The Crow

Chapter 7

"Have a seat," Alastor says, gesturing towards the chair opposite the couch.
Gabriel obeys. His hands rest on his knees, fingers laced tightly together.

"Would you like something to drink?"
"Coffee, please," Gabriel says.
"Coming right up," Alastor replies. "I'll be out in a minute."

Gabriel stares at his feet. It's quiet and dim in the room. There are barely any lights on and the windows are covered by shades, preventing any light from leaking in. He takes a deep breath and forces himself to relax. Everything will be fine. He'll get through it. There's no need to freak out.

But then who won't they kill tonight?
"Here," Alastor says as he steps back into the living room. The smell of coffee floats over.
It smells incredible. Gabriel raises an eyebrow. He doesn't have the heart to refuse it.

"Thanks," he mutters, taking it.
They stay silent for a while, both drinking silently. Gabriel sips slowly, savoring the taste. Alastor sits on the edge of the couch, resting his elbows on his knees, fingers curled around his coffee cup. He seems to be thinking.

Finally, Gabriel can't bear the silence anymore. "So," he begins, "What happened today, Alastor? Where did you come from?"

"Oh," Alastor says, "That's easy. I just appeared. I didn't want to go."
"You didn't want to go?" Gabriel frowns. "Why?"

Alastor shrugs. "I don't know," he says. He looks tired now, more exhausted than anything else. "There was someone there, and they were calling me. They said something...something bad would happen. Something that'll cause my death."
Gabriel's eyes widen. "That's impossible. No one can hurt you!"
"Well, I am a demon," Alastor points out.

Gabriel shakes his head in disbelief. "I've read about demons. You're just a myth, you hear me? An old wives tale from long ago. Nothing more."
Alastor chuckles, shaking his head in amusement. "An old wives tale indeed," he says sarcastically. "You humans have such little faith. I guess you just don't recognize us yet. Or perhaps you do and you just think we're too scary to admit."

Gabriel scoffs. "I'm not scared of you."
"Then I suppose that means I don't scare you either, hmm?"
"No. You don't scare me. Not even now. But I am not going to let you die tomorrow." Gabriel stands up. "I'm sorry, but if you truly are a demon I'll stop you before you kill anyone else. And I promise I'll make sure you're safe afterwards."

"Gabriel..." Alastor sighs, rubbing his temple, "Just because you don't believe in us doesn't mean we don't exist. We're everywhere, even in our weakest and most pathetic forms."
Gabriel pauses. He thinks for a moment and nods.

"All right," he decides, "You win."
"Good," Alastor smirks. "Now I suggest you get some sleep. I'm sure you've gotten less than twelve hours of decent sleep in quite some time. You look like shit."

Gabriel blushes. "Shut up," he mumbles.
"Sleep well, my angel," Alastor whispers.

For a brief second, Gabriel's heart skips a beat. He freezes. For a second it feels almost as if he can see the outline of Alastor leaning forward slightly, his eyes shining in the darkness, so close. Just inches away. Then he pulls himself back and walks upstairs, leaving behind a stunned Archangel.