Disclaimer: I own none of Supernatural, and the only thing I possess is Rachel.
Author Note: Welcome back to the sequel of Hidden Wings. A lot will be going on in this story, so I hope you all are up for the ride.
Full Summary: Lucifer is free and reigning the apocalypse down on Earth. This is not met without resistance as Dean, Heaven's chosen warrior, and Rachel, Lucifer's first-born daughter, fight back along with hunters, humans that remain, and Heaven's forces. Everything isn't that simple though; Dean and Rachel are desperately searching for Sam, who disappeared before Lucifer rose. Much awaits the Winchester clan as Lucifer needs to be stopped… but can they find a way to do it?
Arc 1:Sons of God, Daughters of Man
C. Chapter 1/Prologue
Time.
Time passed, time was fluid, and time was so simple to lose track of. Months had passed since Lucifer had rose and taken Earth as his kingdom. People were fighting, a Rebellion as it was called, but we didn't have the forces like the devil did. He bribed many supernatural creatures to his side, and the hunters couldn't compete with those numbers. Sure we had a few demons on our side and angels too, but there were days when we all came home broken and bloody, that we knew it wasn't enough. As time passed, the more our hope seemed to die off.
Some of it had to do with Sam disappearing; things hadn't gotten better. Many hunters wanted to kill the younger Winchester, but the elder hunter, Dean, refused such things. He wasn't about to let anyone kill his brother- only he could, he said once. I took the words as truth and never questioned whether or not our leader would seriously be able to kill Sammy. I mean Dean and Sam were my cousins too. I guess when the day came, we would all see what would happen. For now, I could only hope that Sam wasn't dead or dark… even if all the other hunters accused such foolish things.
Time was truly insignificant at base, but for me, it was everything. My entire life was revolved around time- seconds, days, months. I lived by the days, and sometimes, I wished I could still see the sun. That would have been an easier way to keep track of time instead of some rusty old watch. Time right now was especially important.
After all, I only had minutes to collect as much food as possible before the Horsemen rushed inside this grocery store… Make that seconds- time was easy to lose track of.
I could hear the door being slammed against from where I stood, and I knew that the devils traps and charms wouldn't hold much longer. So instead of grabbing what I thought would be useful, I went to grabbing whatever was in front of me. This wasn't the time to be picky or choosey. Canned food was the only preference, and that was only because it actually lasted. The only thing I was sure to grab was an apple pie for Dean; he'd kill me if I forgot pie- Horsemen on my tail or not.
That's another thing that is so different now. At first the angels led the attacks against Lucifer, but one day, out in the battlefields, or the Wasteland as humans now call them, the leading angel was killed, and somehow, Dean just stepped up to the task. He took over the fight as if it was completely normal, and that day we pushed the demonic army to retreat- a rare victory. Since then, Dean called the shots on the battlefield, and everyone followed him without question- myself included. Actually, I had begun to train the Winchester in my fighting style- the one Gabriel taught me before going dark. He was almost up to two blades- his also having the ability to kill pretty much anything-, but it would still be awhile before he used them on the battlefield. Usually off the field, angels followed what we all liked to call were Dean's "suggestions." The elder Winchester was a great leader, and while he might have caused the apocalypse to pass, he was doing everything in his power to make sure he stopped it. Only Dean could, and everyone knew this. And I mean everyone. Humans, hunters, demons, angels, hybrids. We all knew that Dean's survival meant our survival, and since he started calling the shots, our odds actually went up in the war.
Dean hadn't ordered me out for a food run, but I knew something had to be done. We were low on supplies, and out of everyone, I was best to restock. Angels couldn't travel into these areas without being noticed, but Nephilims were common in enemy territory, so as long as no one recognized me, I could waltz right in. I didn't feel betrayed that my own kind sided with Lucy. He offered them protection when before all of this angels only offered death. Somewhere deep inside, it stung. My own kind was with Lucifer, I didn't belong with angels, and I didn't belong with humans either. The only thing I knew for sure was that I was a Winchester, and I belonged by Dean's side fighting until I took my last breath.
Obviously being a Nephilim didn't help me this time or I would not have been noticed by the Four Horsemen trying to break the door down. Still, this wasn't my first time in this rodeo, so I wasn't too freaked… yet.
"Why don't you try turning the handle?" I yelled enjoying taunting them though most likely, I'd pay for it later.
Next time, I decided to send a demon to do this. Thankfully, we had a few demons on our side fighting against Lucifer. They wanted redemption and decided they left Hell, and they didn't want it right back up on Earth. Still, demons weren't easily trusted as Ruby- Sam's little demon whore- could be a testament to that. The entire time she had been working against us when we were trying to keep seals from being broken. She wanted Lucifer to rise, and thanks to "her," Sam and I had helped to break the last one. She actually helped lead Zachariah and Uriel- both traitors and both dead- to us. In the end, the younger Winchester brother broke under Alistair's taunting. I'm not going much into that. That's why Sam is gone, but Dean and I were still looking for him. The angels sort of helped- like I said they were under Dean's command, and while it wasn't technically an "order," the angels kept an ear for the missing Winchester.
