Vengeance Owned:Gabriel and Milo

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Milo Andros cursed under his breath as he stepped from the curve, and down onto the paved walkway that led to the front of Boston Common Hospital.

It had been raining buckets most of the morning, and now his socks and shoes were soaked through. Milo liked to be comfortable, and squishing along to the automatic doors of the hospital definitely didn’t qualify as comfort in his little black book.

Once inside he quickly made his way over to the nearest men’s room, and slid inside. He had to wait while some doddering old fool shook his wrinkled pecker about a forty times, but then he was at last alone in the room.

Milo changed his footwear and hosiery with the blink of his eye. Ahhhh… that was better. Having the power to change shape and appearance in a flash was certainly a perk of the job. Not that the job was without its aggravation mind you.

Squishy socks just didn’t have to be one of them.

Milo studied himself in mirror stationed above the lavatory sinks. A tall, striking, dark haired man of about thirty stared back at him. Deep azure blue eyes seemed to twinkle even in the dim lighting of the small bathroom. The full pink lips of his reflection twisted into a knowing smile as he watched. He was quite handsome like this, even if he did have to say so himself.

He brushed a few of the dark curly locks from his forehead and stroked the full beard and moustache of his likeness. Of all the bodies that Milo had ever occupied, and there had been a countless number over the centuries; he had found that this was the one he felt most at home in. It was his favorite, and hence the most used of his many myriad faces.

At six feet of height, this body was tall enough to be intimidating, if the need should arise, yet not so tall as to draw undue attention. He flexed his arms and watched the firm muscles contract underneath the plain black t-shirt he had chosen to wear today. On a whim, he turned and checked his own ass out in the mirrors above the sink.

Milo grinned, showing strong white teeth. Nice, tight buns were always an asset. The jeans he was wearing hugged his butt in all the right places.

Other than this visage, his true demonic form was his absolute favorite. Mostly because of the reactions he got when people saw it. There was nothing like seeing the look that came onto a human face when they were suddenly faced with his true self, and they actually realized exactly what they were looking at.

It gave him a hard-on just thinking about it.

Being a Demon of Vengeance was his job and he took it seriously. That didn't mean that he couldn’t milk every speck of fun he could out of it while he did it though.

Milo scowled at the mirror. Well, vengeance was usually his job at least.

This most recent assignment had come out of the blue, and had been a puzzle to him. It wasn’t a hard job. Indeed, on this one he would barely have to do more than show up for a few moments, wait for a question to be answered; and then leave with very little effort on his part at all.

The real question was, why had he been assigned this case. Quick and easy it might be, but it had absolutely nothing to do with vengeance as far as Milo could ascertain. He had wracked his brain as to why he might have been picked, and so far had come up with zilch.

“Mildred Pierce.” He whispered the name to his doppelganger in the mirror. It still made no sense to him. Best just to get it over with and move on. In the end only Heaven and Hell really knew the reason of anything that happened, and Hell was kept in the dark half the time. How could one demon be expected to figure anything out?

It was true that Mildred was a rare case, but the outcome was basically already written in stone, so why was he involved? Any of the thousands of the basest minions of hell could have handled this one with their eyes sewn shut.

Milo felt it as soon as another presence stepped through the hospital door. His head jerked up and he sniffed the air suspiciously. That couldn’t be right.

Before he had even realized he was moving, Milo found himself back in the lobby;
eyes scanning the crowd as he looked for something impossible. Then suddenly he spotted him.

The almost six foot, slender man with long flaming red hair crossed the hospital lobby as though he owned the place. His light green eyes ignored everyone about him as he steadily made his way towards the elevators.

If Milo had been confused before, now he was completely dumbfounded.

The redhead was dressed all in white. A classic and elegant suit that would have seemed out of place on anyone else. His aristocratic features, and noble bearing caused the crowd to part for him without even realizing why they were moved to do so.

“Gabriel.” Milo whispered, and immediately the pale green eyes met his own from across the room.

The man tilted his head in acknowledgement just before the elevator doors opened, and he gracefully stepped onto the lift.

Milo stood there, still staring even after the doors closed. He had forgotten how fucking beautiful Gabriel was in the centuries since their last meeting.

