Chapter One

The air was filled with the stench of blood and pain, anger and screams of agony that were just as loud as the screams that were of fury rather than agony or pain. Battle cries loud and the sound of slicing and the 'clang and clash' of swords and other weapons of choice, The things around her blinking in an out of sight, her chest burning an she gasped at the pain as blood slid up her throat an out her open mouth that had been opened in an a futile attempt to scream for him to come an save her like he always does.

She reached the bloodied and burned had towards the gaping hole in her chest just under her left breast plate, her heart pounding furiously, making the blood flow harder, her lungs burning an everything on fire.

The screams of those suffering, blood being shed, hearts stopping an people in the distance weeping from pain and loss, suffering deep, an there was nothing she could do anymore. Her body had given up, her legs long sense gone numb, throat sore and feeling dry, face tear and blood stained, body burned and broken. Her back, right on her shoulder blade was on fire, white hot. An open wound she got from a surprise attack, just like the one the attack she was now suffering and dying from. The short yet sharp spear had been roughly jammed through the breast plate on her bright silver armor that was now smeared an stained in the blood of the people that had been her victim, an now she was the victim of the nameless angel that had gotten past her defenses.

She turned her head, it pounding as she looked at the beautiful and very deadly creatures fighting not far from her person, their wings flaring behind them, some bending at the knees spinning and ripping there enemies apart…or in half. She heard a thud and closed her eyes crying out and sobbing. She looked to her left an saw a face with a name she didn't know, or right now couldn't remember, an if she didn't know him, she never will now. The angel's eyes had gone blank an one of his wings was bent at a weird angle,

The body armor that had been issued for battle had be ripped off in some places, and the long spear clearly visible as it staked out from his back, his body face down an curved over another body that had long sensed discarded an long sense dead.

She looked at the sky and closed her eyes; coughed and gasped finally letting her arms go completely slack, more of her body doing it for you.

She felt a shadow cover her from the burning sun, the hard struggle to open her eyes and look at the imposing figure above her. He stood tall his wings stretching to the full length, his body bloodied with his blood and the blood of the victims around him an ones he has already slayed.

The angels name falling off her lips as she coughed and sputtered. She closed her eyes and waited for the sword of the seraphim to come down and finish what was already started. She was really hoping he would end the suffering, ending all of it, the pain; both physical and emotional, the memories, the time lost and time that should had been spent with him.

She felt the imposing figure of the arch angel crouch down close, could feel the harsh but all together smooth medal as he bent down to her ear as the battle still raged on. She couldn't find it in herself to flinch away, not having the will, or strength to do so.

"You are the divine, you concur, save, ruin, and cherish. You feel with your heart, and think for yourself. You have been a warrior like no other, and now a victim taking her last breath. You were his other half, the part of him for which he was always missing. You are the leader, follower, and child to the world, and now I free you of this pain….forgive me child.'' Michael uttered, evenly though a cracking tone sounded underneath, in her ear as tears slipped out her closed eyes. He's face was hard but she could see the pain of the actions he was about to do hurt him, she could see under the mask, though most could not, she wasn't like the others.

She looked at him as he came out of his crouched position and raised the magnificent weapon that was his sword, almost pitying him for was about to do. She opened her mouth, that had been closed when clenching her teeth when putting pressure to the wound in a futile an pain filled attempt to stop from bleeding out, an sucked in as much air as possible and screamed his name just as Michael's sword was coming down.

"Gabriel! ''

Ruby Marie Daniels screamed as she shot straight up in her bed. She was gasping as she looked around at the room that was slowly filling with light. Her body felt on fire and the crescent mark on her right breast was stinging harshly. Her hand flattened against her stomach and ribs and she sputtered an let sobbing breaths out. She took pain breathes, still feeling the pain of the dream, the feeling of agony, white hot, the feeling of finally just giving in, and her body against her will, giving up.

Her heart was pounding heavily in her ears, her eyes stinging from tears shed in her sleep and new tears swelling and falling hotly down her flush cheeks. Her back burned almost as much as her chest and she laid down quickly an curled into a back rocking slightly.

She missed the door to her small room but jumped an on instinct started to fight back. Strong arms wrapped around her an held her an a chest, and the imprisonment panicked her, her dream still so real, but like most starting to fade from her mind an memory, The faces of the dead, or the people passing away, the victims and ones coming out on top…all just fading away to a numbing pain.

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Come on Rube, it's me, it's okay Ruby! It's Percy!" Said a male voiced from behind and higher up from her head. The voice took her a minute to register but she suddenly went lax, dead weight, but it didn't seem to be a problem as Percy just pulled her in his lap and she sobbed painful body shuddering cries. The release of everything coming out was like a hot knife in her heart, the pain, though was more emotional than anything else.

He rocked back and for some time as the sobs lessened and the tears dried in both eyes and on face.

Ruby hiccupped and still rested her head against Percy's shoulder. Percy and Bob were like her fathers, especially since her real one had died in the accident that leads her to these two men.

Four years ago Ruby and her parents Maria and Nicolia Daniels had been visiting some cousins near the diner that was Pleasure's falls. She didn't really remember much of it, or how the car ended up flipping five times and then in the end upside down, on the verge of exploding. Her mother supposedly died instantly and her father never made it to the hospital because of a piece of shrapnel through his chest.

