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The Kindness of Strangers	By : Kittenmommy Category: M through R > Prophecy, The Views: 1453 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own The Prophecy movie series, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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“The
Kindness of Strangers”

Chapter
3

“Make
A Wish”

When
Gabriel came out of the bathroom, he found Lucifer gleefully
tormenting the cruise director.

“Come
on, Terry,” Lucifer crooned. “Come sit on my lap,
you pretty little thing.” His eyebrows went up.
“You know you want to.”

“I’m
afraid that would be inappropriate, sir,” Terry said in the
smooth but firm tone of one who was accustomed to dealing with
sometimes difficult guests.

“Inappropriate?”
Lucifer echoed, grinning lasciviously. “Of course it is!
I’m all about inappropriate!”

“Leave
him alone, Lucifer,” Gabriel said, grabbing an apple danish
from the breakfast cart.

“Oh,
but just look at him, Gabriel – he’s beautiful!”
His pale blue eyes flicked in Doctor Langford’s direction.
“Isn’t he, Roger?”

The
doctor didn’t reply, and Lucifer laughed.

“I
wish they alllll could beeee California boyyyys…”
Lucifer sang, waggling his eyebrows suggestively at the doctor.
The human gave Lucifer a look but otherwise didn’t respond.

“Don’t
you have stuff to do?” an exasperated Gabriel asked.

Lucifer
grinned. “Ah, there’s that subtlety again,”
he said, rising to his feet. Suddenly, faster than any human
eye could follow, he was right in front of Gabriel. “Are
you sure you really want me to leave?”

“You
know the answer to that.”

Lucifer
chuckled. He reached out and wiped a bit of apple filling off
of Gabriel’s lower lip.

“Sweet,”
he murmured, licking his finger.

Gabriel
stared at him for a long moment. “Come home with me,”
he finally blurted out.

Lucifer’s
eyebrows went up. “Why, Gabriel… are you
propositioning me?” he asked coyly, batting his
eyelashes.

Gabriel
was astounded that his meaning had been so misunderstood. “What
are you, insane?” he asked, and then held up a hand.
“Wait. Don’t answer that.”

“Ah…
you still haven’t given up hope, have you?” Lucifer asked
sadly, and Gabriel realized that the other angel hadn’t
misunderstood after all. “But I’m a hopeless cause,
and you do love those. How could I have forgotten that?”

“You
forgot a lot of other stuff,” Gabriel said with a shrug.
“So why not that too?”

“Oh,
but you’re wrong, Gabriel,” Lucifer said softly, moving
even closer so that they were nearly nose-to-nose. He reached
out and gently smoothed down a feather that was out of place on
Gabriel’s right wing. “I remember all of the
important things,” he assured him, preening another imperfect
feather with nimble, practiced fingers.

Gabriel’s
eyes narrowed and he twitched his wing away from Lucifer’s
reach. “Stop that.”

“I
remember what it was like to sit at His left hand,” Lucifer
continued. “And who’s sitting there now? Let
me think.” He put a hand on his chin as though deep in
thought. Suddenly he brightened like a person remembering
something important, but his voice turned bitter. “Oh
yes, that would be you, wouldn’t it? So I guess
you got what you wanted when you helped Michael kick me out.”

“You
know that’s not how it happened.” Gabriel
said in a low voice.

He
suddenly realized that he and Lucifer had a rapt audience of four
humans who were hanging on their every word. In fact, Father
Xavier was actually scribbling furiously on a piece of Carnival
stationery, taking notes.

“You
know… Lucifer… maybe we shouldn’t talk about this
right now,” Gabriel said meaningfully.

It
took a moment, but finally Lucifer’s eyes lit with
comprehension. “You could be right,” he mused.
“What is it these monkeys say? Oh yes… little
pitchers have big ears.”

“Something
like that,” Gabriel agreed, meeting Lucifer’s eye.
“But I want you to know one thing: I may be the most exalted of
all angels now, but I’ve always been second best, second
choice.”

Lucifer
looked surprised, but said nothing.

Gabriel
looked at Maureen. “Parents aren’t supposed to have
favorites, are they?” he asked suddenly.

She
blinked. “No, of course not!”

“But
they do… don’t they?” he pressed.

She
blushed. “Sometimes… things can be…
difficult. You know?”

