A Beacon in the Shadows A Miracles Fanfic by Emma DeMarais Characters: Paul, Alva Rating: Parental Supervision Suggested for children under 13 Summary: Light and Dark, and what Paul and Alva mean to each other Warning: General series spoilers. Read the disclaimer on my LJ. Author's Notes: At the end of the story Light         Paul is a mystery to Alva.         Surrounded by darkness, Paul is a beacon, drawing Alva to him like a lighthouse in the storm of the looming apocalypse.         Death has laid his icy finger upon Paul twice and the breath has not left his body for good yet. He lives, walks, shares his goodness with those in need as if every day is a gift.         He is a gift, to Alva at least.         It's selfish to hide Paul away, to keep him to himself, but Alva convinces himself his way is righteous - that Paul's path, his destiny, is not yet cemented and evil might still claim him if he's not vigilant enough.         He is the guardian and Paul is his charge.         He does not take this obligation lightly.         In weak moments though, he looks to Paul to feed him, fuel his strength to go on when all feels too overwhelming, as if his efforts are as meaningless as a grain of shifting sand on a deserted beach.         It's been too many years since he had his mother's voice to drive him forward and sometimes he just needs a reminder that it's all real, that's it's all meaningful.         That he has a purpose on this earth.         Paul doesn't know how much Alva needs him.         Alva doesn't know how much the world needs Paul.         But he's going to work hard to find out. Dark         Alva is a mystery to Paul.         Smug, glib, cynical... Filled with a somber gloom that could suck the sun's warmth from the sky, forcing daylight to become shadow...         He's alternately the most callous man Paul's ever met and most caring save Poppy.         Paul's just never sure which he'll experience on any given day.         Despite this, Alva seems genuinely devoted to the welfare of the world around him, even if that world openly ridicules that which he holds as truth in his heart.         Just when he thinks he has Alva figured out and is ready to either throw in with him completely or walk away forever, Alva surprises him, shows him another side of himself he'd never even imagined.         He hates that Alva kept the truth from him, but he also trusted him enough to put his life in Alva's hands while he was dead.         Paul doesn't know where his path will lead in life.         And that frightens him.         Tommy says the darkness is real.         Chad expects him to kill.         The God is Nowhere people had frightening visions of him.         He flounders in all this confusion over good and evil and grasps onto his connection to Alva like a lifeline, someone to anchor him so he doesn't get washed away in the flood of impending doom, of fate - his fate.         Only he's not sure that anchor might not be the weight that drowns him.         Still, the sense of a stalwart ally at his side comforts him, helps him face the dawning of each new unknown.         Paul isn't sure if he plays a role in the end of days or not.         He does know he won't be alone. He has Alva.         He hopes it will be enough. ^^ Author's Notes: I confess that "Miracles" is my favorite TV show of all time. Suffice to say, that makes posting this first fic in the fandom very nerve wracking. /tries not to bite nails/ If I go on too much about it in this Confession post I might lose my nerve, so I'll just say Netflix the series if you trust my taste at all (unless you have a squick for religious themed dramas). It's really that good that I'd blanket rec it to anyone who reads my fic. Imagine a more religious themed "X-Files" or a classier "Supernatural" with two male leads who practically slash themselves *plus* work great as a strong gen pairing. It's only thirteen episodes and Skeet Ulrich is very pretty in it so why not give it a try? Angus Macfadyen has a sexy accent, is stunningly erudite and is a total black turtleneck type. You can see why I like this, right? ;-) To all the "Miracles" fen I haven't met yet, hello and welcome! I'm sorry it took so long to join the ranks despite being a huge fan from day one back on the dreaded ABC. I just couldn't ever seem to fic the show and despite campaigning for the DVDs and cheering for the Canadian airings of the later episodes, I pretty much stayed out of the fandom and indulged my obsessive love of the show on my own. So huge thank yous to logovo who seduced me out of the "Miracles" fan closet and to my "Miracles" friends sailorhathor, deejay and killabeez who have been fantastically welcoming to me in the months it's taken me to go from dipping my toe in the pool to diving in by publishing this fic. The good news is I have more *completed* "Miracles" fic to post in the near future and some partials brewing, so expect probably 4-5 fic in the next month or so. One is a "Miracles/Supernatural" crossover so those of you who like Laurel enjoy the Paul/Dean pairing? I'm on board and have fic in hand to prove it. I confess this fic is pretty damn pretentious, but then so am I. Then again, Alva and Paul can be pretty pretentious too, so I'm in good company. I'm ecstatic to finally be ficcing my favorite show, so long resistant to my pen, and hope to keep the stories flowing for a long time to come. I may have cheated a bit by posting a dialogue free fic to begin with, but I promise you I have the voices now and hopefully when you read my future fic you'll agree that I do. Very special thanks to beta sailorhathor for her assistance with this fic. Thanks, Emma DeMarais Comment on this story on LiveJournal Back to The Stories