Angelic Salvation

He wandered the apartment for a little while, picking up one of Tristan's white shirts and then heading into his bedroom. "Tristan, forgive me." He whispered, tossing the shirt onto the bed before stripping down to nothing and slipping beneath the cool sheets.

He reached down, pulling Trist's shirt to his chest, rubbing the soft cotton against his bare skin then bringing it up to rub his cheek as the tears began to fall. "Tristan, I'm so sorry, you're everything to me." He cried inhaling the scent of his love left on the shirt.

He fell asleep like this, clinging to Tristan's shirt and curling into a soft ball. After a while, exhausted by his tears and the night he'd had, it didn't take long for the oblivion of sleep reached out to consume him.

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When Tristan finally stopped running, he was many miles out of town on a small grassy hilltop just before sunrise. His chest ached, and so did his legs and body. It was the fact that his body ached that pulled him up short. He didn't generally get pains anymore, considering his 'angel' status.

Sitting down on the soft grass, he began to massage the aching muscles in his calf, closing his eyes and sighing softly.How could he do this to me? Tristan thought to himself, his very heart broken and bleeding in his chest.

I should have suspected, he was always frustrated when I came home, I thought it was because he missed me, but now I figure it was because he was regretting our relationship, what we were. Tristan leaned back, laying down upon the soft grassy ground and gazed up into the stars as tears finally began to roll unheeded down his cheeks.

I don't know what I'm going to do, I guess that... I mean, how do they handle angels who have lost their love? Maybe that's why my body feels more alive then superhuman... Thoughts swirled around in Tristan's head, and in reality it was just mental rambling as he really didn't want to think of the love of his life on top of Carolyn, fucking her until she begged for release the way he used to do with Tristan.

The sun began to rise, and Tristan closed his eyes, gazing up at it until the early dawn's rays gently lulled Tristan to sleep. It was a fitful, unrestful sleep, but it was sleep none the less.

I'm not going back to see his face when he tries to tell me he's sorry. I'm not. Was the last thought Tristan had before sleep finally rose up and dragged him into the warm abyss of its arms.

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Sam stood in a field of little purple flowers that stretched out on all sides as far as he could see. A slight frown creased his forehead, "Heh, this has just got to be a dream." He muttered, idly scratching at his left arm. "Erm... Okay, well, I guess I should start walking."

Sam began to trudge through the purple flowers, and strangely no matter where he stepped it seemed the tiny plants would actually move for his feet, so he never crushed one, not even once. This became such an odd occurrence that Sam became entranced by it, watching the little plants frantically move out of the way of his oncoming foot, until of course suddenly there was no flowers, only grass, and with a start he looked up.

He stood in a grassy meadow, and at the far side of the meadow a softly rolling hill rested. "Heh, alright then." He said to himself, turning towards the hill and began trudging along.

It didn't take him long to make it towards the hill, it had to be that time-warp dream thing that is unexplainable and completely understandable. But as he began to make his way up the hill, he stopped, hearing the broken sounds of sobbing. Not just anyone's sobbing, it was Tristan... He'd always know the sound of Tristan's voice.

Sam picked up the pace, running the rest of the way up the hill to find Tristan laying out upon the grass, one arm thrown over his eyes as he cried. His entire body was taught with the intensity of his tears, and Sam dropped to his knees beside his love and mate.

"Tristan, Tristan, please listen to me. I'm sorry, she drugged me. I'd never touch anyone but you. You're my heart, you're my mate, my love, Please listen to me." Sam reached out to touch Tristan's arm, and fell forward as his hand passed right through his mate.

"Why'd you have to break my heart? Why? I love you so much, Sam. I'd do anything for you, anything." Tristan continued to sob, his words hoarse and barely understandable as he screamed at the sky, begging the powers that be to make it right, to take it all back.

Hot tears rolled down Sam's face as he watched his love so heartbroken, but was unable to touch him, or touch to him to try and sooth his fears and his pain. His hands balled into fists, and suddenly Tristan began to go translucent, to disappear. His words became far away, until finally he disappeared, leaving Sam alone with his heartache.

