If a ballerina falls hard and nobody is there to catch her...

It had been a strange Christmas. Instead of spending it in Heaven with glorious celebrations, he’d gotten to experience a quieter time at the bunker with his father and a few of his siblings - the ones that lived on Earth and couldn't access Heaven, just like he now couldn't. He'd gone to church and observed how humans preached about the Lord, but it felt wrong to be inside a house built for God. Knowing what a disgrace he was to Him. And even though he’d started to feel differently about his life on Earth, he still felt conflicted as to where he belonged. He’d argued more than ever with his father. About right and wrong. About God’s decisions and unjust rule. About everything and nothing, really. This evening had ended like this. So, when his father left the bunker for work, Zachary had snuck out for a flight, wanting to get away for some fresh air. It had always been able to calm him in the past. For a moment he even considered returning to the fallen angels, feeling so angry at what his father had said, but he was afraid of Maelle and what she’d say. How he’d left after everything. After she’d given him a place to belong to and a family that understood his suffering. He'd need to reach out to Hecate about it first if he was to make a decision like that.

It wasn’t long before he discovered some strange disturbance in the forest below. People were… running. He flew a bit further as he investigated the horizon for the source of this, but it was foggy and dark, so he didn’t sense much else than the smell of smoke. The snowstorm also grew stronger, making it harder for him to fly, so he stopped mid-air to look down at the forest again. And right there in an opening, he sensed an angel. Zachary descended to her location, realizing that it was someone he knew. And she looked to have fallen. “Laila,” he said as he landed in the snow next to her. “What's happened? I heard screaming… and-” he paused as he realized that she was in greater pain than he'd first thought. He moved his gaze from her face to her leg that was covered in snow, gently placing a hand on top of it with his eyes closed. Using his ability to identify her injury. “You have fractured your fibula,” he said after a longer break, slowly looking back at her face as he knew that this was more than bad news to her. It could easily ruin her dancing career if it didn't heal properly to its former state. And if she had any important shows coming up, she'd have to cancel them. He looked up for a moment, noticing a wooden cabin in the distance that seemed empty. He then moved his arms around her to lift her up, trying to be as gentle and slow as possible although it'd surely hurt her leg as it was moved around. But if he was going to try and heal her, it was better to do it inside somewhere and not out here in the cold. “We will fix it, just hang in there,” he said as he walked through the darkness to the cabin. He went up to the door of the cabin, using his telekinesis to unlock the door by pushing the lock in the right places until it clicked. He then opened the handle, looking around the small place for a moment before he placed her down on a bed in one of the bedrooms and turned on the lights by the bed.

He gave her a slightly doubtful look as she said she didn’t think anyone got hurt when she herself had gotten exactly that. Hurt. Even if it was as a result of the escape from the explosion. Her smile, however, had always seemed to lighten up even the darkest of skies, making it slightly easier to forget anyone else but her in this matter. After revealing one of her graver injuries, he saw the panic in her eyes, knowing what an injury like that could do to hinder her dancing career. Of course, she would heal in time, but it would undoubtedly delay things - especially if it didn't heal to its former condition. He didn’t care much for the cabin being in ruins. It was still the safest and closest place. Taking her back to the bunker would surely be alright with his father, he knew that, but he didn’t want to risk further injuring her by carrying her that distance. And it wasn’t too cold in the cabin, the fireplace still burned, preventing the cold temperature outside from completely overtaking the room.

He looked at her face as she asked him how they’d fix this. “I will… I know we’ve not talked much of my abilities in the past, but I can heal your injury… I can alter all cells,” he revealed. It hadn't seemed necessary before now, especially not since all pureblood angels could heal others. And he could very well make it worse if he didn’t focus - his ability allowing him to not only heal but also worsen her condition. He sat down slowly on the bed after her frustrated call to not being able to move her toes, understanding the pain of feeling like everything you once planned had gone to ruins. But it didn’t have to be that way for her. “How did this explosion come to happen?” he asked as he placed his hand on her leg to sense the injury before moving it down to her foot. “I wanted to tell you that I was on Earth. But fate took what should have been a joyous time away from me,” he said as he reached her foot, slowly tracing his thumb over the top of it. He knew that she'd be able to sense his fallen aura. Any angel would. Zachary could just hope it didn't change her opinion of him. “However, I am living with my family now,” he continued as he let go of her foot and looked up at her face. “How have you been all this time?” All this time being since last December at a gathering in Heaven where the Nelson family had been invited and they'd gotten a chance to talk.