Rated: R for implied sexual content and violence
Disclaimer: Buffy the Vampire Slayer is copyright © Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy, UPN, and Fox. In fact they own everything. The New Beginning Storytellers are just playing with their toys when they are not looking. We take good care of them, honest!


From her spot in the airport lounge Uriel stared at the plane until it was lost in the sun. "Safe journey to you my friends," she murmured, furiously blinking her dry eyes back to life.

"I suppose I should consider my own transportation to the States." Her gray cloak swirled around her, taking on a life of its own as she strode through the concourse. "But first, I need to put some coin in my pocket." Her stomach growled. "And some food would be nice." Patting her thin stomach she smiled, considering her options. "I wonder if the old pub is still there…" Bursting through the doors into the sunlight, Uriel caught the attention of every male on the street.

She wandered through London until she found a little open-air café down a side road. With a gleam in her eye, she strode up to the tall dirty blond leaning against the stairway in the alley. Never taking her eyes off of his, Uriel grabbed the cigarette that dangled from his lips and took a drag.

Cocking her hip, she smiled prettily at him, her eyes sliding up and down his body. "So, what’s a girl got to do to get a guy to take her away from all this?" She took another drag and flicked the smoldering butt to the side.

The smile never quite reached his eyes. "Ask me again, and this time, say pretty please." He fingered the switchblade in his jacket pocket.

Pouting her lips, Uriel gazed into his brown eyes and breathed, "Pretty. Please." She leaned into his face, her green eyes dancing. "I’m Uriel."

"What the hell kind of name is that?" he snorted. Ignoring the anger that tightened her smile, he let his eyes undress her, drinking in her fitted silver tank top, short leather skirt and knee high boots. "It doesn’t do you justice." He took her hand and kissed it.

Gold flecks and irritation danced in her eyes as she stuck her finger in his mouth and let him tease it with his tongue.

"I’m hungry." Her gravelly voice startled him, and he dropped her hand. "I know just the place."

*

Hours later, under a starry sky, a tiny gray clocked figure could be seen exiting an alley. Her desires satiated for the time being, a wide smile graced her green-tinged skin. She slipped the switchblade into the waistband of her skirt; it made a smaller bulge than the wallet beside it.

The switchblade disappeared into the river as Uriel made her way back to the airport.

*

As she settled into the luxurious window seat, she eyed the other passengers on the red-eye flight. Deciding it was safe, she closed her eyes as the plane lifted. The tight rein she held on her emotions slipped away as easily as the ground beneath her.

His face floated unbidden before her. "Gabriel." Just saying his name made her heart ache and her eyes sting. It had been so long since she last saw him. She opened her eyes and stared out the window into the night sky. The lights below faded as low-lying clouds hid the ground.

"Would you like something to drink?" The stewardess’ voice brought Uriel back to reality. "Yes, whiskey, straight up." Hiding her disapproval, the woman nodded and disappeared.

Fortified with her drink, Uriel relived the last time she saw him, the last time she had human form.

*

They called themselves the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, but they weren’t the angels foretold in Revelations. They were immortals, the product of Archangels whose seed had mingled with mortals, bent on destruction and death. Brothers, they rode together, fought together, shed blood together, and one of them had fallen in lust.

With a shudder, Uriel remembered him. Methis, his dark hair and coal black eyes that seemed to swallow her when she looked at him. He had had her body, many times.

Her heart though, that belonged to Gabriel. His gentle nature and constant concern for those around him touched Uriel so deeply, thawing the ice that had surrounded her for so long.

She had swallowed her pride and opened up to Gabriel, pouring her love, her soul, out to him. And he had rejected her; let her love sift through his fingers like sand. Her eyes flashed, and she gripped her glass tighter. Nicely, politely, but the sting of rejection was the same.

She finished the whiskey with a swallow, staring out the window. "And then all hell broke loose."

*

She had played both sides against the middle.

Her threat to leave him had pushed Methis over the edge, and he, an unwilling and unsuspecting pawn in her larger plan, had readily agreed to attack Gabriel and the others. She sighed, remembering the others involved, Michael and Raphael. They were members of the Band of Mercy, a group of angels who oversaw the move of lost souls from the astral plane. As such, they were not involved in the day to day lives of humans as she and Gabriel were. Those two poor angel brothers, caught in the middle of a lovers’ quarrel.

Her plan had been to rush in during the battle and save Gabriel at the last minute, winning his eternal gratitude and, hopefully, his heart. And if she killed Methis and his brothers along the way, so be it.

She shook her head, remembering her own naiveté. It was the perfect plan, and it went so horribly wrong.

She had convinced Gabriel that Methis and his brothers wanted her dead. Not really that hard, considering their reputation. But she hadn’t counted on Gabriel trying to bargain with Methis instead of blindly rushing into battle. Uriel had learned the hard way from her dealings with Methis and the other Horsemen that you couldn’t bargain with them.

When the bargaining process failed, as she knew it would, the real fighting began. The Heavens themselves trembled from the forces unleashed that day. Forces that should have never been toyed with, forces that Uriel knew now would never forgive her.

