Chapter 10 – 1985

Hundreds of years came and went, the world changed and grew and evolved, and Gabriel changed along with it. So many centuries playing the part of the Trickster had hardened him. He'd always played his tricks on the deserving douchebags of the world, but as time went on, he started to get desensitized to them and his tricks became harsh to the point of being punishments. He always had a slightly deprecating sense of humor, but he seemed to be sinking toward a brand new low.

The year was 1985 and the place was a little town called Ojai in California. Gabriel had recently finished taking care of some pedophile in upstate New York and thought it was about time he took a few days off. He'd heard about a concert in Ojai with some rock band that was just starting out and thought that might be a good way to unwind, so he teleported into town the night before and found himself a motel.

The next day, Gabriel headed to the park where the concert was taking place. It turned out he needed a ticket to actually get into the concert, so he found a bench on a little hillside where he could hear the music and get a little view of the stage. He could easily have teleported into the concert, but there was always the chance someone would notice him appearing out of nowhere and he really didn't want to cause any trouble that day, so he was content with his bench. A few songs into the show, a young woman with curly brown hair came up the hill.
"Hey, um... do you mind if I join you?" she asked.
"Not at all," said Gabriel, making room for her on the bench.
"Thanks," she said. "My name's Amber, by the way."
"I'm... Gabe," said Gabriel, picking the safest moniker for the situation.
"Nice to meet you," Amber said with a smile. "Hey, would you like a sandwich? My friend flaked on me so I've got an extra."
"That'd be great, thanks," Gabriel said.
"I hope you like strawberry jam," said Amber, pulling two brown bags out of her purse.
"I love it!" said Gabriel.
He took the bag she offered him and they fell silent for a while, eating their sandwiches and listening to the band play. They soon started talking again and Gabriel found himself taking a liking to her, something he hadn't really given himself the luxury of doing for years.
"What d'you say to going and getting a drink together after the show's over?" he offered.
"I'd love that. It's been ages since anyone's asked me out for a drink," said Amber.

When the show ended, Gabriel and Amber walked into town. The sun was going down and the street lamps were starting to flicker into life, and Gabriel felt more normal than he had in centuries.
"So, I only just got into town yesterday... know any good bars?" he asked.
"Oh yeah, the Village Jester's pretty good," Amber suggested.
"Sounds good to me," said Gabriel, trying to ignore the irony in the place's name.
They went to the bar and found a table. Gabriel bought them both drinks and they settled down to chat.
"You say you only just came to town yesterday, but if you came for the concert, you'd have bought tickets," said Amber, eying him over the top of her glass.
"Well, I did come for the concert, but it was sort of a last-minute decision," said Gabriel. "I'm a bit of a, uh... wanderer, I guess you could say. Never really stay anywhere for long. I've stayed in places for a few years before, but usually I'm only around for a couple of weeks before I'm off again."
"You seem to live like you're homeless but you've obviously got some sort of job or you couldn't have bought me a drink," Amber said. "So what do you do?"
Gabriel shrugged.
"Odd jobs here and there, whatever I can pick up someplace. Sometimes it's just hustling if I'm only gonna be around for a few days."
"And... how long are you planning on staying in Ojai?" asked Amber.
"I haven't decided yet," replied Gabriel.
He stared at her a moment before taking a drink. They fell to talking about other things for a while – movies and traveling and The Beatles... Gabriel had just bought them another round when Amber brought their first subject back.
"But don't you ever get tired of just hopping around from town to town? Have you never thought about settling down, or visiting your family? Or... sorry, have you, uh... have you got any family?" she asked.
"Yeah, I've got family... I just... I ran away a long time ago and, well... I didn't leave on the best terms so going home is sorta out of the question..." said Gabriel. "And yeah, I guess I do get tired of wandering sometimes. I still get homesick, even though it's been years. I tried settling down once but... well, it didn't work out... sometimes I wonder if maybe... I could try to stay someplace again..."
He trailed off and dropped his gaze to the glass in front of him. Amber reached across the table and gently placed her hand on his.
"I'm sorry you miss your family," she said. "I don't know how much it would help but... you can stay with me while you're here in Ojai. I've got a spare room in my apartment. That way you don't have to pay for a motel. And maybe then it'll be a little less lonely. For both of us."
Gabriel looked up at her and smiled.
"Thanks, Amber. I'd like that," he said.

