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Moshiach

By

3669AD and BlazeLucivar

Laila was running away. Running away from a bad man who wanted to use her from something that would end the world. She had been running for a few hours, now, only stopping to rest for a few minutes at a time. She had no way of returning home, not now. She had run into the woods in case she was being followed, she would try to get lost there.

Tzofiya Medousa stood at a desk in the police department building, looking through the list of bounties when a man stormed in and demanded a bounty be set. He seemed pretty desperate, and that caught Tzofiya's attention better than any of the bounties on the list. "Hey, I'll find your girl for you, if it's that important. What'll ya pay me to do so?"

"Anything you want, lady. Just find her and bring her back to me alive."

Tzofiya felt a smile grow on her face. "I'll make sure you stand by that, sir. Tzofiya Medousa at your service. Just give me the girl's description, and I'll be on my way." The man gave her the description and said the target had headed off into the woods. Tzofiya nodded, still smiling, and turned into a grey wolf. Then she headed for the woods, using a piece of cloth the man had handed her as a starting point to track the girl's scent.

Laila had managed to find an abandoned shack out here in the woods. She frantically searched the interior for a place to hide, but there was nothing that she could hide in or under. No bed, no table, no foot locker, nothing.

Tzofiya followed the scent through the woods, losing it a couple times then finding it again, until she reached an old, abandoned shack. The scent led inside. She shifted back to human form and approached the shack almost silently, reaching for the revolver at the small of her back. She set the revolver to stun. That ought to be good enough. She pushed the door open and leaned nonchalantly against the doorframe, with her revolver aimed at the girl. "Well, well, looks like I've found my target already," she sneered.

The woman who had just came in shocked Laila so bad by pointing the revolver at her that her wings became visible and spread out to full. She whimpered and squealed in terror.

"What the--?" The sudden appearance of a pair of white wings on the girl's back startled Tzofiya so that she stumbled back, dropping the revolver. Already primed, the gun went off, sending a beam of light at her instead of the girl. Stunned by her own weapon, Tzofiya collapsed, senseless, to the ground.

Laila gasped when she saw the woman crumple to the floor. She hid her wings again and rushed to see if she was okay. Once she was sure the woman was fine, Laila ran out into the woods again to try and escape her would-be captor.

A little while after the girl had gone, Tzofiya stirred. Groaning, she sat up and looked around. The girl was gone. Great. At least now she knew the scent to follow. Her revolver was still on the floor where she'd dropped it. Huh. Most of her targets would've taken any weapons they could if they'd gotten an opportunity like that. Strange. She tucked the revolver back into the back of her waistband and shifted to wolf form again to follow the girl's scent.

Laila had been running for ten minutes without stop. She collapsed onto the forest floor, gasping and hitching.

After a few minutes, Tzofiya caught the girl's scent and was off like a bullet. She easily found the girl, purposely stepping on a twig so she would know she'd been caught. Then Tzofiya shifted back to her human form. This time, she didn't take out the revolver. "All right, girlie girl. No more running away, eh? My employer wants you alive, and I'm going to do my best to bring you back that way."

Laila started crying when she heard her words. "No, you can't take me back. He wants to bring Hell to Earth. Please, don't!"

"He...what?" Tzofiya was taken aback by the girl's words and her sudden tears. None of her previous targets had cried when she'd taken them in. They'd all fought back. "What do you mean, he wants to bring Hell to Earth?" She grabbed the girl's shoulder and made her look at her.

Laila looked at Tzofiya through shrink-wrapped tears. "My sole purpose is to bring the Moschiach into the world. That man wants to use me to bring up the son of Satan. I need to find a way home."

"Your purpose?" She sniffed at the air around the girl. "Your scent's a little strange," she muttered. "Can't believe I didn't notice that before. And those wings. I didn't imagine them, did I? My god, you're an angel!"

Laila nodded meekly at the girl's assumption. "Do you see why I can't be allowed to be near that man?" She hoped the other woman did.

Tzofiya nodded. Then she shifted forms. In a moment, a doe was standing where a young woman had been. "Get on," she said, projecting the words into the girl's mind since that was the only way she could speak in animal form.

Laila stood and walked over to Tzofiya, then stroked her fur along her body. She climbed up onto the doe, leaning forward and hugging her neck. Tzofiya would realize that her body was surprisingly light.

Tzofiya closed her eyes for a moment as the girl stroked her side. She barely even registered the weight change when the girl got on. "Geez, girl, what're you made of, air?" she asked, even as she took off running, her cloven hooves barely touching the ground.

Laila giggled at the idea of being made out of air. She nuzzled against the deer's neck and waited for the ride to be done.

Eventually, they reached the edge of the city, and Tzofiya slowed to a walk. Her house was a two-story building set directly between the city and the forest beyond it. "All right, girlie girl," she said as she stopped a few feet from the door. "Time to get off. Can't exactly open the door with hooves, now, can I?"

Laila got off of the deer's back and watched her transform. "Living beings are beautiful," she thought. After they got into Tzofiya's apartment, Laila hugged the woman. "Thank you for not taking me back to that man!"

Tzofiya stiffened, surprised, but then she relaxed and patted the girl's back. "You're welcome..." She trailed off, realizing she didn't know the girl's name. She'd never taken an assignment without already knowing the target's name and bounty. "Er, guess I'm gonna need to properly introduce myself if I'm gonna be taking care of you. I'm Tzofiya Medousa. Bounty hunting's my game. You can just call me Tzofi."

"My name is Laila," she responded. "As I told you before, I'm an angel." After Laila introduced herself, she let go of Tzofi but did not stray very far from her side. "Bounty hunting?"

"Yeah," Tzofiya said, opening the door and stepping aside so Laila could go in first. "I hunt down people who've got bounties on their heads and bring 'em in for money. I normally stick to criminals of some sort, but you were a special case. The guy seemed desperate. He ain't getting you back, though, don't worry."