They had been evenly matched, angels to immortals. The sun stood still as they battled, and though the brothers were on horseback, the angels made use of their wings to keep things even. Uriel had stayed very close to Methis, knowing that, when he made his move on Gabriel, she would be there to stop it. Then, suddenly, she saw her carefully laid plan crumble before her eyes. In the intensity of the battle, Methis had broken away from her, and before she could interfere, he had charged Gabriel, catching him unawares with his sword. Time and the battle stopped as everyone turned to watch. Gabriel’s blood ran crimson as it fell to the ground, followed by the angel himself. Methis dismounted and, in the stillness, prepared to end things once and for all. The silence was broken by her cry.

Her hands started to shake as the image of Methis slashing Gabriel across the chest filled her mind, replaying itself over and over again. It was an image that would haunt her for eternity.

"No!" Dropping her sword, Uriel had run to Gabriel’s side. She had pushed Methis aside and knelt by the fallen angel. "Gabriel, I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry!" Holding his head on her lap, she rocked him back and forth, her eyes closed to stop the tears.

Methis laughed, "Look at him. Do you see how he looks at you? Do you really think he could ever love you?"

With a swallow, Uriel met Gabriel’s eyes. The look on his face froze her. He knew. He knew everything! Her love for him had betrayed her. His eyes hardened; sharpened to daggers that pierced her soul.

"This is on your head." He shoved her away from him and struggled to stand, determined to continue the fight.

She felt the scream before she opened her mouth. It was the herald of her transformation into a banshee. The blood-curdling cry froze everyone. With a last look at her, Methis mounted his horse "Guess I won’t be tasting you again anytime soon." Laughing, he and his brothers rode away, leaving three battered angels and one banshee-angel in the dust.

Glancing around the valley that had been scarred by their battle, Michael looked at Uriel’s silvery form and shook his head, his emerald wings held high behind him. "You will forever bear the mark of this day on your soul, justice must be served." His voice wavered. "I would have died for you, Uriel. Now you must seek your redemption elsewhere." Turning his back on her, the angel of repentance, of mercy, bowed his head.

Raphael also stared intently at Uriel, sadness filling his eyes. . "The land will heal, we will heal," gesturing at himself, Michael, and Gabriel, "but you will bear the darkness of this day until forgiveness is given." With a long look at Gabriel, Raphael, the angel of healing, then turned to his brother, Michael, in silence.

Gabriel said nothing, only turned from her and limped away, supported on either side by his fellow angels.

Taking a last look at the retreating forms, Uriel fled, a silver mist that left everything she touched cold and damp.

She fled to Earth for the next one thousand years, spending the last century in London, the place that had always felt like home to her. Memories of the battle weighed on Uriel, and she took to the cemeteries of London like a ghost. Eventually her guilt lightened, and she made the Tower of London home. It was there that she met the girl who changed everything.

Uriel was drawn to Dawn in a way she did not understand. It was if they shared the same energy, kindred spirits. Seeing her, feeling her energy, had left Uriel longing to be human again.

"And the rest is, as they say, history." Shaking herself out of her reverie, Uriel glanced at her watch and saw that she still had several more hours to kill before landing in Sunnydale, her new home.

"Time for some happier thoughts. I wonder what everyone else is doing now."


*

She must help you. The Powers spoke to Gabriel on his perch high above Sunnydale.

"I don’t think she should. I mean, you remember what she did. Do you really think you can trust her with something as important as this? If this battle is lost, the First will become stronger than all of you. Nothing will remain," Gabriel pleaded with his makers.

Angel, you would do well to remember whom you are addressing. We have seen things in Uriel that no one else has ever even alluded to, the Powers snapped, their voices booming in the angel’s mind.

"I just want you to know that if she does anything to endanger any of them, I will stop her myself," Gabriel vowed, venom filling his voice.

So you shall, the Powers echoed before drifting out of his mind.

"You know, you should really learn to keep your voice down when conversing with the Powers, Gabriel," Sasha’s voice rang from behind him.

"And you should learn not to listen to conversations that are none of your business," Gabriel retorted.

"Easy, angel, I was just thinking you might want someone to talk with. I mean, I don’t know the entire story behind Uriel, but I do know that she must have done something pretty terrible to be transformed the way she was," Sasha stated, taking a seat beside Gabriel on the building. ledge.

"Sasha, I know that we are friends, but I can’t tell you about Uriel," Gabe sighed.

"And why is that?" Sasha questioned.

"Because, there is just too much to tell. She hurt me very deeply, and that is why she was the way she was," Gabe replied.

"Ah, so this is more a matter of the heart than a matter of honor?" Sasha asked, looking at the angel’s downcast head.

Gabe’s head jerked up quickly. "Honor? Honor has everything to do with it," Gabe answered, looking directly into Sasha’s eyes.

"She betrayed me, the Powers, and her own honor to try and win me over," Gabriel said with his eyes still locked on Sasha’s.