Heaven had sent an Archangel to do this? Milo felt a chill run down his spine.

Apparently, this one was much more important to both Heaven and Hell than he had ever imagined.

Milo made his way over to the elevators slowly.

When the doors parted once again, He stepped onto the elevator with a few others, his mind still awhirl with what Gabriel’s appearance might mean.

It was true that Mildred Pierce was that rarest of all things. Mildred was, to put it quite simply; a draw. Indeed, there had only been two others of her kind in the entire history of humanity.

Unlike 99.99999 percent of the earths population, Mildred got a choice in the end. Still, that choice boiled down to Heaven or Hell; so what choice was it really?

Her two predecessors had immediately and unequivocally chosen Heaven of course. Mildred would undoubtedly do exactly the same.

The elevator doors opened onto the thirteenth floor and Milo stepped out of the elevator. He stood there a moment still lost in thought.

Mildred was a draw. A tie. Her lifetime had been lived mostly in silence and a self chosen isolation. While she may have told the occasional fib in her life, or dropped the rare quarter in a jar for a cancer patient she had basically just..... existed. Neither really good enough, nor bad enough to truly make a difference in anyone’s life; including her own. Books and Television had been her dearest friends.

Now, on the eve of her death, her few small sins and few small kindnesses had been judged, and found to be exactly equal. Hence, Mildred would be offered a choice.

Milo snorted. Some choice.

He squared his shoulders and headed off down the hallway. When he reached room 1313, he tentatively knocked and at the choked sounding, “Come in.” He gently pushed the door open and stepped inside the room.

Gabriel was, of course, already there standing by Mildred’s bedside.

Milo’s first thought upon seeing Mildred was that it was hard to believe that such a insignificant, plain little creature could be the cause of so much uproar.

There she sat, an almost skeletal little gray haired woman in a powder blue nightgown and housecoat with tiny flowers embroidered on the pockets. Her skin looked paper thin, almost translucent from her illness and the IV had left quite a sizable bruise where it was imbedded in one thin arm. The tubes up her nose that worked to bring her oxygen didn’t stop her thin lips from having a slight blue tinge to them.

Mildred was dying, and she looked it. The cancer that had taken hold in her kidneys and quickly spread throughout her entire body had done its job well. Still, as her warm brown eyes met Milo’s he saw a spark of intelligence radiating back at him.

“Hello.” He said hesitantly.

“Ahhhh... the demon hath arrived.” Gabriel said to Mildred.

She nodded without taking her eyes from Milo. “At least he had the good manners to knock instead of just barging in on a body.”

Gabriel pursed his thin lips. Milo grinned. He had the feeling that he might just like this Mildred.

Slowly he crossed the hospital room until he stood directly across from Gabriel on the other side of Mildred’s bed. He held his hand out to her. “Charmed I’m sure.” He said with a smile. “I am Milo Andros, but I would be very pleased if you would just call me Milo.”

Without hesitation, Mildred took the proffered hand and shook it. “Mildred Pierce.” She nodded. “You may call me Millie.”

She turned back to Gabriel. “He had the good manners to shake my hand unlike some I could name too.”

Gabriel’s eyes flashed, and for a moment his narrow lips pressed together, but then his face relaxed back into its normally serene expression. “You are right Madame.” The Angel gave a small bow of his head. “I apologize for my earlier rudeness. It was merely my concern for your eternal welfare that caused me to act in such a manner. I beg your forgiveness.”

Mildred nodded. “Very well. You may call me Millie too then.”

“Thank you... Millie.”

She turned back to Milo. “So, Gabe here was explaining my unique situation to me just before you got here.”

Milo saw Gabriel bristle and stiffen at being referred to as “Gabe.” and nearly snorted out loud.

Instead, he just gave Mildred a dazzling smile. “So you understand why we’re here then.”

The small woman nodded. “I’m a toss up.”

Milo blinked. That was one way to look at it.

On the other side of the bed Gabriel fidgeted. Milo was again struck by how odd it was that Heaven had sent an Archangel to this little soiree.

“Yes Millie.” Milo nodded to her. “Unlike everyone else in the world you get to choose how you will spend eternity.”