"Who ever told you relationships where easy, Sam?" The sudden question startled Sam, causing him to look up at the white clad man who stood arm in arm with a lovely woman. Both of them smiled at him, their faces lighting up in much the same way Tristan's did, as if they could steal away his pain with nothing more but that pure smile.

The woman came to kneel down beside him, reaching out her hand to take his. "We know how hard everything has been on you Sam." She murmured, bringing her other hand up to brush his dark hair from his warm brown eyes gently, an almost motherly gesture. "So we've come to give you a little help." She said her hazel eyes wise, full of unspoken knowledge.

The man came to kneel down before him, and Sam frowned slightly, "I know relationships aren't easy, but this is so very hard." He told him, the man chuckled softly.

"Tristan isn't a normal partner, Sam. He's special, he has duties that must be completed, but that doesn't mean that he can not make time for you. You are his link to what is good, Sam, you are his link to what he's here to protect even while he deals with evil every single day. Without you his powers will fade, and then he will die once more to return to the powers which govern all. He needs you, Sam." The man's words sunk into Sam slowly, and for a moment he frowned with confusion, then his eyes sparked and he glanced up.

"What are you saying? You're saying that all his superman powers will fade without me, and then he'll try and do his job and he'll die?" The woman's eyes were sad when he looked at her, and she nodded slowly.

"But, what if I can't find him?" Sam said, feeling his heart hammering against his chest. "What if I can't find him before something horrible happens to him?" The two white clad individuals glanced at each other, as if sharing some secret knowledge that Sam wasn't privy too.

"Sam, there are some things you don't know about, not even Tristan really knows about it yet. Tristan is... he's immortal, for the most part. He can die in the line of duty, but he will not age, he will not die as time passes." The woman's thumb brushed over Sam's hand soothingly as she spoke and Sam took her words in with a frown.

"Alright... So what happens to him when I die?" He asked with such innocence, they both just looked at him, waiting for the light to dawn.

"Whoa... wait. You're telling me that I'm... I won't die either?" They both nodded there heads as Sam's world turned upside down – again.

"That's... not quite all, Sam." The beautiful woman said, and he turned to look at her while she spoke. "Tristan isn't the only one who holds angelic powers, he's just the one bound to using them." She said.

This really shocked Sam, and he glanced down at his hands, one of them being held by the woman's far too soothing touch. He realized suddenly she was calming him on purpose. "Okay. That's wrong, have you two seen how strong Tristan is? He jumps across rooftops for god sakes!" He swallowed hard, and the man chuckled softly.

"Katterina became an angel three hundred years ago, Sam." The man said slowly, trying to get him to understand what was happening.

"And Zach had a very hard time with the change, not only in me, but also in himself. He didn't realize that he'd become different for months either, until one evening I nearly died doing my duties, and he felt me cry for help in his heart." Zach nodded his head as she spoke, "And suddenly he was beside me, fighting unlike anything I'd seen outside of the angels. We were both stunned."

"Okay, but this is just a dream, your not really here, so why should I believe you?" Zach laughed softly, glancing at his wife with an arched brow. She reached into her pocket and withdrew a small talisman, holding some ancient Celtic glyph of some sort. She put it into the hand she'd been holding, and closed his fingers over it.

"You have to look within yourself, Sam, and you will save your mate. Don't sell yourself short, he needs you as much as you need him, you have the power to make a difference." The two of them got to their feet, and Katterina took her husbands hand in hers, not really answering Sam's question.

"Remember, Sam, you can't sell yourself short, you are more important then you give yourself credit for." Zach said, and with that they both turned their backs on him and suddenly disappeared. Not faded, not walked away, it was as if they blinked out of existence, leaving Sam alone to ponder their words.

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Sam came awake with a jerk, blinking sleepy eyes as the sun streamed in from the window to warm his face and his chest. He went to slide his hand down his chest and scratch at his belly like he did every morning, but stopped mid-motion to sit up and stare at what was in his hand.

He held a small talisman in his hand, and suddenly his 'dream' came back full force and he groaned softly. "Holy shit." Sam muttered, closing his eyes and sighing softly.

"Okay, so I have powers, now all I have to do is look inside of me. Great." Sam tossed the covers away from his body and got to his feet, heading straight for the bathroom and a shower.

