CHAPTER THREE

BY LOYCE

"Do you understand what you need to do?"

"I understand, Gabriel. Hilde must not make any further contact with the priest and the mission must be completed as soon as possible." Relena answered him as she looked into his concerned eyes.

She felt the heavy weight of her assignment fell on her when he placed both his hands on her delicate shoulders. "I wouldn't entrust this assignment to anyone else. I have faith that you will do what needs to be done."

"You can trust in me, Gabriel. I will carry out God's will."

"Go with God." Gabriel removed his hands from his shoulders and placed a small chaste kiss on her forehead.

Making the sign of the cross over her heart, she repeated, "Go with God." Relena watched the retreating form of her mentor and guardian disappear through the door to meet with the other members of the council.

Relena sat down besides the looking glass and observed the graceful movements of her prey. She cringed at the thought of it. Her prey. Her victim. Tears always threatened to fall from her eyes whenever she was sent to guide souls to heaven. No matter how hard she tried, she would never get used to the idea of taking a mortal's life; it was never an easy task for her. But this time it was different; it wasn't just a regular calling home of a soul, it was an imperative undertaking.

Passing her hand over the water the image blurred before reappearing on the young woman. Hilde was the name that Gabriel had called her. She sat hunched over her desk; all of the lights off and it looked like she was running some sort of test on the evidence she had gathered. Relena leaned forward and dipped her hand into the water, caressing the reflection of Hilde's shoulder. She watched the young woman quickly spin around and survey the empty room behind her before shivering and returning back to her work.

It was still hard for her to believe that Hilde and the priest could cause the downfall of heaven and hell. Taking one last fleeting glance at her target, Relena moved away from the pool. If taking Hilde's life was the only way to ensure the safety and livelihood of everything she held dear, then she would have no problem in completing her task.

She walked over to the side of the room towards the mural of the Garden of Eden. Relena gritted her teeth as she began to disguise her wings. The sensation was uncomfortable; her elegant white wings tucked themselves against her back and melted into her body. She shrugged her shoulders and arched her back trying to alleviate some of the tenderness that spread in her muscles. Lifting her hands, Relena placed them together in front of her and slowly moved them apart, opening the veil that existed between heaven and the mortal world.

Stepping between the two realms, Relena's soft blue tunic was replaced with a pair of blue jeans and a pink tank top with the word 'Angel' written across her chest. Her long blond hair was pulled back into two braids that framed her angelic face. As the portal closed behind her, she looked down at her 21st century styled clothing.

"I'll never get used to that part." She ran her hands quickly over the top in a desperate attempt to smooth out the wrinkles.

Just as she wanted, she had arrived in an alley besides the police station where Hilde worked. Taking a deep breath, she took a few steps forward and peered around the corner; eyeing the entrance of the NOPD head quarters. From her spot she could easily be able to watch for when her objective left the building. Then it was just a matter of catching up to her before she climbed into her vehicle and touching her.

That's all it took, just one touch.

Relena looked down at her hand, flipping it over and looking at it from all different angles. An angel's touch had the power to both heal and destroy, this time that power would be used to destroy. She had been so lost in her own thoughts that when she looked up, she saw Hilde running towards her car. Sending a quick prayer up to heaven, Relena pushed away from the old stucco building and lunged forward ready to head after her.

A strong hand wrapped around her arm and pulled her to a stop.

Whipping around, Relena locked her wide eyes onto the hand that was gripped around her upper arm. She didn't need to look up to know whose hand held her in place. Somehow or another, he had been able to block his aura from her. Slowly, she let her gaze trail up from his hand and stopped when she reached his deep blue eyes. For a moment, nothing was said between them, as he continued to hold her arm in his iron like grip. The sound of an engine springing to life caused Relena to glance back over her shoulder just in time to see Hilde pull out of her parking space.

Narrowed aquamarine eyes turned back to Heero's face. His expression hadn't changed, though she knew he could feel her annoyance with him. Ripping her arm away from him, she took a couple steps back and squared her shoulders.

She pulled her eyes away from the intensity of his stare, and began to look anywhere but his face. Her eyes roamed over the mortal form he had taken. Dark pants encased his muscled legs. Black wings that once sat on his back were replaced with a dark trench coat that hung over a partially opened white shirt. To Relena, he was the walking personification of sin.

"What are you doing here?" She asked, trying not to let her voice waver.

