The parts with Dante and Dove are supposed to be italicized, but fictionpress is stupid and always messes up my formatting. DIE!!! So if you want to see the story the way it was meant to be seen visit the address given at the bottom of the page. Fictionpress won't let me put the address here. That's just how annoying they are.

Of Demons and Angels

The dark clouds hinted at a heavy rain within the hour. The two standing under the brooding sky weren’t concentrating on the rain however. They had more important things on their mind.

Dante sighed. He was a rugged man, unshaven, and he was disappointed in the way things were playing out as of late. He looked at Dove. Her bright blonde hair and illuminated face always seemed to give him hope but he knew there wasn’t any. He glanced at Dove’s great white wings and then quickly averted his gaze to the sky. Her wings added to her already dazzling beauty, but it was also a harsh reminder of the line that separated them.

Dove noticed Dante’s uncomfortable behavior so she reached out and grabbed Dante’s jacket. She unzipped it as Dante said, “No.” That didn’t stop Dove, of course. She took it off to reveal Dante’s black wings, which were much smaller than Dove’s. They did not nearly have the same beautiful elegance.

“They’re a part of you,” Dove said, keeping the jacket in one hand.

“A part I don’t like!” Dante said more harshly than intended.

“I love every part of you.”

Then there was a brief moment of silence.

“It’s starting up again,” Dove said.

“I know,” Dante said. He held out his hand and Dove took it in hers. “What has brought us to this?”

“Well, you weren’t exactly the nicest person…” Dove began.

Dante laughed. He always laughed but Dove was wonderfully funny. “Yes. I know. What do you think He’s thinking about?”

“What He always thinks about,” Dove replied. “‘How will I tear them apart?’”

Another joke provoked another laugh from Dante. God really was a benevolent being. But he was clearly concentrating on destruction as of late.

A roar of thunder rolled across the land and Dove said what was already obvious, “It’s coming.”

“Thunder! GAH! What the hell is so symbolic about thunder? Can there never be a battle between good an evil without it being in the midst of a storm?” Dante’s observation provoked laugher from Dove this time around.

“I’ll be sure to ask him… before…” She stopped.

The two embraced each other.

“Everything will be alright,” came the sweet optimistic voice from Dove.

“For tonight,” Dante’s rough voice concluded.

John finished the last panel and set his pencil down. He still had to ink, but most of the work was done for his second issue.

John was, if you were unable to take a hint, an artist. He enjoyed writing and drawing his own stories and he had just started a new story for his fans around the world reading his work via the internet. Posting the second part of his new story would have to wait, however. Otherwise he would be late for a very important date.

John knocked at the door, ignoring the button right next to him for the doorbell. A brown-haired, brown-eyed woman answered the door almost immediately. She looked drop-dead gorgeous, as always.

“You ready?” John asked.

Katie walked out the door and said, “Let’s go.”

They got in John’s car and pulled away from the house.

“You’re getting a lot of reviews online,” Katie said. “I must admit that your new series will probably be your best yet. Your first issue was amazing. Everyone loves it.”

“How many people do you think actually read that thing though? And of those who do, how many actually know how to decide if something is good quality or not?”

“All you have to do is impress the average person in order to sell books.”

“And a publisher in order to get the book published in the first place,” John informed.

“Yes, but what do you think the publisher is looking for? Something that will sell. Your books can definitely sell. After you finish this series I want you to send it to a publisher as a graphic novel, okay?”

Katie obviously believed herself to be in control of the issue. This belief was not entirely without reason.

“I have to be comfortable with it for me to send it to a publisher.”

“Just promise me,” Katie pleaded. “The worst that could happen is that you get rejected. But that’s just the process one must go through to become a successful published author.”

“Fine,” John said.

They arrived at a restaurant as Katie commented with a watering mouth, “I love this place.”

Once seated and their orders taken, Katie continued to ask about her boyfriend’s new work.

“So have you finished the second issue yet?”

“Yeah,” John said.

“What happens,” Katie asked, excited to find out.

“Well, I suppose the most pivotal point in the issue is when Dove is brutally slaughtered by a band of demons.” There was no trace of sarcasm at all. It was executed flawlessly.

“What!” Katie shrieked, causing everyone in the restaurant to look her way.

John lowered his head, putting his forehead in his right hand. He was grinning with amusement. Katie’s face grew slightly red.

“How could you do that to Dove!” Katie hissed. She was making sure to be quiet now.

“I was just kidding,” John told her with a grin. “Your vehement concern for a fictional character did shock me, though.”

Katie grimaced at her boyfriend but after staring at John’s wide smile she started to laugh and enjoy the humor of the situation.

