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Part One: Birth

For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved

Romans 10:10

*****

"She's carrying a child that will harbor the soul of a Seraphita."

Will's words echoed in my mind as I sat in the den room and looked out to the attached porch. Around me was very quiet, almost eerily so, yet I could still sense the undercurrent of tension. The morning's events had brought it over the house like a fog, along with the startling realization of the situation we were all now in.

I rested my hand on my abdomen, closing my eyes and trying to envision the new life that was now growing inside of me; the life that no one had ever expected or even thought was possible.

I honestly hadn't thought that the dream I'd had was real until then. The whole thing was so incredibly surreal. Why would such a powerful being call on me to become its mother? It didn't make sense to me. I was just a young Shadow Wing. It wasn't like I had proven anything in their world.

Yet this one being must have thought that I had. Why else would they have chosen me? And what did they have to prove by doing so?

"It's all in the timing you know. It knows that the tides are preparing to turn." I suddenly heard Lennox say.

I looked around the room but saw no sign of him. Then it dawned on me that his voice must've come from my mind.

"Did I fall asleep?" I wondered.

"Not at all. I tried to keep my merger with you, but this new power is rejecting me to an extent, so for now I'm existing as a separate entity within you." Lennox explained.

"You're a soul stuck inside of my body." I corrected.

The room remained quiet as I looked around again. Chris and the others hadn't returned yet. A small part of me feared that they may not. They had gone out of the house earlier to discuss things in private among the three of them. To say that this whole thing had alarmed them was probably the understatement of the century.

"Yes, true, although it does give me a bit of freedom in this." Lennox responded.

A glowing sphere of light floated out of me to the couch beside me. Within seconds, it took Lennox's form as I last remembered him before he'd been burned. He smiled at me as he sat there.

"Ah, this is better. I like being able to face someone when I speak to them."

"You know how weird this feels, right?" I sighed.

I was slightly relieved though. He wasn't really dead, and he didn't have to stop existing to help me. His soul had remained whole.

"I'm well aware of that, and I'm sure that the others will think it too. Unfortunately, I do feel that my time to help may be limited as well; at least if what I'm feeling from that Seraphita is any indication. It seems I've curried favor with him as well in all of this." Lennox responded.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Just what I said." Lennox replied. He laid a transparent hand on my belly. A soft glow through my skin and the fabric of my white shirt greeted it, "It seems that they like me. They actually like me enough to give me a little bit more of a chance for life. From what I've been communicated by them, they want to integrate me as their birth draws closer. I'll admit that I'm not that certain about losing everything from my previous life, but at the same time, I can't help but feel that it may not be so bad. I'm sure that it will be a much better life if things work out."

"I would definitely think so, but what is all of this? Have they told you anything about why they chose me and Chris or what they're planning?" I asked him.

May as well see what he knew, especially since it seemed like he'd been communicating with this Seraphita.

Lennox shrugged, "I'm not too sure of that myself. It's not like I really proved that much in the end either. Perhaps I did something with saving you, but that seems a bit odd to me. To be honest with you, I have the feeling that this Seraphita may have been watching all of us for a long time. Perhaps they've even decided to make their move now because of the situation at hand." he suggested.

His words did make sense when I really thought about it. But before I could say anything, we both heard the glass doors in the kitchen opening.

"Looks like my time is up for now. Chris is coming back." Lennox noted.

"You don't want him to know you're still here yet?" I guessed.

"Not really. There's too much at this time for me to possibly stir up any more trouble, but I'll make sure to listen in and help where I can." Lennox promised. He then disappeared back into me in a quick flash of white light.

Chris came into the room right after Lennox vanished. I noticed that he looked exasperated, but I imagined that Will probably wasn't making this any easier for him. I'd noticed how on edge Will had become as soon as he'd learned of my pregnancy. He couldn't even bring himself to get that close to me after he initially felt the presence of the Seraphita's soul.