Gabriel had never been sure how long he'd stay in Ojai. But after about a week of staying with Amber in her apartment, he was starting to think it might be one of his lengthier stops. Amber's decision to let him stay with her had been made after a few drinks and four hours of acquaintance, so a lot of her friends and family were appalled, especially when they found out that Gabriel was basically a homeless nomad. Gabriel was determined to dissuade them from their first impressions of him. But what happened at the end of the second week would probably only convince them all more.

Gabriel and Amber were having a couple of beers after dinner that weekend and just talking when Amber brought up her parents.
"You know, they all think you seduced me or something," she said.
"Seriously?" said Gabriel.
"Yeah. They legitimately think we're fucking," Amber said.
"Wow... have you got some sorta reputation or do they just think I'm a sleazy bastard?" Gabriel asked.
"Bit of both, I suppose," Amber shrugged, taking a drink.
"Seriously?" Gabriel said again. "You've got a reputation? You?"
"Hey, I've hooked up before," said Amber, mildly defensive.
"No I don't doubt it, I just... didn't realize your parents would know about it," said Gabriel.
"Yeah, they've, uh... caught me in bed a couple times..." Amber said.
"That must've been awkward..." Gabriel mused.
"What, you've never been walked in on before?" said Amber in surprise.
"Nah, there was never anyone there to walk in on me," said Gabriel.
"Well, there's no one here to walk in on us now either..." Amber said.
"Yeah... wait," Gabriel said, eying her suspiciously. "Are you...?"
"Oh come on, Gabe, don't play innocent, I know you're far from it," teased Amber.
"Girl, you've got no idea," said Gabriel with a smirk.
"Then give me an idea," said Amber, setting down her beer bottle. "Come on, I've got a reputation to uphold."
"And I've got a sleazy bastard reputation to solidify, I suppose," Gabriel replied.
"Why not give my parents the satisfaction of being right?" said Amber, crawling across the sofa towards him.
Gabriel grinned and closed the remaining distance between them, locking their lips together in a kiss. God, it'd been ages since Gabriel had kissed anyone like that. It felt good. It felt even better when Amber began to unbutton his shirt, nipping at his neck as they shed their clothes, tossing them onto the living room floor. Gabriel groaned with pleasure as she pinned him down; his hands were tangled in her hair as she kissed him again, each of them playing for dominance but at the same time, each giving in to the whims of the other.
"You're certainly living up to your reputation, Amber," Gabriel murmured breathlessly.
"I should hope so," Amber replied cheekily. "Now it's your turn."
Gabriel smirked at her and, using an amount of strength he rarely allowed himself to show, flipped Amber onto her back.
"I'm only just getting started, sweetheart," he said playfully.
He kissed her again, a few times on the lips before making his way down her cheek to her neck. Amber's legs were wrapped around his waist. He had a hand in her hair and the other was behind her back, holding her close to him.
The next morning, they woke up to the sun shining through the window at them. Their clothes were still scattered on the floor and they were tangled up together on the tiny sofa. This quickly became the new state of things and Gabriel and Amber awoke most mornings surrounded by their clothes and wrapped in each others arms.

