It was barely past eight in the morning, but lines of cars and trucks had slowly filled up the large dirt lot by the main gate.

Most cabins were located on the low hill behind the lot, so Kye could easily see everything from the deck of Cabin 12.

She recognized the moss green Jeep almost instantly among other vehicles. The two brothers stepped out of it, wearing the same outfits Kye had seen them in yesterday. Dean yawned loudly and stretched his body while Sam walked over to a group of men for a chat. The guy didn't seem to be in a bad mood. He laughed and pulled each of the men in for a half-body hug. His brother then came over and tapped on Sam's shoulder. Dean pointed in the direction Kye assumed was their cabin.

When Sam turned to Dean, he caught Kye watching them from afar. He waved and gave her a bright smile.

Kye had no choice but to wave back. The way they left their conversation yesterday made her feel awkward toward Sam. He didn't do anything wrong, in particular, and was very helpful to her, but Kye was pretty sure he was hiding something.

Maybe he just didn't tell her the whole truth, and she couldn't blame him for that.

They were strangers, after all, and Kye was not exactly who the Resistance considered an ally. She also didn't know how she felt about them yet. Not that it mattered. Kye knew the smart thing would be to take time and observe the situation, but she needed Sam's help now.

When Kye finished her thoughts and looked down at the lot again, Sam was not there anymore.

"Damn it," Kye muttered.

She had missed him. Kye'd better get herself together. Her mind was hazy—she knew why—but it slowly got back to normal, so there was that, at least. Kye knew she couldn't continue sulking over what had happened, even when a big part of her life had been ripped out.

No one to blame but herself.

Kye jumped at a cough only a few feet behind her. She turned around to see Sam standing there with a trademark earnest smile on his face.

"Morning, Kye," the guy panted—must be from the climbing he had done through the hill that led directly to the side of Cabin 12. "How did you sleep last night? I hope you've settled in alright."

Sam combed through his thick brown hair with his fingers. His pinkish face made Sam look like a teenage boy.

"Morning, Sam. Yeah... I managed to get some sleep, fortunately. How was the trip?"

There was no point in sharing her nightmares with him.

"Well, usual supplies run, you know... Got around a few checkpoints. The rest of the trip was just mountain roads. Nothing the Jeep couldn't handle... It can be boring sometimes, but Dean and I actually kind of enjoy it."

Kye chuckled and shook her head. Men. Normal human men, she meant. Not like she had a whole lot of experience with them.

"That's good to hear." Kye looked down at her mustard-colored loafers and chewed her bottom lip—a nervous tic she had picked up after her dad died. "Uhm... Actually, there's something I want to ask you about."

Sam frowned. A knot formed in his stomach. He wasn't bothered by her or her question, more like for her. He knew he shouldn't.

After their conversation last night, Sam had hoped Kye wouldn't ask him any more questions that he couldn't answer. Sam felt guilty, partly because he had been there when Bobby revealed his plan to him and Dean, and partially—as strange as it sounded— because he had been the one carrying Kye to their Jeep at the exchange.

Sam remembered distinctly how light she had felt in his arms. It stuck with him how a grown human could carry that little weight. Unlike Ruby, who was also petite, Kye was skin and bones. Sam had feared that he would break her if he moved in any wrong way.

The pictures Ruby had shown him were so different. Kye had been full of life in them. That was why her poor state shocked him. It saddened and angered him.

A fellow human being mistreated by an angel was what he saw. Nothing new, but from what Ruby had told him, the archangel was supposed to care for Kye, loved her even, and the two had been together for years up to the incident.

Love, his ass.

Again, that just confirmed Sam's belief in Heavenly's cruelty. They wore human skin and mimicked what humans did, but they were not humans. They could never be. They were living weapons.

The girl indeed had made a mistake, but Sam could never fathom discarding someone he cared about the way Michael did. It didn't matter if the archangel had physically punished the girl or not.

There was no mercy.

Bobby and Dean had always said the problem with Sam was that he cared too much. That wouldn't do anybody any good. They said he was a softie, but Sam didn't care. He knew who he was. He knew kindness didn't equal weakness, and while their main mission was to defeat the angels, protecting innocent people should always be the top priority.

Sam and his brother were a few who knew about the angels taking refuge in their camps, but those were different. To Sam's knowledge, there weren't a lot of them at all. The Resistance only made a few exceptions. Sam didn't know the identity of those angels, but he didn't worry. Everyone Sam had come across was human. He was pretty sure. At the end of the day, he could tell the difference, right? And angel or not, as long as they were loyal to the organization and did their jobs right, they could stay. Dean, on the other hand, didn't quite agree...

