Got so inspired today, out of the blue. Epigraph from Paradise by Coldplay.

"When she was just a little girl, she expected the world but it flew away from her reach, so she ran away in her sleep and dreamed of paradise."

Penny sighed as she cleared up the crumbs from the floor of the shop, careful to sweep under the tables until every surface was sparkling clean. She didn't feel the same sense of achievement she always felt when she closed up shop. Not that it hadn't been a good day. It was winter, an exceptionally cold winter and it was still snowing outside. She wrapped up in her coat and scarf, pulling on her leather gloves and stretching out her fingers. She locked the cafe and made to walk down the street to her house, it was only ten minutes. It had been weeks since she'd seen Gabriel and his friends, and she didn't know whether she was happy or sad about that. She dismissed the thought and gripped the wall, more careful about getting a bruised ass than getting home, when she stopped dead in her tracks.

Her eyes flitted to the pebbled alleyway directly across from her shop, the two lanterns at the top of the pole throwing a shady, weak, yellow light across the entrance of the alleyway, snow bunching up on either side. But it wasn't the snow that caught her eye, it was a figure slumped by the side of the alley opening, making her squint across the road. His face was shadowed in the light from the lanterns but she could see his chest rising and falling rapidly, as if he'd just ran from something, his hands clutching at his jeans. But what really made her stare were the two large, glittering wings erupting from either side of the man. And that was when she knew who it was.

"Gabriel? Gabriel, is that you?"

She walked carefully across the street, her voice tremulous. Somehow, she wasn't feeling the same shudder as before, but a sharp stabbing at her insides...not pleasant like last time, but fierce and aggressive, deep and painful. She resisted the urge to walk away and moved closer to him. He didn't look up at her but she could see the twisted leather bracelet on his wrist.

"Gabriel, are you okay? It's me...Penny."

He twitched at the sound of her name, raising his head slowly to look up at her. She gasped and stepped back as she saw the state of his face and body, now fully illuminated by the weak light. He looked a state, his black vest was dirt-stained and torn in places, his jeans covered in dust, but what worried her most of all was his body...sharp, fresh cuts ripped through his skin, some bleeding, some healing, his teeth gritted as he tried not to cry out in pain. She could clearly see a deep slice above his eyebrow, dripping blood steadily into his eye. He placed both palms on the snowy tarmac, attempting to push himself up, but failing, groaning as he slumped back down against the wall. His wings fluttered feebly, still glittering sharper than the snow that surrounded him. He coughed and doubled over.

"Gabriel...what...let me..."

She reached out to touch his arm, her eyes full of tears, but he recoiled, his wings wrapping protectively around him, forming a sparkling sheath for his body.

"No...I can do it myself."

She stepped back and watched him grip the wall, sitting up at first and then crawling into a standing position, still leaning on the wall for support, coughing, wiping fresh blood away from his lips. He looked at her sharply, bracing the wall as he caught his breath.

"What happened to you?" asked Penny quietly, her voice almost a whisper as she surveyed him, so desperate to reach out and help him.

"Oh, you know...Book of Revelation. Standard stuff," he muttered, looking away. She stared at him.

"What? I...don't even...forget it. Come with me."

She took his hand and felt a jolt of deep rooted agony shoot through her, making her shiver, tears falling from her eyes as she squeezed his hand. He looked up at her, his bright green eyes weary and aware of the effect he was having on her.

"Where are you taking me? And I'm sorry...about...your head..."

She shook her head and led him down the road to the door of her house, fishing for the key in her pocket when she felt him let go of her hand. When she looked up, she saw him entering the house, looking around curiously. She held up the keys in amazement.

"But I hadn't even opened the door yet."

"Strangely, I've never found locks intimidating," he gave her an easy but troubled smile, ushering her into her house. She stared at him again, setting her bag down and taking off her coat and scarf, setting her gloves aside, gesturing for him to sit down on her sofa.

He sat gingerly on the sofa, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his thighs, joining his hand as he looked around. The room was small but tidy, a TV standing in the corner, a wooden coffee table, soft cream carpeting, brown leather sofas and mugs of half drunk tea lying around everywhere, on tables, on top of the TV, on the mantlepiece. Gabriel smiled to himself. It was a beautiful home...the fire blazed softly in the grate and his pain began to melt away slowly.

