La belle et la béte

Dedicated to @Uriel

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It was a couple of days since she had figured out who she truly was. As always, it had taken a while before she had fully understood. But now that she did? It was still overwhelming. Because when she looked into the mirror, it was a stranger and yet herself that looked back. Now it wasn’t the first time that Cathsaigh had worn another face; she had many lives behind her. Different women had all been through what Kasumi had been through. One thing she couldn’t help finding a little peculiar was that Uriel had found his way to her once again. Even if it had been a while, he hadn’t had any memories, and she was yet to step into this life. Maybe there was something about destiny, which was why she was now heading towards the church where Valdemar was repairing.

She pushed the heavy doors open with a soft breath and stepped inside. The whole place was calling to her, but she would think it was because of the many undead that had found their home here. Creatures that should be brought back to their original homestead.
“Valdemar?” she called as she stepped closer into the rundown church that was slowly showing the progress that was made on it. “Uriel? Are you here?” she called this time; feeling a strong presence and with a smile, she walked up the stairs. For each step, she felt like she was getting closer to the feeling of belonging and home how she had missed him.

Uriel at the top of the church by the bells and watched how things looked around the area. How the sun shined on the gravestones outside the church and how grass was poking up everywhere, looking healthier than just a while ago. Now, Uriel had no job here. No reason, except for his son who had told him that he had gotten a sign, and that that sign, was that Uriel had to stay the day at the church. Boring. House arrest by his own son. He still had his head full of prayers, but it was getting progressively easier to deal with them, being able to put them in the background.
He could see her from afar Kasumi was approaching. It was odd having two minds of some kind. How this ‘young innocent boy’ just wanted to run down into her arms, being happy to see her once again, constantly afraid that they would be separate forever, and then there was Uriel. Boring archangel Uriel of Truth and Hope. He could hear her calling. Valdemar. Uriel leaned back, not even wanting to get up to tell her that he wasn’t here. Uriel? His brows furrowed. Kasumi had always called him Joel. With some resistance, he got to his legs before he jumped out from the tower, letting his wings spread and fly in from one of the broken windows, making him land on some of the narrow stairs. It only took a second before she stood in front of him. “Yes?” he said, his voice somewhat soft and longing, though he wished to be serious, just in case there was something she wanted to talk about that could be critical.

Kacee could feel the smile that spread over her lips as he landed in front of her. A soft sigh left her, and it took a lot of restraint to not just walk closer and let her arms wrap around him and pull him closer. But who knew? There hadn’t been the talk between Kasumi and Joel about the fact that Uriel might have someone waiting for him. He was, after all, a man that had taken partners, in her eyes, always an attempt to run away from the heavy responsibility weighing down on his shoulder given to him by a God that was no longer present.
“Seems like you are finally back to your normal self”, she said with a broader smile “it seems that even when we don’t remember who we are, we find each other” she let out another breath before she walked a step closer to him. “Unless you, of course, don’t remember me? Then, let me refresh your memory” the back of her hand glided over his cheek. “Hello, love.”

Uriel tilted his head a little, almost as if he tried to shove Joel out of his ear. “Mostly,” he replied. At first, he furrowed his eyes a little wondering what she meant by how they found each other continuously. She took a step closer, and his eyes shifted from one of her eyes to another. He should remember her? He was almost certain that his heart started beating like crazy wherever it was being contained. The back of her hand caressed his cheek, and it was like everything started to run like crazy in him. Lit a fire, so to say. “Cathasaigh?” he spoke very softly, saying it with no problems at all. It was the only person that he knew he had found in new bodies. His hands found each side of her face. He pulled her in for a hug and almost forgot how to breathe. His wings collected themselves so they didn’t take up as much space.

A soft giggle left her as he spoke her name. “So, you do remember,” she answered in a whisper; even if she didn’t’ directly tell him that she was her, it was implied. As he pulled her into a hug, she let her arms glide around his waist and placed her head against his. She took in his smell. The feeling of having him near was something she hadn’t been able to experience for such a long time. To have someone so important to you forgotten because you died. It was almost unbearable, but she found the solace in knowing that they would keep finding each other one way or another. After a while of standing there, she moved back and gave him a softer smile. “I’ve missed you”, she whispered before leaning in and placing a soft kiss against his lips. So innocent at first, as if they were just young kids trying out what it was for the first time. But even then, it spread a feeling of joy and warmth through such a gentle intimacy. Not that it lasted for long as her hand found his cheek, and she pulled him closer, into a more passionate kiss than before.

