Prologue

A/N: An English assignment turned fanfic that I'll be posting, and it won't be the last. It's an AU of a Supernatural AU, so no Winchesters, Bobby, Ellen, Jo, and the whole crew. Mentions of them in certain events, but they don't exist in this universe. The time period is… now, I guess. This was created in collaboration with my very good friend, who refuses to give me her ID, but who I will refer to as Firefox. Disclaim: I don't own anything but my story, ideas, and one OC, whose name is Angel.

Do you know what it's like to fall upwards? Do you how it feels when the air is so full of energy that it reverses gravity and the laws of physics no longer matter? The war between angels and demons had been going on for the last few months and it was no closer to ending than when it began. You couldn't have allies on both sides. It was either one or the other with no exceptions. Angel and Hazel, of course, learned this the hard way. The destruction around them, what remained of eastern New York, was endless. Businesses, houses, and skyscrapers were piles of rubble, ash, or were crumbling, cracked, incinerated, and/or about to fall apart. Battle cries, screams of agony, the clashing of weapons, and thundering footsteps echoed off the broken structures' walls. You could taste ash, soot, and blood in the air with every breath, and you couldn't take a step without feeling a large or miniscule quake beneath your feet.

The humans of the middle realm would panic while the remaining forces in Heaven and Hell would have no idea what to do. There were four realms in the universe, three main ones and a realm that was interconnected and located in between all three. There is Heaven, the realm of light where angels and bright souls resided, led by the archangel Gabriel. Hell was inhabited by demons and dark souls, where the archangel Lucifer was in charge. It was considered the realm of darkness. Then, there was Earth, the home of the humans and all of God's most recent creations, located between heaven and Hell. Lastly, was the Veil. The Veil was where unjudged and lost souls, enraged spirits, and ghosts could be found. The Veil stretched through and between Heaven, Earth, and Hell, making it a readily available yet dangerous passageway.

Why did the war start? Well, not for the reason you might think. Angels and demons don't actively hate each other. Sure, they weren't best friends, but they had a mutual understanding: I don't like you. You don't like me. We stay away from each other and everyone's happy. Lucifer and Gabriel, being the archangel brothers that they were, had a falling out. Usually, Michael and Raphael, the oldest and second youngest brothers, would usually be able to break things up before the situation could escalate. Thanks to Lucifer, Michael was rocking back and forth in a corner, knees drawn up to his chest, sobbing and muttering incoherently. Thanks to Gabriel, Raphael was… Well, that's a tale for another time. And, of course, Angel and Hazel, got mixed into the fray somehow.

Being second in command to two of the most powerful beings in the universe had its ups and downs. It meant you were respected and had authority over many things. Basically, Hazel and Angel felt like queens. Queens wasn't far off from the truth either. Gabriel and Angel had been together since the day they'd first fought a battle together. They had saved each other's lives on countless occasions that day, being the sole survivors of their newly formed garrison. Hazel and Lucifer had been very close friends since the day they'd met. It'd started off as more of a brother-sister type relationship. Lucifer, being his usual confident, cocky, suave self, had decided to kiss her, and the rest is history. The downs could sometimes seem overwhelming. There were some days where you had a completely full schedule: meetings, an audience with someone important, a conference here and there, special dinner, lunch with demon diplomat, not to mention never having a moment to yourself. It was nice to spend time with your significant other all day sometimes. It's kind of hard to enjoy it when you're busy with a million things at a time without a reprieve. So when there's a meeting between Heaven and Hell's leaders, you can guarantee the girls'll be there.

Fast forward to now, and the two were hurtling through the air at hundreds of miles per hour, bodies thrown every which way like ragdolls. They land in a heap in front of a huge building that read Student Resource Center. Gingerly, they help each other to their feet before quickly backing away and drawing their weapons. Hazel drew her twin blue katanas, named Mirror Mirror. Angel drew her enchanted angel sword and wrist crossbow. They stood in a battle stance, snarling at each other. Thunder rumbled and lightning crackled across the dark sky. Then, the downpour began.