Apprehension appeared on Laila's face when Tzofi was talking about her job. She hugged her new friend again and went to go sit down. "I need to stay away from him at all costs."

Tzofiya closed the door behind her, and the lights immediately turned on.

"Welcome home, Ms. Medousa," said a robotic voice coming from hidden speakers in the walls. "I trust your day has gone well?"

"Thank you, Jamison, it has. Jamison, we have a guest. Please get refreshments."

"Yes, Madam. What would you prefer this evening?"

"Diet Dr. Pepper for me, Jamison." She turned to Laila. "Would you like something, Laila? Um, do angels even eat or drink?"

"No, I've never ingested anything before. I've never even had the urge to do so." She stated this matter-of-fact like as she watched the room to see where the voice was coming from. The only disembodied voice she had ever heard was God's.

"Ah. Okay, then. That'll be all, Jamison. Thank you." A moment later, a small door in the wall opened, and a tray with a filled glass slid out. Tzofiya crossed to the tray and took a swig of her drink. She saw Laila looking around and chuckled. "Jamison's my computer. His voice comes from some speakers I had built into the wall."

Laila nodded, she didn't understand technology, really. She knew of it because she was aware of all things that happened in the material sphere, but that was the extent of her experience. She stretched and yawned, her mouth becoming a perfect "o."

"Jamison, are either of the extra bedrooms ready for someone to sleep in?" Tzofiya said, seeing Laila yawn.

"No, Madam, but I can have one ready right away."

"Thank you, Jamison. Set up the room across the hall from my quarters."

Laila took Tzofi's hand and looked up at her questioningly. "Where is that? Can you show me?"

Tzofiya smiled at Laila. "'Course I can. In fact, I think I'll just take you there," she said, picking up the angel and carrying bridal-style up the stairs. She still marveled at how light Laila was. The extra room was three doors down on the left side of the hall, and the automated door slid open as Tzofiya approached. She walked in and set the angel on the bed.

Laila leaned against Tzofi's chest and shoulder as she was carried to the room that she was going to be using. She slipped her right arm around the woman's other shoulder and dozed a little until they arrived.

"All right, then. My quarters are right across the hall if you need me, and Jamison can do pretty much anything you ask of him, so don't be afraid to ask."

Laila listened to Tzofi and smiled. "Okay, Tzofi. Good night."

"Good night, Laila." Tzofiya headed across the hall to her quarters. The main room held her bed, closet, and mirror, like Laila's room had, but there was a door at one end of the room, near the window, and that door led to her study. Tzofiya crossed to that door and plunked herself down in the wheeled armchair that was positioned in front of what appeared to be an empty wall. "Jamison, bring up any and all information you can find related to angels." The wall suddenly lit up and began running programs and codes. It was a computer screen.

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

Laila had gone to sleep fairly quickly. During the night, she began having nightmares about the man who had summoned her. Bad things were going on, like demons and devils dancing around fires on Earth, and many people were being killed in the streets. She awoke with a start, and was shaking badly, looking around the dark room to make sure that nothing was happening. She got out of the bed and walked to the door, which opened automatically, and went across the hall into Tzofi's room. She crawled up into the bed but, due to her weight, barely made any indent on it. She slipped under the covers and cuddled up to Tzofi, falling asleep easily once again.

Tzofiya woke at the light swish of the door sliding open, but she kept her eyes closed, not knowing who'd just come in. Then she caught Laila's scent. The girl cuddled up to her, and Tzofiya smiled and draped an arm over her waist. Soon enough, she fell asleep again as well.

Laila woke up and saw that she was the only one in bed. She sat up in the bed and looked at the wall. "Where is Tzofi?" She seemed a little scared, residuals from her nightmare earlier in the morning.

"Ms. Medousa is in her study, attending to business," Jamison's computerized voice said. "Shall I let her know you've wakened?"

"No, thank you. I would like to change clothes, if you don't mind."

"Let me see what I have that might fit you," Jamison said. A few minutes later, a small door in the wall, like the one that had held Tzofiya's soda the night before, opened, and a shelf extended with a clean dress for Laila.

"Thank you," Laila said as she began untying the strings of her current dress and had dropped it to the floor. She was just replacing her dress with the clean dress when Tzofi walked in.

Tzofiya stopped short as the door to her study slid shut behind her, seeing Laila completely bare. A low whistle escaped her lips. "Well, I have to admit, I didn't expect such a sight to greet me this morning, but I ain't complaining," she said. She let her eyes rove over Laila's form, then looked away, suddenly embarrassed. What was she doing? This was an angel she was staring at, not a normal woman! She ought to show more respect!

Laila turned her head to look at and Tzofi and smiled sweetly. She didn't know what the other was talking about, but knew that it was a compliment. "Thank you. Did you come in here to check up on me?"

Tzofiya chuckled. "Yeah, sorta. I've got a friend I think you ought to meet. He lives in town and can't get away from his work, so we're gonna have to go meet him instead of him coming here."

Laila's pale, unblemished back made her dark, blonde hair stand out all the more. She turned to face Tzofi before raising the dress above her head to slip it on. Her small body stretched out in full, her lithe muscles moving and working to endeavour to her will. Her small, pert breasts seemed to say hello to the ceiling as she did. Her womanhood was shrouded in mystery as her right thigh was pushed slightly forward and covering her left. There were no impurities whatsoever on her alabaster skin from end to end.

All of this lasted for maybe two seconds, but Tzofi took Laila's every inch in that time, though it seemed to last minutes.

Laila pulled her dress down over herself and pulled her hair out from under the collar. She moved the few steps between the two and looked up at her innocently. "Would you tie the strings in the back, please?"

Tzofiya made a sound that might have been "Huh?", then she shook her head and took the ties to Laila's dress. "Sure." Within a second, she'd gotten the dress tied, and she couldn't keep herself from giving the angel's backside a pat as she turned to head for the door. Laila bounced a little when Tzofiya had patted her bottom. She turned to look at the woman in wonderment, but smiled anyway. The shifter was already dressed in a black leotard that bared her shoulders and low-hanging fatigues tucked into combat boots laced to mid-calf. "C'mon, Laila, we've gotta get there before noon."

