Wyatt cleared his throat and shuffled his feet. "Um, Mom, Dad ... can I talk to you for a minute before we leave?"

"Of course, dear! Is there something wrong?" his mother asked.

"I just need to talk to you."

His mother's eyes went wide. "Oh, are you two ... you know ..." She motioned from Wyatt to Dale.

Wyatt turned red and shook his head vigorously, while Laurel burst out laughing. Dale sent her a glare filled with the promise of retribution.

"No! Mom, I wanted to talk to you about school!"

"Oh, I see. I suppose I shouldn't jump to conclusions, after all she's not wearing a ring."

"Oh, you though they were engaged!" Laurel said.

"Can you go away?" Dale asked.

"Fine, I'll be out in the car."

Dale swore she heard Laurel laughing loudly as she exited the house.

"Is there a problem with school, Wyatt?" his mother asked.

"Uh ... okay ... see Dale and her brothers ... Um ..."

"Are paranormal investigators," Dale said with a smile, when she noticed Wyatt struggling to come up with an explanation.

"Right!" he said excitedly. "And I've joined their team."

His dad smiled happily. "Oh, like those boys on the YouTube internet channel thing, the ones that yell at the spirits! Are you famous?"

Dale sighed. "No, we, um, don't have a show. We're just very interested in studying the paranormal."

"Well, someday! Don't lose hope!" he told her encouragingly.

"Wyatt, what about school?" his mother asked him.

"Don't worry, I'm taking my classes online. But I'm helping Dale and her brothers, ya know with the science side of things. The science of ghosts!" he told them cheerfully.

"That's sweet of you, dear," his mother said, patting his hand.

"So, you're not upset?"

"Of course not! We just want you to be happy, sweetheart!" his mother said with a smile.

"Yes, exactly!" his father agreed.

"Good, so ... I guess that's it. We need to get going."

"Oh, we're going to miss you, my little Wy Wy!" His mother hugged him tightly.

"I'm going to miss you too. Love you."

He took several more minutes saying goodbye and then he and Dale went out to the car.

***

Mintha stared silently across the table at Chuck. They'd been back at the bunker less than twenty-four hours and the jerk dragged her to fucking Starbucks.

"Aren't you going to say something? I've been doing all the talking and as much as I love hearing the sound of my voice, this one sided conversation is starting to become boring," Chuck said.

"I have nothing to say to you. Do you know why? I'll tell you why, because you're an asshole. Which I've pointed out several times before."

"Come on, Aramintha ... talk to me."

"Oh, you want talk, sure, okay. Let's start with I never asked you to straighten out my little grace problem and end with I fucking hate you."

"Come now, I fixed you ..."

"I'm not a dog you've just neutered."

"Spay, Mintha. You spay a female and neuter a male. You're not male."

"Neither are you!" she shouted.

"Ow! That hurt."

"Good," she muttered.

He shook his head. "Fine, I adjusted your grace back to it's ideal level. Better?"

She snorted.

"Now you owe me."

"I don't owe you shit, since I never asked for your assistance in the first place. Now, send me back to the bunker."

"Mmm, no. We need to discuss things."

"There's nothing to discuss. I'm through with you."

He sighed and shook his head, took a sip of his coffee and set his cup down. "You are going to do me a favor. When Michael restarts the apocalypse you're going to look the other way."

She laughed loudly. "Hell no."

"You don't have a choice. You will obey me."

She stood slowly. "I do not obey anyone and I am not your errand girl."

"You will do as I say!" he roared.

"No." She tossed her coffee in his face.

His hand shot out, grabbing her wrist. "I'm not going to keep letting you get away with things like this."

"Oh, really? How about this?" She punched him in the face with her free hand.

"Aramintha!" he shouted. "Stop this nonsense now. I'm your father and you will obey me!"

With a grin, she reached back and grabbed her chair. "Goodbye, Dad." Her arm came around in an arc, the chair grasped in her hand. It struck him upside the head and shattered. "Adios asshole!" She turned and stomped out the door.

Chuck scowled after her, but let her go. He'd deal with her disobedience later. He pulled his laptop closer and began typing. Right now, he had a story to tell!

***

Michael grinned across his desk at Linq. "You're certain?"

"Yes, I saw her myself. Her grace is damaged. She looks awful. She's all dark circles and frizzy hair."

Michael sat forward. "She locked herself away in the bunker to hide because she knows she's vulnerable now. Ahhh, poor little Mintha is probably very lost. She was always a fighter, but without her grace she'll just wither and die."

Linq grinned. "And there will be no one to try and stop you!"

"Except the Winchesters and we know how resourceful they are. We leave nothing to chance. I need to get into that bunker or find a way to lure Lucifer out. If I can't start the apocalypse then I have no chance of ruling completely."

"Uh, sir ... there's one more thing."

"What?" Michael tapped his fingers on his desk.

"Some guy showed up and tried to help Mintha and the Winchesters."

"Who was he?"

Linq shrugged. "I don't know but there was an aura of power emanating from him. He scared all the other angels off. And Mintha hated the guy."

Michael sighed. "Knowing the Winchesters they conned some deity into assisting them. Not to worry, I'm certain it won't be a problem. The Winchesters, however ..." He sighed.

"We'll figure it out, I'm sure of it." Linq told him in an encouraging voice.

Michael sat back, rubbing at his temple. "Stop being an encouraging suck up, Linq. It's tiresome."

"Uh, sure ...," he replied uncertainty.

Michael glared at him across the desk. "You don't know how not to be a suck up, do you?" He shrugged and Michael waved a hand in the air. "Nevermind. Just go do whatever it is you do when I don't need you."

Linq jumped to his feet, bowed, and scurried out of the office.

"So, my little sister has gone and damaged her grace. Poor thing. It will be such a shame when she fades from this Earth." Finally, he'd be rid of Aramintha. He'd no longer have to worry about her meddling in his affairs or trying to undermine him. It was finally his time to lead. To rule Heaven completely. At long last.

It was about damn time.