Phoenix: rise from death. **COMPLETED**

#16 sacrificing myself

time ticked by as we sat in the tiny make shift shack of a house. there wasn't much to the house. it was barely standing. Gone were the lavish furnishings that once adorned my parents home and the bay windows that the sun would shine through. in it's places were shabby chairs that barely stood together. in spite of all of it my parents looked happier. they were no longer burdened by what they needed to appear to be. no longer in need of looking and acting perfect. their survival meant more now than a cocktail party. I was impressed. growing up my appearance meant everything to them since my appearance gave them status. I made sure to act proper and dress proper at all times. the parents that sat before were different. they were better. my father still had not come near me. It was as though he was afraid i would posses him if he touched me. this had me smirking. i couldn't help it. they treated me either like a fragile dove or a demon ready to eat their soul. there was no inbetween. thank Goddess for Jacob who sat there diligently holding my hand. I could feel him squeeze it every once in a while almost like he was willing me to gain strength in this situation from him. i cleared my throat before I began to speak to the group that sat here in my parents makeshift living room. "listen, i am not here to eat you alive or anything like that. i assure you that the moon goddess herself gave me life back. i do hear that flesh is the other white meat though."

my mother and father nervously laughed at my joke. this was not goingot be easy for sure. it was my father who decided to take the reigns. old habits die hard i guess." dear it's just strange for us. this is all new." I knew they would not like my idea but i needed someone on the inside. there was no one here that could accomplish that but myself. i needed to get as close to christopher as possible. even if it put me in danger.

"oh trust me dad it is strange for me too. Now if we aren't going to have a heart warming welcome back from the dead after three years can we at least get down to business before i go?"

my mother panicked in that moment. i could seeit written all over her face."what do you mean go? we just got you back you can not leave us Angel." i could feel her fear and pain and as much as i wanted to console her i felt her fear of me even louder. It dawned on me in that moment only Jacob and Carla had accepted me without this fear. there was no reservation or faltering in their choices. as long as they had me in their lives it meant more than anything and they would take me even if i were to be a demon. they just wanted me. so why couldn't my parents?

"i was sent back for one reason adn one reason only and i need to accomplish that task in order to save our kind and human kind. Christopher has been possessed by a demon and that demon has taken his soul. i need to stop him before he destroys everything we know on Earth. there will be no safe place if i can not do this. losing is not an option." my parents looked at me like i was a crazy wolf. quite honestly i would look at someone the same way if they had come back from the deaad and started spewing about demons and souls. I knew this was not going to be easy but i guess deep down i just wished my parents would have been more receptive of me. like the mom that came running to me and embracing me. it had to be the shock. Scott and damien looked at me.

"we are in." they said the words together and in that moment my parents looked like it was swaying them to our side. it didn't matter because if we lost their decisions would directly affect us all, including them. Christopher was mad with greed.

i was shocked when my dad stood up suddenly. he looked like he was struggling within himself. it was a battle i recognized. guilt. he walked over to me and grabbed me up from the chair i was perched in and embraced me like he used to. like when i was a girl and needed consoling from being hurt. i melted into him afraid that it would suddenly stop and he would no longer want to be close to me like this. i needed him to accept me. i needed both of their love. i felt his body shaking slightly as he let out a sob on my shoulder not breaking our embrace. He was crying. in all the years that I could remember i never knew my dad to cry, he always kept his emotions in. it was what someone of his stature had to do. in this moment i was his little girl again."don't ever leave me again Angel. you are my little girl and losing you killed me inside." his voice was a whisper as he continued to sob.

I didn't let him go. we stayed like that for what felt like hours. i felt the arms of my mother coming around me from my side and they both were crying as they held me tight. i was their only child. I am sure that the room was filled with an awkwardness but for us three it was just us in that moment. everything else faded away into the abyss and there we stood embracing each other sharing the love that we had. when we finally let go i felt a pain from the loss of their arms around me. i hadn't even realized i had allowed myself to cry with them. i didn't think they still loved me. they were so reserved at first. this was everything in this moment. they finally accepted me. my mother sat down and wiped her tears from her eyes. i took my place next to jacob once more as my father took his place nect to my mother. "so what is the plan then my dear?" my mom was always to the point. business as usual.

" well we need someone on the inside. Someone that can get close to him and gain intellligence."

Scott looked at me, he knew they would all be traitors and killed on site if they went back."who are you thinking?" they knew it would have to be me. this cat and mouse game wasn't something i had time for.

"I am the only one that will be able to get in there without being killed by Christopher. all of oyu are considered traitors. you would be killed on site."

"NO!" my mothers voice came out first."we just got you back." her face was in shock and she clung to my fathers hand like a lifeline. this wasn't ideal but it was the only way.

"mom,dad, this is the only way to get in there. you both would be killed scott damien and jacob they would all be killed. I am the only one not deemed a traitor because I am the only one who died. I can actually walk in there and be accepted by Christopher and the pack without any reprocussions. you kmow I am right." there was an uncomfortable silence that fell upon them all once more. I knew this was going to be hard for them but I knew I had to do anything possible to make this work. i reached out to my mother placing a hand on hers. "i am going to try and come back to you guys. I see you guys are already in better shape than the last time i was here."

"what? what do you mean you were here last time.?" my mother was genuiley hurt and surpised by this revelation.

I sighed and let out a deep breath." i have been here before and watched you from the outskirts. i am sorry but it was important no one know of my existence then." my mother nodded still sllightly irritated with me. I would take it. as long as i got to come back to all of them and for them all to be thriving and alive. I never realized how many people i really had in my life. It took death to see what i meant to people. now i just needed this to work in order to save them all. " soon we can live like a normal pack. that is the ultimate goal. everyoe safe and back in a pack and that can only happen if i get rid of Christopher."

Damien and scott looked at me and then the faces of my parents. it was scott that spoke up first. " I may not like having you be the sacrifice. i feel like you have been through enough suffering for two more lifetimes but I have to admit you are right Angel. in order for this plan to work we need you to be the one to go into the pack and infiltrate the pack. Only you can get close enough to the alpha and make it out alive. what do you need us to do?" with that support we decided to put my plan in place.