He spent his time in the shower going over his dream again and again, trying to think of any clues that might help him find his mate. He was certain Tristan would get hurt if he didn't move right away. He understood now, there is more to his relationship then he thought. It wasn't just about Tristan spending time with Sam; it was about Sam telling him what he needed form him. Sam hadn't been doing that; he'd been quietly boiling until he boiled over. And it was going to stop right here.

"Hold on Tristan, I'm coming." Sam muttered to himself as he threw his shoes and clothes on, grabbed his keys and began too walk to Josh's house, where he'd left his car the evening previous.

It was about four in the afternoon by the time he'd said his hellos and goodbyes to everyone at Josh's and got into his car to start his search for Tristan. He was more and more worried with each passing moment. However, when he was finally on the road, he had no idea where to go, and the words from his dreams came back to haunt his empty skull.

"Trust in myself, trust in myself. I should be able to find Trist; I should be able to find him." He was stopped at a red light and for a moment he closed his eyes, focusing on his love, on his Tristan, and suddenly he felt something, some glimmer, like a shadow of feelings that weren't his own. Tristan! Sam thought, and then the strange mental contact was broken by the sound of rude honking behind him.

The light had turned green.

Sam slammed his car into gear and tried to focus on his mate, on his heart once more, trying to home in on him. He was getting the feeling to head south, south, so he got on the freeway and started driving. "Don't cry, Tristan, I love you." He murmured, wishing frantically that his car would go faster, but when one is bound to human things, one moves at a human speed.

Sam drove for hours, and by five thirty it was already beginning to get dark. He was certain Tristan was in this direction, but he was unable to lock on exactly where he was. He'd pulled over for gas in a small country gas station, and as he sat there filling his tank he closed his eyes, feeling Tristan close, but unable to find him, unable to determine exactly where. But maybe that's how it was supposed to be.

It was when the gas nozzle clicked and he topped off his tank that he turned around, glancing behind him, and froze.

A field of purple flowers lay spread out behind him.

"Tristan." Sam breathed, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. Tristan, I'm coming. He thought softly, sending his love towards his mate, focusing on him, focusing on his adoration, the purity of their love.

Sam paid the gas station attendant, parked his car, and then started walking through the field, determined to find his mate, determined to find his love. Tristanhad to be this direction.

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Tristan woke up with gritty eyes, the sun already on its way to descending. He blinked sleepy eyes, then sighed softly and shook his head, curling onto his side and covering his head with his arms. Tears rolled unheeded into the grass, soft wracking sobs that continued even when he thought nothing could come out anymore.

He couldn't think, and he couldn't force himself to get up. He was hungry, but he didn't care. He was weak and achy, but he didn't care. He felt as if all his energy, all his power had leaked out of him while he'd slept alone in the cold wet grass. He was drenched to the bone; it must have rained in the middle of the night. He shook and shivered, but he didn't care. All he cared about was lost to him, or so he believed.

Tristan laid like this for minutes, or maybe hours, he couldn't be certain. All he knew was that when he opened his eyes again it was dark, and the temperature had dropped significantly. He ran a shaking hand through his blond hair, looking up at the sound of footsteps, only to see something utterly terrifying.

Three 'demons' surrounded him, not far from his place upon the ground. They all bore a stunning resemblance to the thing he'd killed for Molly; he was used to the gaunt nearly dead expressions, the evil stench and the boney look of them. He fought them every day, right?

Getting to his feet, Tristan reached back to draw his sword with a swish of metal on metal. He stood ready, although his arm felt tired, holding the blade awkwardly.

"Mmm, I told you I smelled a bleeding heart." The first creature cackled, and then narrowed its muddy eyes as it moved to step closer to Tristan. Trist backed up a step; he knew he couldn't fight them now. Not now. He thought of Sam and wondered if he'd miss him when he was gone. He knew he would, deep down, that he was his best friend no matter what happened, but the wounds were so raw and new he couldn't make himself think of what Sam's reactions would be.

"Bleeding? Hardly." Tristan said with his usual cocky amusement, taking a fighting stance.

"This is gonna be so easy, look at him, he can barely hold up his sword. Did your little bitch finally get rid of your worthless hide?" the second creature sneered, "did you fail to get it up for her?" he asked, and the third laughed coldly.