Chris and Zane had told me that it was because of his stronger dark bloodline, but I still felt a bit dejected. Will had always been a close friend and had never hesitated on at least touching me before. The thought that he couldn't even stand my presence was very depressing.

Chris came over to me as we caught eyes. I could hear his footsteps echo in the quiet of the room.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" he asked as he sat beside me.

This was becoming a routine for him. No doubt he was worrying about what this child inside of me might be doing to me.

"I'm feeling fine. I still don't feel that different." I admitted. I glanced towards the doorway to the kitchen, noting that Chris had come in alone. That didn't bode well, "Are Will and Zane still here?"

"Zane is, but Will's taking off for now. He said to tell you it's nothing personal, but he has to do this to make sure that you and the baby stay safe." Chris explained.

I watched as he sat back on the couch. He looked a bit disgusted about that one.

"I do get that, especially after seeing what happened with Jade. Maybe Will's worried that he might do the same thing if he stays around too long right now." I reasoned.

"Maybe, but we could still use his help with this. He's the one who knows the most about these angels. Damned if I know anything about stuff that deep in the worlds." Chris complained.

Nothing new here. I'd noticed in the last few months that Chris had a habit of complaining about Will when he felt really stressed and Will bailed on us. This wasn't the first time. After the incident with Belial when they'd brought me there to that house, Will had done a vanishing act for about a month too. Needless to say, Chris and Zane had found themselves relying more on Jade without him around, and they didn't like it one bit.

But this time was different too. This time Jade wasn't going to be anywhere around either, and if he was, the scene might turn out very badly. I shivered slightly as I pictured him trying to attack me when he'd sensed the child inside of me. Obviously, Jade's true nature couldn't handle such a holy power. It made me wonder how ours seemingly was. We had dark blood running through our veins too. How in the world were Chris, me, and Zane able to withstand it without any real revulsion?

Chris noticed my shiver and slid over to put an arm around me.

"Hey, don't worry. We'll figure this out. I'm not going to let anything happen to you or this kid." he promised.

"Are you really that worried about them?" I had to ask.

I kept wondering if Chris really wanted this child. After all, we weren't supposed to be able to have children; not to mention the fact that this one was harboring an extremely powerful soul. I thought about mentioning the thing with Lennox too, but at the time, I couldn't make myself. There was already enough for us to think about without adding a dead Shadow Wing to the mix.

"It's not the kid that I'm worried about." Chris admitted.

I looked down as he laid a hand over my abdomen. We both could feel the warmth radiate out to greet it, along with the glow. This was something we'd noticed from the start. This special child seemed to have a true fondness for Chris. Whenever he touched my belly, this same reaction would happen.

"To be honest with you, I'm not even that worried about this Seraphita that's supposed to be their soul. The thing that concerns me is protecting you and them." he continued.

"I get that. I saw what happened with Jade, and now Will can't even be around me. It's awful." I confessed.

"It's not even just the ones like our fathers. There are going to be plenty of others that won't take that kindly to this. The angels that are hunting us probably won't either." Chris reminded me.

"But this is an angel. It's supposed to be one of the most powerful ones." I reasoned.

I stopped speaking as the two of us heard footsteps coming into the den from the kitchen. We looked over to see Zane coming in. It seemed that he'd overheard our conversation.

"That's not going to matter too much to them. Actually, they'll be completely against it because a Seraphita can present a changing point in all of this." he told us.

"Care to explain to her now what you've told me since Will left?" Chris asked him.

"I suppose now would be the best time. We certainly may be running short on it soon enough if I'm reading all of this correctly." Zane agreed.

"You know a lot about these kinds of angels?" I asked him as he sat in the chair near us.

It didn't surprise me that he would. Zane had proven to us many times before that he knew a lot about both worlds. He tended to research a lot about that kind of stuff.