“No,
I don’t,” Gabriel said. “But The Boss does.”
He turned his attention back to Lucifer. “You’ve
always been the favorite. Even now, it’s – ”
His voice broke off and he turned away. “You could come
home, Lucifer. All would be forgiven.”

Lucifer
sighed. “Too much water has gone under too many bridges,
Gabriel. Even if I wanted to, well…” He shrugged
and left the rest unsaid. “Besides, I like my life,”
he said lightly. “No one tells me to clean my room or
make my bed. No one tells me to eat my vegetables. And no
one – ”

“No
one loves you,” Gabriel finished bluntly.

“Price
you pay for freedom,” Lucifer said with a shrug.

“I
don’t want that kind of freedom.”

“All
right, Gabriel,” Lucifer agreed softly. He grasped
Gabriel’s shoulder and pulled him around to face him.
“I’ll be on my way.”

Gabriel
nodded. “Yeah.” He kissed the side of his
hand and pressed it to Lucifer’s cheek. “See you
around, brother.”

Lucifer
put his hand over Gabriel’s, turned his head and kissed it
before releasing it. Finally he moved away and shook his head.
“No you won’t.” He turned his attention to
the cruise director. “Terry,” he said, his voice
changing, brightening. “How about giving me a tour of
this fine sailing vessel?”

Terry
glanced at Gabriel, looking very apprehensive. “Oh…gosh…
I don’t know if that’s such a good idea – ”

“Go
ahead, take him,” Gabriel said with a wave of his hand.
“It’ll keep him out of trouble.”

“That’s
right,” Lucifer agreed. He looked down at the priest.
“I came here under a white flag. That means while I’m
on this ship, my people are leaving your people alone.
No whispering temptation in their ears, no blighting crops, no
spreading disease and despair… none of those kind of things.”

“You’re
lying,” Father Xavier said automatically.

“No
– he’s not,” Gabriel said. “That’s
what a white flag means: cease fire.”

The
priest looked flabbergasted. “So right now, there’s
no evil in the world?”

“Only
the evil that your kind make all on their own,” Lucifer said.
“And there’s plenty of that, isn’t there?”

“I’m
afraid I have to agree with you,” Father Xavier said
grudgingly.

“Excellent!”
Lucifer exclaimed happily, clapping his hands. “We agree
about something!” He leaned over and grasped the priest’s
arm, pulling him unwillingly to his feet. “You can
come too,” he decided, and glanced slyly at Gabriel.
“Help keep me out of trouble.”

“Why
am I starting to think this is a really bad idea?” Gabriel
asked no one in particular.

“Come
on,” Lucifer was saying, taking the priest’s arm and
steering him towards the door. “Let’s go to the
pool and look at all the pretty girls!” He hooked his
other arm through Terry’s, still moving, still talking.
“And the pretty boys!” And with that, they
were out the door.

“Thought
they’d never leave,” Gabriel muttered as the door closed.

Maureen
exhaled explosively and crossed herself. She tried to pray, but
couldn’t; instead, she put her head in her hands.

Gabriel
took a mug from the dessert cart and poured out some coffee from the
carafe. “Here,” he said, offering it to her.
“You look like you could use some.”

She
looked up at him, surprised. “That’s very kind,
thank you.”

“Have
a doughnut, too,” he continued, pressing one into her free
hand. “They sent enough to feed a whole choir of
seraphim.”

“Gabriel,”
Doctor Langford said quietly.

“Yeah,
you have some too,” Gabriel agreed, pouring out another cup of
coffee. “Here.”

“That’s
not…” The doctor sighed and took the coffee. “I
want you to know that I don’t… ah… lust after
you. You’re my patient, and it would be entirely
inappropriate for me to – ”

“Aaaah,
who listens to him?” Gabriel asked dismissively. “You
think I believe half the stuff Lucifer says? I don’t
think even he believes half the stuff he says!”

Doctor
Langford looked relieved.

Gabriel
sipped his coffee and finished off his danish. “And
besides, I know your heart just as well as he does. Better,
probably – because I’m not always looking for the worst
in everyone… or for some kind of weakness to exploit.”

“What
did he offer you, Doctor Langford?” Maureen asked suddenly,
looking up at him. “In exchange for your soul?”

“I
don’t think I want to answer that,” he said rather
stiffly.

“Must’ve
been a doozy, then,” she said, sipping her coffee.

“Yes,”
the doctor agreed quietly, looking down at the coffee cup in his
hand. “It was.”