Tristan's eyes darkened with rage, "Heh, so ignorant you are, do you even bother to learn about the angels that hunt you?" he asked, and they looked at each other in confusion for a moment then shrugged their boney shoulders.

The third creature snickered wickedly, taking a tentative step forward, "You know, we can sense when one of you are weekend, you smell like a wounded animal." He hissed, and then licked his chapped and cracked lips with a diseased tongue. "Mmm, gonna be good eatin' tonight, boys." And with that, he leapt at Tristan.

The blow was clumsy, and Tristan was able to avoid it but in all reality it was far to close for comfort. Clawed hands lashed out, and a soft growl escaped one of them as they began to surround him, to circle him as if he was a wounded animal, as if he was pray.

"Hah, eat me?" Tristan smirked, then batted his eyelashes playfully, "Not on your best day sexy." He said, lunging with sword in hand for a wickedly controlled strike, unfortunately it didn't have the speed nor the strength that he was used to possessing, and the strike which should have ended the bloody wretches life ended up just giving him something to bleed about.

"Ooh, look! You're the one bleeding now." He said, grinning a grin he really didn't feel. All he could hope to do was distract them, tiring them out before he they all decided to rush him. Once they rushed him it would be completely over with. Tristan knew this without a doubt in his mind.

Unfortunately, his tactics weren't working, and the three demons looked at each other before they rushed towards him. Tristan did his best to parry, lunge, strike, spin, turn, roll and fall. The dance of steel, as some might call it, but to Tristan it wasn't beautiful any longer, it was more deadly then it'd ever been, and it was his life that was on the line.

Clawed hands struck out at him, tearing his still damp shirt, but the weather outside was so cold that it had numbed his flesh, which in and of itself was a blessing considering he was bleeding from multiple wounds. He growled calling on reserves of strength he didn't know he possessed. It was dark, but he could still see the almost glowing quality of the three sets of eyes that surrounded him, and all Tristan could think of was his love, his Sam, who would never see him again.

No. He couldn't think that way; Tristan gave a hoarse battle cry, tossing his head back, his wet hair sticking to his cheeks and neck as he swung with renewed vigor, managing to decapitate one of the demons. It slid sickly down to the ground before vanishing into a puff of dark mist.

The others paused long enough to watch their fallen comrade, then turned there eyes to the angel who stood, hair plastered to his face, bleeding from scratches along his thighs and ribs and arms, holding a sword he'd conjured out of energy itself, panting softly, his face a mask of determination. And they hesitated, how could they not? Despite his weakened state he'd managed to kill one of them, but they knew he couldn't hold out for much longer.

A shrill shriek rent the air, and Tristan's head snapped to the side only to see a fourth demon rushing into the fray. "Fuck." He muttered, immediately moving to sidestep the oncoming attack. There was no way he could keep this up, and despite his best efforts Tristan began to take more blows then he gave. The freshest demon struck at him, his strength staggering to Tristan, and he fell to his knees, sword in hand.

He was beaten, his muscled burned, ached like fire flowed in his veins instead of blood, and when he looked up at the face of the creature that stood over him, a split second before he leant his killing blow, it smiled showing its broken and jagged teeth.

"Mmm, so very tasty you'll be." He growled, and Tristan closed his eyes, waiting for the end...

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Sam was frantic by the time he saw the gentle slope of the hill outlined in silver by the moonlight. But that's not all he saw, when he looked up he saw more then one figure dancing in the pale silvery glow, causing Sam's heart to skip a beat. He took off at a dead run.

Despite the fact he'd been running, Sam realized he wasn't even winded, so he upped his speed and made it to the top of the hill just in time to see Tristan kneeling between threecreatures. It was such a shock to Sam that he let out a tortured scream, causing all four heads to snap up at attention.

"Sam, Get OUT of here!" Tristan screamed his expression tortured.

Sam couldn't believe what he was seeing. Tristan was broken and bloody, scratches covering his entire body and dying his tattered white clothing red with his blood. Sam didn't waste time with words, unlike his love. He was a more to the point type of guy, and beside, he wasn't about to sit and chat while Tristan was in danger of having his head removed from his body.