XxX

"... and yet the number of souls in the Veil just keep on droppin'. Shouldn't you actually leave some souls for the rest of us?"

"There have never been rules on soul collecting. Why should there be any now?"

The two were bickering back and forth, eyes flashing with anger and frustration. Gabriel stood a good half foot shorter than Lucifer, but the determination in his honey golden eyes rivaled that of Lucifer's ruby red ones. Angel stood a few feet behind Gabriel and Hazel behind Lucifer. The two made eye contact, worried about where this conversation was leading.

"You know fully well why. If the Veil becomes empty, then the world becomes unbalanced and we'll be stuck in the same predicament as when Amara tried to destroy us all!"

"Well, we'll cross that bridge when we get there. It'll be fine. Besides," the older brother mused, "It's not like you can stop me if you tried, baby brother." Gabriel conjured a chocolate bar out of thin air and took a bite out of it, looking on unimpressed.

"Well, I don't think it'd take much effort, Luci. I mean, the last time we fought, it was you surrendering to me." The devil scowled.

"And the last time you stood up to me, I saw right through your trickery and killed you without breaking a sweat," he retorted. Gabriel's smug grin fell and was replaced by a glare, hand absentmindedly drifting to his midsection.

"We promised never to bring that up again."

"We also-"

"Ahem!"

The two archangels looked towards Angel, who was smiling sheepishly and standing with her hands behind her back. She brushed a few loose strands of dark brown hair out of her face before speaking.

"You guys called this meeting for a reason, discussing souls and things like that, right? We -You- were talking about where angels and demons can and cannot go, when to collect souls, a limit on how many to…" She trailed off when she saw the look Hazel was giving her, frantically shaking her head. The angel gave a nervous laugh when she realized what she had done.

"No, she's right," the trickster declared, walking over to her and pulling her close. "We can't keep going on like this. Angels and demons aren't that different. We've existed together for millennia. Surely we can cooperate and-"

"That, dear brother, is where you are very, very wrong. They couldn't be more different. I would know. I created them. Name one thing they have in common."

"The fact that they-"

"Errr! Wrong. There are no similarities. There will never come a day when angels and demons can live together peacefully."

Hazel huffed, "So what do you call this right here? I'm a demon and you don't see me trying to rip her throat out or anything."

"You, my beautiful love, are half demon, not pureblood. It's different."

"How is it different?! The only difference is that I like being scratched behind the ears!" Her floppy, brown and black pointy ears wiggled slightly at that comment.

"And," Angel interjected, "I'll admit, sometimes, killing monsters can be fun." That caught both archangels' attention and made Hazel guffaw and request a high five, which Angel stared at confused before slowly, albeit reluctantly, obliging.

"See, Lucifer? What'd I tell you?"

Satan scoffed.

In a low voice, he stated, "Believe what you will, Gabriel, but things will never change. Angels will keep hating demons and vice versa. If you think we're just going to conform to your stupid rules because you say so, then you've got another thing coming."

"And if you think we're gonna be intimidated by you and your forked tongue, then you must've hit your head a little too hard when you were cast out of Heaven," Angel hissed at him.

Hazel let out a feral growl and leaped ahead of her lover, eyes a blazing orange. She was headed for Angel, hand going for a weapon behind her back. In an instant, Gabriel had an archangel blade to her throat, pure rage radiating from him. She whined in defeat, intensity of her gaze not wavering, however, hands up in surrender. Lucifer immediately swooped in to her defense, his archangel blade drawn and pointed at Gabriel. All three pairs of eyes glowed with power, making the air hum softly with energy.

"ENOUGH!" Angel shouted, breaking the three up. She pulled Gabriel back, wrapping her arms around him, while Lucifer tended to Hazel, trying to calm her down and glowering at his younger brother. "You dare come on our turf and try to start a skirmish? You need to remember your place. I didn't bare any fangs at that when I visited Hell. What gives you the right to do that here?"