After few minutes more of some light discussion about John’s future story ideas, their dinner arrived. The two ate, discussing the things they normally discussed. Politics and Religion, both of which the two lovers had vastly different views on. That didn’t stop them from talking about it, nor did they want to stop. They enjoyed discussing the things they disagreed on, but they respected each other’s views and knew nothing would change. They finished their meal and just as they were walking out the doors of the restaurant they came across three young girls about the same age as Katie.

“Hey!” Squealed a cute blonde. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

“Hi, Jessica. How are things for you?” Katie said, making small talk with an old friend. John stood by, just listening. These weren’t his people. The other two girls weren’t involved in the conversation, either, but they stood by smiling and nodding.

“Good. I got a job down at the Tribune. I’m starting my writing career.”

“John is a writer as well,” Katie said, pulling John into the conversation, literally. She reached out and grabbed John’s wrist, pulling him in. “You remember John, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” Jessica said. “Nice to meet you again.”

“Yeah, same here,” John said, being polite. He couldn’t care less. He just wanted to leave.

“Hey, we need to catch up. Tomorrow come down to the church on McDowell,” Jessica proposed. “John, you should come too.”

John wanted to role his eyes and say, “For Christ’s sake!” He didn’t of course. He respected them even though they knew he wasn’t Mormon and that he didn’t attend church in any circumstances. So John just smiled and said, “That’s okay, thanks,” and gave a little laugh. Such was his nature.

“He’s not the church going type,” Katie said, sticking up for her boyfriend. “It’s my family I’d have to convince.”

“Well, see if you can. It’ll be cool. I’m starving, so I’ll talk to you later. Nice seeing you, again.” With that, the three girls walked into the restaurant.

“Yeah, see ya,” Katie said, almost as relieved as John.

“Pff… Mormons,” John said, jokingly.

Katie playfully smacked her boyfriend on the arm. “It’ll be great to see a good agnostic such as yourself convert. You’ll eat every word you ever said.”

“I sure will,” John said, smiling just as Katie was, “when I convert.”

The two laughed as they got into John’s car.

Dante was surrounded by a gang of angels with no way out. It would be a fight he would certainly never forget, if he survived. At the moment he was just concentrating on survival. Survival and Dove.

Dove stood with a look of sorrow among the other dozen angels. She hated what she couldn’t control. She wanted this all to be over with, for everything to be forgotten. Is that not why Jesus died? Did he not die to purify the world? She held back tears as swords were drawn from the others. Dante drew his.

The rain left everyone soaked, but the battle wasn’t about to be delayed on the account of rain. All the angels raised their swords, but before any real action could start, Dove threw herself in front on Dante.

“Don’t!” She shrieked. “Please, for the love of God.” She didn’t use the Lord’s name in vain, as some would believe. She meant what she said. “For the love of life, please don’t kill him.”

The angels turned to the tallest among them. He stepped up and spoke. “You have a human day. Then we return and finish God’s will. He’s a demon and this is a war between Heaven and Hell. There is no turning back for him.”

“But he wants to be saved. He’s sorry! He wants to be SAVED!” Dove screamed, praying that her outburst would save the man she loved.

“He could have been a long time ago. That time is long passed. He dies after one rotation of the earth. Say your goodbyes while you can.”

The angels disappeared, leaving no evidence that they had ever been there.

Dante turned to Dove. “I’m sorry,” Dante said, “but this is my fate. I won’t go without a fight, though. Let’s not think about these things, for now. Let’s go somewhere quiet and dry.”

Dove hugged Dante and they walked away from the location and their troubles.

“I think I’m making good progress on this story,” John said, saving the script and putting his computer in standby. He turned the black computer chair to face Katie who was lying on John’s bed, flipping through the satellite guide on TV.

“That’s good,” Katie said. “Look, your favorite movie’s on.”

John glanced at the guide and read the highlighted title Naughty Nurses.

“Wow, it is my favorite,” John sarcastically commented. “You really do know me Katie. Quick, record it!”

Katie hit the record button on the remote.

“Hey!” John grabbed the remote and undid what he had only told his beloved girlfriend to do. “I don’t want that crap on there. I can put on, though, if you’d like.” John and Katie laughed.

“No, that’s okay,” Katie said.

John threw himself onto his bed and hugged Katie, who snuggled up with him. As John now went through the guide, Katie asked, “Why don’t you come to church with me this Sunday?”

“Huh?” John figured his shock was enough to toss such foolish ideas out of Katie’s head. Clearly not.

“I know how you feel about organized religion, but maybe you could go just once. You might like it more than you believe.”

“I think not.” John said, putting his eyes back on the Television screen.

“I just think…”

“Katie, you know this relationship only works because we respect each other’s beliefs. Once that is infringed upon, bitter arguing will ensue destroying any future happiness we might have had in the future together.”

“You’re so dramatic,” Katie laughed. “But it was just a thought. See what’s on Comedy Central.”

Katie left later that night and John was left alone with his thought.