Gabriel had been in Ojai nearly two months when Amber approached him one day, looking rather uncomfortable. He was immediately worried. Tentativeness was not a quality Amber possessed, and Gabriel had known this since the day they met.
"Is everything okay, sweetheart?" he asked.
"I've got something to tell you..." Amber said, sitting down next to him.
"What is it?"
"I... I'm pregnant," said Amber.
Gabriel's stomach lurched unpleasantly.
"Oh no..." he muttered.
"I know, we're gonna have to tell my parents, it's gonna be a disaster..." Amber said.
"No, it's not that, it's... oh, God..." Gabriel put a hand to his forehead, feeling sicker by the minute. "Amber, I've got a serious amount of explaining to do. Oh God, I'm such an idiot, I should've... how am I gonna explain this, you're never gonna believe me..."
"Gabe, you know you can tell me anything. And if this has got something to do with the baby, then you're gonna have to tell me no matter what," said Amber, taking his hand.
"Yeah, this has got everything to do with the baby," sighed Gabriel. "Look, Amber, I've never told you everything about my past, and there's a reason for that. It's because my past is quite a lot longer than you'd expect from looking at me. Centuries longer. Millennia, actually."
"Excuse me?" said Amber disbelievingly. "Gabe, are you drunk?"
"No, I'm not," said Gabriel. "And my name's not really Gabe. Well, it is, sorta. Gabe is short for Gabriel. As in the archangel Gabriel."
"Yeah, I know, your parents named you after him, right?" said Amber.
"No. I am him. I'm the archangel Gabriel."
Amber stared at him.
"Okay, no, I take it back. You're not drunk, you're insane!" she said, letting go of his hand.
"No, I'm not. Please, Amber, I can prove it to you. It's important, for both of us and the baby," Gabriel pleaded.
"Okay, prove it then" said Amber challengingly.
Gabriel took a deep breath and stood up. He threw back his shoulders and flexed his wings for the first time in centuries, manipulating the lights in the room to show Amber the massive shadows of his wingspan on the apartment wall. Amber stared at him in shocked silence as Gabriel brought the lights back to normal and sat back down next to her.
"So... you really are telling the truth..." she said at last.
"Yes, I am," said Gabriel.
"So it's all real, then? Heaven and angels and all that?" Amber asked.
"All of it. But that's not important right now," replied Gabriel. "What's important is what it means for us and for the child."
"What do you mean?" asked Amber.
"Angels and humans aren't supposed to... mate. It's technically forbidden. But it's still possible, just not enough angels go rogue for it to happen very often," said Gabriel.
"And what happens when angels and humans do mate?"
"Well, I doubt anything will be done about it upstairs, I don't think it'll be anyone's top priority what I've gotten up to after all these years. But it will have an effect on the baby," Gabriel said.
"What kind of effect? It won't have wings or something, will it?" said Amber fearfully.
"No, physically it'll seem like any normal child. But it'll be more powerful," Gabriel explained. "When an angel and a human procreate, the child is born a Nephilim. The child will be incredibly strong, maybe even more so than a regular Nephilim might be since I'm an archangel rather than a seraph. The child will also be much more durable against attack, though hopefully it'll never have to test that. But the thing is, if anyone in Heaven, any of my brothers and sisters, found out about this child, it'll be seen as an abomination. Not just because it's the child of their runaway brother but because it's the product of a union that they believe should never happen."
"So what do we do?" whispered Amber.
"Nothing. I've spent over a thousand years on earth and no one in Heaven has come after me. I doubt they'd do it now. And even if they did, I wouldn't let them touch you," said Gabriel.
"And what about the baby? Do you think it's an abomination too?" Amber asked, a tear rolling down her cheek.
"Of course not. I could never ever think that," Gabriel said gently. "That baby is ours and I don't care if it's against the rules, I've been breaking rules my entire life. I'll protect our child to my dying breath, just as I'll protect you, Amber. I promise."

Author's Note: This is the last chapter I currently have finished, but I promise there is more coming! In the meantime, I will be posting another fic I've been working on, so enjoy my other stuff and keep an eye out for new chapters of this story, because I promise they will come when I have the time and inspiration!