Everything is Wonderful Now

Chapter Three

A middle-aged father entered the pastor's office, overcome with the feeling that he was being watched. He paid it no mind as the angel Umabel lurked around the perimeter of the room, and he took a seat before his old friend's desk. Pastor Don had been a family friend for many years, and the man had baptized the father's daughter. While the father hadn't been the most pious man in spirit for many years, the crucifix he wore hidden beneath his shirt told of his true alignment.

Umabel smiled as a plan formed. Yes, that man was perfect. He was already so broken and searching for a sign that would never come. The foolish pastor would offer feigned deliverance, which was Umabel's entrance.

"Jonathan," Don soothed. He reached across his desk to take the embattled man's hand. Jon smelled like booze again and it was obvious his distress was only exacerbated by it. "God forgives, Jon. You just need to be saved — you need someone to listen to you. You're already a regular on Sundays, and trust me..." A plastic smile spread across Don's face that told of his successful indoctrination. "You can be saved. God sees your dedication and he knows you will fall from time to time. It's in our nature to sin. It's why we must ask for forgiveness and dust ourselves off — get back up and try again."

"I can't accept what I did," Jon said as his tears dried. "Never in a million years did I think drinking would do this to me." The man paused to gather his thoughts. "I didn't have a good life growing up. My father drank, too."

"Your father was also violent," Don said. "We've spoken of this before, but if you need to speak of it again, please let it out. This is a safe place."

"No, I don't need to go over all of that again." Jon sighed and regained his composure. His eyes were bloodshot and the call to the bottle was stronger than ever. It poked and prodded at his nerves. "I just want to take it all back."

Don patted the man's hand. "We can't take back the horrible things we've done, but with God, we can be forgiven and absolved of them. We just have to recognize what went wrong, and you are not the only one in the wrong here."

Jon stared at the man. "I'm not?"

"No, my friend. You're not."

Umabel crept up to the desk to look down on the two men and listened closely. There was more going on than he initially suspected, which would only play into his plan. He could have easily crawled into Jon's mind to gather the information for himself, but he wanted to hear the raw emotion from the man's own lips. The pastor, Don, also seemed to have his own agenda based on the book he preached from. The book that contained messages God had carefully filtered to gain his following.

Don continued after a moment of contemplated silence. "Women and girls — they are tempters. We've known that as far back as Adam and Eve. Genesis was a testament to the wicked ways of women. Lilith, herself, was a terrible temptress and refused to obey the Lord. Eve defied God's wishes despite his test for her. Adam — men — were dragged into their temptations."

"But she's my daughter," Jon cried.

"And she's still a young woman. Don't you see?" Don smiled. "It's a test from God, a chance to show your true strength. You feel weak and lost, but my friend, you are only being tested. You must resist temptation and be the man who defies it." Don sat straighter and motioned for Jonathan to place their hands together, and he closed his eyes. "Let us pray. We will ask him, our Holy Father, to place a blessing upon you to ease your suffering."

Umabel's anticipation caused his eyes to expand as his wings shuddered. It was his chance.

He waited for Jon to close his eyes, and then slipped into the man's space. The angel set his lips by Jon's ear and gripped his shoulders, whispering, "God has heard your pleas, and he has an answer for you. You have been chosen to aid him in his plans."

Umabel paused. Humans were so damn cryptic with that sort of thing. He had to think of something convincing. "In three days' time," he continued, "I will come unto you again and deliver the Lord's message in a dream. You are not to inform the pastor of this knowledge, but to keep it between you and the Lord, lest he become angry." Umabel spoke through the sinister smile spreading across his face. "Now go forth, son of God, and be saved."

The angel backed away and steepled his fingers as he watched the man in the chair. Jon's eyes opened wide and he stared at the pastor with a buzzing mind. Thankfully, he kept Umabel's secret, and he thanked the pastor profusely as if his friend had brought the revelation down upon him. Jon then stood and left the office.

Umabel looked down at the pastor who had turned to take in the sunlight through the window's blinds. Although he was a man who stuck to his scruples, which was rare for any kind of person in his line of work, he had a darkness about him that he claimed to be the light. He took the Old Testament as gospel and worshiped its gilded pages like they were his life's work, which they'd become.

He spoke in biblical passages as if he'd been blessed with the total knowledge of all that was written, and while Umabel appreciated Don's allegiance, he also acknowledged that the man was just another fool in the machine. God hadn't spoken to him for some time. It was merely the whisperings of the Lord's messengers that assured His followers' loyalty, for a time would come when it would be Heaven versus Hell again, and it was bad enough that angels were becoming complacent in God's absence.

First things first. Umabel popped back into the house that would become a point of interest for a while. It was empty save for the teenage boy who curled up on a sofa with his chosen mate. Umabel would have to be careful to mask his presence while Byleth was around, but the fallen angel was still a powerful being. As he was once royalty in Heaven and now a king in Hell, Umabel wouldn't be able to hide for long.

"Umabel?"

The angel had been so absorbed in his thoughts he hadn't noticed the bright form that appeared beside him. He observed Gabriel, who wore their customary white long-coat suit. "What are you doing here?"

"I overheard, sorry." Gabriel shrank. "Surely there's a better way to settle this anger you feel toward Byleth? Why involve a defenseless child?"

"Because it's two birds with one stone. I wouldn't expect you to understand. You're too..." Umabel gestured toward his timid brother. "Soft."

Gabriel stood straighter. "Soft or not, a child is a child. God would never approve of this."

"And God would approve of your persistent love for Byleth despite what he is?" Umabel said as he side-eyed Gabriel. The timid angel worried over his hands. "I saw the way you two interacted before his fall. This is exactly why you need to stay out of this, Gabriel. You're biased."

Gabriel frowned and extended his wings. "You may be great and feared, Umabel, but I can't just let this happen. I'm sorry." Before his brother could respond, Gabriel had disappeared.

Umabel uttered a sound better befitting of a demon and stepped out into the sun. A green car pulled into the driveway, and he watched the empowered man step from the driver's seat. The child and her mother followed, and Umabel realized another challenge. The woman was a neutral force he couldn't predict. She didn't have a weakness about her that man did.

No, she was protected by a force he didn't recognize. Umabel huffed. He would have to ignore her for now. She was of little consequence in the grander scheme. The child could still be dealt with.