As Jeanette reluctantly followed Sera out the door, one question wouldn't leave her alone. Given the circumstances it was a silly, insignificant question, but it was eating her alive.

"Why pot roast?"

"It's your favorite," Sera replied simply.

"How do you know that?"

"I told you, I'm an angel. I also know your second favorite food, besides pot roast, is candied sweet potatoes. And, in fact, I know your mother has a general distaste for anything that has sugar in it, or trans-fat, or generally anything that tastes good."

Jeanette giggled in spite of herself. They walked directly to the house across the street, Sera unlocking the door with a key. Jeanette took a step in, purple eyes peering about. It was a normal enough looking house.

"Just put your bag down. We're not staying here."

Suspiciously Jeanette dropped it in the foyer. When she made no move to leave, Sera gave her an impatient look. The girl thought about calling out for help, but the house appeared to be empty. There wasn't even furniture.

Furthermore, he genuinely didn't seem like he meant her any harm. On the contrary she felt unnervingly calm around him. Throwing a final glance behind herself, she walked back onto the concrete porch.

"Where are we going?" Jeanette asked as the pair began to walk off down the street. Warily she looked back to her house.

"That doesn't matter right now," Sera replied, hurrying along. He then looked at the child and smiled. "Are you up for a walk?"

"I guess," she replied.

"Good. Let's walk and talk. You must have a million questions for me."

"Are you really an angel?" she asked incredulously.

"Not the first question I would have asked," replied Sera slowly, sounding a little dumbfounded. "If I were you, I'd be curious to know why an angel came down from Heaven to have dinner with me."

Jeanette's eyes grew wide. "Am I dead?"

"No," Sera replied quickly. "No sweetie, you're not dead. I didn't mean to scare you."

After a thoughtful moment, Jeanette looked up at Sera. "I wasn't scared."

This genuinely surprised Sera. "Why not?"

"Well, I'd already be dead then, and I didn't remember it hurting. I'd only be afraid of dying if I died some icky way. Besides that, I know God loves me and I'd go to Heaven."

Slowly, a smile spread across Sera's face. Perhaps this would be easier than he first thought. "You believe in God?"

Jeanette reached under her shirt a moment, removing a small golden cross necklace. "Mommy, Daddy and me go to church every Sunday. I know all the hymns and gospels—would you like to hear one?"

Sera chuckled. "Not right now, thank you though. So you're proud of your religion then?"

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Even if your mom and dad stopped going to church, would you still go?"

"They'd never stop going—we all love God too much, and He all loves us."

Sera took that as a yes and decided to switch gears. "You didn't hear the news today, did you?"

Jeanette looked quizzically up at the man. "I was at school. What news?"

Sera wasn't even sure if news of L.A.'s destruction was being widely broadcast yet. He had spent the better part of the day conversing with Jeanette's mother, weaving his charm, using his angelic powers to implant memories into her mind. He was very adamant to keep her in the dining room, away from the television.

Sera knew had the woman gotten wind of the news she would have been on too high of guard, and wouldn't have been as susceptible to his mind-tricks and subliminal messaging. He was morally opposed to tinkering too heavily with human minds, even though human brains could be like putty in his hands. Had she seen the news it would have boiled down to coercion or outright kidnapping.

Sera had stumbled into another problem when he had successfully charmed Jeanette's mother, a problem that had been totally unforseen. He found himself caring too deeply about Jeanette's family. He truly wished things were different. He didn't want to bring her parents heartache.

Sera had known going into it this was a possibility. Once it was revealed she was only nine cycles in, well...He had a soft spot for children. Then again, all angel's did, so it wasn't even like he could control it. Even so he was going to emotionally distance himself as much as he could.

Sera had to keep a sober outlook to the situation. Obviously he wanted to win. He wanted to be rid of Lucifer once and for all. But he also knew Lucifer's power, and the odds weren't in their favor. This probably was going to end very badly with all parties involved dying.

Thus, going into this situation, he had wanted to keep Angelus Supreme at arm's length—but it failed. It was now a priority in his head to safely return Jeanette to her wonderful, caring parents. Lucifer be damned; he wasn't going to allow a single hair on this child's head to be harmed.

Sera took a deep breath, trying to focus on the task at hand. Was there some way to gently break the news that an entire city had been wiped off the face of the planet to a nine year old?

"Something bad has happened," Sera explained gingerly. "Being religious, you know about the Devil, right?"

"Yeah."

"And you know that even now the Devil sows his evil ways, right?"

"Yes..."

"You have heard of the city Los Angeles, in California, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Well." Sera paused, choosing his words carefully. "Something very bad has happened to Los Angeles. A lot of people died."

Jeanette looked up at Sera. In that moment she wanted to take his hand but she refrained. "Was it the Devil?"

"Yes," Sera replied gently. "He attacked Los Angeles. He's looking to start Armageddon."

"I thought the Anti-Christ had to come first?"

"I don't quite understand it myself, but Lucifer has made his move and we have to try and stop him."

