Disclaimers: All characters belong to rightful owners.
Story concieved by Lee.


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"OH NO! I might as well give up now... you have Uriel, the almighty guardian of whachamacallit at your service! What am I going to do with just one silly angel of _death_!" Lucia rolled her eyes and waved her hand at the newly awakened angel. Still, it was a bit disappointing to not have the upper hand. Not that she'd ever let Nathan know that, but it was disappointing none the less.

Still, deep in her heart of hearts she really did have the better situation. Afterall, Uriel was not to Him was Samael was to her. She reached out and attached herself to Sam's arm, snuggling close to him with a grin present on his face. "This only stiffens my resolve, dearest. If an angel who has bathed in as much human blood as Uriel has can be in your 'good graces,' I fail to see why a perfectly repentatnt, upstanding young girl such as myself cannot.

"I mean, honestly Nathan! This seems like an unfair double standard!"

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"Innocence is simply a good euphemism for stupidty," Sam snorted as he shook his head slowly. That smirk still lingering at his lips, he made sure that the comtempt was only too clear in his voice. "As for the power of names, I suppose _that_ is why you hide yours so cleverly from those who would seek it... or simply because you're a coward, as always."

"Uriel?" He laughed disbelievingly as he wrapped his arm around Lucia's waist. It was a cozy pair, they made, with him wholly unaware of their later actions toward each other; all he remembered were the pleasant moments when the Morningstar had lit his somber world. "Oh, that does scare me. I think I may surrender now and save myself later pain. I, an angel of death, surely can't stand to one as Uriel, can I?"

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"Yay!! I'm so lucky!!" Arvel did a little dance before attaching himself to Lukas' arm, "I-can't-believe-you're-going-to-the-dance- with-me-that's-so-super-cool-and-I'm-the-luckiest-guy-alive-and-Hi, Sam!!" He added that last as Lukas began yelling into his cellphone.

Estelle shrugged and turned to Jeremy. "Let's just hope the Wingless fangirls don't try to do him in. He's going to have a lot of people angry with him for having Lukas as a date."

Jeremy scoffed, "Yeah, whatever. I'd rather go with you any old day."

Estelle shook her head, "If some bosom blonde asked you, you know you'd go."

"I would not!" Jeremy objected, "I'm goin' with you! I'm not gonna dump you, not even for Arvel's mom!!"

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"Glad to see your confidence has returned to the both of you," Uriel spat as approached the two angels. A suppressed rage burned in her eyes as she neared Lucia; if not for Nathan's presence, she would surely have ripped her former superior's eye outs. "Considering the last time I saw you, you were crawled up in a ball weeping over the fact that you betrayed Elohim. Yes, quite a shame." Her gaze then turned over to Sammuel. Yes she hated him, not nearly as much as she hated Lucifer. They were alike in many ways, pining away for someone who could never truly be theres. Not that she'd ever admit it. "Oh, and who can forget the GREAT angel of death. Ha! Last time I saw you." She paused and looked over at Lucia, "You remember, don't you Lucifer? I mean, you would know the details of that more than anyone..."

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"Uriel! That's enough!" Nathan's voice boomed with an intensity and power that he had not revealed previously. The command rang through the former's angel ears and caused her to jolt. The small girl in Nathan's arm fidgetted, bringing him back to his calmer state. He smiled as he hushed the small girl his arms. "It's okay," he whispered to the young girl as he walked over to the three angels. His fallen servants. That's all they were Nathan. Nothing more, he assured himself as he grabbed the back of Uriel's neck. "She's not here to fight," he said as he looked over to the two angels. His eyes had glossed over just as Eva's had, and the tone in his voice no longer had the same warmth and comfort that he had addressed the small child with. "At least that's not what I had intended her for. No, she's here as an example." Tighting his grip around the back of her neck, the girl whimpered in fear as she looked at her former master. "You know what the problem was with you angels, you're very unappreciative. I gave you life, I gave you power, I gave you-- everything-- and you still betrayed me. The very _reason_ you're standing in front of me and haven't been cast back into oblivon is through my divine will alone. See, you amuse me, as does this pathetic little bet of ours. I mean, did you even think of what the consequences are if you lose, Lucifer." Eva's head flung back as he finished up the first part of his threat. "One of the ideas I was playing with is that you get locked up in that human body of yours, just like Uriel here. You two were so sure, you were slaves before. By the time I'm done, you'll see what slavery really is."

