Dossier Twenty-seven

[fireintothesky.livejournal.com]

[Henrietta is stuck in a tree. She clings to one of the uppermost branches, which is cracking slowly under her weight. Her wings are folded tight against her back and her eyes are closed.]

I didn't mean to do that! I didn't mean to do that, I really really didn't.

Comments

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

[a sigh]

Knowing them, I suppose that was enough.

If I leave you here for a moment, will you be all right?

[fireintothesky.livejournal.com]

Ah, are you going to go back? Can I come? Please?

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

Absolutely not. I'm just going to see if he's gone yet.

Promise me you'll stay here this time.

[fireintothesky.livejournal.com]

But...

Yes, signore.

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

Right then. I'll only be a moment.

[He drops from the Plane, returning a few moments later looking rather relieved.]

Looks as though he's gone. Come on, you can come with me now. We need to gather up your things. [He holds a hand out to Henrietta.]

[fireintothesky.livejournal.com]

[Takes his hand, frowning] Why?

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

I'll explain as we go. Ready?

[fireintothesky.livejournal.com]

Yes, signore. [Poof! Back to the flat.]

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

[As soon as they arrive Crowley drops her hand, moving quickly over to the front door to throw the lock and the deadbolt.]

Go and grab your clothes, and anything else you want to take with you. I'll be along to help you in a moment.

[fireintothesky.livejournal.com]

[She hesitates] Where are we going?

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

Away. We can't stay here any more. Now go and do as I've asked.

[fireintothesky.livejournal.com]

[One more moment of hesitation before she obeys. She hauls one of he suitcases he bought for her out of a closet and starts packing essentials, neat and tidy; when she's 'finished', most of what he bought her is still put away; only the practical items are packed. She looks at Xing, chirping and chiming in his basket, and starts petting him.] I don't think I can bring you.

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

[Meanwhile Crowley's just been staring around the flat, trying to decide what, if anything, the essentials would be for him. The Soul Music? The cartoon of the Mona Lisa? He'll be coming back for those eventually, you'd better believe it. Finally he moves back out to meet up with Henrietta, his arms empty.]

No, take Xing. You'll need a blanket and a pillow as well; I'm not sure where we'll be staying just yet.

[fireintothesky.livejournal.com]

Okay. [She fetches the specified items from the linen closet and folds them neatly on top of her suit case.] Are we going to go back to the plane?

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

...for a while, yes. I've got to think of a way to keep Heaven from finding you before we can come back for good.

That's everything, then?

[fireintothesky.livejournal.com]

Um... Oh! My violin and my case! They're in the living room. [Ducks around him to go get them.]

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

Make it fast.

[And he crosses his arms, still worrying about what the He—Something they're going to do after they leave.]

[fireintothesky.livejournal.com]

[She gathered up the violin, putting it away and hefting it and the nearly identical P90 case into her arms. As she turned to go, something caught her eye near the doorway--she stopped.

There he was, the same man who had spoken to her before. She held her breath, kept holding it and holding it, waiting for the strain to tell on her lungs, but it didn't. He spoke again. His voice wound around her. She relaxed, felt absolute calm steal over her. She'd never felt so clean, so right. His words carried purpose; she couldn't understand, still couldn't quite understand, but she knew that he spoke for her and what she needed to do.]

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

[Behind the sunglasses, yellow eyes widen in alarm. It's hard to mistake the sudden influx of angelic energy in the flat—especially from one as powerful as this one. Crowley bolts for the lounge, barely pausing to scoop up Henrietta's suitcase as he goes. Xing will have to wait.]

[Gabriel looks up from Henrietta as the demon enters the room. Crowley stops in his tracks and gulps.]



[Crowley swears in the language of Hell.]

[fireintothesky.livejournal.com]

[Henrietta is glowing. In the light her brown hair shines like bronze, her wings like molten platinum poured into a mold. She looks at Crowley. His words grind against her almost physically. She winces.]

Signore...

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

[Crowley continues to stare straight at Gabriel, unwilling to take his eyes off the angel even for a second. When he speaks, there is little room in his tone to question.]

Henrietta, drop. Now.

[fireintothesky.livejournal.com]

[Gabriel starts talking again, and this time it hurts a little bit. The part of her that wants to listen to Crowley, to do as he says, feels like it's shriveling and burning.]

No. Stop it... S...

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

[Crowley snarls something in Infernal again, roughly translating into "you fucking twat" but with a lot more hissing and guttural sounds to it. Henrietta's suitcase is discarded to the side and the demon readies himself.]

Henrietta, NOW.

[And regardless of what the little girl does, Crowley lunges at Gabriel]

[fireintothesky.livejournal.com]

[The light around her goes out as the archangel focuses on Crowley. Henrietta can feel what's coming--she doesn't know what it is, but she knows it would hurt, badly.]

No! [She wraps both of her arms around one of Crowley's and thinks with all her might of the plane]

[exserpens.livejournal.com]

[In the precious few seconds before contact with Gabriel, Crowley feels the arms grabbing for him. He can't risk dropping to the Plane and leaving her behind, though, which means he has to wait until he sees her vanish before he can do anything.]

[Which means he loses his focus on Gabriel, and things start to go downhill from there.]