"Then we can't waste any more time," Laila said as she walked to the exit.

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

As Tzofiya and Laila left the city's edge and headed for its center, the houses and buildings' facades grew ever-sleeker and more modern in appearance. The city wasn't quite as up-to-date as many larger cities, but the signs of technology still showed clearly. Along the roads, cars raced along, hovering a few feet above the ground, and on the sidewalks, teens rode hoverboards or hoverskates, and a few families walked alongside hovering strollers. People's clothing also showed the signs of the times, sleekly fitted to compliment the wearer's form and often sporting holographic logos or small screens through which the wearer would be speaking with someone at the other end of the city.

When they got out of the house, Tzofiya started walking in the direction of midtown. After a short while, they reached a building with a Star of David over the door. Tzofiya stepped up on the porch and rapped at the door. An older man, maybe in his mid- to late-forties, with a long beard that was streaked with grey opened the door and, smiling when he saw Tzofiya, beckoned her in. Tzofiya motioned for Laila to follow.

Laila recognized the symbol on the door immediately, but she was surprised to see such an ancient stone building amongst all the newness that surrounded it. She was more than anxious to speak to a holy man, someone who might know of her and know a way she could get home. She curbed her exuberance, however, she did not want to offend the man. She followed Tzofi.

The man led them through the sanctuary, for the building was a synagogue, and into a side room. He gestured for them to take a seat in the chairs by the wall.

"Tzofileh, it's good to see you again, my child," he smiled.

Tzofiya smiled and hugged him before taking a seat. "It's good to see you, too, Rav Moses. I told you I had something special to show you." She turned to Laila. "Laila, this is my good friend Rabbi Avram Moses. I've told him about you, but he didn't believe me without seeing for himself. Do you think you could show him your wings? I promise you he will keep this a secret."

Laila nodded and stood back, making sure there was ten feet in either direction. She concentrated a little and her wings began to materialize into the material sphere. They were seven feet in length in either direction, and she folded herself in them for a moment before letting them disappear again. "Do you believe now?"

The rabbi clutched his chest in shock as the girl's wings appeared. His eyes were wide as saucers. "Baruch Hashem,"he gasped."A Malach Adonai. A messenger of the Kadosh Bar'chu Himself."

Tzofiya smiled, looking between Laila and Rabbi Moses, then her expression turned serious. "Rav Moses, you must keep this between us. If it gets out that she's here, on earth and in our city, she's going to be in danger."

"It will be more than just me that will be in danger. The entire world will be," Laila explained to the Rabbi what her purpose was and how she had come to be here, speaking with him.

The old man nodded gravely."I will tell no one. You can trust me on that, Tzofileh."

After the Rabbi had given his oath, Laila had another question for him. "Do you know how I am supposed to get home?"

The rabbi steepled his fingers in front of his lips, thinking. He turned and took a book from the shelf behind him. He flipped through it and took another. He flipped through, then set the book on his desk with a heavy sigh. "The only way for you to return to the Heavens is to fulfill your purpose. To bring forth the Moshiach. The Messiah."

Laila sat in a stunned silence as she let the concept sink in. She didn't want to fulfill her purpose just yet, she wanted to spend more time with Tzofiya.

Tzofiya fell back against her chair. "Oh. Oh, God. You mean...but won't that kill her?"

Rabbi Moses nodded solemnly. "In this world, yes. But she is an angel of the Lord. Laila doesn't belong in our world."

Laila stood and held one hand in the other in front of her, looking meek. "Then I will devote my every moment on Earth to finding a proper mother for the Moshiach. On the Lord's name, I swear it shall be done."

The Rabbi nodded and looked to Tzofiya. "Of course I'll stay with her!" the shifter said, responding to the question in his gaze. "I promised I would protect her! I don't go back on my promises! You should know that."

Laila walked over to Tzofiya's side and took her hand, looking up at her. "I feel we should get going. We do not have much time." She looked the Rabbi and bowed. "Thank you so much."

"Don't bow to me," the rabbi said, flapping his hand at her. "I'm a simple teacher. You're putting me at a higher respect than I deserve. Only bow to Adonai. Not to me."

Tzofiya gave Rabbi Moses another hug before leaving the synagogue, her hand still grasping Laila's.

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

As they left the synagogue, Laila looked up at Tzofi. "So, how are we supposed to find the right mother for the Moshiach?"

Tzofiya shook her head, her expression grim. "I don't know. I need to find some way to do this without you being found out. If we go around asking women 'will you be the mother of the Messiah,' they'll either think we're crazy or someone's going to figure out what you are."

"Oh, I would never ask that of anyone. I do know that when I meet the one, I will know it. But that does not mean the potential mother will just come to me, I must seek her out." She began to feel the aura of each woman in the area in an attempt to find the woman who would be her chosen one.

"How will you know when you've found her?" Tzofiya asked.

Laila gave her question some serious thought. Then she smiled and gave Tzofiya a hug suddenly. "The Lord will let me know!"

Tzofiya stumbled back a step, caught off-guard by the sudden hug, then she smiled and hugged the smaller woman back. "Of course. I should have realized that."

"Mmhmm!" Her smile grew as they walked. "So what should we do now?"

"Erm...y'know, how about we keep walking around town for a while?" Tzofiya suggested.

Laila nodded at the idea. "There is no better way to find who you're looking for than by walking around."

Tzofiya smiled. "Then let's walk." After maybe fifteen minutes of walking around the city, a buzzing sound came from Tzofiya's hip. She reached into her pocket and pulled out her phone. With a touch, a small hologram appeared over the phone: the code JMSN-5318. Tzofiya's brow furrowed. "Jamison. What is it."