Go to church? He thought. Me?

He wondered if he was willing to give up his life style and his beliefs for this girl. But that was something he didn’t have to worry about at the moment.

“You can come with me,” Dove pleaded. “You can be saved, I know you can. God will allow you too…”

“You don’t understand,” Dante cut her off. “I don’t want to go. What would I do? More importantly, what would I have to do?”

“You don’t want to go with me?”

Dante turned his head. He didn’t want to hurt his love, but his selfish nature would never allow for him to change who and what he was, not even for Dove.

“I can’t change,” Dante said calmly. “I can’t be something else.”

Tears trickled down Doves cheeks. Tears that showed her compassion, her love, her devotion.

“I…”

“Please…”

A knocking at his apartment door forced John to reluctantly put his pencil down and see who had disturbed him. When he opened the door he saw Katie, as gorgeous as ever.

“Uh… Hi,” John said as Katie walked in. “Something wrong? Isn’t it Sunday?”

“Of course,” Katie said. “My family is waiting outside. They don’t have a problem with taking you with us if you’d like to see what it’s like. Just once.”

John sighed. What was happening? Did their mutual agreement not to mess with each other’s beliefs collapse at some point in the last 48 hours?

“You know I don’t want…”

“John! Please.” Doves voice was a mixture of pleading and playing and John had a hard time deciding which there was more of.

“What happened to respecting each other’s beliefs and just leaving it at that?” John finally asked.

“I… I love you John.” Dove embraced John in a hug. “I don’t want to let you go.”

“You don’t have to. We can…”

“No, we can’t.”

With tear on her face she let go of John and walked out his door. John was too confused to follow. He turned and looked down at the floor where he had been drawing and saw Katie’s face reflected in Dove’s.

“Oh, God,” John groaned.

The next day John went and picked Katie up so they could go somewhere and talk. They wound up at their favorite park. Katie and John got out of the car and went to sit at a bench in the vacant, serene park.

There were a few minutes of silent contemplation. Neither really knew what to say. Neither had planned this far ahead, not only for the day, but for their relationship.

John was the first to break the silence. “What’s the matter? What’s wrong?”

“How is this supposed to work, John?” Katie asked. “Neither of us is willing to give up our beliefs.”

“Does your family not support your choice to date me?”

“I love you John. We’ve both thought about getting married after college and my family wants me to get married in the temple.”

John looked over at her. She glowed in the sun, like an angel sent from heaven. She was his angel. But was he about to loose her?

“I want to get married in the temple,” Katie informed.

“I… I don’t know what to say to that. I can’t change what I believe. I can say I believe what you do, I can join your church, but I’d be living a lie.”

“I know,” Katie’s hurt whisper came out. Tears filled her eyes again.

“There has to be something…”

“It won’t work, John. It was doomed from the start.”

YOU’RE WRONG! John screamed in his head. But she wasn’t. He knew she wasn’t.

John drove her home and they said good bye. When John got home, he leaped on his bed, buried his head in his pillow, and cried for a moment.

“Damn it, God, damn it!”

Angels dropped from the sky, swords already out. There would be no hesitation this time. Dante didn’t unsheathe his sword. He dropped it and allowed the angels to advance. Twelve swords flew at Dante…

It was magnificent. Five pages of the best art John had ever drawn sat before him, spread out in order. No dialogue, just great art. Then there was a knock at his door.

John looked up. He didn’t move. He didn’t want to. It had been a week since the break up and he still wasn’t in the mood for company. He attended his classes, but that was the extent of his socializing. Another knock.

Okay, John was ready now. He pulled himself up off the floor and lazily stumbled over to the door. He opened it and there Katie stood.

“It’s Sunday isn’t it?” John scowled.

“It is. Maybe we could go see a movie?”

“Uhhh…”

“No strings,” Katie assured him.

“Don’t you have church or something?” John asked hesitantly.

“Not today. I was thinking what a shame it would be if our friendship was spoiled. So I’ve taken the day off. Let’s go see a movie. We’re still friends, aren’t we?”

“I… I guess…”

“You’ll have to do better than that.”

John smiled and said, “Of course, of course. Let me grab my wallet.”

He turned around and went back into his apartment. He reemerged from his room, sticking his wallet in his back pocket. He walked out his apartment door, closing and locking it behind him.

“You finish the final chapter of your Demons and Angels strip?” Dove asked, opening her car door.

“Yeah, kind of mediocre, I think.” John answered as got in the car on the passenger side.

“Are Dante and Dove still friends?”

“No. Dove kills Dante. It’s fairly brutal.”

“What!” Katie yelled, turning to look at John who was laughing now.

“Don’t do that when you’re driving,” John cautioned.

The both laughed and their eyes met.

“It still hurts,” John said.

“Love stinks,” Katie enlightened.

“Yeah… yeah.”

.