"I know about as much as any others do." Zane admitted. He sat up a little straighter, "Moving to the subject at hand, the Seraphita are said to be very special angels There are only four in existence, one for each of the points we call North, South, East and West. They were created as some of the most powerful beings under the Trinity and are quite elusive. Most from beyond the Veil know about them, but few have ever actually seen them. Some even seem to think that they're a myth because of that. It's said that the Seraphita are ones who are perfectly balanced in what is considered good and evil. They can give life, or they can take it; and adding to that, they are also the only ones aside from the Holy Trinity who can actually redeem and purify Fallen Angels."

"You're kidding me!" Chris interrupted, "You didn't tell me that before!"

"I apologize. Honestly, I'd forgotten about it up until now. But that in itself can also bring us a lot of trouble in this. Most of the Fallen do not wish to be purified. They want to be like they are. For that reason, they would either go out of their way to avoid a Seraphita if they happened to find one or destroy a vessel that may harbor one so that it may be sent back to its realms." Zane went on.

So that was why Jade reacted like he did. He'd sensed this Seraphita and didn't want it to change him. But with that came a more sobering thought: my father.

"If Saffron comes back, we could have the same problem that we did with Jade." I whispered as I looked down at my belly.

"It's possible, but it may not be either. Not all the Fallen would completely reject an attempt at redemption. The only true way to tell would be their reaction, and there probably would be few who wouldn't react like Jade." Zane responded.

"Okay, so what now? You said that those angels like Judiel will be after it too." Chris pointed out.

He kept a protective hand over my belly as he spoke. I'd noticed that he really hadn't moved it since this discussion had begun. Maybe a part of him subconsciously feared calling anything up with the current conversation.

Zane sighed, "Yes. This Seraphita threatens them as well for what it represents and what it can do. No doubt if it's born and the highest angels in the Heavens learn of it, they will call off the hunts and allow the Seraphita to do what it wants. Unfortunately, though, it tends to be quite difficult to get anything to their attentions from what I know, and I do not doubt that Judiel will block such news. I believe that our first order of business may be to ally ourselves with those who may have access, at least somewhat, to those angels."

"You mean the ones like Kinsley?" I guessed.

"Exactly." Zane confirmed, "I've heard that there are three clans under those angels, and we already know that they are coming to take our side in stopping the hunts against us. One of those clans falls under the Emerald Flame, the one that's known for healing. I think our best bet would be to get to them and contact Kinsley once we've made it there."

"But how do we know that they'll even help us? It's not like Kinsley told us whether the other two angels involved in that were completely on our side. Just because he's decided that he likes us doesn't mean that they'll feel the same way. They may turn us over to Judiel." Chris reasoned.

"I hate to say it, but he's got a point. We don't know what might happen with them, and none of us have met them before." I agreed.

"I'm well aware of that, but it's the only option that we have right now. We have no true idea of what may happen with this child in the coming months or what may come after us for shielding Ariana as she carries them. If anything, perhaps the leader of the Emerald clan may be able to help us more with both of those things." Zane told us.

"It's the only option you have, so you need to accept it."

All three of us spun around as we heard the familiar voice coming from the nearby porch. To our shock, Jade was standing out there on the other side of the locked glass door. Thankfully he looked as calm and collected as he'd always been before, but I noticed that he made no moves to come any closer to us.

Chris immediately stood up, making sure that he could shield me if he needed to, "Why did you come back here?!" he demanded.

"Calm yourself down. I am able to keep control at this time as long as I keep a distance between myself and the girl. But I saw the need to return for this when I considered that perhaps it will put an end to things once and for all." Jade told him.

"So, you're supporting this child then?" Zane guessed, standing up beside me too. I didn't miss that he was also keeping his guard up. Both of them wanted to be ready if Jade decided to turn on us again.

Jade regarded us solemnly as he crossed his arms, showing no signs of aggression as he spoke, "I will help you as much as I am able. I have aimed for years to stop these ridiculous hunts, and this is a golden opportunity. However, it will take me much time to bring myself to even be able to be around this 'special' child, so I can only help from a distance for now. For the time being, I am simply here to tell you that your only option is to go that Emerald Nephilim clan and seek refuge. If you do not, then this child shall never reach their birth into this world, for they and Ariana will be killed by one of the many creatures who will come after them."