"I am afraid I have been compromised, Madam," the computer's voice said. "I have reported a perimeter breach to the authorities already."

Tzofiya swore. "Jamison, Code 41295. Protocol 659AC."

"Affirmative. Beginning protocol." The phone's screen went black, and Tzofiya slipped it back into her pocket, stone-faced.

Laila asked no questions about what was going on. She didn't like the look on Tzofi's face, and she prayed it would go away. Two hours went by of walking through the city, but still no inkling of a suitable mother for the Messiah.

Tzofiya took out her phone and checked the time and the time of Jamison's message. She let out a breath and returned the device to her pocket. "Let's head home, Laila. We can look some more tomorrow."

Laila looked up at Tzofi. "Oh, okay." Tzofi seemed to have relaxed, so Laila felt a little less worried for her. "I pray everything turns out okay," she said as they walked back to Tzofiya's home.

"So do I," Tzofiya muttered. When they reached her house, the police were already there, having been notified of both the intrusion and the protocol Tzofiya had told Jamison to activate. An officer strode up to them when Laila and Tzofiya entered the grounds.

"Ms. Tzofiya Medousa?"

"That's me. I already know why you're here, officer. Has the intruder been found?"

"Your security system won't allow us inside, but there is no sign of the intruder anywhere else on the property."

Tzofiya exhaled slowly and led the officer to the door. "Override Protocol 351C." There was a click and the door opened. Tzofiya stepped inside and motioned for the officer to follow. "And there's the perp," she said tonelessly. Just inside the foyer, a figure lay facedown on the floor. "Don't bother checking for a pulse. COD's hydrogen cyanide. Just get him out of my house." She watched with a look of disgust as the EMTs who had shown up with the police loaded the corpse onto a stretcher and took it away. The officer beside her opened his mouth to speak, but Tzofiya cut him off before he could. "I will not be giving a statement, officer. This was an invasion of property, plain and simple. Whatever the guy wanted, he obviously didn't find it." The officer gave a curt nod and followed the EMTs out.

Laila watched as the man was carted out by the medics. She knew he was a bad man, but she couldn't help but feel that he could have been saved and had a seat in Heaven. She got close and hugged Tzofi while everyone was in the house.

Tzofiya put an arm around Laila's shoulders, holding her close until the others had left. Once they had, she headed to the living room, stopping in the hallway and groaning. The room was a disaster; the only things that weren't completely ruined were the walls and the couch.

It took the two of them working together almost four hours to clean the living room. Laila noticed that Tzofiyah had a slight sheen of sweat on her brow.

Tzofiya wiped the sweat from her brow, then licked the salt from the back of her hand. "I need to take a shower," she muttered, leaning back to stretch out her back and stomach.

Laila had never seen anybody take a shower before, and she was curious as to what one was. "May I join you in this . . . shower?"

Tzofiya blinked, staring at Laila for just a moment before shrugging and gesturing for the angel to follow her. "Jamison, ready the shower, if you please," she said, heading down the hall to the bathroom, depositing her boots in her room on the way. Inside the bathroom, which was large enough to hold both a shower and separate bath sunk into the floor and still have room enough that one could walk around the room comfortably, she stripped off her fatigues and leotard, revealing a slim, sinewy body bearing the scars, small and large, that were the mark of her chosen career. Those slashes and whorls lightened her tan skin and rippled with her muscles, including three short, thin, diagonal stripes between her breasts, when she drew back the shower curtain and stepped into the shallow basin and under the warm spray.

Laila walked over to the shower with her back toward Tzofi. "Can you help me with the dress strings, please?" After the dress had dropped to the floor, she leaned over to pick up the dress, then set it aside. She turned toward Tzofi looked up at her and smiled before stepping inside.

Tzofiya put a hand on the small of Laila's back to support her as she stepped in so she wouldn't slip and hurt herself. Once she was sure that Laila wouldn't fall, Tzofiya took a bottle of shampoo and washed her own short black hair, then the angel's. Not that Laila really needed her hair washed. It was already perfect. God, her hair was so soft!

Laila let out a small squeak and a soft sigh as Tzofi washed her hair. She got closer, not wanting the other to stop. She hugged the slightly taller woman, resting her head against Tzofiya's shoulder.

Tzofiya stopped, a bit surprised by Laila's action, and watched as the water pouring from the shower head rinsed the bubbles from the angel's honey gold hair. Her gaze traveled down Laila's back, then back up where it was captured by the pale flesh of her shoulder and throat. Not fully realizing what she was doing, Tzofiya leaned her head down and gently kissed the hollow of Laila's throat.

Laila gasped slightly and looked up at her. She, like all the angels, knew how the mortals mated, but she had never done it. She caressed Tzofi's cheek and smiled. "Can you show me?"

"Show you?" Tzofiya put a hand over Laila's and kissed her palm. "I can try." She reached over and pressed a sensor pad in the shower wall, which turned off the flow of water, then stepped out of the shower and offered Laila her hand so the angel could use her as a ballast.

Laila took Tzofi's hand and watched her. "Can you hand me a towel, please?" Tzofiya took a towel from the rack and wrapped it around Laila's shoulders. She took another and toweled off, then reached over to take Laila's towel and dry the angel off, but she hesitated, unsure if Laila wanted her to do so or if she would rather dry herself. Laila giggled at Tzofi. "You can do it if you want to." Tzofiya took the towel and dried Laila thoroughly but gently, letting the fabric glide over her skin. When she was being toweled off, Laila leaned her hair back and closed her eyes. Then she let the towel fall and picked up Laila bridal-style and carried her down the hall to her room, setting her gently on the bed.

Laila pressed herself close to Tzofi when she was being carried off to the room and kissed the one who held her in the same spot that Tzofi had kissed her. Leaning over Laila, Tzofiya ran her thumb over the angel's lips. They felt like silk or rosebuds to her touch. When Tzofi touched Laila's lips, she shivered and closed her eyes, her back arching slightly.