Penny bit her lip as she stood at the foot of the stairs, watching him. He was hurt, she knew that much, but did angels respond to painkillers and plasters? Or did they need some sort of holy remedy? Should she get her Bible and rosary? Perhaps a crucifix? She looked down at her silver necklace in vain, then looked into her kitchen. She loved playing nurse, but she wasn't an expert on Divine Medicine. If he was in fact an angel and not just playing some complex practical joke. Her eyes flitted over Gabriel and then her kitchen and the solution was clear. A cup of tea. A cup of tea made everything better. She felt awkward asking him whether he took sugar. Did they drink tea in Heaven? She bought him a mug and hovered in front of him with it. He looked up at her with a soft smile.

"Is that for you or me?"

"Uh...you, if you'd like it."

He thanked her and took the mug, sipping from it heartily. He closed his eyes as the warm liquid made its way down his throat and sank back into the sofa, running his eyes over his arms. He wasn't used to feeling such pain. Then again, this was the first time he'd been kicked out of Heaven, he hadn't expected pina coladas and a deck chair. As those thoughts ran through his head, Penny appeared next to him, kneeling on the floor.

"Lie down," she instructed him, and he complied in amusement.

"I feel like I'm in a macabre spa. What are you going to do?"

"Just clean your wounds...you're hurt," she said, then bit her tongue for stating the obvious.

He appeared uneasy as she opened up a bottle of antiseptic, dousing fabric with it.

"It's okay...it's just antiseptic. It'll sting a bit but it won't hurt you."

"I know...I've just...never used it before."

She looked up at him in surprise. Then she thought again. Did they have antiseptic in Heaven? Clearly not. People don't get hurt in Heaven...so why was he hurt?

"It's okay...it's not that bad."

She reached out and gently dabbed his arm with the fabric, making him recoil again. His wings leapt up and wrapped around him again, the defensive reflex stunning her for a moment.

"Hey...I...did I hurt you?" she asked softly.

He said nothing but slowly uncoiled himself and let his wings rest at his sides.

"No...I've just never felt that sting before...go on."

She smiled and cleaned each of his wounds, disposing of the dirty fabric every now and then until he raised a wing and tapped her on the shoulder while she wasn't looking. She turned around and he grinned. Her eyebrows furrowed as she turned back and continued her task. He reached out again and tapped her shoulder, this time flicking one of her curls behind it.

"What? Who's doing that?" she muttered, looking behind her again.

Gabriel stifled a giggle and she turned back to look at him in surprise.

"Hey! That was you!" she laughed, trying to grab the furthermost feather of his wing as he moved it back and forth, out of her reach, laughing. After a few seconds, her fingers brushed against the pillow softness of the feather, making her laughter stop immediately, her eyes wide as she touched it with the tip of her finger. He smiled and held out his wing, gently flicking the tip back and forth over her palm, making her smile.

"What...are they made of?"

He smiled and reached out, brushing his wing against her cheek, making her close her eyes.

"Would you believe me if I said feathers?"

"Like...bird...feathers?"

"No...different. Softer. Lighter. He showed her the outside of his wing and she could see what was sparkling. The end of every feather seemed to be dusted with some sort of invisible glitter, making it sparkle softly in the firelight.

"It's….beautiful," her face slipped into a soft smile as she ran her fingers over the feathers. He watched her for a few seconds, smiling slightly through the pain, but he couldn't ignore it anymore. His head was pounding, his heart beating the same rhythm against his ribcage. He had to get back up there, he had to do something, anything. But it was one of those times where he just didn't know what to do. And he felt stupid for it.

Penny's thoughts drifted in an entirely opposite fashion. Her eyes and mind stayed on the softness of his wings until she heard a sharp rap at the door. Gabriel's head shot up and his wings vanished into his back at the sound, so quickly that Penny was momentarily stunned.

"Who's that?" Gabriel asked warily, his eyes flitting over the darkened windows.

"I don't know….I'm not expecting anyone," murmured Penny, getting up and walking to the door. She opened it cautiously to see a sight she'd never expected, but half wanted.

Mike and Raph stood wearily on the doorstep, snow melting as soon as it touched their clothes, their eyes dark and urgent, something indescribable flashing in them as she opened the door further.

"Is Gabriel in?" Mike asked, as if he was asking after a neighbour.

"Yes," Penny replied faintly, "come in," as she opened the door.

They walked in one after the other and Gabriel didn't smile as he saw them. Raph chose to sit while Mike stood, lighting a cigarette, taking a long drag on it as he stared out of the window.

