She turned and walked out toward the road, her hands shoved casually in her back pockets. A few minutes later, she had turned a corner and was gone from sight.

Vex took deep breathings, keeping as calm as possible. He'd been alone a lot before, but not alone while he was wanted, most likely, dead.

The minutes passe, stretching out. She must have gotten there by now. What was taking her so long? Across the road, a woman wearing a bright yellow sundress sat waiting for a bus. There was a baby stroller next to her. She peered into it, laughing and shaking her head, then reached in as if she was adjusting her baby's blanket.

Vex didn't mean to stare, but he did. He watched. He wrapped his arms around his torso, wondering if there had been a time that his own mother had ever done that to him, had ever smiled like that to him or laughed in such a loving way. Not that usual drunk laughter he heard from her.

The woman glanced up, her expression startled.

There was an angel flying toward her.

The angel appeared female, with long hair that flowed past its shoulders. Its robes swayed gently as it landed, its glorious wings spread. The angel folded them behind its back and started forward. Light streamed from its fingers as it rested its hands on the woman, who was gazing up at it with awestruck wonder. And then it began to feed.

The woman's life energy came into view. It was possible for Vexin to see it draining, collapsing in on itself, fading from a vibrant pink and violet to a dull gray. But the woman just sat there on the bench, staring up at the angel with an expression of such love and gratitude. And then her baby began to cry.

Vex was shocked, he felt a strange anger rise in his chest. He didn't know fully why he hated angels, he didn't know why it angered him to see this. Nor did he realize fully what he was doing. He stood, coming over. He felt a heart wrenching feeling as he heard the baby cry as he came over. He let his hair drop into his eyes as he came over, not really knowing what he was doing or how to help. He first gently took the baby in the stroller away from the creature, glaring and putting himself between the child and the creature. He didn't realize he growled at the thing, teal eyes having that strange glow to them again. His spine buzzed with the longing to shift his wings into view.

The sound of a car approaching, then slowing down. It was Electa, pulling over to the curb. The angel was still feeding, its wings slowly opening and closing like a butterfly on a flower. Its halo gleamed; its beautiful face was tipped back, smiling, not even noticing Vexin. The mother didn't notice Vexin, either. The angel seemed to explode into brilliance, sunshine bursting off its white wings.

Well he didn't notice the car, he felt a strange anger inside. He didn't seem to care of the risk, he came over and quickly tried to take hold of the woman, to gently pull her away quickly. His wings came out and beat at the other angel harshly, trying to force it back.

They both noticed Vexin now, and the angel was gone; there was a woman standing in her place with long black hair and a pretty white top. She touched her victim on the shoulder and drifted off down the sidewalk. The woman blinked, looking dazed. She reached for her baby

Vexin let his wings retract and he moved out of the woman's way. He wasn't sure exactly why or what he'd just done but he doubt it had actually done any good.