Tzofiya placed her hand beside Laila's head and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on her lips. Laila returned the kiss, reaching up to touch one silky smooth hand to Tzofiya's side. Tzofiya's breath hitched at the sensation of Laila's smooth hand coming in contact with her own scarred, rough skin. She started kissing to the side of Laila's mouth, across her jaw, then down her throat, nibbling lightly at the hollow between her shoulder and neck.

Laila inhaled sharply and let out a small moan as the other woman kissed a trail along her head down to her neck. "Oh, Tzofi, it feels so good!" She continued to run her hand along the body of the woman above her until it had reached her buttocks, then stopped, as if nervous.

"That's good," Tzofiya whispered, moving to nibble Laila's earlobe and shivering herself. "Because this is a first for me, too." Laila breathed shallowly into Tzofi's ear as she squirmed a bit with enjoyment. She pushed down a little on the other's back, hungry for more contact, low moans escaping her now in waves.

Tzofiya lowered herself onto Laila and slid down her body, lightly kissing a trail down from her collar to her pelvis. Then she stopped and looked at Laila as if for permission to continue.

Each kiss forced Laila's small frame upwards toward Tzofiya's lips. "Tzofiya! Ooh!" The lower Tzofi got on her body, the higher Laila's hand went on Tzofi's back. She ran her hand through the hair of the woman who was pleasuring her. Tzofi had paused, so Laila looked down to see her lover watching him. Laila nodded, smiling.

Tzofiya smiled and spread her lover's legs, hooking one of Laila's legs over her shoulder as she lapped at the angel's womanhood.

"Oh . . . my!" As Tzofi licked at the angel's center, a white light was building in intensity around her as her excitement grew. Her wings materialized and flapped gently once, then enfolded the two. Laila's moans had grown to small screams of pleasure. Tzofiya closed her eyes against the light, but she continued licking at Laila, shivering at the light touch of feathers against her skin.

Laila's left hand grasped at the sheets and clenched into a ball while her right hand traveled up her body. The added tactile sensation increased her pleasure as her fingers approached her small breasts, exploring them each equally. Tzofiya stopped licking and slipped her fingers into Laila, at the same time kissing a trail back up to the other's chest and sucking at her left nipple.

"Unh!" She grunted as she was entered by Tzofi's fingers, her hips moving automatically toward her hand, moaning again. She set her left hand on the other's neck and her right hand on Tzofi's breast. "Tzofi, Tzofi, I love it!" Tzofiya let out a low moan of pleasure.

Tzofiya let out a low moan of pleasure into the woman's soft, receptive flesh. She lifted her torso for a bit so Laila could continue to massage her breasts. She undulated her hips against Laila's, her womanhood touching the angel's. Laila's head flew back and she cried out in pleasure when their nether regions mingled with each other. She slid her hand down Tzofiya's torso to her groin and tentatively touched her sweetness.

Tzofiya writhed with pleasure, crying out as well. "Oh, yes, Laila! That's good!" She slid her free hand under the angel's head and lifted her so she could plant a passionate kiss on Laila's lips. As Tzofiya lifted Laila up to kiss her, Laila's hand moved farther down on the other's body and found her entrance. Her first two fingers found their way inside easily, Tzofi was very wet down there. When they embraced, Laila kept her left hand on the back of her lover's neck, which kept them closer for a more passionate kiss. Tzofiya cried out into Laila's mouth and gently nibbled on the angel's lips. She was already close to her limit, though she'd done more to Laila than the other way around.

Laila began pushing and pulling her fingers in and out of Tzofiya, like the woman had done for her. Listening to Tzofiya's cries of pleasure made Laila feel good inside. Laila's wings unfolded and flapped some to circulate the hot air that had accumulated inside. The sudden rush of cold air that cooled the sweat on Tzofiya's back when Laila flapped her wings made Tzofiya shiver and increased the pleasurable sensation she felt. She lowered her womanhood further down onto the angel's fingers as waves of pleasure rolled over her.

As Tzofiya was sitting straight up enjoying the way Laila was handling her, Laila had an idea, and she smiled. She wanted to give a little something back to her lover, so she sat up and kissed Tzofi before gently pushing her down onto her back. She pulled her fingers out of Tzofi's dripping vagina and leaned her head down to kiss it and lick at the juices flowing freely from the woman. It was her first real taste of anything on the material world, so there was no real way she could describe it, but she thoroughly enjoyed it. The taste made her want more, so she kept licking at Tzofi's entrance, but soon saw a little bump that came out, and licked that, as well.

"A-aahh!" Tzofiya cried out, her hips rising to meet Laila's lips and tongue as the angel licked at her entrance and her clitoris. Laila wrapped her lips around Tzofiya's clit, sucking and licking at it as she slipped her fingers deep inside her once again.

Tzofiya made a sound that was a mix between a gasp and a little scream of pleasure, balling one hand into a fist around the sheets beneath her and running the fingers of the other hand through Laila's hair. Laila moved her head around as Tzofi caressed her scalp. The reaction from Tzofiya's body made Laila move her hand and tongue work faster. She did not want to stop until Tzofiya was completely satisfied. Tzofiya arched and bucked, finally hitting her limit and falling back onto the bed, panting.

Laila moved her head back down, pulling her fingers out again, and lapping at the juices Tzofiya had made for her. After she was done and completely sated, she concentrated and made her wings disappear once again. She moved up to lay by Tzofi's side and cuddled with her. "That was wonderful, Tzofi." Tzofiya wrapped an arm around Laila's side and smiled blissfully.

"Yeah. Wow. I think...I may have fallen for you, Laila."

Being an angel, Laila loved all living beings, but she felt a special connection to this one. She smiled and leaned up to kiss Tzofiya. "I love you, too, Tzofi." Tzofiya returned the kiss and pulled Laila a little closer, smiling as she fell asleep with the angel in her arms.