One corner of his mouth lifted into the beginnings of a smile before it was quickly tucked away. "I could ask you the same question, but we know the real reason why we’re both here, Relena."

The sound of her name spilling from his mouth unnerved her on some many different levels. Shaking her head, she replied, "I take it you've come here to stop me, Heero. But I have to wonder on whose orders. It certainly wasn't Akmen."

She watched his eyes narrow and grow darker then she had ever seen them before. Instinctively, she took a step back. Heero was older than her and from the rumors she had heard, he had been a close friend with the demon that had been banished from hell. Maybe that's why he was here, to keep me from causing any harm to an old friend. For some reason that she couldn't explain, Relena felt it necessary to calm his fears.

"Don't worry, Heero. It's not the priest that I'm after."

Again, his expression remained impassive as he answered her. "I know. That's why I'm here and not with him."

"I don't understand..." But as the words echoed in her ears, she began to realize his true purpose. Shaking her head, Relena's anger rose. "Don't you understand what'll happen? Those two souls cannot meet; they can't fall in love. Otherwise everything in both heaven and hell will cease to exist." She turned to leave the confining alley. "I will complete my mission, Heero, and there is nothing you can do to stop me."

"I *will* stop you, Relena, no matter what means are necessary."

Blinking, she couldn't believe how fast he had moved. Heero had been standing behind her when she turned around, but now, he stood at the mouth of the alleyway. Dark clouds appeared in the blue sky from out of nowhere, casting the entire block into shadows.

Relena shied back with each step Heero took to move closer toward her. The darkness of his intense glare faded away and revealed their true captivating color. His rage ebbed, the clouds parted way and gave birth to the refreshing warmth of the sunshine.

"Ask yourself, Relena, if you're doing the right thing."

Relena scoffed at his statement, her eyes glowing with emotion. "Of course I'm doing the right thing. I'm carrying out God's Will."

Heero reached out and grabbed hold of her chin. His thumb caressed her soft skin and she tried to suppress the shiver that snaked its way up her spine. "Are you sure it's God's Will that you're carrying out? Or could it be the Will of the Council?"

Dumbfounded, Relena stood there as he released his hold on her. Bowing slightly, he brushed past her and began to make his way back into the shadows of the alley. As he melted into the darkness, his voice drifted back to her on a breeze.

"Remember Relena, love is the greatest of the gifts that God has given us."

She stood in the alleyway and stared at the shadows that had taken Heero into their dark embrace, she wrapped her arms around herself. In the matter a few moments, she felt her entire world tilt off its axis. Was Heero right? Would God really condemn love? Relena bit her bottom lip and turned her head up toward the blue sky, hoping that God would answer her silent questions.

He never did.

****************

Hilde climbed out of her SUV and moved to the back to retrieve her gear. She couldn't help but have the feeling of deja vu. It was just about 36 hours ago that she was doing the same exact thing. As she slammed the back hatch closed, she used her free hand to block the sunlight and looked towards the towering Cathedral ahead of her.

In the bright sunlight of the day, it was hard to believe that this was the site of a murder scene. Shrugging, she moved across the pavement, her boots clicking with every step she took up the marble steps. The front entrance was still barricaded with police tape. Hilde pushed it aside and opened the padlock on the doors with her key.

Colored lights danced throughout the church, more so than the night she had first come to St. Catherine's. Vibrant hues of red, yellow, blue, and green seemed to cover every inch of the pale walls. Her hand ran along the polished wood of the pews as she moved closer to the altar.

Usually by now, a team would have been to the crime scene and cleaned it up; leaving no traces of the horrific event that took place. But this time around, dealing with this serial killer, Hilde had requested to leave the scene as it was, to give her more time to collect every hint of evidence. Her utility box landed on the marble flooring with a loud thud. Bending down, she undid the latches on the heavy plastic box and pulled out a pair of latex gloves. The rubber gloves pulled at her skin as she slipped them on, while making her way back up to the altar.

Hilde sunk down and for the second time in only two days, began combing through every nook and cranny. After a fruitless hour of searching, she climbed back to her feet and slammed her fists down on the oak offering table. The sides of her hands stung from the force of the impact, but it did nothing to vent her growing frustration.

"Damnit! I refuse to believe that he's managed to leave the crime scene this clean." She hissed between her clenched teeth. She released a deep breath and allowed her forehead to fall against her fisted hands on the table. Hilde opened her eyes and stared at the scarred surface of the table. She un-fisted one hand and traced one of the old marks with her index finger.