"Lucifer," Gabriel pleaded one last time, "Please. I don't want to fight you brother, but if it comes down to that, I will. We don't have to cross that line-"

"We crossed that line when your sorry, pathetic, worthless excuse of a girlfriend insulted me. The time for peace has ended." He stowed his blade away and took the half demon's hand. "We're going. You have three days. Assemble your troops as you see fit. I'll see you in Times Square."

"Why Times Square?" Hazel inquired quietly.

"Because I just really want to blow up those huge screens and buildings. Plus, there's plenty of people to rip souls from."

They both grinned evilly and, with a flap of wings, disappeared. Gabriel let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Angel unwound her arms from him and sighed.

"That certainly could've gone better."

"You're telling me… I never meant for it to come to this," the trickster uttered, walking away and hanging his head. "All I wanted was to have a nice little chat with him and clear things up. He has always been a whiny, stubborn, know it all, overconfident, self-centered son of a-"

"Aaaand let's just stop right there. Insulting him is not going to fix this, babe. He's made his decision. Now, it's time to make ours." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, making him turn and face her.

"I hate having to decide things. Why can't you do it?"

"I'm not an all-powerful archangel who rules over Heaven and has died multiple times and come back to life. I didn't save the lives of an entire planet, of the entire universe. I'm just the second in command." The honey eyed archangel chuckled and pulled her into a chaste kiss. They broke apart and he stared at her with a soft gaze.

"What would I do without you?"

"Probably engulf everything around you in flames every time you get mad," Hazel responded, plopping down on her bed back in Hell. She took off her battered, slightly burned sneakers, accompanied by her socks, and tossed them to the side.

Lucifer smirked and replied, "Well, you're not wrong. Hey, what was that back there? You don't usually let your temper get the best of you, not as much as most people think, I mean." Hazel scratched the back of her head with her bare foot, frowning and lost in thought.

"What? Did you expect me to just stand there and let her talk about you like that? Nah, man! I was about to give her a piece of my mind. First, I would've gone for the eyes. Then, I would've messed up her hair. Grrr! I could've shredded her into pieces, and I'll leave the rest to your imagination. If Gabriel hadn't stopped me…"

"Then you would've ended her. I know. Don't worry," he mumbled, taking a seat next to her and letting her rest her head on his shoulder, "You'll get your chance when we go to New York. She'll be all yours."

"But I don't understand. She seemed so nice when she was here a few days ago."

"Looks can be deceiving, love. Remember how you couldn't stand the sight of me when we first met? Look at us now!" he exclaimed. That made her giggle, not that she would ever admit to that.

"Yeah, I guess. Still…" Her thoughts brought her back to the day she'd first met Angel. The one she'd seen today was a completely different being.

XxX

Flashback

Hazel did not feel up to this. Today was supposed to be her day off from soul collecting. There were no deals to be made, no humans or creatures to kill, no hunters to bother with. She was curled up under her blanket, sleeping in and dreaming of violent things that had a grin plastered on her face. Of course, some random low level demon just had to go and wake her up. Reflexively, a katana shot out, followed by a set of shiny, silver claws that hacked his arm all to pieces. He howled in pain before Hazel shot up into a sitting position. Her internal clock was telling her it was sometime in the late afternoon, even though you couldn't really tell by looking outside. Blood seeped from the deep gashes in his arm, staining the marble floor below him. Hazel growled, furiously rubbing the sleep out of her eyes and fumbling for her glasses on the nightstand next to her. She thought about what she just did.

"Whoops. Um…" When her blurred vision finally started to focus, she glanced at the demon whimpering in pain before her. "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to wake up a half dog demon when she's getting her beauty sleep? Gosh! You could've at least knocked."

"I-I'm s-sorry. I… I d-didn't mean to disturb y-you, ma'am. L-Lucifer requires your presence in the t-throne r-room."

"Fine. Just give me a minute," she sighed snobbily.