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

Laila also slept in the arms of her love, unperturbed by night terrors. In the morning, she awoke to find Tzofiya still sleeping. "I must have wore her out more than I realized." She uncoupled herself from Tzofi's arms and walked over to the door and stepped out into the hallway. Having tasted something for the first time and loving it, she wondered what other things tasted like, so she went out into the kitchen and began rummaging through the cupboards and the refrigerator, but didn't want to eat anything just yet, she wanted to taste Tzofi's cooking.

"May I get something for you, Ms. Laila?" Jamison's voice asked as the angel rummaged around the kitchen. Jamison's voice startled Laila a little, and she jumped.

"U-um, no, I'll wait for Tzofi."

"Wait for me for what?" Tzofiya asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"Good morning, Madam," Jamison said. "Will it be the usual this morning?"

"Yes, Jamison, thank you. Would you like something, Laila?" she offered.

Her eyes lit up when Tzofi walked into the kitchen. "I will try whatever you decide to cook."

"Jamison, better make it two." Tzofiya chuckled. "I haven't cooked since I was a kid. It was quite a disastrous attempt. Jamison does all my cooking for me."

"Ms. Medousa programmed me with all her family's recipes, as well as many from some of the more renowned restaurants in the world," Jamison said.

Laila nodded and waited patiently for whatever was being prepared. "Do you have family?" The smell of cooking food filled the air, and a moment later, two plates of French toast, eggs, sausage and fruit slid onto the kitchen counter, followed by two mugs of coffee. Tzofiya set the plates and mugs on the table and sat down, motioning for Laila to do the same.

"Family? Not anymore," she said, shaking her head. "My father was a hunter. Just a plain ol' hunter, catching food to sell to the butchers and grocers. My mother worked in an office in the city. Then she got sick, and my father decided to become a bounty hunter. He already knew the tricks of the trade, and bounty hunters make a lot more than many other jobs. He was killed by one of the criminals he was trying to catch. My mother died soon after. Whether from the sickness or heartbreak, I couldn't tell."

"Oh, how terrible! How long ago did that happen?"

"Five years," Tzofiya said, taking a bite of her breakfast as if what she'd said meant nearly nothing to her. It still hurt, but she was good at hiding pain. "Eat up before your breakfast gets cold."

Laila did as she was told and she began to eat. She took a bite out of the eggs, but she did not like them, and it showed on her face. It was the first time any negative kind of look had ever crossed her face. "I don't like those," she pointed to the eggs. Her next bite was the French toast. He face brightened and she took a few more bites. She looked at the coffee, then at Tzofi. "What is that?"

Tzofiya smiled, taking a sip from her mug. "It's called coffee. You might not like it. I always have Jamison put in quite a bit of cream and sugar. Curbs the bitterness."

Laila took a small sip from her mug, but she didn't like that, either. She pushed it in front of her as she picked up her fork again to try the sausage. "No, I don't like that, either." She tried the fruit, which she enjoyed immensely. After she had eaten the rest of the fruit, she finished the French toast. She watched Tzofiya, she was still hurting from earlier. "You shouldn't lie about such things, Tzofi," her face suggested that she was genuinely concerned for the other's well-being. "It's not good, I don't want you to hurt."

Tzofiya nearly dropped her fork in surprise. "How did you--no, of course you could tell. You're an angel. No one else who knows me can tell I'm hiding it." She finished off her breakfast and took the plates and mugs to the kitchen sink.

The angel stood and walked over to Tzofiya, then gave her a hug. "I love you, and I don't want you to hurt, ever."

Tzofiya turned and hugged Laila back, then she gently lifted the angel's chin and kissed her. "The same goes for me to you," she said quietly, smiling softly. "And it only hurts sometimes."

Laila kissed her back, but smiled wanly when she spoke about her hurt. "I understand that you mortals need to feel pain in order to grow, but I never liked that." She took Tzofi's hand in hers.

Tzofiya threaded her fingers through Laila's. "Nobody likes feeling pain," she said, then she made a face. "Okay, scratch that. Some people do, but that's a different subject. Let's go look around town some more, eh?"

"Yes, let's go." Laila was still naked from her sleep, and she knew that she would need to get dressed before they headed out. She was not worried about that for the moment, however.

Tzofiya let her eyes rove over her lover's figure and smirked. "While I know I appreciate the view, I'm sure others won't be so accepting. C'mon, babe. Let's get you dressed," she said, taking Laila's hand and leading her back to her room. Laila didn't put up any resistance when Tzofi took her hand and led her to the room. She hugged her love from behind and held her while she selected a dress for her, rubbing gently her stomach.

Tzofiya smiled, then whirled and picked Laila up, kissing her as she carried the angel over to the bed and deposited both Laila and the dress she'd chosen atop the blankets. Laila picked up the dress, her figure stretching out in front of Tzofiya. She lifted the dress up over her head and slipped it on, pulling her hair our from under the collar. She leaned forward and kissed the woman on the lips.

Tzofiya returned the kiss, then she headed into her study and returned, slipping her revolver into a holster at the small of her back. The day before, they'd been going somewhere she knew nothing bad would happen, but it couldn't hurt to have some protection if they were going to be walking around the city.

This dress didn't have strings, so after Tzofi came back, Laila stood up, the bottom of the dress sliding down her bare legs. "Shall we go?"

Tzofiya nodded. "Yeah. Let's find a mother for the Messiah."

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

After their partner's failure and subsequent death, Fell Donovan and Jez Belleau knew they needed to find some other way to find and capture their target. Their compatriot should have known better than to break into the house of a fellow bounty hunter, even when said hunter was harboring a fugitive, and he should have known better than to go in alone. Idiot. Fell and Jez stepped into a nearby bar and settled themselves at a table in the corner to discuss how they were going to catch the target with one less man than they'd originally planned.

"Kin you b'lieve that shithead? I always thought he'us stupid," Donovan complained to Jez. He perused the drinks list while he spoke.