Sighing in exasperation, Hilde lifted her head and looked out onto the numerous pews that flank the altar. Her blue eyes roamed over the sea of cushioned benches and came to rest on the confessional against the far wall. With more force than was necessary, she pushed away from the table, headed down the steps of the altar and threw open her equipment box. Her hands searched through all the equipment until she pulled out a tablet. The yellow pad of paper listed all of the places searched during the initial investigation; not once had the confessional been mentioned.

As she flipped through the notes, she realized that only St. Catherine's had a confessional and it had been overlooked. Mentally kicking herself, she picked up the heavy box and moved toward the wooden structure. Like most church confessionals, this one had three separate doors. The one in the middle was where the priest would sit and listen to the confessions from members of his congregation, who would be sitting in the either side of him.

Hilde quickly discarded her plastic gloves and pulled a fresh pair out of the box and began the pain-staking task of gathering fingerprints and hair/fiber samples. The cathedral wasn't equipped with modern air conditioning and as the day progressed, the stale air grew warm. Using the sleeve of her shirt, Hilde lifted her arm and wiped away the sweat that had beaded on her forehead. She had hit a lucky card; now it was just a matter of whether or not it was going to pay off. After cataloging the evidence, she was about to pack it in when a stray thought struck her.

Pulling out the luminol and the Alternative Light Source (ALS), Hilde stepped into the priest's chambers of the confessional. Before she used the luminol to find if there were any traces of blood, she flipped on the blue light and ran it along the wooden walls of the tight quarters. For some reason it didn't surprise her to find traces of bodily fluids scattered all over the place. She didn't know whether they belonged to the priests who worked at the Cathedral or people who got their kicks off doing it in church, but it didn't matter to her; it was another possible lead. After she collected some samples, Hilde ducked under the bench with the ALS and continued looking for anything else that she could take back to the lab.

"Hilde?"

"Jesus Christ!" Hilde yelped as she bumped her head on the wooden bench. Rubbing the back of her head, she climbed out from under the bench and sank back on her knees.

Duo frowned as he looked down at the top of her head. "I've asked you not to say His name in vain."

She bit her bottom lip to keep herself from making some smart-ass remark. Hilde looked up at him and nearly faltered under his intense gaze. "Well, if you wouldn't have scared the hell out of me then you wouldn't have heard me say it." Pulling off her plastic gloves, she wiped a few traces of dust from her jeans. "What are you doing in here anyway? This is an official police crime scene."

"I was walking by and noticed the lock was undone. I was hoping it was you and not some of the local kids coming to gawk at..." Duo's voice trailed off as he looked back towards the altar.

He looked so heartbroken and forlorn standing there staring at the chalk outlines scattered about the altar. Not only did he look completely sad, but he looked incredibly sexy too. Hilde's fingers itched to pull away the white collar from around his neck and pull a few buttons open on his dark top, so she could run her hands along his chest. Clearing her throat, she tried to push the thoughts to the back of her mind as she started to stand. Her legs began to tingle as the blood rushed back through them, causing her knees to give out. Hilde pitched forward and into Duo's outstretched arms.

Landing with the side of her face against his chest, Hilde wrapped her arms around his waist to steady herself. Tiny needles of electricity spread through her, all radiating from the places where her body was pushed up against him. She closed her eyes and allowed the sensations to override all of her senses. The iron taste of blood filled her mouth as her teeth sunk into the inside of her cheek, suppressing the moan that bubbled up in the back of her throat. Hilde moved her hands around from his waist and placed them against his chest, meaning to push herself away. But when the heat from his body washed over her hands and up her arms, she looked up into his eyes and saw that he felt it too; this unexplainable attraction that boarded on carnal instincts.

Duo reached down and pulled her hands away from his body, and released her wrists as if he had been burned. Hilde watched as he turned away from her, giving them each time to regain their composure. Unable to catch her breath, she smoothed back a few stray locks of hair behind her ear and began packing up her equipment.

"What did you find in there?"

His voice broke the uneasy silence, though he continued to keep his back turned toward her. Hilde opened her mouth to answer him, but found herself at a loss for words. Did she dare tell him about the traces of human fluids she found in the confessional? Or did she let him believe in his God and all the principles that he based his life on? Sighing, Hilde let the latter argument win, and refrained from giving him all of the gory details.

