AN as of 12/24/07: Okay, this is a new, edited version of "Patience". It's been tidied up and added to a bit, but the general stuff still applies: this is a continuation of "Sleep Well", "The Difference Between Demons and Angels", and a companion piece to "Shadows", and there is slash. Also, I obviously don't own the Bible.

Time period is about 300 BC or so.

Time has not dampened my desire even though these past few centuries have dragged on unbelievably long. The souls in Hell are hardly worth the fun of tormenting; most are already twisted and broken before they even come down here. I have been patient though, and now I shall have my reward. I've waited for this, and at last, you are back. Back here on Earth and no longer entirely protected by Heaven's light. I do not care what mission you have come to fulfill—other, lesser demons stationed on Earth can deal with that. I care only that you are here.

At first it is a difficult task to track you down, but shadows are everywhere, and eventually I learn what I wish to know. Once I find you, I slip into your room at a local inn. To my surprise, a multitude of candles welcome me, flickering feebly, perhaps attempting to fend off the shadows still swirling around these meager accommodations. It sends a delicious shiver down my spine to see corporeal proof that you have not forgotten me.

But have I truly gotten to you so much, Raphael? Oh, I can only begin to savor the torment I must have surely caused you. Clearly it is still fresh. Does the thought of me fester in your mind like an open sore? I certainly hope so. What a delight it would be to drink in your fear, to take you now and bind you as you bound me in the barren wasteland in Egypt. However, I would not be so merciful a captor. I would fully indulge the sin of marring your purity, of having you begging and screaming within my grasp. If I can merely constrict your aura tightly enough before you wake, I will be able to forgo the aggravation of a fight and simply drag you down to Hell instead.

Finally, I can take the anticipation no longer. Cloaked in black, I glide toward you, looking upon your fair and supine form. Leaning down, I feel your breath, light on my pale face. However, before I can seal my lips with yours, you awaken. Knowing my chance is lost, I melt away, leaving you alone. Soon enough, my little angel, I'll have you. I am a patient creature after all…

-fin-