11

For the first time, the stakes were high on both sides.

I don't believe that any of us Shadow Wings ever imagined that our fight for salvation would come at such a high price for the three Nephilim clans. Because they had chosen to take our side, Judiel had managed to convince many of the other angels that they were also enemies. Everything was riding on my child being born now. The real pressure was on.

All of this fed the tense atmosphere that had settled over the house. An hour had passed since the fight between Saffron and Jade, and this frightening announcement, and I sat in the den with Chris and Zane, doing my best to remain calm. I could feel where Elijah was mostly still inside of me. There would be a slight push of a foot into my ribs here and there, but that was about it. Yet my discomfort persisted no matter how hard I tried to ignore it.

Chris was seated beside me, his elbows propped on his knees as he rested his chin on his hands. I could tell that he was deep in thought about all of this too.

Zane sat near us in one of the armchairs, looking just as deep in thought.

"This has gotten bad now. Can we really withstand such an onslaught as they're thinking?" he muttered.

"We're not going to have a choice, and neither are they. This is all boiling down to life and death." Chris responded.

I gently rubbed my belly, "But why target them too? They're supposed to have been sanctioned by the Holy Trinity, right?" I reminded them.

"This is all strategic. It has to be. Jade's told me before that Judiel didn't like the idea of the clans being formed in the first place. To him, all Nephilim are abominations. This is the perfect opportunity to have them eliminated along with us." Chris explained.

Zane stood up, pacing around the room, "We can't allow that to happen. Not to us and not to them. There has to be an answer here."

"The only answer is to stop Judiel and allow Elijah to be born. They've already made their moves here by calling in all the Nephilim that they can. With all three clans, even if they don't have them all, that's a fairly reasonable number to fight with." Chris reasoned.

Zane agreed, "Yes, that is true. The Sapphire clan has thirteen members all together, and the Violet and Emerald have five each. Even if you only get all from the two and maybe ten from the third, that's a substantial defense."

"But it still may not be enough." we heard Jade say.

All three of us looked towards the window to see him and Saffron standing there. It was odd, but none of us had even noticed their presence. Usually, we were pretty good at that, but we didn't really have time to worry about it. There were more important matters at hand.

"You think that they don't stand a chance." Chris guessed.

"I wouldn't say that, but I also know how Judiel operates. He'll count on a good offense from the front, then take the back way to get to the girl and child." Jade responded, crossing his arms.

Saffron tapped his fingers on the top of the beige chair beside him, "It's a bit of a problem now, isn't it? Even those Seraphs are worried, and that rarely happens with the three of them." he added.

"So, what now? I'm gonna take it that you two have something in mind with all of this." Chris guessed.

"There aren't a lot of options at this point. To be blunt about it, the chances are quite slim. However, there is one more ray of hope that would be an incredible help to the defense and could be our game changer, and that would be to get the leader of the Shadow Wings on our side." Jade explained.

All three of us tensed up with those words. That was right. If we could get Will to come there, then the defense would definitely be doubled, possibly even tripled. All of us knew how powerful Will was. He could probably put a lot of those clan Nephilim to shame, and working with the oldest of those families, it might make them almost unstoppable.

But there was one problem with this too, and it was something that Zane addressed right away.

"It's a good thought, but Will was unable to handle even being around this child. He wouldn't be able to help us in this situation."

I quickly disagreed, "But it's different now. Will's like us. He's changed, and he's free from Lucifer."

"What do you mean he's free?" Chris asked me.

"Just what I said." I replied, "I had a dream about him a few weeks ago, and he was going to see his father for the last time. He ended up fighting him, and he told him that he was choosing salvation, not damnation. He was about to lose, but then there was this bright light that surrounded him. I didn't get to see anymore before I woke up, but I really think that light freed him from being under Lucifer and now he wants to help us."

The room became quiet. All I could hear was the ticking of the nearby grandfather clock against the wall.

Saffron finally spoke, "If that dream was reality, then we just might stand a chance."

