That weekend was the longest Gabriel ever had. After their little heart to heart he'd left Bessie to think about everything in peace.

"Just pray for me to come and I'll be there." He'd promised before he'd vanished right from under her nose. Maybe it would help her to wrap her mind around the fact the he really was an angel.

True to his word he left her alone for as long as she needed it and didn't peek on her despite how much he wanted to do just that. She had said she wanted him to be part of her life but that had been in the heat of the moment. Would she think the same after she'd slept over it?

Gabriel tried to distract himself with a little trip to Las Vegas but his mind wasn't on it. Then he sat in the center of a self-created candy-land, ready to blow himself into a sugar coma, but he'd lost his appetite and wasn't that a new one?

And then on Sunday evening he finally heard her prayer.

Ehm, Gabriel? I'm praying to you to enlighten me with you heavenly presents. God, this is so stupid.

Okay, they'd have to work on that but Gabriel didn't care. Bessie wanted to see him and for a second he wasn't sure if he could face her. What-ifs were swirling through his mind but he'd promised to be there.

"Hallo, Bessie." He said and it hurt just a little bit when she jumped at his sudden appearance.

"Gabriel. I wasn't sure if you'd actually come." With one hand at her chest she tried to calm her rapidly beating heart.

"I promised."

They were in the living room and after some awkward seconds they settled on the couch.

"Before you say anything." Gabriel interrupted her when she opened her mouth to speak. "I want you to know that I'll respect every decision you make."

"There is one thing I want to know first." She blushed like a teenager and Gabriel couldn't help but wonder what kind of embarrassing question was on her mind.

"Ask anything you want."

"Mister Gabriel Cherry." She let the name roll over her tongue and he cringed at the cherry part. Not one of his brighter ideas. "I'd really like to know the name of the man who got me pregnant. It's a society thing, you know. People will talk if I don't even know who put the bun in my oven."

"That's only fair." He chuckled softly, this didn't sound like she was about to kick him out. Quite the opposite, it sounded like she wanted to at least keep the baby. "Okay, Cherry is bullshit, I actually don't have a last name so I had to make something up, but my name really is Gabriel."

"So you were named after the archangel?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Not exactly." Now it was his time to blush. "I kinda am Gabriel the archangel."

"You're kidding me." Her eyes went huge. When he didn't say something for long seconds her eyes went even bigger. "You are not kidding me. Holy christ on toast." She covered her mouth with her hands when she realized what she'd just said. "I'm sorry … I mean … I didn't mean to… crap."

"I like a woman who knows to cuss." He reassured her and she dared to breathe again. "But the archangel thing, I'd prefer if that fact would be our little secret, I'm kinda undercover."

"Okay." She nodded still twisting her fingers. "Not that anybody would believe me, anyway."

"There are people out there who would believe you." Gabriel dared to come closer until he could easily rest a hand on her knee. He felt some of the tension melt out of her. "People who would try to kill me or our baby. If you want to keep the baby, that is." Holding his breath he waited for her response.

"I want the baby." Her hand landed on his and she drew it up to her belly. Bessie couldn't feel anything yet, he knew that, but Gabriel felt the growing life under his hand.

"And I want you." She smiled at him. "How many women can say they've an archangel as their boyfriend?"

"Only you." He kissed her.

***end***

That's all folks. At least for now. I have ideas for a sequel with Gabriel and his baby girl but don't hold you breath for that.

On Saturday I'm starting something completely different:

Two Brothers

Summary: "I didn't expect to see Sam again. For sure I didn't expect him to die on my operation table." NOT a death!fic, sequel to "Fellowship of the Nine".