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"Wow, Lukes. I never knew you could be so gosh darn kinky! I wish you were this friendly with me..." Kisoku spoke flatly into the phone. "Where are you at? I just met another potential guy of my dreams, which turned out to be a bust, and I need someone to whine to, and you know I can't do that with Sam, especially now, 'cause you know he might do something like, ooooh let's seeeee, rip my face off?"

He took a breath. "Anywayz yeah, today sucks. How are you? And more importantly, where'd you say you were again?"

A breath, a pause.

"...and who are you with?"

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At one time, Lucia might've cowered in fear at Nathan's most recent show of bravado. However, all it took was their encounter at the park to prove to her that He was completely stupid and ignorant when it came to her. It was as if He had never known her to begin with. It was as if the entire pre-lapsarian period of their lives had never existed, and the bright and beautiful Lucifer had only been a figment of everyone's imagination. All that remained in His mind was the Devil that the humans had made up: gluttonous, petty, and deceitful. And in that sense, He was horribly wrong.

And she was going to teach Him a long overdue lesson, whether He liked it or not.

"You gave us everything? Ah yes, dearest, at one point you _had_ given us everything. Our existence... our purpose... and-- the most important in my mind-- love. But you were an Indian giver, darling, and by making your 'wonderfully flawed' little humans, you revoked the gift of Love. You neglected us. I was no slave to you, precious. I was slave to myself, and the anger which boiled within me because you gave up on us... and for what? For flawed little creatures who didn't do exactly what you wanted them to do. For that, they were cute and marvelous and interesting... for their free will."

She clentched her hands into fists and flames leapt up from the skin of one of them. She usually had such good control over her powers, but at that moment, she felt as though she might explode and incinerate the entire planet. "But what about me, huh? I have FLAWS! I make MISTAKES! I make a choice based upon FREE WILL! BUT OH NO! IT IS NO LONGER CUTE OR MARVELOUS OR _FUCKING_ INTERESTING! IT'S A SIN! I'M BANISHED AND LEFT TO DIE! AND NOW YOU THREATEN ME! BY WHAT RIGHT, YOU ARROGANT, SELFISH BASTARD! BY WHAT FUCKING RIGHT!"

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A full-body wince shook Sam as Uriel mentioned, even vaguely, the last time anyone had seen him. It couldn't be explained-- by right nor logic-- why there was a sudden twist of agony through him nor why his entire body felt as if it were burning in the hottest furnace or being torn apart, particle by particle. Still, as Lucia began to scream, his mind was torn from this and, straightening slowly, he reached to place a hand on her shoulder.

"Lucia, why..." He murmured in a very human and a very confused tone. His face reflecting this, he tried to find sense in the words, but there was so little sense in anything that it was truly difficult. "What's wrong?"

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Lucia was caught in the midst of full blown rage when Sam touched her shoulder, and suddenly, she was reminded of Uriel's words and of the last time that her pain and rage had been let loose. Taking in a deep breath, she pulled the flames back into her skin, and that was when the tears began.

They weren't heaving sobs. That was the strange part. Her body didn't seem at all affected by them, but still they fell down heavily. Tear after tear slid down her face like the tears that the fell down Madonnas' faces which people often brushed off as a trick or some anomaly of the humidity and water condensation. She didn't care to wipe them away. In fact, they were almost soothing.

She was quite glad that they didn't take away from her voice, as she spoke to Sam. "Oh nothing's wrong dear. I just lost my temper when this guy ran into you is all. Y'know me. I'm such a hot head sometimes..."

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Nathan was boiling. How dare she speak to him like he had betrayed her? She was his most trusted angel, and she was responsible for the angel uprising against him and the senseless slaughter of innocent life. Yes, the humans made mistakes, but they had no clue what they were doing. They lacked the knowledge that the angels had of his existence. There was intent behind their actions. But at the same time it still hurt. ::So you admit it was an attack against me, and not the humans:: he thought quietly.