"Yes, that is true, but the only problem with that is when he decides to show up here. There is no time for any to go looking for him, considering the fact that he could be anywhere at this point." Jade sighed. He turned his attention back to me, "At any rate, we're running out of time. We need to be prepared for the inevitable conclusion that this could be the last stand."

I was about to respond when I suddenly felt a terrible pain radiate down my back to my pelvis, putting pressure between my legs. I cringed and held my pregnant belly.

Chris and Zane reacted right away.

"Ariana, what's wrong?!" Chris asked, sounding a bit panicked.

"I don't know. It hurts so bad." I whispered. Another pain went through me as I spoke.

By then Micah was hurrying in there to me. He must've sensed what was going on.

"Talk about bad timing." he muttered.

"You're kidding right? Tell me this kid's not getting ready to make an appearance now!" Chris begged.

Micah looked worried now, "I wish I could, but the feeling is definitely here."

Saffron and Jade had tensed up too, looking towards the nearby windows. There was a strong electric feeling filling the air. Something intensely powerful was heading our way.

"Very bad timing indeed, especially when he's already coming for us." Saffron murmured.

"What do we do now?" Chris asked Micah as I felt another shot of pain go through me.

"We need to take her to a place where we can keep her safe. The others are already starting to arrive, so we have some defenses already in place. Chris, I want you to come with me. Zane, please go with Saffron and Jade and do what you can to keep them away from the house." Micah ordered.

No one argued with him. The whole atmosphere had turned way too intense for them to do so.

Chris carefully picked me up, "It's gonna be alright. Let's get you out of here." he whispered as he followed Micah out.

We hurried out of the den room and into the foyer. The others were hurrying out there as well. Micah was quick to give orders as he saw them.

"Make sure to remain around the house. Do not let any get in. We will keep the girl in a hidden place to make sure that this child is born." he told them.

"You heard him. Let's move." Raphael ordered, leading the others outside.

I barely noticed any of this. The pain had become more intense now. I was certain that this was it. This baby was getting ready to come, and so was the hell that we were going to have to face. I didn't doubt that Judiel knew that this was coming. If he wanted to end everything in one massive sweep, now was his golden opportunity.

From what I was able to comprehend, Micah had been getting ready for all of this too. He led us straight to the library, where he walked over to a bookshelf and held up his hand. The shelf opened up, revealing a small room that was hidden behind it. In it was a small bed and a few things that looked like they could be used after a birth like towels and medical tools on a small tray beside it. There were no windows in the room.

"Lay her on the bed. We must prepare quickly." Micah instructed Chris.

I was breathing hard as Chris laid me down on the bed. The pain was horrible with the pressure that was building against my lower pelvis. It was like I could feel the baby pushing down.

Chris was busy helping Micah, who was telling him all of what needed to be done. Even though he was panicking slightly, he was trying his best to keep focused.

Once Micah was able to make sure that all our medical needs were there and in place, he sat down at the end of the bed and checked me. I took some deep breaths as he did, doing my best to remain calm.

"It looks like it's progressing well. Hopefully this will go quickly." he said as he stood up.

We could hear loud booms coming from outside now. It sounded like the attack had begun. We could even feel the house shake with some of them.

Chris looked back at him, "Are you sure that they can hold them off?"

"I hope so. We may have a lot more than we bargained for in this." Micah responded.

I took a deep breath so that I could speak, "He's brought a lot of them with him, hasn't he?" I managed.

Micah hesitated, but Chris wasn't about to let him stay silent.

"Tell the truth Seraphim. Tell us whether they stand a chance!" he demanded.

"I don't know. On onslaught like like this is usually determined by numbers, and they outnumber us." Micah confessed.

Another boom shook the house. I closed my eyes, feeling the pain go through me again.

Please, I thought, please come soon and end this.

To be honest, this wasn't because I was afraid for myself or that I just wanted to have this baby so that the pain would be over. I didn't want to see anyone else hurt or killed because of us. Everyone was putting their lives on the line for this. This baby meant so much to everyone here.