Demons weren't the only traitors in the pack either. We had angels go south a few times, and that made the tension between hunters and the celestials beings tight. While the hunters trusted some angels, not all were highly regarded. Our bases were out in the Wastelands shielded from demons and now angels- since there were traitors in that group as well. If the doors to any of our bases were to open, a human had to be the one to do it. Devils traps and angel traps were littered by the door. Dean and I decided to do that after one angel went rogue and led a demonic army to one of the bases we were currently at. Roughly ten were killed from our side, and thanks to this "angelic" bastard, Dean walked away with two slashes across his left eye that ran to middle cheek. He didn't lose his sight thankfully, but the scar was a painful reminder of who we could and couldn't trust. Hell, humans had even gone dark on us. Ex-hunters, now called Benders- some inside joke Dean had apparently-, hunted the hunters literally. These humans were spared demonic possession and death if they would hunt their own kind. These were the worst rogues as Dean and I had more apprehension to kill them. Benders were humans- not demons, not angels- just humans. The commandment 'thou shall not kill' seemed to have been chucked as angels didn't scorn us when we came back from the field covered in human, not demon, blood. Dean and the rest of the Rebels did what had to be done to survive.
"Open this door!" I heard Plague snarl from the other side, and I shuddered at just the sound of his voice.
Out of the Four Horsemen- Death, Plague, Pestilence, and Famine-, I only shivered at the sight and sound of Plague. Back before my Dad took power off this planet- did I forget to mention I was Lucifer's first-born daughter? Well, yeah, I am that too… A Winchester and Lucifer's daughter thanks to John's sister being my mother- an angel actually as well… a Fallen- whatever. I had a fraternal twin brother (Ryan, who was now a demon thanks to Lucifer by the way) as well, and it was because of him I was born Nephilim and not an angel… Anyway, back before my Father took power, Plague… well, Plague… he raped me. I had been under Alistair's lovely care, and the Horseman decided to show me some more hospitality. Since that day…
As I grabbed the last remnants of bottle water, I chuckled to myself. Back to the time concept again. For me, it was the only thing that really remained constant in my life next to Dean. He might as well have been my brother, and the only other two I thought I truly could rely on was Suriel (Anna being her real name if you ask me) and Cas. Both angels that had been so distant at first, but now Dean and I trusted them to have our backs. And well, Suriel also had Dean's bed. Cas actually shared mine, but ever since Lucifer took Earth, time had changed us. Damn that time. He shared my bed, and I use to think my heart; however, that wasn't how it was anymore. The angel had returned to his distant ways offering small words of comfort where hugs and touches would do better. He might have shared my bed, but that was all he did now.
"Try jiggling the handle now!" I shouted back closing the bag I carried with a single swipe of the zipper. "If that doesn't work, I guess you could just blow it off the hinges." I knew I was asking for trouble by meddling like this, but sarcasm was my best weapon.
The door behind me gave a whining creak as more weight was pushed upon it from the outside. My mind was too far gone in the pasts of time to realize it though.
"I'll enjoy hearing your screams!" Death called back.
I was only thinking of the coldness Cas had given me, and the comfort Alt-Castiel (which was his new name to make things easier for everyone) had brought. Other dimensions existed. At one point, Dean, Sam, and I traveled to a dimension where Lucifer ruled with a demon version of Dean and Sam, and a dark version of me. I had met an alternate Castiel whose pain now matched my own, and he was the one there to help me after what Plague did, not my Cas. I think that's what hurts the most when I'm in my bed at night. There might be a warm body next to me, but it has a cold soul because Cas is so afraid to fall. I don't blame him- to be human, it sucks. But, I just wished he'd stop pretending. I knew somewhere he loved me, but he just loved being an angel more. That's what really hurt. The only reason he was next to me even at night- when he wasn't busy following the garrison's orders- was because of the son I was carrying. Christopher Ryan Winchester was an entirely new hybrid- angel and Nephilim. He was Cas's son, and Chris was why Cas spent the nights with me. That would probably change though soon enough once the boy was born. After all, time flies.
Six months have passed since Lucifer rose. I was now eight month's pregnant with a child that would be born with wings… And with that last fleeting thought, the door broke down and the Horsemen came charging in.
Chapter 2 preview: Rachel is outnumbered and outgunned, but that doesn't mean she's going to lay down either. Faced against the Horsemen, the Nephilim races to lose them in the Wasteland, so she can return to her friends at base.
OOC: I want to thank Sock-Thief-Bandit for the suggestion of the title. This is more of the prologue that catches everything up. The next chapter will be diving right into action. From now on, the alternate versions of any angel will have an Alt in front of their names. Dark Dean, Sam, and Rachel will still be referred to as Deano, Samuel, and Rach. Those curious about the darker halves- Darkened Wings- is also in progress which details their lives.