Mildred glanced up at Gabriel. “So then, you are Heavens representative?”

Gabriel stood tall and proud. “Yes.”

She turned back to Milo. “I suppose that would make you the representative of Hell then.”

“None other.” Milo nodded.

Mildred sat up straighter in her bed even though Milo could tell it caused her no small amount of pain to do so. The question I have gentlemen....” She looked back and forth between them. “Is why should I choose either one?”

Gabriel’s mouth fell open, and Milo stared at Mildred with renewed interest. Why indeed? So, this was why Heaven had felt the need to send an Archangel, and Hell had sent him. Mildred Pierce was neither as unassuming, nor as easily influenced as it would have at first appeared.

“I mean..” Mildred continued to study them both. “What would happen if I refused to choose either?”

Gabriel and Milo neither had the foggiest idea of what would happen if she refused to choose either. The question had never come up before. Most people never had a choice, and those that did had just gratefully picked Heaven without a second thought.

Gabriel frowned. “You would most likely be kept in limbo until the second coming, and then God himself would judge you on whether or not you were worthy of Heaven or Hell..... I suppose.”

Milo nodded. “Most likely.”

“So I would eventually end up in one or the other anyway?” Mildred looked disgusted.

The demon and the angel both nodded.

“I suppose I might as well just choose then.” Mildred scowled. “Fine...” She turned to Gabriel. “Why should I choose Heaven?”

“W-What?” Gabriel sputtered.

“Tell me about Heaven, and why I should choose it.” Mildred ordered calmly.

Gabriel was thoroughly flummoxed by her question. Milo grinned. The problem was that Heaven was and always had been, indescribable; even for an angel.

“Well...” Gabriel seemed to be wracking his brain for words. It was a futile effort. No words existed that could even come close. “God is there.” He suddenly said triumphantly.

Mildred nodded. “Well.. I kind of assumed that.”

“Light.” Gabriel blinked. “Love.”

The tiny woman on the bed gave him a strange look. “Okay, how about this? Ill help you.”

Gabriel hesitantly nodded.

“Are there any harps?” Mildred asked.

“Only if you want one.” Gabriel seemed relieved to finally have a question he could answer.

“Does everybody have wings?”

“Only if they want them.” The Angel assured her.

Mildred cocked her head to the side. “Is it lonely?”

Gabriel smiled. “No. No one is ever lonely in heaven.”

“Because no one is ever alone.” Milo spoke without thinking.

Mildred jerked around to look at him, then turned a horrified gaze back to Gabriel. “Is that true?”

Gabriel gritted his teeth, and glared daggers at Milo. Yes, it was absolutely true; and he knew it just as well as the demon did.

“In Heaven.” The Angel explained. “Everyone is always surrounded by the presence of God. So, technically they are never alone.”

Mildred turned that information over in her mind. She turned to Milo.

“Can you be alone in Hell?” Mildred asked.

“Most are.” Milo answered. It was true. Hell positively reeked of loneliness.

“Is there fire?”

“Yes.”

“Pain?”

“Of course.”

“Heaven has no pain.” Gabriel interrupted.

“Hell has cable TV and chocolate.” Milo lied just to piss the angel off.

It worked beautifully. “Liar!” Gabriel spat. He turned to Mildred. “Don’t believe him. Demons always lie.”

Mildred looked at Milo. He nodded. “I always lie.”

“See.. Even he admits it.” Gabriel said with a self righteous sneer.

Mildred again looked between them before her gaze finally settled on Gabriel. “You said demons always lie.” The angel nodded. “But then he says he always lies, and you agree that he’s telling the truth about that.” The old lady pursed her lips. “Doesn’t that mean that you also lied when you said that he always does?

Gabriel’s mouth opened and closed like a fish several times. Milo very nearly did a cheer by the bed. Oh yes. He liked this Mildred.

The angel finally regained his composure, though his normally alabaster skin had a slight pink tinge along the high cheek bones. “I suppose I did exaggerate a tiny bit.” He admitted reluctantly.

Mildred wasn’t about to let him off the hook that easily. “Isn’t I exaggerated, just another way of saying, I lied?”

