comes.”
“Wait, you say you 'we'. Was it not God who decided this?” Camille frowned.
“Ah...well...” Raphael scratched the back of her neck. “We don't often receive direct orders. It's more like 'hey, there's a situation. Handle it'. So we do the best we can.”
“I don't understand, why is it like that?” Camille wasn't able to comprehend.
Raphael understood her confusion. “You know that old bit about how 'God works in mysterious ways'? It's true. God has a Plan, but nobody is allowed to see the full shape of it.”
“I...that makes no sense. I can't believe that.” Camille looked torn.
“That's the beauty of what God has given you, Cam, honey. You have Free Will. You don't have to believe it. You can believe in anything your heart desires. I'm an Angel. I don't have that choice.”
She rode with them in the car. In the backseat, of course, as she'd conjured a carseat for Natalie. Who wasn't thrilled about it, but she was happier to be able to sit up front with Natalie.
When they got to the bungalow, Raphael put protection glyphs on it, and placed her Mark upon the two. And left them with a number to contact her with in case of emergencies. Then, giving them both a hug, she retreated to the Backroads.
Now that she was caught up to the present, it was time to contact Amielle. And then, prepare to meet with Gemory and Danielle.
“An Archangel's work is never done”, she sighed.