His attention was quickly turned to Sam; as the human plea helped quelch Nathan's firey temper. Not to mention, it had allowed him to become all too aware on how public they were. Luckily the streets were empty at the moment, and the passengers in the passing cars were too preoccupied with the idea of getting home to pay attention to the group on the sidewalk. Nathan sighed and peered over at a pile of snow at the corner of the street. 'Water is water,' he thought to himself as he motioned towards it with the hand he held Charlene in. Insantly it flew from the ground and against Lucia's hand, creating a sizzling noise as it made contact with the flames.

"For God's sake, Lucia" he paused a bit and shook his head a bit as the irony of the last comment hit him. Okay, maybe he WAS spending a little bit too much time with the humans. "Forget that last part. Listen. Just take the boy home, his mind needs to recover from this experience."

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"Oh, uh, that's okay, Luc! He really didn't do any harm," Sam enthused in a voice that was just an echo of his usual jauntiness, but it was his, all the same. Suddenly, he felt terribly sore and tired, almost as if someone had beaten him quite thorougly, and the confusion really hadn't cleared at all. Maybe he had hit his head when the man had run into him? That might explain some of it... but why was his whole body sore, then?

These thoughts were gone, though, as he felt a drip of moisture-- Lucia's tears-- on his hand and, his own concern gone, he attempted to draw the girl into a comforting hug. It was just a natural desire to both want to give and to receive comfort at this moment.

"Still, ah, you... don't have to take me home." He continued with that forced cheer as he shook his head. "If you guys have stuff you need to discuss or whatever, I'm sure I can find my own way."

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The tears wouldn't stop, but at the moment, Lucia didn't care. She turned her body into Sam's, needing that extra bit of warmth and protection. Once again, she felt shattered and vulnerable and worthless... nothing had gone right for her since she had made that stupid mistake so long ago.

"No Sam, it's alright. I think He and I are done here..." She nestled her head underneath the other's chin, listening to the sound of his heart beating. For some odd reason, even though it was a human heartbeat, just that small reassurance that he was alive and all was well did something to ease the more troubled bits of her soul.

She turned a wary glance at Nathan that clearly showed how hurt and broken she truly felt at that moment. ::Well, Uriel isn't simply here to be a fighter for you. Maybe Samael isn't simply here to be a fighter for me...::

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Lukas couldn't help but smile at Arvel's excitement... even though it gave his conscience a slight pang as well. He truly hadn't realized that the boy had a crush on him, or he'd have never asked him to the dance-- he'd simply seen it as a way to help the kid out since he seemed so anxious to go... and of course, it was a good way to keep tabs on the Sammy/Lucia situation as well... Ye gods, and he accused Sam of cluelessness... Well, he was stuck now, and no mistake, but he'd make sure Arvel had a great time... hopefully without getting the kid's hopes up that this was more than a one- shot deal.

Any humor he might have still possessed soon fled, however, and he had to struggle to suppress the groan of protest that sought escape when Kisoku's voice came through the receiver. Jesus Christ on a sooped up pony, the man could certainly pick his times... As Kiso launched into his litany of complaints, the Cajun had to bite back the retort that he'd *had* the best possible mate, and had dumped him like yesterday's newspaper in a move that rivalled even Sam for sheer fuck-uppery. But hell no... wouldn't do at all to say something like that... besides... they'd already danced to that music once, and he really wasn't in the mood for a reprise.

"Sorry Kiso..." he replied in a voice just as flat as the other man's, "Sammy's been screwin' roun' with my phone again, an' I just assumed it was him callin'..." 'Hoped' might have been a better word... but he wasn't about to admit that to anyone-- especially not Kisoku. "Anyway..." he continued, "I'm just leavin' school now, on my way to Mickey P's with Arvel an' his crowd... If you wanna talk, you welcome to join us there... or I can meet you later-- they gotta be somewhere by five... whichever you prefer..."

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Before Nathan could say/think anything, a familar group of old women turned the corner and walked past the group. Upon seeing the crying girl, they instantly looked at Nathan and shook they're head disapprovingly while talking to each other of how un-gentleman-like men were nowadays. ::What, is there a nursing home full of bitter old women here or something?:: Nathan thought out loud before turning to Lucia and Sam. He smiled at the couple before waving at the two. "Once again, sorry for tripping over you. Really wasn't paying attention."