"I noticed in my notes that we missed collecting evidence from the confessional. I've found some fingerprints that may not have been cataloged before; it could be a possible lead." Wrapping the cord around the ALS, she tucked into the box and secured the lid shut. She took one last fleeting glance at his broad shoulders before she pushed off the floor, grabbed her case and headed towards the door.

Hilde had nearly made it half way to the door, when Duo called out to her. "You don't believe, do you?"

Rocking back on her heels, Hilde spun around to face him. "Believe in what? God?" She watched him nod. "It's kind of hard to believe in God with so much hatred in the world today. I hardly believe that this is God's idea of the Garden of Eden."

Duo clasped his hands in front of him and rocked back on his heels. She knew she was in for a sermon and rolled her eyes. Sure enough, Duo didn't disappoint her. "We were banished from the Garden of Eden and told never to return. Have you ever wondered why, Hilde?" Duo paused and she fought the urge to look away from his intense gaze and sad smile. "Because we lacked faith. Because we tried to make it on our own with no spiritual leadership and it cost us God's grace. God doesn't hurt us. We hurt ourselves. You are right, there is much hatred in the world but if one person can make a difference for someone else then there is always hope. God is that hope. It's a shame you can't see past the fear and hate that consumes your heart."

She stiffened at his mildly scolding tone, feeling the need to defend her stance. Infuriated with him, Hilde spoke as knuckles turned white around the utility box handle. "You know, once upon a time when I was a little girl, I did believe that God was up there somewhere, sitting atop his throne, watching down over us protecting us from all that is evil. But that was before I was forced to grow up and..." Duo opened his mouth to reply but blinded by anger, she didn't give him chance to voice his thoughts. "If there was such a thing as God, children wouldn't be walking the streets homeless; young women wouldn't be selling themselves out on the streets to afford the drugs they pollute their bodies with. If your God was watching down from heaven, I'm sure he wouldn't let people kill other people because of their religion, race or just for plain entertainment. And I know that he wouldn't allow his priests to masturbate in the confessional."

Hilde cringed when she saw the hurt look that passed over Duo's face. If given the chance to go back and take back everything she had said, she'd do it in a heartbeat. But there was no magical way to turn back time. In front of her eyes, Duo retreated from her, shadows moving into his eyes; turning them a stormy shade of purple.

"If you're finished, Ms. Schbeiker, I would ask that you please leave St. Catherine's."

"Duo, please..." Hilde reached out to try and grab hold of him, but he side-stepped her.

His voice was so cold as he pointed toward the door. "I believe we have nothing else to say to each other."

She was dismissed again when she opened her mouth to apologize and realized that there was no way she'd be able to get him to listen to her after what she had just said. Turning around, Hilde held the handle to her utility box in both hands and finished making her way towards the main entrance. When she got to the door, she tossed a quick look over her shoulder and found Duo standing in the same exact place she had left him; his back turned toward her, his head bowed toward the altar.

Leaning against the heavy door, Hilde pushed it open and was assaulted by the bright sunlight. She blinked a few times before making her way down the stairs to the sidewalk; telling herself it was the sun that had caused her eyes to water so. Hilde stepped off the sidewalk and into the street without practicing one of the cardinal rules that was taught to her as a child. With her eyes downcast, she spied a round rock and kicked it with the toe of her boots, sending it skipping a few feet in front of her.

As she tried to kick the rock a second time, she found it hard to lift her feet. Panic arose in her as she desperately tried to move her feet, finding them almost glued to the spot. The sound of a roaring engine, along with the smell of burning rubber caused Hilde to turn toward the far corner, in time to see a huge truck heading straight for her. Without a thought for herself, she tossed the equipment box out of the way, hoping that if she didn't survive at least the evidence would. Again she tried to shuffle her feet as the truck picked up speed. At the last second, Hilde held up her hands and waited for the pain to overtake her body.

It never came.

Instead, Hilde found herself wrapped in the strong arms of a man dressed in black. His unruly dark brown hair hung in his face, nearly hiding his deep blue eyes. Hilde looked over his shoulder to see the truck rounding the corner and disappearing out of sight. Breathing seemed to become harder as the shock of what almost happened began to register. As the darkness started to close in on her, she looked directly into the eyes of her savior. His eyes had darkened with near rage and she could feel his body shaking with it. Through the pounding in her ears, she could hear someone faintly calling her name.

"Thank you." She whispered as she felt him transfer her into the strong arms of someone else. And then everything went dark.