I winced as another pain moved through me. Chris sat beside me and squeezed my hand.

"How long is this going to take?" he asked Micah.

Micah checked me again, "Not long. She's moving quickly, and that's in our favor. Hopefully we can bring this child into the world before something gets to us."

This whole thing felt like an eternity to me. Not only for the pain, but for the terrifying sounds that we were hearing outside. Micah remained where he was, keeping a hand on the bulge that was slowly moving down. I could feel that my water had broken.

Chris held my hand tightly as he sat beside me, trying to encourage me to be strong. I could sense that he was torn about not being able to help the others fight, but there was no way he'd ever leave me or Elijah now.

"He's getting close now." Micah told me.

But as he said that, a loud cracking sound came from the ceiling near the hidden doorway. All three of us looked up as we heard it.

"No." I heard Micah whisper.

Chris jumped up, holding out his hand to bring out his sword as he stood in front of the bed.

"He's found us!"

Micah jumped up as well, throwing out his hand and creating a strong green barrier around us. It was just in time too, because the ceiling suddenly exploded, sending the debris flying everywhere in the room. Some of it was in such massive chunks that they smashed through the walls, leaving gaping holes in them.

I breathed hard in pain and fear as I saw Judiel appear in front of the barrier. He was still the same frightening visage that I remembered him as. Standing there in golden armor and with matching massive wings, he held a flaming sword in his right hand. Micah remained where he was but was in a stance for anything.

Judiel wasn't intimidated as he regarded him, "Move aside Emerald. You know what must be done." he ordered.

"I will not. If you kill them then all hope is lost for their kind and ours." Micah replied sternly. He glanced at Chris, "Protect the girl and the child. I will handle him for now."

Judiel lunged at him. To my shock, he cut through the barrier like it was nothing, but Micah seemed like he was ready for that too. He immediately brought out his own sword, blocking the strike against him. He easily pushed Judiel back, throwing him against the far wall. It crumbled behind him; the cool air from the outside seeping in. I could see flashes of light through that hole as the others were fighting against the other angels that had come with Judiel.

I didn't get much of a chance to take any of it in. Another sharp surge of pain moved down through me. This baby was definitely getting ready to come. I could feel it in my soul.

Micah was still holding off Judiel, though he seemed to be having a hard time doing it. Chris remained in front of me, his sword raised so that he could defend me.

"I can't just watch this." I heard him mutter. He swung his sword out, sending a large wave of emerald flames at Judiel.

Unfortunately, Judiel was still too quick, and dodged the second attack. I sat up in the bed, breathing hard and wishing I could do something more. My pain intensified as I felt the baby begin to come.

"Please..." I whispered as I pushed hard.

All of a sudden, there was an incredible gust of power surging through the room. Both Chris and Micah were thrown back against the far wall, hitting it hard. I looked up, my eyes widening in fear as Judiel landed near me.

"Enough of this! It ends here!" he declared, raising his sword.

But before he could bring it down, Chris was back in front of me, blocking it with his own.

"No! I won't let you touch them!" he yelled.

"You'd dare challenge me again boy?! This time I'll make sure that you don't survive!" Judiel shot back, pushing his sword down harder against his.

Chris struggled to keep it up, but he was losing strength. This angel was very, very strong; maybe too strong for any Nephilim to really handle. I looked over at Micah, who was trying to get back to me, but being prevented by another angel that had gotten in there and was fighting to keep him away from us.

A scream escaped me as the baby starting to come. We were so close now. But at the same time, Judiel was starting to push Chris aside. If he got to me, then there would be no way for me to stop him from killing me.

Yet just as I braced myself for the worst, a sudden flash of golden light flew through the other side of the wall, hitting Judiel hard and sending him flying back. He slammed into the far wall, which crumbled around him. Chris immediately moved back beside me as another figure landed in front of us. We could barely believe our eyes as they stood up straight.