"Do you know where Ruby is, or how can I get ahold of her?"

Kye's question pulled Sam back to reality. She tilted her head and stared at him while Sam searched for the words.

"Sorry... Yes, her camp is not too far from here... Not too close, either. My brother and I go there all the time. We can give you a ride. In the meantime, I will give you a phone and Ruby's number, so you can call her."

"That works! Thank you, Sam. You're a lifesaver!" Kye beamed at the guy.

Her sudden change of attitude made Sam forget everything he was about to say. His mind was as blank as a sheet of paper watching her smile from ear to ear. His arms and legs felt out of place. Sam didn't know what to do besides standing there and grinning like a simpleton.

It was embarrassing, yes. Strange, too, but something warm bloomed inside him.

It had been some time since Sam's last relationship. If he even wanted to call it that. It had not lasted long either. The Winchester brothers had a reputation. Girls threw themselves at them. It was fun and easy, but sometimes, in a certain mood, Sam wished there could be more.

The life they lived and the war they had been neck-deep in since they were kids prevented them from having any meaningful connections. That was what Sam thought, but after a while, it sounded like an excuse.

Sam just didn't know how to fix it.

Some people were just lucky. Love wasn't for them Winchesters. At least, not now.

***

"Hello, if you're trying to reach the most awesome Ms. Ruby Adlin, please leave the message after the tone. I'm busy saving the world, so I can't pick up right now. No, literally, I am! I will get back to you whenever I can. Muah!"

Kye felt defeated after the umpteenth unsuccessful attempt of trying to reach Ruby. The last time Kye had seen her sister in person was when they met in the same alley they had reunited after Alastair's attack. Kye gave Ruby the lance, and Ruby said she would call Kye soon, as usual, but Kye never received that phone call. Everything was soon thrown into turmoil later when Michael found out that she had committed the crime of stealing his lance. Kye destroyed her personal phone as soon as the archangel announced her employment would be terminated, and she would be taken to the warehouse. She had only used disposables from the beginning to contact Ruby and her handler, Bobby, but Kye needed to make sure no traces, not even the smallest one, would lead to Ruby.

Michael gave her some time to gather whatever she wanted from the loft, but Kye had been too rattled and heartbroken to care about anything. She had spent the whole day begging him for forgiveness. He didn't spare her a look. Kye knew it would be that way. She couldn't possibly explain or defend herself without involving Ruby, and she refused to do that.

Funny how months of preparation, up to the moment she took the box out of the vault and drove it to Ruby, Kye had never once felt as much pressure and fear as when Michael's office door closed in her face. No amount of banging on it, crying, and begging got it to open. The sense of finality sank in and sucked all the life out of her.

Kye knew this was it. This would be the last memory they had of each other, and it killed her.

...

She sat on the floor, staring at the phone's black screen. She needed to figure out what's next. A lot had happened, and she still needed a plan. For what was next. Because there was no going back from this point. Kye wanted to know what happened after Ruby got the lance and if her sister got Gadreel back.

Kye prayed that at least one good thing would come out of this hopeless situation.

***

"Girl, just slow down. You don't have to go! They will be back in a couple of hours anyway!" Bobby wailed after his protégé.

As tiny as she was, Ruby was a force to be reckoned with. She had destroyed many things on her way to the parking lot out of anger, but Bobby couldn't find the heart to discipline her.

He understood the girl had been on the verge of going crazy with worries after months of not seeing Gadreel. As much as he didn't want to encourage that relationship, he had to admit it was sort of admirable.

"No! Bobby, I have to be there!" Ruby tried her best not to scream, but half the compound had heard her by now. "I can't believe you didn't tell me about the convoy! I'm the one who got you the weapon, aren't I? So why the hell do you want to hide the news from me?"

Ruby threw her bag in the truck and climbed in, not looking back at her handler.

Bobby muttered under his breath and slammed his hands on the truck. He then put his head through the driver-side window. "I didn't hide it from you! I want you to stay because there's a job for you to do. Who's gonna do it now, Ruby? We're short!"

"No, we're not," Ruby scoffed and rolled her eyes. "You always make that excuse when you want to keep me at the camp. Not gonna work this time."

She gave him a taunting face and stepped on the gas.

Bobby sighed as he watched the trail of dust follow the dark grey truck. The vehicle was a beast. Ruby struggled every time she needed to climb in and out of it but would fight tooth and nail if Bobby or one of the boys wanted to take it away from her. It didn't make any sense, but they just yielded to her as they had done with a million other things.