Turning over to Evangelina who had begun to come out of her state, he cleared his throat and continued as if they had been conversating the entire time, "Look Eva, I'm really sorry you ended with with Charlene, I was running late from a job interview at the high school."

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"Ummm... That's okay," Eva said looking around the street. She couldn't remember things clearly at the moment. 'Shit, I zoned out again...' she thought to herself as she folded up her arms. "I don't mind, I watch her in class on Sunday anyway."

"How about coffee? My treat," Nathan asked, slowly looking at the two other angels from the side of his eye.

"Umm... I... Yeah... Sure!" Eva muttered out slowly, berating herself the entire time for losing her cool in front of him. "Great," Nathan said, leading the three of them in the opposite direction of Lucia and Sam. "I'll take you to this great place I always go to called HarvestMoon..." As Nathan rambled on, he did not take notice to Eva turning back slightly to look at Lucia. After shooting a cocky smirk to her former rival, she quickly turned back to Nathan and smiled. "Yah, I think I heard about it..."

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"Oh yeah?" Darran challenged jokingly. "Sounds kind of threatening, babe... what do you think _would_ happen?" He shot Para a goofy little eyebrow wiggle over the rim of his coffee cup, just to be stupid, and didn't stop to wonder how his flirting always regressed to fifth grade level around this girl...

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Sophia frowned-- who could _help_ scowling back in the face of such nastiness-- as the man's sarcasm brought the memory back. *Last week... Dante, I think his name was...* "I was wondering if you're alright-- you're bleeding," she replied evenly. "Dante, isn't it?"

She paused for a second, then added, "And I'm sorry to have stared at you." She didn't need any snark in her tone or implicit meaning in her statement-- the steady gaze of Sophia's eyes said clearly enough that her words were just as much rebuke for his rudeness as apology for her own.

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Absently, Sam noted a surge of odd emotion as the man and some woman he hadn't even noticed to this moment, but it was quite easily pushed away as Lucia cuddled up to him. Holding her tightly, he pressed his face into her short hair as he stroked a gentle hand over her back.

"What about you, babe?" He asked quietly as he strove for his usual light tones. It was better to be the cheerful one in a situation like this. No point in letting everyone be sad and mopey. "D'you want to go grab something to eat? It might make you feel a bit better..."

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Para had to giggle at the eyebrow wiggling, even if it _was_ a gradeschool effort. It was just so damn _cute_... like everything Darran did seemed to be. It was charming, in a way, too, to see how the man reacted to the things she did with smiles or laughter or any of the above. It was early, but she thought she really liked him.

"Hm," She mused for a second as she let a truly evil glint come into her eyes. Head tipped on side, she thought for longer than strictly necessary before raising both hands in perfect tickling position; apparently, she hadn't learned from last time. "I just don't know."

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"Yea, it's Dante," He agreed with a slight nod as he tried not to look surprised. Really, it was a bit of a shock that the girl would remember him, but, then again, such circumstances seemed to lend themselves to memory, he supposed. It wasn't every day that a pimp tried to seduce your teacher.

This thought brought a soft laughter to him and, his face softened by it, he again looked the seventeen year old that he truly was. Still, at the mention that he was still bleeding, Dante lost the laughter quickly and, face once again hard and serious, he turned the bleeding hand palm up. Taking in the series of bleeding nail marks cut into the flesh, he sighed softly, but he didn't see what the problem was; it wasn't even bleeding that freely, any more.

"Yea, I guess I am still bleeding," He remarked idly. Deciding that it might be a bit disturbing to the girl, he resigned himself to cleaning up the blood and, after a moment's rooting, he produced a handkerchief from his pocket. Without a whole lot of care, he cleaned away the last remains of the blood before stuffing the cloth back from whence it'd come and turning his attention back to the girl. "Better?"

Still, he couldn't help a smirk at the mention of staring at him and, though he likely could have let it slip without a sarcastic remark, that would not have been up to Dante's usually style. He was, after all, a completely assholic hellbitch.

"Yea, I guess staring can't be helped." He snarked as he ran his freshly cleaned hand through the loose bits of his hair. Rolling his eyes at himself, he crossed his arms as he levelled a glance on the girl, though, as their eyes met, he tried not to wince at what he saw there. "Just as long as you don't make it a habit, right?"

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