"Will..." I breathed.

I didn't get any real chance to react to this. Instead, I screamed again as I felt the baby starting to come out. Will moved quickly, throwing out a golden whip and wrapping it around the angel that was still trying to hold Micah back.

"Get to her now!" he yelled.

Micah flew over to the end of the bed. The baby was now coming out, and with one last strong push, it was finally over.

Loud cries rang out, and an instant, powerful feeling of peace filled the air like a thick blanket. I laid back, breathing in relief as I watched Micah lift the baby boy in his arms, setting him on my chest. I snuggled him to me, looking around in wonder at the golden hue that covered everything.

Chris and Will were looking at it too. Everything had become incredibly quiet now. It was like the whole world was reacting to his birth.

The sounds of fighting had also stopped as the angels began retreating. Looking through the large, gaping hole in front of us, I saw Judiel shakily standing up. But the look on his face as he saw the crying baby in my arms spoke volumes. He'd been defeated. He couldn't prevent this birth. His fight, at least at this time, was over.

Chris and Will stood their ground.

"It's over now. Retreat." Chris ordered, his voice stern but still shaking.

"Hold on." Will interrupted, taking a step towards the angel, "It's over now, so tell me where they are."

Judiel drew in a sharp breath, "I will tell you nothing." he growled.

"I said it's over, now tell where they are!" Will demanded.

"Nothing is over yet. Mark my words on that." Judiel asserted.

He disappeared in a flash of golden light, leaving only the feeling of peace and relief. Although a small part of my mind was wondering what Will had been talking about, it was hard for me to focus on anything now except for the baby in my arms.

My baby was finally calming down now. I managed to sit up, wrapping a blanket around him that Micah had handed to me. I couldn't stop admiring him as I held him. This was the baby that had been growing inside of me; the amazing little boy that was now harboring the soul of a Seraphita, and what was left of Lennox. Looking into his eyes, I could almost feel the power hidden within them.

He looked a lot like Chris too. I could see some blonde hair on his head, and thought his eyes were still dark because he'd just been born, I could already see the blue coming out in them. I couldn't wait to see how beautiful he'd be as he grew.

Micah finished cutting his cord, breathing a sigh of relief, "We've finally made it past this hurdle. Hopefully so did everyone else."

Chris and Will were regaining their bearings as well, looking around at the battered room. It had been one hell of a battle, but somehow, maybe even by the grace of God, we'd managed to make it through.

"Looks like I made it just in time. I was getting worried that I wouldn't." Will breathed, running a hand through his hair. He looked relieved as he took in the sight of me and Elijah.

Chris let out an exhausted breath, "Yeah. I owe you one." he told him. He sat down beside me, a relieved smile crossing his face as he looked at our baby, "I'm just glad that the two of you are okay. That was way too close."

"We're fine. A little shaky, but we're okay." I promised him.

I looked at Elijah again. He was now calm and watching us. I was a bit surprised to see that he was wide awake. Maybe all of the excitement had done that to him.

Will also leaned down to get a good look at him, "So, this is the kid that will help change everything. I'd say that he looks like any other baby, but his eyes definitely don't." he commented.

"Wow, thanks. He is our kid you know." Chris informed him.

Will huffed with a slight smile, standing up straight again, "Sorry. I wasn't trying to offend you or anything. But maybe that didn't come out right." he lamented.

"It looks like Ariana was right about you too. You have golden wings now." Chris added.

"Yep. It was a very strange thing, but it was good timing too. I probably would be dead right now if this hadn't happened." Will admitted.

"So my dream was real. You did fight with Lucifer." I said, still looking at Elijah.

"Yeah, but that explains a lot to me too. You must've been there somehow. Maybe even because of this little guy." Will realized.

"Speaking of, he still needs a name." Micah reminded us. He took the baby from me to clean him up, then wrapped him in the blanket to keep him warm.

"He already has one." Chris told him, "We picked it a while back. It's Elijah."

"Elijah huh? Sounds like a fitting name to me." Will commented.