Ruby had never asked for anything or wanted to depend on anyone. She had always been a lone wolf ever since she joined the Resistance even when she knew Bobby would die for her without hesitation. That was why he wanted to make sure Ruby got what she wanted, even if it was the last thing he did.

The girl was Bobby's joy and pride. She was family—one with the Winchester boys—that Bobby had never dreamed he would have after his wife had passed away.

He was lucky.

Ruby was hot-headed and reckless, but the girl was far from dumb. The plan she had laid out, though outlandish as every other thing coming from her, would have worked if Alastair had not changed his mind at the last minute.

Why the hell had that crook decided to do so?

That beat Bobby and everyone, but nothing had ever been straightforward when it came to Alastair.

Bobby chewed the inside of his mouth. The original plan was after the Resistance got the meetup details from Alastair, their people in the Council would organize something like a street-cleaning operation for criminal activities in that same area at the same time.

They would "stumble across" Alastair with Michael's lance hot in hand. That would give him a death sentence, no doubt. The plan would require precision since Alastair would not give up the meeting details until the very last minute, but the Resistance had prepared for times like this. They had people planted in the Council who actually called the shot.

The organization had targeted what was inside Michael's vault for such a long time. The vault contained countless weapons and supernatural objects that would help further their cause, but it had been moved a few times and always under heavy guard. A lot of people had died trying to access it.

This time, however, the vault was at the loft where Michael resided. Piece of cake, but it still wouldn't have been possible without Alastair's sudden abduction of the team, which led to Ruby's action and a chess piece they had never had before—Kye.

They succeeded, even with only the lance, but the day before the supposed meeting, Alastair had contacted them again. He announced that he didn't want the lance anymore. Instead, he wanted "the girl who stole the lance."

It threw everyone for a loop. What a bizarre demand. What did the girl have to do with anything? Nobody knew what kind of game Alastair was playing, but he had agreed to return half of the team first as a gesture of good faith. That was the reason for the convoy being sent out today. The rest would be back after the Resistance delivered the girl.

Alastair didn't let them know which three members he would release, but the directors knew all too well. Most likely, none of the angels would be included in this group.

Alastair was known for his grudge against angels.

Bobby didn't want to break Ruby's heart. He had tried his darndest to hide the news from her, but the girl had been able to pry it from old Rufus, a handler and Bobby's close friend. Not like it was a tough job. That man couldn't keep a secret if someone dangled a bottle of whiskey in front of him, and that was exactly what Ruby had done.

Bobby couldn't blame Rufus. He was that way with good booze too, but damn, one time he could really count on the old fool to keep his mouth shut, and Rufus had to spill everything. All Bobby could hope for was, by some miracle, Ruby would come back with Gadreel, and everything would be good again.

***

The bustling junction where Durham met Main changed its demographic as the sun went down. Gone were the businessmen and women in their suits and ties, replaced by a long line of lost souls in front of The Swan.

The trendy club belonged to Councilman Crowley. It used to operate under a different name before the War. Crowley had bought, renovated, and used it for his many illicit activities while raking in millions of cubes at the same time.

Nobody sane would venture out in this dreadful weather unless they had no choice. These club patrons, for example, were desperate for something or someone to help ease their miseries. In a dying world, the need for losing one's self in loud music only became stronger.

Muffled noises occasionally seeped out from behind the impressive double door with a huge black swan logo, riling the people waiting under the freezing rain. The murmurs became louder as two black Lincoln SUVs smoothly approached. They died down as the cars stopped in front of the club's entrance. A man stepped out along with his entourage. His dark brown hair was slick back, and his overcoat was covered in tiny droplets that sparkled in the bright light. The man's electrifying blue eyes scanned the surroundings, not missing a single surprised, in-awe, or filled-with-fear or hatred face.

...

"Hey, come here! Don't worry about the umbrella..."

Michael looked down at the big puddle. His expensive shoes were half-submerged in the murky water.

Her laughter echoed through the air. It was even better than the sounds of Sandalphon's bell choir...

Her long sundress with tiny blue flowers was soaked...

She had lost her shoes somewhere back but didn't slow down...

The girl was running right in front of him. So close, yet so out of reach. Her two long braids swung back and forth with every step she took. Once in a while, she turned back and beckoned him to run faster.

He didn't know where they were running to or what she wanted to show him. He didn't understand why he needed to run. If he teleported, he would have been right in front of her, but there was something about this pursuit by foot that was so exciting and intimate.