"I need a light," muttered Gabriel, reaching for the cigarette lighter in Mike's pocket, "You don't mind, do you, Penny?"

She shook her head and stood awkwardly by the couch as Gabriel lit what looked like a Malborough and started smoking. She chose to retreat to the kitchen, allowing them to talk alone, but sat at the table, listening to every word. She didn't know what on Earth was going on, and whether any of this was even real. She felt like she was hallucinating, but when she turned to look again, they were still there, Mike perched on the coffee table in front of Gabriel this time. Mike and Raph were both hurt, a little less than Gabriel, but they didn't seem to mind their wounds as much as him. Raph absent mindedly brushed dripping blood from his arm and wiped it on his jeans, listening intently to every word Mike was speaking. She craned her neck to get a better view and listened herself.

"How long should we wait?" came Mike's voice.

"I don't want to wait but I know we can't go back like this," muttered Gabriel.

"How long are we going to wait? Till Abbadon comes out of the bottomless pit? We should go back now. And I mean now, right this second," came what sounded like Raph's voice.

"You know how it goes, Raph," spoke Gabriel in a calm and measured voice, "it's been written down since the start of time and sometimes I feel like I should just let it happen. The trumpets, the seals, the horses, everything….but it all seems so wrong."

"Of course it's wrong. It's also written that we fight. We fight till the death and that's what we're going to do. We can't just let it happen, Gabriel. It's carnage."

She watched Gabriel nod and rub at his forehead before answering.

"It is. So we stay. We stay tonight and we go back in the morning. We're no use like this, it's catch 22. You know we can't heal down here and they've made it impossible up there. We're broken, Michael."

Raph nodded his agreement and they looked at each other for a few seconds before Michael called to Penny, "You okay in there, Penny?"

She started at the sound of her name and got up from the chair, walking to the kettle and turning it on.

"Yes!" she called back, "Just making tea!"

Her heart pounded as she said those words, trying to make sense of their conversation as she pulled out four pristine mugs from a draw. Perhaps she needed to read her Bible more often. She swallowed and shook her head, pouring water into the mugs as she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Michael handing her a bottle of milk.

He smiled at her and looked around her small kitchen. It was relatively simple. Marble counters, a tiled floor, a crucifix on the wall, a dark wooden table and four chairs. The stove coloured a dark, burnished green, the paint flaking in places from the heat. Mike's eyes wandered to the crucifix and he smiled slightly. She noticed his gaze.

"It was a gift from my mother," she explained, looking at him.

"It's beautiful," he smiled easily, picking up a mug. "I take it this is mine."

She nodded as he carried the other two into the adjoining room, handing them to his friends, leaving her to pick up her mug and follow him. All three of them looked at her as she walked in the room and Gabriel sipped on his second mug of tea, his eyes softer than the others.

"Penny…do you have room for three guys in the house? We won't be that much trouble….we can sleep on the couch or the floor."

She'd been expecting the question so she nodded mutely before adding, "I'll find some blankets and pillows for you," as she sat down on the couch, hugging her mug protectively to her chest.

Gabriel smiled at her, watching her body language and the thoughts running through her head. She must be so confused, he thought.

"You look tired," he mentioned offhandedly, sipping from his mug as he stubbed out his cigarette. She blinked at him and looked at herself in the mirror. She hadn't changed out of her work clothes, her hair was all over the place and she looked generally dishevelled.

"Why don't you go get changed? We'll make ourselves comfortable."

His look reassured her and she nodded, setting the mug down and walking up the stairs to her room. Her head was spinning as she shed her dress and shoes, pulling on a pair of soft grey jersey shorts and a matching top, hauling a knee length black chunky cardigan over the top. She hugged it to herself for a few seconds, closing her eyes and sinking into the familiar warmth before pulling on a matching pair of thigh high grey socks. She blinked down at her legs. She felt strangely obscene without her socks covering her legs. She untied her hair and combed it out, letting it fall in waves to her waist, thoughts running through her head, tripping over each other. She'd given three practical strangers a space in her house overnight. She still didn't know what they were talking about and she bit her lip. Should she confront them about it? After all, it was her house, it was her right to know what they were doing here. Perhaps they weren't heavenly at all, perhaps they were members of some sort of drugs cartel. They could be fugitives, hiding from the police in her home. She knew her mind was running away with her, but she didn't know what else to do. This certainly wasn't a normal weekday night for her.