“So,”
Maureen said, setting her cup down on the table. Her voice took
on a bitter edge. “I guess we’ve discovered
something else the priests are wrong about.”

Gabriel
took another danish, grabbed his coffee mug and hopped up to perch on
the back of the armchair across from the sofa. “What’s
that?” he asked.

For
a moment she was so astounded to see him perched there like a giant
bird that his question didn’t register. “Oh,”
she finally said. “About the homosexuals… that
they’re all going to Hell.” She looked up at the
doctor and smiled. “If it were true, he’d not have
bothered with tryin’ to bargain for your soul; he’d
already have it, wouldn’t he?”

Doctor
Langford blinked. “Yes…” he said slowly.
“I suppose you’re right.”

“So,”
she said, sounding satisfied. “They’re wrong.”

“And
that makes you happy,” the doctor observed. “Why is
that?”

Gabriel
watched this exchange with interest, not interfering. It was
almost as though they’d forgotten he was there.

“My
oldest child… you’ve not met her. She’s…
well, she’s sick, and the priest told me I was bein’
punished – for marryin’ a Jew… and for havin’
a child that wasn’t my husband’s.”

“My
goodness,” Doctor Langford murmured. “You’re
full of surprises, Maureen.”

“I
was already pregnant when I met Ben,” she said. “So
it’s not what you’re thinkin’. I was
seventeen and unmarried, and my parents shipped me off to New York to
live with my aunt and uncle, so no one would know. I was to
have the child and give it up – but instead, I met and married
Ben.” She sighed. “They’ve never
forgiven me.”

“Their
loss,” Doctor Langford said quietly.

“And
that’s how I became Maureen O’Connor Finkelstein,”
she said, holding up her left hand to show her gold ring. “And
you’ll never find an odder name than that!”

Gabriel
smiled. “I think it’s a good name,” he said –
partly because he truly thought so, and partly just to see her
blush. “And you lost your faith in the church…”

“Please
forgive me, Saint Gabriel,” she whispered, crossing herself.

He
cocked his head at her. “For what?” he asked
curiously.

“For
losing faith – ”

“What?
In the church? The church isn’t God… no matter
what some of the people in charge might think. In fact, I was
on my way to the Vatican when I got whacked on the head. You
got a new guy in there and The Boss wants me to set him straight on
some stuff.”

Maureen
was so astonished by this news that she couldn’t even begin to
address it.

“Sometimes
people need a little reminder of who’s really in
charge,” Gabriel continued.

“Yes,”
Doctor Langford said thoughtfully. “One doesn’t see
many burning bushes or pillars of fire nowadays… I suppose
it’s easy for some of the higher-ups to forget that the church
isn’t all about them.”

“Exactly,”
Gabriel agreed. “The Boss looked down and saw some stuff
going on that He didn’t like and decided a wake-up call was in
order.”

As
if on cue, the phone rang. Doctor Langford went to the desk to
answer it.

“And
you’re the wake-up call,” Maureen said, smiling.
“Aren’t you?”

“Yeah.
But don’t get me wrong – I’m not gonna show up
raining down fire and destruction. I’m just supposed to
talk to the guy.”

Maureen
nodded. “Oh, that’ll be enough!”

Doctor
Langford concluded his brief conversation and hung up the phone.
“That was your husband, Maureen.”

“Oh?”

“He
wanted to know how things were, and if it was all right to stop by –
your daughter Brigid is quite worried about Gabriel and wants to see
him.” He smiled at his unlikely patient. “I
told him that I think you’re up to having visitors.”

“Yeah,
that’s fine,” Gabriel agreed. “I really do
have to take off soon, though. When’ll I get my clothes
back… and my trumpet?”

Doctor
Langford looked at his watch and shrugged. “Any time now,
I’d imagine. We sail in a few hours.” He
thought for a moment. “We’re headed for Rome, you
know. You could just stay on board.”

“How
long?”

“We’ll
arrive early Sunday morning.”

Gabriel
frowned. “And today’s…?”

“Tuesday,”
Maureen supplied.

“Are
you kidding? I can’t hang around – on a
cruise ship! – for five days when I’m supposed to
be delivering an important Message! The Boss’d have my
head on a plate!”

The
doctor shrugged. “Well, it was only a thought.”

“I
doubt it,” Maureen said suddenly. “The bit about
your head on a plate, that is. If He didn’t have
Lucifer’s head on a plate, He’ll have no one’s!”