"So, she loves you?" Sasha asked.

"Yes, although, I tend to think of it as more of an obsession than love," Gabe said, finally dropping his gaze.

"Really? That doesn’t sound like you," Sasha responded.

"It all happened before my assignment to Earth. Before I knew anything about love." Gabriel answered.

"Ah, well I guess I won’t have to say that things have most definitely changed since then, right?" Sasha said, patting Gabe on the back before standing.

"Things always change; that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are for the better," Gabe said, standing beside Sasha.

"Her plane should be landing shortly," Sasha said.

"Guess I should go to meet her, huh? Gabe questioned.

"That probably would be a nice gesture," Sasha said, smiling at him before turning to leave.

"I guess I’m off," Gabe said before disappearing from the top of the building in a flash of light.

*

Uriel’s mind drifted back to the present as the plane touched down. "Is the flight over already?" She thought as she exited the plane. She had been so wrapped up in her own memories that the time had just rushed by. But then time as humans know it had no hold over angels. "It seems I have more to adjust to than just having a physical form."

As she walked through the airport, a strange sensation came over her. Familiar. Stopping in the midst of the crowd she reached out, trying to find the source. It was then that she felt him, watching her from the mass of bustling people, trying to hide in its anonymity. Turning, she saw him, a light shining from him that only she could see. Her heart gave a little leap. He looked the same as he had all those years ago, the same as he did in her dreams, yet something was different, changed…something that could possibly be used to her advantage, given enough time.

"Uriel," his voice spoke her name from behind her, making her heart jump.

"How do you do that?" Uriel asked, turning to get a closer look at him.

"I have my ways," Gabe said with a smirk.

"So, why are you here?" Uriel asked.

"To tell you that if you do anything to get any of these people hurt, I’ll kill you," Gabe said, his eyes burning with a fire that hadn’t been seen for centuries.

"You could try," Uriel said, poking him in the chest. "I think you’ve gotten a bit lazy in your old age."

"Uriel, stop with the bravado for a moment. He is telling the truth," a voice said from behind them.

The air around the two angels shimmered, and then they were in the Mojave Desert, standing before two angels that neither had seen for a long time.

"So, are you two here to tell me that if I step out of line, you’ll kill me too?" Uriel asked Michael and Raphael, her hands on her hips made Uriel look like a child.

"As arrogant as ever I see," Raphael stated.

"Not arrogant, confident. And tired. The past thousand years have been hell," Uriel retorted.

"You haven’t even gotten started with hell, Uriel. Do not push the Powers, or you will find out what hell is really like." Raphael glared at the petite angel.

"You always were arrogant, Uriel. That hasn’t changed. Do you remember the last time your overconfidence in your own abilities got the better of you?" Michael asked.

"Of course." Uriel snapped. "I relive that moment every time I close my eyes." Shame flashed through her green eyes as she stared back at the brothers.

"Why are the two of you here?" Gabriel asked his fellow angels.

"Because, the Powers aren’t sure in your ability to work with her," Raphael answered.

"Really? Who would have guessed?" Uriel looked at Gabriel. "Considering the first words out of his mouth had to do with killing me if I stepped out of line." She snapped to attention and gave Gabriel a mock salute.

"You might want to reconsider your tone, Uriel. If the Powers think that you have become a liability to them, you’ll be back screaming before you can blink an eye," Michael replied angrily.

"But I thought…"

"That you had been forgiven finally? No, this is just a momentary reprieve. There is a great evil about to be unleashed on this place. The Powers believed that you could help, but if you prove them wrong…" Michael let the threat hang.

"Your forgiveness must come from those you wronged, Uriel. And you have to prove your repentance with your actions before your status with the Powers is restored." Raphael’s look seemed to read her very soul.

Uriel looked at the angels in front of her. She had changed each of their lives that day on the battlefield, scarred them all, including herself, with her foolish pride. She bowed her head and said a silent prayer.

"So, are we just going to stand here? Times a’ wasting, and there is evil to fight." Uriel’s voice cracked ever so slightly.

"No, I actually have somewhere to be," Gabriel answered, looking away.

"So, the welcome wagon is pulling out?" Uriel asked.

"Yes, it would seem so," Raphael said with concern, watching Gabe.

"We have to go," Michael said, turning his gaze from Uriel to his brother. . "We’ll be back when you need us." The air around them shimmered, and then Michael disappeared, with Raphael in tow.

Uriel stared at Gabriel for a moment before realizing what was different about him. He was in love. She recognized that look. She had worn it herself for many years. It was just another obstacle to keep them apart. With a sigh, she reached out to him, determined that she would be there for him if she could. She knew what love was like, especially love gone wrong.

"Who is she?" Uriel asked, her eyes watering from her pain and his.

"Someone, a charge of mine, actually. She’s everything to me," he answered, turning away from her.

"Well," she wiped her eyes, "what are your orders?"

"Stay here for a while. I’ll come and get you when I need you," Gabe said, walking away.

"I’ll wait forever," she answered as he disappeared from view.