“Yes, of course, I remember,” he replied feeling oddly out of breath. It was just something so different when he was more himself. Some things had to be kickstarted or just get a little nudge. His memory was still very spongy, and he was certain that it was easy to manipulate, but he was certain that this wasn’t manipulation. This was her in a body she hadn’t known she had been in. He softly let go of her and looked into her eyes. He could even feel the truth behind her words. “I’ve missed you too,” he spoke softly. As she pulled him, he closed his eyes and reciprocated the soft, almost trying kiss. It ignited something in him. The kiss grew in passion, and he let his hands find her back to pull her even closer. The ignition didn’t grow. And he couldn’t really figure out why it wasn’t allowed to spread like a bonfire at first, but then he pulled his lips away from hers to look at her better. “My heart is in Rebekah’s hands,” he told her, almost feeling how the small heat died out immediately. “She has had it for eight years. Nothing feels like they used to,” he explained.

Kacee’s brows pressed together as he explained that he didn’t have his heart anymore. Her eyes shut for a moment as she didn’t even need him to tell her who had it. Now she had never been a woman that had been prone to anger, at least not for a very long time. But knowing that Rebekah still thought she could tamper with things this great, and get away with it? It was beyond her. “I understand” she whispered as her eyes opened again looking at him caringly. Her hand found his cheek and with a pained smile, she let her thumb gently caress him over his cheekbone. “We’ll find a way to get it back, I would believe an adept curse breaker and help from powerful magic would be able to get it back without having to actually visit the great Rebekah unless you want to take the fight to her,” she said with a teasing tone as the corner of her lip slowly pulled upward. But one thing she was sure off, no matter what they would get his heart back. Especially when one thought about who Uriel was, and the reckoning that could be pulled down upon the witch.

Uriel pulled a small sad smile as she said she understood. He doubted it, but he understood what she was trying to tell him. She caressed his cheek, and it felt so warm to him. He nodded somewhat determined as she said they would find a way to get it back. A small genuine smile spread on his lips by the thought of putting Rebekah in her place, even though he knew that it wouldn’t be easy. “As tempting as it sounds, I think that for now, I would rather go without a fight,” he explained, even though he knew that it would anger Rebekah if he suddenly had his heart again and hadn’t asked nicely first. Sometimes she was a simple woman, and sometimes… A very complex woman. As always, Uriel kept every small story to himself, already knowing what the future was going to bring them. Now that he had control of his abilities completely again it was much easier to know what was going on in his head. “We will succeed,” he told her and leaned in to put his forehead against hers.

She couldn’t help a small chuckle to leave her lips as he told her that he would instead go without a fight. Maybe it was the best way to do it, even though she doubted that Rebekah would just give back his heart, especially when it came to having Uriel’s heart. It wasn’t like he was just anybody, a simple little man whose heart she had taken for the fun of it, this was a show of power, and more so, it would also ignite a fire in her enemies more than it had before.
A small smile formed as he leaned his forehead against hers. “Yeah, even though I would have wished you already had it”, she whispered, knowing it was one of the things keeping them from going any further. Even though the fire was crackling fiercely in her heart, she knew it wasn’t so for him. Her hands found his face, and she pulled his head down so she could place a kiss against his forehead instead. “So, you’re staying here?” she asked letting go of his face, so she could be looking around in the run-down church instead. Even though she had been there before, she saw it with entirely new eyes.

Uriel knew very much why Rebekah had taken his heart. He could after all see the future and be able to warn her about things that might be unexpected to her. She could make him follow her orders if she wished to, and that was the core danger of all of this. Luckily now that he had his memories back and was more or less himself, he would be better able to control himself if Rebekah tried to ask him to do something. The only thing was, she would still be able to crush his heart if she got too bothered – but would she do that? Wouldn’t that be giving her more weakness than strength? He knew all the answers already.
He sighed softly as she mentioned how she would have wished he already had it. “It’s not time yet,” he told her kindly, knowing very much how mysterious it might sound. They both also knew how if he spoke about the future how the future would change. One of many reasons why he didn’t dare tell people about when he was going to get his heart back, because it would only change. And one never knew if it was for the better or for the worse. She placed a gentle kiss against his forehead, and for a moment he enjoyed the warmth. “I’m staying as much as possible. A son of mine-” he stopped himself for a moment, “You now that already,” he said with a small smile. “When people are not in need of me, I stay here as much as possible,” he explained to her letting a hand find its way to her neck. “Where are you staying currently?” he wondered.