Chris remained where he stood, but I could see that he wasn't that tense anymore. He let out a long breath as he considered Jade's words.

"Fine, then tell us where we can find them. I know that you know, or else you wouldn't have come here." he relented.

"No, I would not if I didn't have knowledge of such." Jade agreed. He held up his hand and a paper suddenly appeared in a burst of black flame floating above his palm. In a swift motion, he flipped it out of his hand, and it flew over to Chris, "This is the information that I have gathered on them. The leader of the Emerald clan is currently in North America, along with two of those under him. They go by the surname Hawthorne, and their leader is the Seraphim called Micah. Follow the directions I've given you there and it should lead you right to him."

He then disappeared into his black flames. Zane and I looked at the paper that Jade had given Chris. On it were directions and names. The directions led to the mountains of Virginia, and there were three names under them: Micah, Carroll and Carlton Hawthorne. Jade had said that Micah was the Seraphim in charge of that clan, so we took it that the other two must have been Nephilim under him.

"It looks like the path has been laid out for us, but the question now is whether we should trust it." Zane noted.

"We don't have a choice, do we?" Chris responded.

I looked at the porch where Jade had been. I thought the same thing about trusting him, but at the same time, there was a small piece of me that felt like we could. It seemed like Jade was really trying to control himself when he'd appeared there, not to mention that he came back and had offered to help us. That definitely stood for something.

I heard Lennox speak up in my head, "Let me come out. I think it may be better if I spoke to them about all of this."

"You really want to tell them that you're here?" I asked.

"We'd have to anyway, and my input should help."

At that, Lennox floated back out of the middle of my chest as a golden sphere, then took on a full, transparent form beside me.

Both Chris and Zane stared in disbelief at him.

"Lennox?" Zane managed, sounding as surprised as he looked.

"It seems that you didn't expect to see me again. Good thing I'm in this state or you both may have killed me yourselves." Lennox joked.

Chris scowled at him, "So, you've decided to use Ariana as a vessel now. You're still as tasteless as ever."

"Not exactly." Lennox interjected, "I was going to offer a merger to allow her to have my abilities, but unfortunately, it's not possible at this time due to this little complication offered by a Seraphita. So, for now, I'm existing as a separate spiritual being who may offer assistance where I can, although I must say that from the looks of things, you probably will need as much as you can get."

"I suppose that you do have a point. The Seraphita would obviously block such a merger as they saw fit, and we are at a bit of a loss at this point." Zane reluctantly agreed.

Chris didn't seem to like it, but he made no moves against Lennox. He just crossed his arms and regarded him squarely, "Fine, then tell us what you want to say. It must be something important for you to decide to reveal yourself now."

"It is." Lennox assured him. He glanced towards the porch, "I came out to tell you that I still have the same abilities I had when I was in a living body. With that I am able to tell you that I heard everything Jade was thinking just moments ago. He wasn't lying to you about finding the Hawthorne clan. This is the only way he sees that may benefit Ariana and this child in being protected. At least until they are born."

"He is trying to help us." Zane sighed.

"Then it's settled. We need to get ourselves to this clan and see what they can do." Chris relented.

"It would be in your benefit, but you all may not have a lot of time. From what I've gotten from this Seraphita, it's not going to wait the normal full time of a pregnancy to come into this world." Lennox told us.

"What do you mean by that?" Zane asked him. There was hesitation in his voice now, as if he was dreading the answer.

"Just what I said." Lennox responded, "It's going to accelerate this pregnancy as much as it can. I'd venture to say you have maybe three, four months tops before it's ready to make an appearance into this world."

"You've got to be kidding me. How're we supposed to do anything that fast?" Chris complained.

I looked down at my belly as he said that. That felt like no time at all. It made me even more nervous.

"What happens when we get to the Hawthornes?" I dared ask.