Across town, in a small back room of a building in the French Quarter, a young woman's eyes sprung open at the same moment that Hilde closed hers. Her breathing was erratic and her hand shook as she reached for the glass of water placed next to her altar. Taking a huge gulp, Catherine found it difficult to swallow past the lump that had formed in her throat. She set the glass down on the floor beside her and gracefully unfolded her legs, stretching them out in front of her. Moving her shoulders back and forth, she helped work the kinks out of her tired muscles and pushed herself off the floor. Her bare feet padded across the floor and with a brush of her hand she moved the beaded curtain out of the way and moved into the main room. Reaching to her neck, she lightly fingered the jewel that lay against the swells of her breast.

"That was a close call."

"I know. Too close actually."

Catherine spun around and her face lit up as her eyes fell on the form of her brother. "It's been a long time. I was wondering if you were going to come and visit me while you were in the mortal realm." She stepped forward and into his open arms. The smell of cheap cigarettes and liquor hung on his clothing and Catherine found it hard to suppress her giggle. "I see you've already been out."

Trowa chuckled. "Of course I have." He placed his hands on her shoulders and pushed her slightly away so he could stare down into her face. "You don't have to help you know?"

"I know, Trowa." She sighed. "I know."

****************

Relena passed through the veil in a bit of a daze. Nothing registered as her mortal clothes were stripped away and replaced with her simple tunic. Even the discomfort of her wings reappearing didn't seem to bother her. Her eyes never seemed to focus as she moved about the room. Somehow her feet had managed to take her over to the edge of the pool, before she collapsed.

Lying her head against the side of the pool, Relena gently stroked her fingers over the surface. No images appeared because her thoughts were muddled and confused. The sounds of heavy footsteps could be heard from across the room, but she didn't bother to look up. Closing her eyes, she sighed deeply.

A rough hand grabbed her by the arm and hastily pulled her to her feet. Stunned, Relena looked up into his face. Heero's narrowed eyes bore down into her face, burning her skin with the intensity of his gaze. His normal blue eyes glowed with rage as his fingers tightened their grip on her upper arm. A low, throaty growl came from Heero as he continued to look down into her face.

"Heero, what are you doing here? You know you're not allowed to step foot on heavenly ground." She tried to keep her voice calm, even though twinges of terror threatened to break loose. Never in her existence had she seen a demon totally controlled by anger. The air seemed to spark with the emotions pouring off of him.

"I shouldn't be the only one not allowed on heavenly soil, Relena."

The malice present in his voice, accompanied by the vague accusation he had tossed out put all of her nerves on high alert. For the second time that day, Relena ripped her arm from his grasp and rubbed the red, stinging imprint of his hand. "What's that suppose to mean?"

"I told you that I would do everything in my power to protect those two. I never thought I'd see the day when an angel, especially you Relena, would sink so low as to get the job done."

Relena felt her face blanch as a chill worked its way deep in her body. Her wings tucked against her back, almost wrapping around her in a protective fashion. She reached a hand to touch him, only have him recoil from her. In his eyes, Relena was able to read some many different emotions; rage, sadness, and hurt. Sending him a pleading look, she asked him, "Heero, what exactly are you talking about?"

He pointed to the pool and closed his eyes. The water stirred as he reflected his memories onto the silvery surface. Relena was drawn toward the images that projected themselves on through the looking glass. She saw everything that Heero had seen. Hilde leaving the church, wiping at her eyes, her wide-eyed terror on her face as she stared down the street watching the truck head for her, and then Hilde in Heero's arms, as he saved her.

"You think I did that, don't you? You think I caused..." Relena sniffed and squared her shoulders. Wheeling around on him, her aquamarine colored-eyes sparked with the fury that boiled underneath her calm expression. "I may have been sent to Earth to complete a mission, but I would never do anything as sinister as try to 'run down' my target." She paused and tried to keep her emotions out of her voice. "I don't know what caused you to think so little of me, but I can only give you my word that I never would result to such tactics."

Relena spun away from him and marched out of the room. When she cleared the doorway, she ran down the hall until she broke through the doors to the council's building. Turning her face up to the sun, Relena closed her eyes and soaked up the warmth of the sun, trying to get rid of the cold pit that had formed in her stomach. Her white wings glistened in the light as she extended them and pushed off the ground. As she made her way, she couldn't help but wonder why Heero's opinion of her mattered so much.