"Cool it, Fell. 'Least he ain't gonna tattle to the cops on us. 'Dead men tell no tales' and all that," Jez replied, leaning into the corner made by her seat and the wall. "More important's how we're gonna find our target without a scenthound. After all, that's all the idiot was good for."

"Yeah, well . . ." he didn't have much to say about that. Fell had never really been the type to come up with all the big ideas, that was her responsibility. He was the big muscle of the group. "What's past is past." There wasn't anything on the list he wanted, really. "If they're still in the city, they're stupid. I woulda taken off fer a whole other country, or somethin'."

"Tch. Medousa wouldn't leave the city. Bitch's too attached to the damned place. But that still leaves the whole city to search. Dammit! Hell'd it haveta be her who took the job first?" Jez hissed, slamming a fist down on the table.

"The fuck're we doin' here, then? We needa be out there, poundin' pavement, lookin' fer 'em. You know what'll happen ta us if we fail Mr. Tempe. You know he don't like failya."

Jez growled and got up from the table. "Don't I know it. I still got scars from the last time." She stalked back out of the bar, nearly hitting a pedestrian with the door. Soon as her partner joined her on the pavement, though, she stopped in her tracks. "Gimme that picture the boss gave us." After she got up, he got up and followed her outside. He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out the picture, handing it to her. He didn't need the picture, he recognized her face immediately. He waited for her to say something, anyway.

Jez glanced at the picture, only for reference. That was the one. And there was the Medousa bitch walking along beside her. Silently, she gestured to Fell that they split up. Come at the targets from both sides. Then she slipped into the shadows of the nearby alleyway.

Fell had a different approach to this. He waited until the two had walked slightly past him, then he began walking in the opposite direction, or so it would seem. After a short distance, he turned ninety degrees and headed in that direction for a while. Only then did he begin going after the two women.

"Tch." Jez shook her head. This was why Medousa always got the targets they went after. 'Cause her idiot partners never followed her plans. She stayed to the shadows and downwind, knowing the shifter would smell her otherwise.

Seeing that Jez hadn't gotten close, Fell hung back and waited for her. He didn't understand why she wasn't in stride with him, it would have made this far easier, but this was actually jeopardizing their plans. He should be this close for this long without backup in the immediate area.

Jez gritted her teeth, moving back in stride with Fell. Then the wind changed. She saw the shifter stop and slid back into the shadows before she could make eye contact. But no, it wasn't her scent the woman had caught, it was Fell's!

Tzofiya caught a familiar, loathsome scent and immediately reached for her revolver, whirling and shooting at the other hunter in one fluid motion. Donovan's eyes widened as he was hit by the stun blast. He went into convulsions before crumpling to the sidewalk.

Jez saw Fell go down and realized this was the only chance she'd have to take down the other hunter. She leapt from the shadows, and a beam from Tzofiya's revolver missed her leg by a hair. She tackled the shifter, knocking her to the ground. "Sorry, Medousa. Boss wants this one back, and you're in the way." The other woman shifted forms from human to wolf to cat to snake to bird, but Jez wouldn't let go. Not until Tzofiya turned back to human form and drove a knee up into her ribs, driving the air from her lungs and throwing her off. Tzofiya barely spared a second to catch her breath before flipping her revolver around and hitting Jez's temple with the gun butt, knocking her out.

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

Laila tugged on Tzofi's sleeve. "Let's run!" Tzofiya nodded and grabbed her hand, taking off at top speed. Her rival hunters would be back on their feet within ten minutes, and she wanted to be far away as possible by then.

After running for a little while, Laila tugged on Tzofiya's arm. "Stop, stop! I can fly us away!"

Tzofiya skidded on the pavement. "Then what are we waiting for?" she asked, looking back at the angel. "Let's go!"

Laila almost ran into her from the momentum. She stopped just short, leaving millimeters of space between them. It would have been the perfect intimate moment if they weren't being chased. She wrapped her around Tzofiya and concentrated, making her wings visible. The angel flapped her wings and took off, soaring high above the rooftops. "Where should we go?"

"Home," Tzofiya said. "We need to get out of town if we don't want those two to find us again, but I need to get a few things, first."

Laila took off for Tzofiya's house immediately, and arrived within five minutes. Laila had not flown for quite some time, and she enjoyed it, regardless of the situation they were in. She was also enjoying the closeness they were sharing during the flight. She made her wings invisible before entering the house and waited while Tzofi packed some things.

Tzofiya packed some supplies and made sure she had money, as well as a few weapons that were easily concealed on her person. "Let's go, Laila. The quicker we leave, the safer we'll be." She didn't voice the silent I hope that followed her words.

Laila walked behind Tzofi as they left the house. "I hope so," she said. A few yards past the front door, Tzofiya hissed and grabbed at her arm.

Laila saw something flash in the corner of her eye and then stick into Tzofiya's arm. When she looked, it was a dart sticking out of her upper arm. The angel saw Tzofi begin to fall and she wrapped her arms around the woman, then lowered her to the ground gently. Suddenly, she felt something stick into her chest and immediately went into convulsions.

"No, Laila..." Tzofiya muttered weakly. As her vision blurred and went black, she saw Jez standing over them with a triumphant smirk on her face.

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

When Laila came to, she was in the back of a moving vehicle. She sat up slowly, looking around to see what was happening. She heard the two from earlier speaking about "Mr. Tempe," but she knew who that was. That was the man who had summoned her. Laila leaned over Tzofi and put a hand on her shoulder, then shook her mildly. "Wake up, Tzofiya. They're taking me to the bad man."

Tzofiya groaned and blinked, trying to bring her surroundings into focus, but Laila's words brought her to full awareness in an instant. "What? Damn! Can't believe I didn't sense them!" she muttered, pushing herself up against the wall of the van. "God, Laila, I'm sorry. I let you down."

Laila shook her head when her love had claimed to have let her down. "No, you didn't."