“You
got a point,” Gabriel admitted. “Anyway… you
know… it’s just an expression.”

She
smiled at him. “I know.” There was a knock at
the door. “Probably Ben,” she mused, rising to
answer it.

A
moment later, Brigid came skipping into the room. When she saw
Gabriel perched on the chair like a bird, she came to a sudden halt,
her mouth making a silent “O” of surprise.

“Hi,”
Gabriel said, smiling down at her. “Did you have fun at
Camp Carnival this morning?”

She
frowned. “How did you know I was at Camp Carnival?”

“I
know everything,” he told her, and she nodded solemnly.

“I’m
glad you’re feeling better,” she said earnestly.

“Yeah,”
he agreed. “Me too.”

She
was quiet for a moment. “Going on a cruise makes people
better.”

Before
Gabriel could ask what she meant, the dark-haired man from the night
before was there.

“Hello
again,” he said. “I’m Ben… Maureen’s
husband.”

“Yeah,
I remember,” Gabriel said. He surprised the other man by
extending his hand as a human would have done. “Nice to
see you again.”

“Sure,”
Ben said faintly. He had never thought he’d shake hands
with the angel Gabriel. “I brought your towel,” he
finally said, holding out the neatly folded bloodstained beach towel.

“Oh…
thanks. Just put it down somewhere, I guess.”

“I’m
going down to the Purser’s Desk to check on your things,”
Doctor Langford told Gabriel. “All right?”

“Yeah,
that’d be great, Roger – thanks!”

“Where’s
Margaret?” Maureen asked as she sat down on the sofa with Ben.

“Asleep,”
he replied. “She was out all night with some kids she
met.”

Maureen
frowned. “Doing what?”

Ben
shrugged. “Dancing, I think.” He smiled
sadly. “She said she had fun, and that’s what
counts. Right?”

Maureen
nodded silently.

Brigid
got herself a pastry from the breakfast cart and sat down in the
armchair near Gabriel’s. “You look like a bird,”
she suddenly announced.

“Brigid!”
Maureen scolded, mortified.

“Well,
he does!” Brigid protested.

Gabriel
shrugged. “Yeah, I guess I do. It’s the
wings, right?”

“Uh
huh. And how do you sit like that without falling?” the
child wanted to know.

“Dunno…
I never thought about it.”

“Well,
I couldn’t sit like that,” she told him.
“I’d fall over!”

“I
have good balance,” he said with a smile.

“You
sure do,” Ben agreed, eyeing Gabriel. “I’ve
never seen anyone sit like that!”

“Are
you sure she was all right?” Maureen asked, obviously picking
up a previous conversation.

“Yeah,
Honey, she was fine,” Ben said, sounding a bit exasperated.
“She’s sleeping, OK?”

“So
she was tired,” Maureen worried.

Ben
rolled his eyes. “You’d be tired too if you’d
been out dancing all night!”

Brigid
caught Gabriel’s eye. “When we get to Rome,
Margaret will be all better. That’s why we came on this
trip.”

Gabriel
frowned, for he knew that nothing on Earth would make Margaret
better. “Did they tell you that?” he asked,
gesturing at her parents, who were still discussing the other child.

“No.
I figured it out all by myself. She got to make a wish, so I
made one too. I wished that she’ll be better… so
she will. She got her wish, and I’ll get mine.”

“Ah,”
Gabriel said, not really understanding her logic.

“There’s
a group called Make-A-Wish,” Ben explained. “They
grant wishes to… ah, kids in need.” His eyebrows
went up significantly. “You know. Special kids.”

“Yeah,”
Gabriel said, understanding. Clearly, Maureen and Ben didn’t
want Brigid to know the whole situation.

“Margaret
wanted to go on a big boat,” Brigid put in, gesturing
expansively. “And this is her wish.”

Gabriel
suddenly realized that Maureen was watching him, her green eyes
bright with tears. “Saint Gabriel, would you do something
for me?”

He
thought he knew what she was going to ask, but she surprised him.

“Would
you pray for Margaret? Would you ask God to heal her?”

“Yeah,
I will,” he promised, and she smiled and wiped her eyes.
There was a knock on the door and she rose to answer it.

“I’ve
got your things, Gabriel,” Doctor Langford announced. He
had a bundle of clothing covered with plastic draped over one arm and
was carrying a shiny trumpet in his other hand.

“That’s
great!” Gabriel said, standing and jumping down from his
perch. “Now I can go see that guy – thanks a lot!”