Jeanette began to walk a little slower, staring at her feet. "If you really are an angel, is that why you're here on earth?"

"Yes." Sera stopped walking, but Jeanette didn't notice. "Oh and Jeanette? I really am an angel."

Jeanette looked over her shoulder and what greeted her vision caused her to stumble and stop walking.

From seemingly nowhere, six massive wings now surrounded Sera. The girl's jaw dropped. They were gorgeous, beautiful, unlike anything she had ever seen. They looked soft and clean, and the sheer proportion of them was breathtaking. Perhaps it was just her awe, but she could have sworn they glittered in the setting sunlight.

"How did you—how did you—"

"Simple, really," Sera replied, slipping his hands into his pockets and joining the young girl. Jeanette felt as though her eyes were so big they'd tumble right out of her head. She couldn't stop staring at the sublime wings.

"They were always there," he said. "It was a simple glamor trick. I made your mind see what it expected to see. You weren't expecting to see my wings, so I simply projected the image you expected to see, one of a simple man.

"I am much more than most human brains can handle, and if I were to bombard you with my wings it would have confused you. Not to mention it would have freaked out your mom when she saw me, and I needed your mom's trust.

"In fact," he continued, "I can use this glamor trick on a grand scale. For example--if someone were to look out their window right now, do you know what they would see?"

Jeanette shook her head.

"They wouldn't see anything. Well, that's to say they wouldn't see us. They would see us, physically, but their minds wouldn't register it. They would see around us; they'd see this tree, or this house, and they'd see that parked car, but they wouldn't see us standing here on the sidewalk. I'm doing that because the less people who see us, the better."

"Is that why only I could see you today?"

Sera grinned, continuing to walk down the street. "You're smart."

Jeanette hadn't started walking again. Instead, she stood her ground and looked at the back of Sera's massive wings. "Sera. What does any of this have to do with me?"

"You're an angel."

Jeanette started. "What?"

Sera turned around, walking backwards. "I said you're an angel."

Jeanette twisted, and then walked around in a circle, trying to look at her own back. She then looked at Sera who had stopped walking again.

Suddenly, she grew angry. "No I'm not."

"Yes you are."

"No I'm not," Jeanette insisted. "I was born, I've seen my birth certificate, and I have parents, and grandparents, and I go to school, and--"

"Rule of thumb," Sera interrupted. "Angel's can't lie. We literally can't lie. The best we can do is to tell an elaborate story of half-truths." He took a step forward. "Jeanette, I'm not lying to you or making something up. You're an angel."

Slowly, panic crept up on the girl. "Then where are my wings?"

"Not there yet," Sera replied simply. He took another few steps forward, closing the gap between him and the girl. "Do you know what the name 'Jeanette' means?"

When she didn't respond, Sera continued. "It means 'gift of God'. Which is exactly what you are."

He came up to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. His wings were surprisingly warm. "Come on, let's walk. I'll explain everything to you."

By the time he recanted to her what was happening (making sure to leave out the bits of how she might accidentally destroy the world), they had reached their destination. The sun had set and twilight was being quickly replaced by the night. It was a warm night and it was quiet, save the hum of traffic from the overpass bridge not that far away.

They were in a huge recreational park, with several baseball diamonds and even a hand-ball court. This park was nestled in between two suburbs and the bridge connected the two towns. Right in the middle of the field was a huge water tower.

Sera ambled to the water tower and Jeanette followed silently, processing everything she had just been told. She found it difficult to swallow that she was some sort of super-angel, the epitome of God's power. Just this morning she was just a normal girl. Truthfully Jeanette still wasn't sure she believed everything. Maybe she had fallen out of bed, hit her head, and this was some sort of crazy concussion dream.

"I want to show you something," Sera said, standing directly beneath the water tower. Smiling, he held out his hand.

Skeptically she looked up at the tower, and then at Sera. He smiled charmingly.

"Does it involve that?" she asked, pointing at the water source.

"Yes."

"I don't like heights."

"You're not in danger. I promise."

With that promise Jeanette hesitantly took Sera's hand. He held her close and firmly to his chest. He smelled wonderful, a fresh, clean scent, and was very warm; she almost became drowsy. The near-drowsiness evaporated when Sera flapped his massive wings and they elevated into the air. Squealing, Jeanette pressed her face against his body, going rigid, and squeezed her eyes shut tight.

"Relax," Sera said soothingly, part of the word muffled by the thud of his massive wings against the air.

"Please go slower," Jeanette begged, trembling. "I don't like roller coasters. I don't like heights."

"Okay," he replied gently, slowing a little. "There are physics involved though, I have to keep up a certain momentum to remain airborne; it's not all magic. But I can go a little slower."

"How much longer?"

"Not very long. If we were to go faster--"

"No."

"Okay. I won't go any faster. Just breathe Jeanette. Focus on my voice." Sera felt genuinely bad. "We're almost there."