“Yes.” Gabriel said from between clenched teeth.

Mildred nodded. “I thought so.”

She turned back to Milo. “What is the Devil like?”

Milo thought a moment, then answered her. “He generally appears as a tall, very handsome and charming man. Extremely witty.” The demon said. “Of course, he can change his appearance at will, much like I can.”

“Really?” Mildred looked intrigued.

“Ill show you.” Milo grinned, and right before her amazed eyes he morphed into a blond teenage girl, and then right back into his former self.

Mildred clapped her hands, delighted at the show.

“Angels can also do that.” Gabriel grumbled.

“They can.” Milo nodded. “Actually, both of us are just disguised as human right now. I usually have horns and a tail, and he...” He motioned to Gabriel. “Usually comes equipped with wings and a trumpet.”

“I don’t like trumpets.” Mildred shook her head. “Never have really.”

“The Devil’s favorite musical instruments are guitar and drums.” Milo told her.

“I thought his favorite music consisted of the tortured screams of the damned.” The Angel retorted.

“Nope.” Milo replied. “Guitar and drums. He told me so himself.”

“You try to make him out to be something other than the Prince of all Liars and the destroyer of everything pure that he truly is.” The Angel scowled.

“Nonsense.” Milo smiled innocently. “I’ve merely answered the questions put to me.”

“Deceitfully.”

“But not dishonestly.” Milo smirked.

“Tell her how Satan really is!” Gabriel demanded.

“Tell her how God really is!” Milo shot back.

“I cant, and you know it!” The angel yelled in his frustration.

Milo smirked. He did indeed know it. God was just as indescribable as Heaven. The Devil on the other hand, was easily describable. Still, his little gambit had distracted both Mildred and Gabriel from making him do so.

Gabriel scowled at both of them. “The time draws nigh. We need an answer from you Mildred.”

Milo nodded. “Its true Millie.” He said gently. “We don’t have much time left.”

Mildred slowly looked back and forth between them. Suddenly, she reached out and grabbed Milo by the hand. Her smooth, cool, tissue thin skin felt fragile in his larger hand as surprisingly strong fingers gripped his.

“What should I do Milo?”

Gabriel looked as though he might faint. “You cant seriously be asking him!” The angel gasped in shock.

But she was. Her eyes never left Milo’s face as she awaited an answer, and looking back at her the demon knew; he just suddenly somehow knew that she would do whatever he suggested. She had decided to put her faith in him for some godforsaken reason.

He glanced up at Gabriel. The Angel knew it too. It was written all over his panic stricken face.

All Milo had to do was smile and say, “Hell.” And it would all be over; and they both knew it. It would be the victory to end all victories for Hades. All he had to do was say it. Gabriel would never live down the shame if he, an Archangel; was bested by a Demon of Hell. Milo allowed himself to bask in the thought for a few moments.

“Milo?” Mildred whispered. Her voice was getting a little weaker every time she spoke.

The problem, Milo was shocked to find; was that he truly liked Mildred. That happened so rarely in his job that it was practically nonexistent. Still, there was no way he was going to tell her to choose heaven. He valued his non-tortured for the rest of eternity status too much for that. The Devil would be cranking his testicles in a vice, and then applying a blowtorch before he could even blink, if he did something as foolish as that.

It was a conundrum. The Demon gazed into Mildred’s trusting brown eyes, and made his decision.

“We cant choose for you Millie.” Milo softly said. He gently squeezed the fragile hand he still held. It wasn’t strictly true, what he told her; normally he wouldn’t have been able to, but she had asked of her own free will, and he would have been free to answer if he had chosen to.

Instead, he allowed himself to begin to change, watching her eyes widen in horror as he did so.

Milo now stood before her every inch of the hideous demon he truly was. He released her now violently trembling hand from the gnarled claw his hand had become. “It is your decision to make.” Milo hissed, flicking his forked tongue at her.

Mildred shuddered as harsh coughs suddenly wracked her body. The smell of brimstone was a choking presence in the room after the demonic transformation.

The old lady raised her head, and once more met Milo’s eyes. He could see where blood had sprayed across the front of her gown from the rough coughing.