The
doctor smiled. “Any time.”

“Did
you see Lucifer and his new pals?” Gabriel wondered, taking the
laundry from the doctor and setting his trumpet on the coffee table.

“Yes,
actually I did,” he replied, smiling. “They’re
in Piano Man, having the time of their lives. Did you know
Lucifer plays the piano?”

“Yeah,
I did,” Gabriel said with a little laugh.

“And
he seems to know every song ever written – he’s got quite
a crowd in there, and he’s taking requests!”

Gabriel
just shook his head, smiling.

“You
love him, don’t you?” Maureen said quietly.

Gabriel
was shocked. “What? Lucifer?”

“Yeah,
Lucifer.”

He
began to protest, but she just gave him a look. “Yeah,
OK, I love him,” he finally admitted. “He’s
my brother.”

She
nodded, seeming satisfied.

“Look,
I’m gonna go change,” he said. “And then I
gotta take off.”

“We’ll
be sad to see you go,” Maureen said.

“Thanks,
Maureen.”

He
went into the bathroom to change.

*****

When
he came out, he was gratified to see the humans staring at him in
awe; clearly he once again looked the part of Messenger of God.

“Wow,
you look like a real angel now,” Brigid said, as though
reading his mind. “Like you’d see in a painting.”

“Thanks,
Kiddo,” he said, patting her head.

He
went to the nightstand and began gathering up his belongings; a
little bottle of blessed oil, an ornately calligraphied Bible, and a
small dagger. He quickly secreted these items in interior
pockets of his long dark blue brocaded cloak. His silver chain
link belt was sitting there too, and he picked it up and looped it
around his waist, then glanced up at the mirror over the bed.

“Perfect,”
he decided, smoothing down his cloak. “Now I just need my
trumpet – ”

“Here,”
Brigid said, appearing by his side and offering the instrument.

“Great,”
he said, taking it and attaching it to his belt. “How’s
that?”

She
nodded her approval. “Yeah, just like a painting of an
angel!”

“I
have to agree,” Doctor Langford put in, shaking his head.
“I wouldn’t believe it if I weren’t seeing it with
my own eyes!”

There
was a knock at the door and the doctor went to see who it was.

“So
you’re leaving now.” Maureen said, standing. It
wasn’t a question.

“Yeah,
gotta go. You know how it is.” He reached out and
grasped her hand. “Thanks for everything, Maureen.
You were a great nurse!”

She
blushed deeply. “I was honored to help you!”

Doctor
Langford walked over with a teenage girl following shyly behind.
“Gabriel, this is Margaret,” he said.

Margaret’s
green eyes widened and she crossed herself. “Saint
Gabriel,” she murmured under her breath.

She
looked much as her mother had at that same age, Gabriel mused.
Except that her mother hadn’t been almost translucently pale…
and her mother had had a thick head of coppery red hair.
Margaret, on the other hand, wore a multicolored scarf tied around
her head, left bald by futile medical treatments.

“It’s
good to meet you, Margaret,” Gabriel said, smiling. “You
almost missed me… I was about to take off.”

“You’re
God’s Messenger,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

“Yeah,
that’s me,” he agreed.

“Will
you give Him a message from me?”

Gabriel
cocked his head, studying her. “Sure,” he finally
said. He was as curious as everyone else present what this
message might be.

“Tell
Him I’m not afraid,” she said. “Not anymore…
not since I saw you.”

Gabriel
nodded once. “Yeah, I’ll tell Him.” He
opened the door to the balcony and stepped outside into the bright
Mediterranean sunlight. He stood there for a moment, letting
The Word fill him… and he suddenly knew why Jones had knocked
him on the head.

He
turned back. “Maureen,” he said.

She
came forward, looking puzzled. “Yes?”

“Make
a wish,” he said softly.

“I
don’t – ” she began.

“Ben
will dance at her wedding,” Gabriel told her. “I
promise.” He kissed two fingers and waved his hand at
Margaret. “Shhh.”

The
sunlight became bright, overpowering. The humans squinted,
looking away from the brilliance.

When
they could see again, Gabriel was gone.

*****

AUTHOR’S
NOTES: The song “California Girls” belongs to the Beach
Boys.

The
Make-A-Wish Foundation is a real charitable organization dedicated to
granting the wishes of terminally ill children. Their website
will make you cry: http://www.wish.org/
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The Kindness of Strangers