Original Sin

Chapter 17

St. Petersburgh, Russia, 1917

She was leaving him again. It took him nearly 100 years to find her this time. He ran through every city, village, and countryside, frantic, looking for some sign that a blue-eyed, blond-haired, ethereal woman had been there.

Now amidst the chaos of the Russian Revolution and overthrow of the Tzar and his family, Anton managed a glimpse of her, that one person he loved more than anyone or anything else is existence. He caught a glimpse of blond hair whipping around in the winter wind. Her clothes were typical of a maid servant. 

She would get out, like she always did. 

He heard someone call her name- Ana. But he always preferred her original name, Dinah, the name of the woman he fell for. It played on repeat in Anton's head, Dinah. Dinah. Dinah.

Anton ran towards her, pushing other human beings into an even more fanatic frenzy as statues of the Romanov family were torn down, a great line of Tzars reduced to rubble in seconds. Demons swirled and played with weak constitutions, prevalent among the riots, mobs, protests, and the crowds of people hammering open the palace gates. Anton already knew the royal family would die tonight, as would their executioners. Their names were on the list of souls he had slated to be damned. 

Who knew angels could be so brutal? He sighed, thinking of how willing those demons were to leave Heaven, all they had ever known, to commit treachery and brutality of the most satanic kind. The number of fallen angels was growing, a fact which made Anton sure that something evil was on its way. 

"Dinah!" he called out, causing her retreating form to stop and turn. But instead of the calm, loving attitude he looked forward to, Anton saw fear, disappointment, and a flash of anger all at once inside her illuminated eyes. It stopped him. He dare not pursue any further. 

All he managed to speak was a quiet, "I love you," more to himself than to Ana. She didn't acknowledge anything. A deep abyss was growing between them, and he couldn't stop it, not with all the power of his angelic fury or the combined power of all three arch angels.

She turned on her heal and ran into the throng of people and demons. She disappeared from his sight once again.

Anton took a moment, standing in the middle of the crowd, to survey his thoughts, concluding only this: No matter how much he wanted to deny it, she had the capacity to leave him. 

For the first time since he laid eyes on her, Lucifer doubted his wife's resolve.

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Hailey was sure she'd dreamt the whole thing. Yet, it was real, and it was recent. The weight of responsibility rested heavily on her shoulders. She felt it while opening her eyes, which were almost glued together. Prying them open was painful. 

She sat up, hanging her head to her chest before mustering the strength to look up and survey her surroundings. She recognized one of her many safe houses, close to the same beach they'd fought on. What a run-down place! Alas, nice thing were for mortals- Use them once, then let them go. 

Her hand felt warm. Alex was still here. His hand gripped her's tightly, while his head lay on top of his other arm at the edge of her bed. He hadn't moved but seemed restless. Hailey wondered if he'd slept at all while she was unconscious. She came so close to death. That was a new experience for both of them. How would he interpret it? How should she? 

Hailey gazed at the angel lying beside her. In this state, he was a normal man, hoping and praying that his wife would soon wake up. She could not call him weak for that. That wasn't weakness. Instead, he emanated a lover's strength that surpassed her own measures of love. How foolish she had been to think that she could make this decision alone, to be alone for the remainder of time. 

A tear slipped past her eyes, leaving a sticky trail down her cheek. She leaned over to bury her face in his hair and kiss his head. There were too many emotions swirling around right now to think straight. So Hailey didn't try to think. She acted upon feelings, something her rational personality rarely allowed. 

Was there any power in the world that could freeze this moment?

Hailey stilled, remembering Michael's last act of violence towards her. Forget about freezing time, she thought. That memory was still too fresh. 

Alex stirred. Hailey pulled away enough so that Alex could lift his head and meet her eyes. She kept her hand at the back of his neck, pulling him closer so their foreheads touched, and their breathing mixed together. Once his eyes opened completely, realization dawned on him; she was still here, still alive, still his wife. 

"I thought I'd lost you," Alex mumbled almost incoherently, reaching one hand up to caress her cheek. 

A simple, "Nope," was all Hailey could respond with.

He tried to pull away, angling for a better look, but Hailey put enough pressure on the back of his neck to hold him still. "Don't move. Please. Not yet. "

Alex remained where he was, the slightly shocked expression giving way to a warm, caring glow on his face. She knew that look, though she hadn't seen it in a long time. That same expression was replicated on Hailey's face too. 

It's love, a love of the purest kind, the type of love that only comes around once in a lifetime. 

"Love is patient. Love is kind." Hailey hadn't realized she was whispering until Alex joined her.

"Love is not self-seeking. Love is not easily angered. Love protects, hopes, and perseveres." 

Hailey's grinned, eyes closed, soaking-in the moment. "First Corinthians, the only book of the Bible I actually enjoy revisiting." 

Alex unexpectedly pulled back. He did not look in her eyes. "You're not going to run away from me again once you're all better, are you?" he asked her. 

Hailey shook her head. She lifted his chin with one finger, forcing him to look at her, to see her hopes, fears, and desires. They were all linked to him. She just wanted Alex. He was what she needed this whole time. A shame it took her a few thousand years to realize it. "No. I think I've done enough running to last me a lifetime," she replied, wrapping both arms around his neck and leaning in for a deep kiss. Usually, she wouldn't be so physically forward, but she wanted this. 

No, she needed this. 

Alex kissed her back. His lips crashed and molded with her own so perfectly. She was never too sure about the idea of soulmates, but if they did exist, Hailey knew Alex was her's and she was his.

His hands gripped her hips and pulled her roughly to sit in his lap, never breaking the deep, passionate kiss. Alex's hands roamed around her back. Hailey wove her fingers through his hair. They couldn't pull each other any closer.

They stayed just like that, tangled in each other's embrace, until the bleak morning light began to trickle through the windows.