“Thank you.” Millie smiled at him feebly, and Milo smiled back.

She weakly turned her head to face Gabriel again. “I choose Heaven.” She gasped as her heart clenched in an abrupt painful spasm, then Mildred collapsed back against her pillows as the alarm from one of the machines began to obnoxiously beep in the room.

A few moments later, one of the orderlies rushed in to find that poor Miss Pierce had finally succumbed to her illness. Her body had already been so weakened from the cancer. Her heart just hadn’t been able to take the strain anymore.

As the nurse called for a team to come to the room, the thing that struck her the most was the calm, peaceful smile that decorated the dead woman’s face.

Once again in human guise, Milo hummed to himself as he walked down the corridor back to the elevators. There would be Hell to pay if it was discovered that he had done what he had done but, all in all he really wasn’t too worried about it. Everyone would have been expecting Mildred to pick Heaven anyway, so he doubted that anyone would even bother to check on exactly why she had.

He stood before the elevator, patiently waiting for the doors to open.

Even if Hell did bother to investigate, Milo hadn’t broken any rules simply because there really were none for this sort of situation. He would deal with it if later if he had to, but again, it was highly unlikely it would ever to be questioned.

The elevator finally stopped on the thirteenth floor, and Milo moved forward to step inside; when he unexpectedly found himself shoved hard from behind, and pinned up against the back wall of the formerly empty lift by an extremely irate looking Gabriel.

“What do you think you’re playing at Demon?” The Archangel hissed in his face. “I didn’t need your help back there.”

Milo didn’t even bother to try to break free of the Seraph’s hold. He just laughed nastily in his face. “First... yes you did.” The Demon said mockingly. “Second... I did absolutely nothing to help you.”

He roughly heaved the Angel off of him. “You lost and you know it.” Milo smirked. “Its not my fault that you’re a failure.”

“I didn’t fail.” Gabriel hissed again. “She chose Heaven.”

“No.” Milo’s eyes gleamed wickedly. “ She chose me. I chose heaven for her.”

“Liar!” Gabriel snapped. The redheaded Angel slapped Milo hard across the face before either of them had a chance to see it coming.

Gabriel was just standing there with a look of stunned disbelief clear on his face. Angel’s never reduced themselves to the level of physical violence unless, and until they were specifically ordered to do so. Milo could feel the sting on his cheek where his hand had connected.

Milo had flames dancing behind his pupils. If he was going to get slapped anyway....

The Demon took a fast step foreword before Gabriel had time to recover, and slid a hand around the narrow waist of the other man to pull him close. Immediately, Milo’s mouth crushed down on his. Without any warning whatsoever, the Archangel Gabriel rapidly, and most disturbingly had a Demon’s tongue half way down his throat.

Even worse, the human body that he currently occupied was responding as Milo jerked him even closer; and ground against it suggestively. With the Demon being just a little taller, their bodies lined up perfectly. His head swam as he felt blood rushing to his penis.

This. Could. Not. Happen.

The Archangel summoned every shred of willpower still at his command, and violently threw the Demon away from him.

Milo stumbled back. They both stood there panting, and glaring murder at each other for a long moment.

Gabriel decided that he had more than had enough. In a blink he assumed his true form, and with an ear splitting screech he rocketed through the escape hatch of the elevator, and kept right on going, even through the roof; until he finally made it back to the safety of heaven.

Milo heard it as debris rained down on the top of the lift and chuckled. The bell rang, and the doors opened up into the buildings lobby.

As he walked out the lift doors his fingertips traced the outline of his swollen lips. He crossed the lobby, and headed outside into the now lightly misting rain.

The Demon turned and headed in the general direction of his next job. No rest for the wicked. As he turned, and walked away he still had a wide grin plastered on his face. Spirits high, he sang a little as he walked. Milo kicked a puddle as he went past it like a little kid, splashing water everywhere. A woman standing nearby gaped up at him in surprise.

Milo kept going, though he did in fact wonder for just a moment; whether it was his grin, his puddle kicking, or the fact that he was so loudly singing, “Heaven .... must be missing an angel.” that had the woman staring after him.


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