“I know”, she whispered, not really minding the mysterious flair he had, always knowing the answers, never giving any of them to her. Not that she cared much about knowing what would happen in the future, it had to be exhausting constantly having all these types of different things that might end up happening, and in the end, always knowing just what the outcome would end up being, no matter the path that was taken to that destiny.
She chuckled and nodded, she did, which was odd when this wasn’t really her, but it was. It was always a little challenging to sort through all of the information she got when entering a new body that was already hers. She just hadn’t been able to find her true self.
Her eyes closed as his hand found her neck, and a soft breath left her lips, enjoying the warmth that it gave her. “Well, I was studying at the academy where I also live, I just need to figure out if I want to stay now that I have gotten all my memories back”, she whispered, taking a step back, so she could turn and place her head against his shoulder.

A very soft chuckle left Uriel as he heard where she had stayed. “To be fair,” he said, letting her move around as she pleased, “I think you are going to get bored if you’re a student,” he told her with a soft smile, “But maybe you could teach the Banshees?” he offered. “I bet there’s a handful who could use your expertise,” he told her and looked into her eyes. “My frien-” he stopped himself and furrowed his brows a little by the thought of how he just thought of Jezebel. She had really been able to see how she could get underneath everyone’s skin by getting to Uriel while he was in need. He understood much better why Remiel had acted up like that. Oh, how he should apologize to Remiel. “I might be able to find us a place to live together. Somewhere comfortable,” he offered.

She chuckled, a soft smile forming over her lips as he told her that he thought she would end up getting bored. “I think you might be right” then he proposed something she hadn’t even thought of, her being a teacher? Maybe that was an idea, “I’ll give it some thought”, she hummed, letting her fingertips glide over her lips that still burned from the kiss; how weird it was, being this close to him; but without his heart, it just wasn’t the same now, was it.
“That might be a very nice idea,” she said as she turned and looked at him with a soft smile, walking toward him once more; she was so close to reaching out and touching his cheek, but she never let her hand rise. “I’m sorry”, she chuckled, feeling at odds with how she was supposed to act, “I’m figuring out how to act around you, now that you don’t have your heart”, she whispered, feeling the ache in her own.

“I know you will,” he said with a slightly confident smile, knowing she would think about it. Of course, there was also plenty other paths she could take, even one where she did what she had the ability to do; be a medium. There were plenty of opportunities for her and her future. He noticed how she touched her lips.
He hummed a little by the thought. “I thought so,” he said with a smaller smile, watching how she moved back to him. His brows furrowed, confused about how she apologized all of a sudden. She elaborated and pulled a soft smile. “Please,” he said walking closer and taking her hand, “Please do what comes naturally. What you wish to do,” he told her with a kind smile. Even without his powers and without his heart, he could see that she was confused and somewhat hurt. “I’ll follow to my best ability,” he told her, after a small second, he caressed her hand.

Her eyes closed as she felt how he managed to ease her aching heart and push away the fears and thoughts that were roaming around in her head. A smile grew on her lips as he told her that she should do what came naturally, and her eyes opened again; letting out a soft sigh, she chuckled. Her hand found where his heart was supposed to be; with or without a heart, he was still the man she loved so dearly. “I love you, with or without a heart, you know,” she said with a small smile, looking back into his eyes. Pushing herself up on her toes, she placed a soft kiss against his forehead. “We could find a small cottage somewhere in Grounds of Lily, make it our own little paradise, somewhere you can come and relax when you need some time away from your duties” her smile grew a little more, knowing that she had to share him, as she had done so long ago. Being an archangel wasn’t an easy thing, especially when it was something that would always be your first priority. But just a few days a year was more than enough for her to be settled with, especially when she loved him as dearly as she did.