She heard voices as she walked gingerly down the stairs, relaxed by the warm feeling of the jersey on her skin, but her mind still tense at the prospect of confronting them. She walked into the middle of the room and picked up her mug when the conversation died slightly. She looked up in surprise, wondering whether she'd caused this sudden lull. Was it her outfit? Her hair? Did they have an objection to something? She looked at all three of them, but Mike and Raph were looking quizzically at Gabriel, who in turn was looking up at her. She blinked at him in curiosity and he snapped his head to his right to look at Michael, continuing with the conversation. Both Mike and Raph shared an odd look with each other before continuing with the discussion. Penny furrowed her brow, sitting down opposite the threesome, sipping from her still hot mug of tea. What had just happened was strange, but it wasn't going to deter her from confronting them. She swallowed and straightened her back, trying to gain their attention. When that tactic failed, she spoke up.

"Are you angels?"

Conversation died abruptly and all three turned around to look at her. She felt self conscious and tugged at her cardigan, setting her mug on her lap.

"Are you? Like….proper angels. Bible angels," she clarified, as if there were other categories of angel.

They still stared.

"Because….your names….Gabriel and Michael and Raphael….and you've got wings….and they're real," she babbled slowly, and felt like the earth could swallow her up.

Her face turned red and she realised she should stop talking. She'd properly embarrassed herself and they probably thought she was some sort of lunatic who'd forgotten to take her medication.

"Would you believe us if we said yes?"

Gabriel's voice cut through the voices in her head trying to help her undo her public loss of dignity and she looked up at him in surprise, even though she'd half expected a yes.

"But….I…..you….really?"

"Really. But…Heaven's decided it doesn't want us for a while. No room at the inn, so to speak….so your house has to act as our stable."

"Jeez, no one's giving birth, Gabriel, calm down," muttered Raph, sipping on his tea.

Penny stared at them and Gabriel smiled slightly.

"I know we don't look very holy right now. But just….trust me. Everything's going to be fine. We just need a place to rest for the night and we're grateful to you for giving it to us. We won't cause you any harm."

Penny's mind was frazzled from this revelation. She'd expected it in some fairytale, halluncinatory corner of her mind, but to hear it said in front of her was something else entirely. She bit her lip, the mug shaking in her hand as she tried to take this in. She had three archangels in her living room, asking for a place to stay for the night. She knew she wasn't imagining this as she looked up and saw them reclined on the couch in front of her.

"I'll….go and get some blankets," she muttered, setting the mug down shakily and getting up, dusting off her lap before walking to the cupboard under the stairs in the hall. She kept her nice blankets there for when her parents and brother came to visit, there was never enough room upstairs. She focussed her mind on normal, real things, like her family, the pillows, the blankets, memories. Until she heard footsteps behind her once again.

"Let me," came a soft voice, and a hand appeared on the blanket next to hers, the skin slightly tanned, a deep cut etched into it, just starting to heal over.

She felt Gabriel behind her, pulling out three blankets and pillows, setting them on the floor before turning to her and taking her hands like he had that day at the coffee shop. He looked into her eyes, his own eyes soft and searching against hers.

"Persephone….it's okay. Believe us…..believe me. Everything will be okay…just trust me. Can you do that?"

She nodded slowly, tears forming in her eyes as her head spun. She wasn't sure what to do, where to go, what to believe, until he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held him tight, closing her eyes, sobbing silently into his shoulder as he rubbed her back, hushing her quietly. She didn't even know why she was crying as she pulled away softly, wiping her tears away.

"It's alright. It's going to be okay."

She nodded and tucked her hair behind her ear, picking up the blankets, leaving him to collect the pillows.

"I know," she responded, walking into the living room, depositing the blankets on each couch, setting a pillow at the head of it. She felt like she was being watched as she went about the task, and sure enough, as soon as she finished, the three boys kicked off their shoes and lay down on the couches, pulling the blankets up around themselves.

"Are you going to sleep already? It's only eight," she enquired.

"Mmmmm…tired….," muttered Gabriel, snuggling himself into the blanket. The others groaned and grunted in agreement and she watched them close their eyes and drift off like little children. She sat down on the floor in the middle of the three couches, pushing the coffee table to one side. After downing the last of her tea, she lay down on the floor with a couch cushion and pulled a light throw over herself, wondering where she was finding the need to sleep so rapidly. Her eyelids drooped uncontrollably and her body felt warmly heavy as she sank into the cushion, falling asleep before her head hit the pillow.