"I think he looks like one." I told them as Micah handed him back to me.

Elijah was still very alert and looking at me with calm eyes. A slight cooing sound came from him as I kissed his forehead. My beautiful son. It didn't matter what his soul was to me. This precious little baby boy was mine.

Chris stood up and looked at Micah, "So what now? He's been born, so does that mean that all of this is supposed to be over?"

"I'm afraid not." Micah admitted, "Even though Elijah has been born, it does not mean that the ones who need to know of him have found out. Judiel has gone to great lengths to keep them from learning of any of this, so for now, we must come up with a way to get their attention so that they may learn of his existence. We've crossed one hurdle, but I fear that there may be an even bigger one coming."

"You're kidding right? All three of you Seraphs have been going back and forth between the mortal world and the Heavens for months, and none of you have been able to do anything about any of this?" Will demanded.

"Unfortunately, there are limits on us now. Although we all hold high positions, we still are not privileged to go that high in the Heavens. To be completely honest with you, Judiel is slightly higher than we are at this time, so it's been an uphill battle just to get this far." Micah explained.

"So you're useless. Why am I not surprised?" Will muttered.

Chris was helping me to move to the side of the bed, "That's enough." he ordered, "If it's not over then we have to deal with that. But right now, I think it would be better if we got out there and made sure that everyone's okay."

I agreed as he helped me stand. Even though it hurt a little, it wasn't as bad as I thought. I actually felt a bit empowered now. I'd just given birth to this beautiful baby boy all on my own. If I could do that, then I was sure that I could do anything.

Slowly coming out of the room with Chris making sure that I stayed steady, the four of us went down the stairs and stepped outside. It felt warm out there as we did. The golden light wasn't completely gone yet.

But unfortunately, the damage was fairly massive. Most of the trees that had been near the house were gone, either incinerated or broken into pieces, and the ground also had large, deep holes gouged into it.

We could see that there were many Nephilim out there too. It looked like the ones from the clans who could come had gotten there just in time. Nine of them had blue wings, four had violet, and five had emerald.

Jade and Saffron landed from where they'd been surveying the surrounding area. Looking at them, I realized that their wings had turned even lighter now. This power from the Seraphita was really affecting them now, whether they wanted it to or not.

"So, it's finally done. The child is now in the world." Jade commented as he looked over at the baby I was cradling in my arms.

"I will take it that they have made their retreat with their leader." Micah surmised.

Malakai and Kinsley landed near their Nephilim, although both were still looking pensive. I wondered why. Had they heard something more that we hadn't yet?

"They have, but this isn't the end. Not with what's just been relayed to us." Kinsley admitted.

"What else could there be? This Seraphita was supposed to be the one to end all of the bloodshed." Zane reminded them.

I noticed that he was standing near Kira, and there was a large, bloody rip in his shirt where he'd taken a nasty hit, which was now starting to heal. I wondered if he'd taken it for her.

Malakai let out a long breath, "It's what we feared in this. Balance."

"Balance?" Chris repeated.

"Of course." Jade chuckled to himself, though it sounded frustrated. He walked over to Chris and me, looking down at the baby in my arms, "All of you had better listen well to this, or all of you will be fated to death just as the Shadow Wings have been for centuries. Nothing like this happens with balancing. For all debates, there must be equality. Isn't that right Kinsley?"

Kinsley agreed, "Unfortunately, that is correct. While we suspected such a thing could be possible, we didn't have any true confirmation until now. The Seraphita needed to be balanced out in order to complete this redemption attempt. For that, a second was also born at the same time as this one." he confirmed.

"So that's how it is. You just didn't want to believe it so you said nothing." Will grumbled, walking to the middle ground between us and the other group.

"You sound quite angry over this Abass. Certainly your own father gave you such an inkling. I can't imagine that he wouldn't." Saffron chided him as he crossed his arms.

Will scowled at him, "Shut up! You have no place to talk in any of this!"