She threw back the covers and slowly got out of bed. After stretching her back and hearing a few satisfying popping noises, she hauled the demon up by his injured arm and threw him off her balcony without remorse. With a snicker and a yawn, she grabbed a random shirt and a pair of dark jeans, threw them on, and headed out of her room. She grabbed breakfast on her way there: a plate of bacon, pancakes, bacon pancakes, eggs, toast, an apple, maple syrup, butter, and a glass of orange juice.

"Bacon pancakes. Makin' bacon pancakes. Take some bacon and I'll put it in a pancake. Bacon pancakes. That's what it's gonna make. Bacon pancaaaakes!" she sang happily under her breath.

She munched away for a few minutes while singing that song before she found herself in front of a set of huge, ornate doors. Swallowing the last piece of bacon and chugging her glass of OJ, she used her powers to make the dishes disappear to the kitchens before pushing open the doors. The sight she was met with was strange in her book. Lucifer was sitting on his throne, leaning forward and looking at least partially interested in what the visitor had to say. The visitor was no demon. Hazel could feel that from her aura. It was too bright, too kind, too… angelic. That set off instant alarm bells in her head. Lucifer looked up and stopped her for a second.

"Morning, love! Come join the party." He beckoned Hazel over, scarlet eyes sparkling at her arrival.

The visitor turned around and inspected the unorthodox specimen before her. Demon no doubt, but those ears. That must've been what made her react the way she did. Her eyebrows shot up in interest and confusion. The half dog demon cautiously sidled up to the devil's side and examined the visitor, head tilted to one side.

'Well, she doesn't seem too bad,' she thought. 'But you never know with them, do you?' She made a mental note to keep an eye on her if they ever ran into each other again.

"Love, meet Angel. She's here on behalf of my brother." Angel held out her hand with a shy, sincere smile.

"It's nice to finally meet you. You must be Hazel. Gabriel and Lucifer speak fondly about you."

"Milady," she greeted courteously. "What do they say?" she asked skeptically, accepting the handshake.

"All good things. Don't worry." She turns back around and addresses Lucifer. "Is this it?" He nodded and told her to proceed.

She began by talking about how angels and demons had managed to not break out into an all-out war over the four realms, their history. She then brought up the fact that the number of souls residing in the Veil was dwindling. This was a cause of concern to Gabriel, who requested a meeting in Hell to discuss the problem with Lucifer face to face.

"He was, unfortunately, taking care of a few things upstairs involving reapers, rogue spirits, and a few ghosts, so he couldn't exactly make it. That's why I'm here."

Satan sat up and blew out a breath, hands going behind his head as he locked gazes with her.

"Well, I've heard your side of all this. You sound a whole lot like him, you know. Look at the big picture, Lucifer. Stop thinking of yourself, Lucifer. Get your head out of the gutter, Lucifer, and listen to me because you have a habit of not doing that," he mocked in a whiny tone. Hazel tried to contain a laugh at the last one, which she personally agreed with.

"And?" Angel asked.

"I can't give you an answer yet. I need to hear it from him. I need to confirm that the words left his mouth. I trust you. Really, I do. We've had each other's backs more times than I can count, but this is a delicate subject. How about we set up a meeting back home? You guys won't be busy tomorrow, right?"

Angel shook her head no.

"Personally, I couldn't care less about the souls in the Veil. There's plenty of him and they've never run out before. I don't see why everyone's got their panties in a bunch because of some statistic you don't even know is true."

"They could have a point," Hazel interrupted. "We need souls. It's why the universe works, why we're still here. If something happens to them, what are we going to do?"

"Trust me, Hazel. It won't come to that. I think we're done here."

"But-"

"I think we're done here," Lucifer stated with a tone of finality. Hazel's ears drooped even further and her protest died in her throat before she could fully voice it. She nodded and, with a cheesy grin and overdramatically excited wave, said her farewell.

"Bye, kid! Don't talk to strangers!" Angel gave her a confuzzled yet understanding look before vanishing with a flap of her wings.

Closing A/N: I just want to see where this one goes. It's really just an experiment with a SPN AU, which I will answer any questions you have... about... it... Does that sentence even make sense? Anyway, thoughts?