"Can't say. Jade didn't seem to know either from what I read. He just seems to think that because of who this Seraph is that he may be better able to help in this situation." Lennox admitted.

"Fine. I don't care. Let's just get to this damn clan and take care of things before we run out of time." Chris huffed. He turned and walked down the hallway to our room. He was upset now. No doubt all of this new information was getting to him as much as it was to me and Zane.

Lennox sensed this too, "He's not taking any of this that well."

"Do you think he's going to be okay with this baby?" I had to ask.

"It's not the baby that he's worried about." Lennox responded, "It's protecting you and the child."

Zane gently touched my shoulder, "Perhaps you should speak to him in private. I'm going to gather some things and put them in the car. It seems that we're going to have a long trip ahead of us." he suggested.

I agreed, watching as Lennox turned back into a golden sphere and disappeared back into me. Then I walked down the hallway to our room.

Chris was standing by the far window as I entered. He was looking out with his arms crossed and his fingers under his chin. He didn't seem to notice that I'd come in for whatever deep thoughts he was having. I drew in a breath before going over to him.

"Are you going to be okay?"

Chris blinked, finally noticing me beside him, "Sorry. I'm fine now. I just needed a bit of time to think." he apologized.

"I'm sorry that I didn't tell you about Lennox. I just wasn't sure of how to bring it up." I responded.

"Don't worry about it. I'm not mad about him." Chris assured me.

"No. You're worried about me and the baby, right?" I guessed.

Chris closed his eyes, letting out a ragged breath, "I promised you a long time ago that I'd protect you, and so far, I feel like I've done nothing. Now I don't even know if I can protect this kid." he confessed.

Of course he was worrying about those things. After everything that had happened since he'd found me, he probably did have a right to be afraid. But I couldn't let him blame himself for anything.

"Chris, you've done everything you can to protect me, and I know that you'll do everything in your power to protect our baby." I informed him.

"I know." Chris relented. He turned to me, gently placing a hand on my belly, "And even if they do have a Seraphita's soul, this is still our kid. They're still the one thing that I never thought we could have, and I'll do everything I can to make sure that nothing happens to them or you. We'll stop these hunts, and we'll have our family, even if it really does kill me this time."

"You won't die Chris, so don't even talk like that. We'll find the Hawthornes, and I'll have this baby safely. Then we can make them stop attacking us." I contended, putting as much conviction in my words as I could.

Chris gave me a grateful smile, "Yeah. We'll both do our best to make sure that happens; but seriously Ariana, you need to be careful too. We don't know all of what might happen with this pregnancy. There's never been a pregnant Shadow Wing before, and on top of it, this baby isn't exactly anywhere near normal."

"Trust me, I totally get that."

I glanced at myself in the nearby mirror. I could see where my hair was almost completely back to the red it had once been. That was amazing. In only a few hours it had changed me back to what I'd been before Will had to tame my powers.

Chris laughed at me, "You know, it's not all bad. At least your hair's changed back. You look more like yourself, and you told me that you didn't like the black." he pointed out.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." I reluctantly agreed.

We looked towards the door as we heard a knock.

"Yeah?" Chris called.

Zane peeked in, "Am I interrupting anything?"

"No, you can come in. Is something going on?"

"Not really. I just made sure that we'd have what we need in the car for this trip. But if everything's good with you, I think we need to get moving. It seems that we don't have much time left with what Lennox has told us." Zane explained as he stepped in.

"Yeah, no kidding. Let's get moving then." Chris agreed, gently patting my back. After packing some clothes and personal items, we walked out of that room for what may have been the last time.

Everything was quiet as the three of us headed outside to the waiting Dodge, but as I got into the back seat of the car, I couldn't help looking back at that house and feeling a bit of sadness within me. This house was a source of so many memories for me now. Some good, some bad. Not to mention the connection that I'd always felt to it. This was the place where the cycle had begun to create my life, and now, it was the place where the cycle could begin to save all of our lives.

I just hoped that things wouldn't be as hard as I was anticipating.