A large surge of power came from him, sending a strong gust of wind at all of us. Chris held me and Elijah close, making sure to shield us.

"What the hell are you doing?!" he demanded.

"All of you were foolish enough to believe these Seraphs about all of this. You never even considered that there could be two of them or even that this one had to be balanced out. Redemption doesn't work that way! Unless this other one doesn't end up turning on us, we're all dead!" Will declared.

Saffron suddenly moved, wrapping a blue whip around him to tightly bind his arms and wings. Will tried to struggle against it, but couldn't break free of the powerful binding that held him.

Saffron yanked it hard to pull him over to him, "Alright, let me make all of this clear for you. There are no other choices in this matter, and what's happening is what must be done. You are correct. Redemption is not so simple as expecting such a powerful child to be born and save us all, nor would any truly believe he would be the only voice in it. So, until that day comes where the judgment can be made, you must still live with your backs to the wall. Accept what you cannot change at this time and put your damned head on straight. Got it?" he ordered harshly.

Will managed to nod and Saffron let him go, sending him falling to the ground. Will breathed hard as he scowled at him, but said no more. Considering what had just happened, he probably understood that it was not going to be in his benefit.

Raphael spoke up, "So, what's the plan now? It's obvious that these children aren't going to be able to speak freely about the redemption for at least several years. If that's what's needed, then we're in for a dangerous waiting game, especially if that angel continues his attacks during it."

"The answer is simple. For now, we disperse and allow them time to grow. As they do, the three of us will work on figuring out where the ultimate meeting place will be. Until then, this boy will remain with his parents and the Shadow Wings that he has already purified." Kinsley answered.

I looked down at Elijah, seeing his eyes flash a brilliant blue back at me for a split second. In that moment, I could feel the power again. The Seraphita's soul was integrated within him, and still apparently having at least a sense of things around him. Looking at the others around me, I had to have my own say.

"That's all we can do? We just have to make sure to protect him like we've done with each other?"

"For the time, yes." Kinsley answered, "The end is indeed coming, but for now, all we can do is wait."

Kinsley's words left no room for argument, and I believe that every one of us there understood that. But as the night fell and I sat in our room holding my new son, I couldn't help pushing all of those frightening thoughts aside. Instead, I was looking in wonder at this beautiful new life that I had given birth to only hours before.

To be honest about all of it, I was still having a hard time believe that such a perfect little person had been growing within my own body. Even when I was pregnant, I couldn't quite picture him. Now that he was in my arms, I felt like I'd never seen a more incredible being. He was once again awake and looking up at me with beautiful blue eyes. They were eyes that mirrored my own.

As I looked at him, I still did think that he looked a lot like Chris too. I could kind of see the resemblance from when I'd dreamed of him as a child. But at the same time, I could see some of Lennox there too. I smiled as I realized that. Again, I was reminded that he wasn't completely gone.

Yet as I looked at him, I couldn't stop thinking about what I'd heard right after he was born. There was another Seraphita child like him out there, but no one knew where they were. It brought so many questions to my mind. Were they anything like Elijah? Were they a boy or a girl? And most importantly, who were this child's parents?

I heard the sound of the door opening but didn't bother looking away from Elijah. Footsteps walked over to the bed beside me.

"Hey." I heard Chris say, "You look like you're doing good now."

"I'm fine. I don't even feel like I gave birth." I admitted as I finally looked up at him.

"You don't look it either. I'm sure that you're glad of that." Chris responded with a smile as he sat on the bed side me.

"Thanks. I'll take that as a compliment."

Chris leaned over to look at Elijah, "He's still awake huh? I would've thought that he'd at least try to sleep now."

"He slept a little bit, but it seems like he just wants to stay awake right now." I admitted. I shifted him a little in my arms, "Did you want to hold him again?"

"Yeah. I think I'll feel better about things if I do." Chris replied, letting out a long, tired breath.