"How have I not let you down, Laila?" Tzofiya asked. "I promised to protect you and help you find a proper mother for the Moshiach, and instead I've gotten captured along with you, and those two bastards are taking you back to the very same man who hired me to catch you in the first place. Where in there is something I've done right?"

Laila leaned in closer to Tzofiya and kissed her on the lips, caressing her cheek. "You have shown me love. And you have helped me find the mother . . . you are, Tzofiya. Only you are capable of protecting him."

"Me? But I can't--I'm not human. The Moshiach's supposed to be human, not a shifter."

"Would you deny destiny?" A hurt expression crossed Laila's face at the thought that she may have to succumb to the will of that evil man.

"No! Oh God, Laila, I'm just afraid." She caressed the angel's cheek. "What if I can't protect him? I couldn't even protect you."

Laila smiled softly and kissed her again. "Trust in the Lord and have no fear. Are you ready, love?"

Tzofiya smiled sadly. "I'm never going to be ready to let you go," she said, then pulled Laila into an embrace. "What do I have to do?"

Laila smiled as well and kissed Tzofi's cheek. "Lie down and take off your pants."

Tzofiya's eyes went wide. "You mean we have to--? Here?" In the privacy of her own home was one thing, but in the back of a moving vehicle was quite another.

"If I no longer have the ability to bestow the gift of the Messiah when we get to him, he cannot create the son of Satan. It must be before then," she implored.

Tzofiya pulled Laila close and kissed her. "Only for you, love," she murmured, resting her brow against the other's. Then she did as Laila bade her.

Laila leaned down between her love's legs and ran her hands down Tzofiya's thighs, then separated them a little farther. Then she began to lick at Tzofi's womanly flesh. "Mmmmh," she moaned as she enjoyed her last tastes of her lover. Tzofiya gasped and covered her mouth to stifle her own moans of pleasure. It was hard not to enjoy what Laila was doing, despite the desperation of the situation.

Laila understood that time was growing short, and that she needed to hurry, but she also wanted to please Tzofiya. She knew she would knot be able to do both. She licked the woman's entrance a few more times to make sure that she was wet enough to receive her. Laila then concentrated all her life's energy into her mouth, and exhaled into Tzofi's womb, filling her with the seed that would become the Moshiach. Once she had finished her duty, Laila moved weakly to Tzofiya's side so she could look her love once more in the face. "Tzofi, I'm weak, now. I'm going to go home, soon." She moved closer to the woman to try to kiss her but she only made it halfway before going limp.

Tzofiya reached out to catch Laila before her head would have hit the floor of the van. "Laila..." She pulled the angel's limp form close and kissed her. "Please, baby, don't leave me. Don't leave." She knew begging wouldn't postpone the inevitable, but she couldn't stop the words from leaving her lips.

Laila looked up at Tzofiya and smiled weakly. "Tzo . . . love . . ." With the last of her strength, Laila reached up and touched Tzofi's stomach, and there it stayed. The angel was finally home where she belonged. Tzofiya choked back a sob and held the angel's head close to her chest, tears dampening the honey gold hair that fanned out on the van's floor.

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

Fell and Jez pulled the van up to Olin Tempe's house about thirty minutes later. Donovan went around to open the back door of the van. When he looked inside, his bottom jaw dropped. "Oh, shit. Jez! You'd better get ba . . ." Almost before Donovan finished the sentence, Tzofiya was upon him, snarling, her face a feral mask of fury and grief. Even as she leapt, she was shifting forms. By the time the man hit the ground, the woman had become a lioness and blood was spurting from the hole she'd ripped in his throat. Without a moment's pause, she whirled and leaped at Jez. The struggle was quick. Even with a metal arm and heightened reflexes, the bounty hunter was no match for a lioness ensnared by blood lust. Donovan fell to the ground, bleeding out and dead before he lit. Olin was watching the entire thing happen on his security cameras. He sent his men after the woman.

Tempe's men came flooding out of the building, gun barrels blazing. Tzofiya shifted, becoming a wasp and avoiding the deadly beams of light that shot from the men's guns. She buzzed about, stinging and biting, shifting back and forth between wasp and lioness. None of the men were spared, and she continued into Tempe's home, a lioness on the hunt, and she wasn't going to stop till she had her prey in her jaws.

Tempe went to the woman instead of waiting for her to come to him. He had a spell prepared just for her, but he had to get close to use it. He shot a power blast at her. Tzofiya leapt out of the way of the blast and landed with her claws unsheathed and fangs bared. Barely an instant after touching down, she'd leapt again. Using his levitation spell, he easily glided away from the lioness, shooting another power blast at her. She shifted, becoming a falcon and flapping higher, out of the way of the blast, then swooping down, talons extended toward Tempe's eyes.

Olin Tempe was a mere man, albeit one who was able to sling magick, and he was unable to match the speed with which the shifter had taken shape. He attempted to dodge, but it was too late for him. The falcon had snatched out his right eye. and he began to panic. He reached up with his hands in an attempt to heal his eye, but in his state of panic, he couldn't think of the right spell. His magickal energies began to build up in his hands while he was trying to sort out all of his spells. When he finally decided on one, the amount of energy that was expelled was enough to blow his nose through the back of his skull, leaving nothing of his head above the mouth.

Tzofiya shifted back to her human form and stood over the corpse. She felt nothing. No satisfaction that the man was dead, no disgust or revulsion for the corrupted soul that was now where it belonged, nor pity for those who'd followed his orders to their deaths. She simply turned and walked out of the estate of Olin Tempe without a backward glance.

Nine Months Later

"Congratulations, Ms. Medousa. You're the mother of a healthy baby boy." After ten hours of labor, a nurse handed Tzofiya a small, blanket-swathed bundle. The infant already had a full head of downy, curly, dark hair, and the warmth of the blankets had calmed his wailing to the soft peacefulness of sleep. Tzofiya stroked her child's cheek and gently kissed his brow, smiling. "Hey there, Josh. Welcome to the world."