She was a dot of blue fire, dancing ahead and inside him...

His hand caught the skirt of her dress. One fistful of the fabric, and he could pull her in, but it slipped from his hand again. All the patience in the world didn't seem enough. It ran thin, but he picked up the pace instead of getting upset.

Somewhere along the way, he also ditched his shoes. Wet, cool grass felt good under his bare feet.

The sky was heavy with dark clouds. Occasionally, thunders broke from afar through the rain pitter-patters. He didn't stop. He ran faster and faster until he reached the speed no human could achieve.

Only his wings could carry him faster.

He wanted to test the limit of this vessel. The sensation of running was so addictive. It was different from hovering, flying, or teleporting. He felt freer, more alive, and more in tune with this physical body than ever before.

He caught up to her, then ran past her before circling back. Her laughter vibrated through every fiber of his being.

A small smile crept up on his face.

Slowly, it became a full, genuine one. Slowly, his whole face beamed.

The girl seemed surprised. "Wow... That's something I want to see more," she said.

He didn't fully understand what she meant, but she seemed happy. That was what mattered.

He stood there, waiting until he could feel her small hands on his face. He closed his eyes and breathed in her presence. Her touch lingered before it moved down to where his vessel's heart was.

Ba-dum, ba-dum.

The heart beat so fast. For the first time in eons, he felt something he could hardly contain.

His true heart was glowing.

He put his hands over hers before lowering his face. Slowly. The rain drenched them, but all they could feel was the warmth of each other's bodies through the thin layers of their clothes.

Her lips were soft under his. He wanted to make this moment last forever, or as long as he could...

"Do you want to get out of this?"

His eyes opened and followed hers to their feet. They were standing together in a large puddle. The water had risen past their ankles. His expression must have amused her because she laughed again and tiptoed to put her lips on his...

Michael's memory was cut short by the urging of his men for him to get inside. Precarious time. He shouldn't stand here all exposed.

Loud techno music washed over Michael's mortal body as the double doors closed behind him. A sea of different shapes, sizes, colors, and smells all mixed together. Everyone seemed lost in a stage of intoxication.

Michael could feel all human emotions in this place. Their desires. Some were familiar to him; some were not. Some tasted rotten. They disgusted him.

His group waded through the moving people on the dance floor to an elevator at the back of the club. This led up to a VIP room on the second level. Built with glass walls, the room gave a panoramic view of the dance floor below. Michael's eyes moved from the dancing lights to the man sitting on the curved leather couch with his face shrouded in the shadow.

Four humans stood in four corners of the room, heavily armed, but it didn't concern Michael. It wouldn't make any difference to him unless they had angel bullets. From what Michael could sense, none was in this room.

Michael had taken Zaapiel's advice to wear a bulletproof vest anyway.

His "assistant" had been upset. Zaaphiel took it as his personal failure when Michael got ambushed and injured. He fired all surviving human guards and sent the angels on duty that day back to their garrisons for punishment.

It was standard. After the War, the angels' main job on Earth had been to assist Michael, so they knew what to expect when they failed.

Human guards, on the other hand, were a different story.

Michael was relieved that Zaaphiel understood how he wanted them to be handled. That was their bond. No words were needed. Michael still remembered how upset Kye had been when she witnessed him 'discipline' members of her kind. "It's cruel." Sure. "Unfair"? That was the whole point of discipline so no one would step out of line. Nevertheless, as their relationship developed, Michael slowly refrained from certain things. At least, not in front of Kye. He had acted out of emotions he didn't know that he could possess. Fear, guilt, or shame. Michael just knew he would never want Kye to look at him that way ever again.

That one time, unbeknownst to him, she had stood on the other side of his office door, holding in her scream as he burned a person's eyes out for spying. That person was one of the Resistance scums, but it didn't matter to her. Kye quit and left the loft the same day. She didn't go back to her home or any place Michael knew. She even went as far as purchasing some crude wardings to keep him away. He would laugh if it didn't take him almost a week to find her and a few more months to convince her to come back. Michael's mind was made up then: It was not worth it to lose her over that or any reason, but here he was...

"You're on time!" Bobby exclaimed. "What an honor."

Michael blinked at the older human who was openly eyeing him up and down, perhaps unaware of how thin his patience was. There weren't a lot who dared to purposely get on Michael's nerves, for a good reason, so he remembered every single one of them.

Michael was exhausted. His grace was intact, and his vessel was as strong as ever, but something wasn't quite right.

"Say what you have to say." Michael sat down facing the man.