He took Elijah from me, gently cradling him against his shoulder. I could see that he looked pretty tired. I didn't doubt that he was more than worried about what might be coming next. I decided not to broach the subject of the other Seraphita child for now. Instead, I wanted to reassure Chris a little more.

"You know Chris, I think that we're going to be okay for now." I told him.

"You really think so?" Chris asked absently as he looked at his son.

"Yeah, I do. I don't know why, but I just feel it. I know that we're nowhere close to all of this ending, but I can't help but think that we'll make it when that time comes." I confessed.

Chris was quiet for a moment, but he seemed to be thinking my words over. Finally, he spoke again.

"You know, I'm not going to sit here and say that you're wrong. To be honest with you, I've been feeling it too, and I've never done anything like that before. I've always kind of looked at things in the worst case scenario."

"Were you looking at Elijah's birth that way too?" I asked.

"Isn't it kind of obvious with what almost happened?" Chris responded, although it wasn't as harsh as I'd expected it to be.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm just glad that Will was able to get here when he did. He really does have good timing." I sighed.

"It's a talent with him. But seriously, I'm really relieved right now to be in here with you and holding our son." Chris admitted, smiling at Elijah.

I couldn't help smiling too. This felt so peaceful now, especially seeing them together. There was little doubt to anyone about just how much Chris loved our child. As soon as we'd been able to settle down a little bit after his birth, he'd made sure to hold and cuddle him. It was funny, but I truly believe that this was a side of Chris that no one had ever seen before. Even I hadn't, although the two of us were very close and intimate. This was a side of love that only a father could show.

At that time, the two of us heard the door opening again. We looked over to see Zane peeking in.

"Hey, is this a good time?" he asked softly.

"Yeah, it's fine. He's not asleep, so you don't have to worry about being loud." Chris replied.

Zane nodded, stepping into the room with Will, who closed the door behind them.

"It seems like you two are doing fine, and so is our little miracle." Zane commented as he came over to look at Elijah.

"We're okay, but it has been a long day." Chris admitted.

"No kidding. First the kid starts to come, then that bastard angel decides to strike. It was almost a disaster." Will agreed.

I smiled at him. "By the way, welcome back. I didn't get to say anything to you earlier."

Will returned my smile, "Thanks. It's good to be back with you guys, and to be able to see the little guy in person. I was getting worried that I might not be able to." he confessed.

"It was quite a story about your facing your father, but it also seems that you had some help from Ariana and this little fellow." Zane noted.

"It seems that way, but I sure as hell didn't feel either of them there." Will responded.

"That's just how it is sometimes, and I'd imagine that the Seraphita was planning on doing such a thing at the right time, whether you were around us or not." Zane reasoned.

Chris looked at Elijah as he said that, "You know, I don't really care that he's supposed to have this Seraphita's soul. He's still always going to be our son." he reminded them.

Will agreed, although he seemed a bit more subdued now, "Yeah, I do agree with that. But seriously, the whole thing with this other has thrown all of us for a loop."

"Saffron said something about Lucifer telling you about that. Did you really not believe him?" Zane inquired.

"Well, you know the answer to that question most of the time." Will reminded him. He crossed his arms and looked at the floor as he leaned back against the nearby wall, "But between us, I didn't want to either. Not because of what this other kid might end up representing, but because of what I didn't know until now."

There was something more to this. Something that Will really didn't want to say out loud. I didn't think I'd ever seen him look this pensive before about anything. Or maybe upset would've fit better. He was just playing stoic.

Chris didn't beat around the bush with him, "You know more about this other kid than you want them to know, so tell us what it is." he demanded quietly.

Will took in a long breath before answering, "Like I said, I didn't believe what he told me back then, and it was why he wanted me to meet with him that last time. Lucifer knows about this other kid and so does Judiel. That bastard angel took their mother away and hid her before I could get to them. That's why it took me so long to come back here. I was trying everything I could to find where he took them."

I stared at him as he spoke. Now his demands to Judiel when Elijah was born made perfect sense. He'd been searching this entire time for the other Seraphita and their mother, and wanted to know where they were.