Sure enough, after a few seconds that felt like an eternity to Jeanette, they landed on their destination. The unexpected direction shift, from going up to down, made Jeanette's stomach flip-flop. For a long moment the pair stood on the top of the water tower, Jeanette clinging to Sera for dear life.

"You can let go now."

"No."

Sera stifled a sigh. "Come on; I want to show you something. At least open your eyes."

Jeanette peeled open one eye, and then the other. To her surprise, Sera had completely enveloped them within his wings. A moment later he opened them, revealing the world. Jeanette stared at the overpass, surprised she had to look down at it. Against her better judgment, and for reasons unknown to her, she began to peer over the edge.

"Ah ah ah," Sera chided, holding her back. "Don't look down, silly. Look over there." Sera pointed.

Jeanette followed his arm. On the horizon was the city of Chicago. When coming over the bridge one could capture a glimpse of Willis Tower, but from this perspective she could see so much more. In fact, she had a perfect view of all the skyscrapers, and then some.

A calm sensation washed over her. She had always loved the cityscape, especially at night. She had to give it to Sera; she had never seen the city like this.

"You know, it's very ironic that you have such an aversion to heights, seeing how you're really an angel."

"I just found that out. Maybe they're not so bad..."

Jeanette barely noticed that Sera had slipped away from her. She was so mesmerized by the view that she barely acknowledged the sound of running feet until it was too late. At the last moment she tried to turn but it was futile. With a blood-curdling scream, Jeanette was forcefully pushed off the water tower by Sera. The angel flapped his wings, easily hovering in the air as he watched her fall.

The events that unraveled happened much too quickly for Jeanette to process them. In the blink of an eye, searing pain ripped down the length of her back, a pain so intense it paralyzed her for a moment and caused her to scream at the top of her lungs. Seconds later there was a new pain, one not as intense but equally as terrible.

Exploding from her shoulder blades emerged two blood-soaked wings, ripping not only her clothes but her skin. The wings began to flap, and her head-long fall haltingly changed into a head over heel tumble. Frantically Jeanette flapped away, the world spinning as she tumbled.

Blood splattered her face as she fell. In the last five feet of her fall she had accomplished little more than slowing her break-neck speed, but had somehow managed to right herself. Finally, she plunged into the soft grass with a grunt.

As she struggled on the ground, new wings flapping erratically, Sera gently landed besides her. As she shakily righted herself on her hands and knees Sera squatted down, crossing his arms on his knees. He cocked his head to the side.

"That was one of the most ungraceful things I have ever seen."

"I could have died!" she shrieked.

"No you couldn't have."

Jeanette promptly vomited all over the grass and then fell over. She didn't know which was making her stomach queasier; the terrifying plunge she just took or how badly her back hurt. Sera reached out and felt her forehead. He wanted to make sure she wasn't in shock.

"Are you okay?"

Weakly she batted his arm away. Tears stung her eyes. "I hate you."

"No you don't."

"Angels don't lie--I hate you."

"Jeanette," he said gently, standing up. "I wish there was a better way to do this. The only way to make you prematurely sprout your wings was by force. Clearly my telling you you're an angel wasn't enough. Your body had to be put into a position where it thought it was in real danger."

"You could've done it some other way," she sobbed.

"Putting you on a roller coaster or something wouldn't have worked because, while you're afraid of heights, you'd still be strapped in. As scary as it would be, and as bad of a reaction your body would have had, a small part of your brain would have logically known you weren't in any real danger because of the safety restraints."

Sera shoved his hands into his pockets, nudging the soft grass with his toe. He couldn't look at Jeanette. "Shoving you off a high place and letting you free fall, however, is something entirely different."

Jeanette rolled back over onto her hands and knees. It hurt too much to stay on her back. "You're a prick."

Sera looked shocked. "Aren't you like, nine?"

"I'm in 6th grade and know every swear word in the book!" Jeanette barked at him. "You are; you're a prick!"

With a smile and a shake of his head, Sera responded. "You're right; no one ever said angels have to be nice, they just have to be inherently good, which I am. And I'll admit I'm not the nicest angel there is. But you want to know something?"

Sera stooped over, gently lifting Jeanette's head by her chin. Their equally unusual eyes locked. "I get the job done when it needs to be done. Furthermore, did I break my promise to you?"

When she looked away, he nudged her head so she was looking at him again.

"I promised you I wouldn't let any harm come to you, didn't I? While that was scary, you were at no point in time in any danger. Had your wings not sprouted I would have easily swooped in and snatched you out of the air and out of harm's way. Look at the size of my wings; do you know how fast I can go with these?"

Sera stood, re-crossing his arms, looking suddenly impatient. "I'm sorry your back is hurt, I truly am, but it will mend itself very quickly. I did what had to be done so you can fulfill your purpose. You can't hold that against me."

Jeanette's brow furrowed and she lifted her head. "My purpose?"

Sera smiled, but his look was deadly. "You're going to kill Lucifer for me."