"Now, now." Bobby raised his hands. "What's the rush? I think we can help each other out—"

"What makes you think I need your help? What makes you think I even want it? How arrogant... What could you possibly do for me? If I decide to smite you and burn your puny soul out of your body right here and now, what are you going to do?" Michael's eyes glowed bright blue.

The four humans standing in the room's corners reached for their weapons at the exact same time. On Michael's side, his men also did the same.

Such a childish display. Waste of his time.

Michael sighed, "You people really overestimate yourself." He sounded utterly bored as his eyes dimmed.

"Hey, everyone," Bobby eyed his people. "No need for all that name callings and gun drawings. I didn't come all the way out here in this nasty weather for this."

Bobby slowly put his hand in his pocket and pulled out a small USB stick.

"Here is a little token from us. It's what we got on Alastair so far. What he's been up to, where he goes, who he meets. This also contains a code for our tracking devices on Alastair's known vehicles. I know when you put us and him on the scale, we may not seem that much different, but the Resistance doesn't brutally murder angels for no reason. We also don't attack civilians. It's just not our style. Everything always happens in Luc's territory, so, at this point, it is safe to assume Alastair and Luc are working together. This has to stop. It's hard for us to keep the peace as it is. We can't let Alastair stir the pot any further. You know that could lead to a full-scale riot, right? I don't think any of us would want that."

Michael stared at the USB stick in Bobby's hand. It was a good offer. He had nothing to lose. He could get rid of Alastair with minimum effort, paying the human back for what he did, but Michael couldn't help but feel there was more to the story than the righteous crap Bobby had just tried to sell.

"Why do you give me this?"

"Well, I just told you!" Bobby threw his hands in the air. "Did you sleep through the entire speech?"

"No, that might be part of it, but not all. Don't play games. I want the real reason."

Bobby studied the archangel's body language. Michael was definitely not as calm as people, and maybe, himself wanted to believe. Something was eating him up, but what?

As much as Bobby didn't like the angels as a bunch, the more he learned about them, the more fascinated he was. They were trained to subdue layers of emotions and had done a pretty good job at that, fooling everyone into thinking they were one-dimensional, ruthless creatures, but humans and angels were more similar than anyone from both sides would like to admit.

Bobby smiled, "You know, kids are pain, but we have no choice but to love them."

Michael watched the multi-color lights pouring in from the dance floor without making any comment.

"Have you heard of Kye's adoptive sister, Ruby?"

Michael slowly turned to Bobby with an indecipherable expression.

"She's like a daughter to me," Bobby sighed. "She's impulsive, but she doesn't do things without reason. Among the group Alastair's been holding captive, there's one named Gadreel."

"Gadreel," Michael mused at the name.

Bobby stopped for a second to gauge the archangel's reaction before continuing, "As we anticipated, Alastair didn't send any of the three angels back. He returned the three human soldiers instead. The directors, at this point, all agreed that it best we returned the lance to you and asked you for the girl. We know how important the lance is to you, and for us, no matter how powerful a weapon is, it can not be compared to three live angels."

"Get to the point."

"Well, I'm getting there... Ruby and Gadreel are, well, together. Alastair demanded the lance in exchange for the angels, so that's what she did. She planned the whole thing to save Gadreel, but now, Alastair changed his mind."

"What does he want?"

The crunch emitting from the glass tabletop where Michael rested his hands was music to Bobby's ears. He knew his arrow had hit the target.

"What does he want?" Michael repeated.

"Alastair is a pervert sicko. That's what I've heard. He said he wanted the girl. Kye. For his 'researches'." Bobby made the air quotes and shook his head.

He knew Ruby would never forgive herself or him if something ever happened to Kye. Ruby had blamed herself enough in the past months for getting her sister involved in this mess. Honestly, so had Bobby. The time they spent together, training, and planning on how to steal the lance had given Bobby a good look at Kye, even from a distance. She could be a good addition to the organization, but moreover, the girl didn't deserve whatever Alastair had planned for her.

Bobby needed Michael's help to deal with Alastair, but he wasn't sure how. The archangel didn't show any interest in seeking revenge as far as Bobby could see, but at this moment, Bobby realized all rumors about Michael and Kye were true.

"We will take her to Alastair," Bobby said nonchalantly. "And you will know where and when it happens—"

"You will take her to Alastair? She will be at the exchange?"

"Well, of course. I mean, Alastair is not an idiot s—"

Michael shook his head. He stood up abruptly and headed for the door. His men followed suit.

"Michael, we'll talk again! Soon? I hope?" Bobby screamed after the archangel, who didn't look back.