But the truth was also starting to click in my mind. Will wasn't just looking for this other child because they were the second Seraphita, and Lucifer had been aware of them along with Judiel. Was it possible...?

Zane was the one to say what I was now sure of, "That child is yours, aren't they?"

"Are you serious?" Chris asked in disbelief, "How the hell could you have not known that was going to happen with you?! Wouldn't it have been at the same time?!"

"It was." Will confirmed, keeping his eyes down and voice even, "But I wasn't contacted like Ariana. She probably was, but I didn't know anything about it until after she disappeared."

"But why would it choose you without letting you know? Is it because of who you are?" I asked him.

"No clue." Will sighed.

"Who's the mother?" Chris probed.

Will shook his head, "You already know." was all he'd say.

Chris and Zane let it go then, and Chris shifted Elijah in his arms as he changed the subject a little, "So, what are you gonna do? You realize that this kid might try to condemn all of us to death in a few years." he reminded him.

"I'm well aware of that," Will acknowledged, "but I also don't believe they will. I can't tell you why. Maybe it's intuition from being their father, or maybe it's just wishful thinking. I won't believe that until I see it with my own eyes."

Zane nodded, "You're right. There's no other choice but to wait now, although it'll probably be at least another four or five years."

Will huffed a little, "Yeah, it's a bum deal, but we don't have a choice. I can't say too much about it either. From what I'm getting to see, those Seraphs have really gotten limited too because of the persecution that's been coming on them. They've even had some of their abilities taken from them, at least to an extent. It's really got them on edge." he admitted.

"What abilities are you talking about?" I asked.

"It seems that they've taken most of their abilities in teleportation. From what we understand, this is to keep them from running in an instant should the worst start to happen; but according to Kinsley, there is a way around it as well that the other angels did not anticipate. He said something about it being with the portals of the Veil. Unfortunately though, such things still put all of the Nephilim in a bind for the fact that they cannot be gathered in an instant." Zane explained.

We all looked down as we took in his words. So, they really were making their moves against the Seraphs who were trying to help us.

"What do we do until then? Do we find a place to hide until they figure out their next move, even if it takes them years to do it?" I finally asked them.

"Actually, there is an answer for that much. It came rather quickly for us." Zane responded.

"Oh yeah? What is it?" Chris asked.

Elijah yawned, closing his eyes and snuggling against Chris's shoulder to sleep. He'd finally worn down enough for it.

"Well, right after our conversation with those Seraphs, Kira approached me and offered to allow me to live with her. She has a home in the mountains, and it's quite a secluded area. She also told me that her family owns another small house that's about twenty minutes from it. For that, Kinsley has extended an offer for you both to live there with Elijah." Zane explained.

Chris and I looked at each other.

"How safe do you think this place is?" he asked.

"I've been to the area before, and it's exactly as they have described." Zane replied, "Saffron and Jade have also said that they will help safe-guard the property along with creating a stone that will limit Elijah's power for however long it needs to be. To be honest with you, this may be your best bet in keeping him safe, not to mention that I will be sure to stay around along with Kira."

"And so will I. Trust me, none of us are going to let anything happen to you guys or Elijah." Will promised us.

"You're not going to keep looking for your child?" I inquired.

"Oh, I'm not gonna stop, but with all of this, it might be better to scale back until the redemption time comes. I know their mother will keep them safe until then." Will answered.

Chris and I looked at each other. We knew that we'd be foolish not to accept all of this. After all, there were still marks on all of our heads, especially our son's. Perhaps living in some isolation was the only real answer.

But at the same time, we still had that determination that we'd survive and so would he. Judiel and those who followed him would not put us or the clans to death. We'd find a way to stop them, even if it did take years.

"What do you say? Are you willing to take up this offer of protection?" Zane asked us.

"Yeah, we'll take it." Chris agreed, "And we'll wait for now. But when the time comes, we're gonna make sure that this ends once and for all."