Title: Second Chances (0/?)
Author: Ellen
Summary: This story is set in Calliope’s “An Angel
Among Us” universe. The characters of
Abby McDonald, Kathy McDonald, and
Artie Abromawitz are the original creations of Calliope
(Ellen's version of Artie also owes a debt to Cedar's Arthur F. Doyle from Manifest Destinies. Thank you, Cedar! )
All other characters from the WB television series “Angel” are the property
of 20th Century Fox, Joss Whedon, Mutant Enemy
et al. No copyright infringement
is intended.
This
story is set shortly after the thirty-fifth and final part of Calliope’s “An
Angel Among Us,” which can be read at the
Christian Kane-Maverick site. WARNING: This story contains major spoilers for An Angel Among Us.
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Prologue
“New
Jersey? Now, wait a minute.”
“Silence, Francis Doyle! You were told that if you interfered even one more time, there
would be consequences. It seems that some people are simply not well
suited to the necessary limitations imposed upon a Child of the Light.”
“But
- “
“Now
stop your protesting and listen. If
you would stop arguing for a moment, you might discover that your punishment is not as severe as you might
anticipate.”
Doyle
fell reluctantly silent. He couldn’t
imagine what They might have in mind for him, but he was sure that it
would not be pleasant.
“You
must know by now that we do not force anyone to accept a particular path. Each soul must choose freely, without compulsion, or else the choice means
nothing.”
“Yeah. I got that.”
“During
your mortal life, you passed for human, although you were half-demon. We are aware that you left behind certain .... unfinished business on the
earthly plane.”
“You
could say that.”
“Francis
Doyle, pay attention.” A portal to the
earth below opened before Doyle, and he saw a slender young man standing alone in the shadows of an
abandoned warehouse, lighting up a cigarette.
The
flickering light outlined the youth’s features for a moment, and Doyle realized
that he wasn’t a man at all, but a
demon.
“He’s
a Lister,” Doyle said slowly,
recognizing the features of the clan that he had rescued from the Scourge. “In
New Jersey? Hmmm, well. The kid does look a bit like Jeff Goldblum
... if Goldblum was a Lister, that is.”
“He
is half-human, just as you were. Not all of the Listers fled to Los Angeles.”
“Yeah, I would expect there were more of ‘em than
just that thirty or so.”
“You
already know that the age when a half-demon first manifests the demon is
unpredictable. Sometimes it occurs in childhood, sometimes at puberty, and
other times at full maturity.”
“Like
me at twenty-one, y’mean.”
“In
the case of Artie Abromawitz, his demon features manifested for the first time
in his early teens. In fact, in
his case, it happened in full sight of
a large crowd on the stage of a synagogue during his bar mitzvah ceremony.”
Doyle
whistled. “Talk about poor timin’.”
“Like
you, he did not take it well. But, unlike you,
since the moment when he first manifested his demon side, Artie Abromawitz has been unable to pass for
human.”
“Poor
sod. My worst nightmare. I wouldn’t
wish that on anyone.” Doyle watched as
the half-demon smoked his cigarette. “Somethin' else is wrong there, yeah? I can see it by the way he’s standin’ there,
just the way he’s holdin’ his shoulders. It’s like
... like it’s his last smoke
before dyin’, or somethin’.”
“It
is.”
“What?”
“Artie
is now twenty-one years old. He has
been living in hiding with his mother since he was thirteen, and, although he has an important destiny, he has rebuffed every form of help that has
been offered to him. Over the past
few years, several of your fellow Children of the Light have attempted to
provide him with the support he needs, but he
has refused to talk to any of them.
He believes that when he manifested his demon during his bar mitzvah
ceremony, God rejected him, and he is
determined to reject God in return. Yesterday morning his mother died, and
tonight Artie plans to commit suicide.”
“You’re
gonna stop him though, right?” Doyle
watched the young Lister, stirred to
sympathy despite his anxiety over his
own future.
“We
have already tried. Malcolm spent
several hours with him today, trying his best to reach him, but all to no
avail.”
“So,
you figure I could get through to him, huh? You’re sendin’ me to the rescue.”
“In
a way, yes, but not the way you think.
Artie is determined to die tonight.
It is his free choice, and we never
interfere with free will.”
“So,
you’re gonna let him go and kill himself?”
“If
he insists on going through with it, we will not use force to stop him. You know the rules, Francis Doyle. We will
not compel anyone to choose the right path. However, his place in the plan must be filled. If Artie will not live out his destiny, then someone else must live it out
for him.”
“You
don’t mean....”
“Yes. You have a choice too, you know. We are well aware that you have wanted to
return to the world of the living, but
there is always a price to be paid.
Always.”
“I’m
not lettin’ anyone die for me. No way.”
“Silence. His death is not the part that is your
choice. That is his.”
“What
is my choice, then?"
“You
have an opportunity to go back to the earthly plane, Francis Doyle, but not in
your old body. We will not physically prevent Artie Abromawitz from
ending his life, but we will not allow his death to be wasted. If Artie
Abromawitz dies tonight, then at the moment of his death, his body and
the remainder of his life are yours, if you
choose, to finish out his interrupted destiny.”
“Why
him? Why me?”
“You
already know the answer to those questions.
Consider, Francis Doyle, the challenge that is set before you. If
you return, you will be completely alone, as Artie is now. You will have no friends, no family, and you
will be unable to pass for human. You will have a role in the plan, and a
purpose to serve, but you will be free to make your own choices, wrong or right. You can go anywhere you choose.”
“Anywhere
except L.A. or Dublin, right? And I
can’t contact anyone who knew me before, right?”
“Wrong. The destiny that Artie Abromawitz refused
would have led him to Los Angeles.”
“Why?”
“To
help finish something that you started,
Francis Doyle.”
“I
don’t understand.”
“There
is no need for you to understand.... yet.
It is enough for you to know now that from the moment of his birth, Artie Abromawitz was destined to go to Los
Angeles, to help fight in the same cause for which you died. But he has
decided to turn his back on that destiny, and has chosen, instead, to die alone and unmourned.”
“It
ain’t right,” Doyle said fiercely. “It
ain’t even decent.”
“Perhaps
not. But you should know by now that
there is a balance to be maintained.
For every action, there is a reaction, shadow and light, death and life. If you choose, you can return to the earth
and help maintain that balance. You
can return to Los Angeles ... but not as Francis Doyle.”
Doyle
stared in silence through the portal at the young demon in New Jersey.
“That
is your choice to make, and you must make it now.”
As
he stared, the faint glow of the
cigarette suddenly went out.