All she remembers was waking up in the hospital, in serious pain, feeling like they had crushed her whole left side and back. The doctors that had that had slightly sedated her after she had a panic attack as she screamed from the pain. The doctors had explained what happened, and she sobbed as she was now orphan an no place to go, till three people walked into her hospital room. She never met them, didn't really know what to make of them, and was slightly scared.

Bob and his son Jeep, with Percy had become her new family, though will never really be able to replace her old ones. They were her family; she just had another family as well.

"You okay now, Rube?'' Percy asked soothingly and it took a minute before her body let her move an inch. She felt her muscle unclench again she sighed shakily and reached up and rubbed her face warily, rubbing away dried tears and the rest of her dream. Ruby sighed and nodded and she shifted and wrapped her arms around the wide shoulders of the man that had cared for her, even if most would have labeled her a crazy nut job, but she couldn't help it, the dream…had felt SO real!

"I-" Ruby coughed an cleared her throat, trying to clear the ruff croak in her voice "I'm better…thank you'' She hugged him a little harder and he just patted her back an nodded. She sighed and looked around the now sunlit room and turned to look at her clock to see it was a quarter to eight. She sighed a bit exasperated and she heard Percy's gruff laughter.

Ruby turned and planted her hand on her hip and her jaw jutted out a raised an eye at the black man. "Something you want to say, eh Percy?"" She lowered her gaze and narrowed her eyes giving him a promise of death and pain, and the only place that got her was Percy laughing harder. She crossed her arms and one of her hips popped out as she stared the older male as he laughed his happy little ass off. Percy was hunched backwards, his hooked hand –which had been lost because of war- clutched to his rumbling stomach and he laughed body shaking chortles, gasping for air.

She squealed loudly and stomped her foot but couldn't help it as she started laughing too, his laugh was just so contagious. "What is SO funny?" Ruby asked chuckling exasperated and crossing her arms again.

Percy was still dressed in his pajamas, the multi colored deep green flannel pants, and the gray t shirt. He obviously didn't have time to change any, probably being woken up so unexpectedly from sleeping, though she couldn't call it a deep sleep, Percy since going to war didn't sleep deeply, years of training more than likely. She all of a sudden felt like a burden, like most of the time, and the thought that she was causing this man, a man that was like her father, her guardian, made her mood take a sudden down fall.

Ruby rapped her arms around herself and frowned turning away.

"I'm sorry, Oh come on Ruby I didn't mean it." Percy sounded as he rubbed his now sore stomach and chuckled ever so often. "It was just funny…because your dressed in pink flannel an trying-" The statement sent another way of chuckles an laughs to sound through the man and again clutched his stomach. She couldn't help the twitching of her lips, though she still felt sad.

She turned and faced him, an when her saw her sadden face he quieted rather quickly. "What is it baby, I was just kidding….'' Ruby reached and rubbed her face as she cocked her head slightly and frowned. "Look Percy…I didn't mean to wake you…I am sorry that I-"

"Don't you even finish that sentence!'' Percy cut her off on that statement. His tone wasn't mad, it may have been a little loud, but it was soothing as much as his normal would have been. He stood an opened his arms, and when she hesitated he cocked his head and gave her the 'look' and her lips couldn't help curling as she walked the short distance and wrapped his arms around his waist. Percy patted her back and rocked a little side to side, patting her back.

"You are in no way a burden to me Ruby. You are like family to us out her, and even though you irritated us sometimes-" She cut him off with a 'hey' but she chuckled and laid her head on his chest, well, considering she was only 5'5. "-You are still family none the less, so there is nothing to worry about because family stick together, remember that."

Ruby thought that over but smiled and nodded, not saying anything, as to not ruin the moment.

"Though there might be something to worry about..." Percy stated as she pulled away to look at his face, frown causing Ruby's brow to furrow. "If we don't go over to the diner soon, we may have the wrath that is bob.'' He ended and they both laughed as the back away from the hug. Ruby felt better, an she reached to wipe away her face, as she chuckled. She nodded and smiled as Percy raised an eye brow at her, an she nodded again, an he patted her cheek an existed the room to go to his own room an change for the day ahead.

Ruby sighed and ran a hand through her reddish brown hair that was again tangled an rain down to the small of her back. She groaned when tugging a piece of hair that was tugged at the sensitive part of her head. Ruby growled and walked over and grabbed a pony tail off her small desk that was in the corner of her room. As she slid her hand through the hair band she looked over the room for her black hair brush and spotted it and sighed picking it up an tugging it through the mess of tangles that was her hair.

She gasped and dropped the hair brush on her bed and placed a hand over her flat stomach as a deep dose of dread settled in the pit of her stomach. It didn't feel right, an scared her a little an tugged the top drawer of desk and pulled out the orange bottle that was labeled with her name an opened the top pulling out a small triangle pill an popped it in her mouth just as Percy walked in again an handed her a cup of coffee.

"Yur a god send" Ruby muttered around the pill, not quiet able to talk normal with it her mouth. She sipped her warm coffee and hummed as the taste hit her tongue. "You know you're not really yourself, I expected more of that foul language and sass that you usually hold yourself up high with''

She thought about that and looked at him, but realized he was right.

"If you want sass you're going to have to wait till I finish my cup of Joe '' Ruby replied and took another sip of the coffee fill with some delicious hazelnut creamer. "For someone with such fire in them, you sure do drink such a wimpy drink'' Percy said crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow.

She turned to face him an raised an eyebrow, almost offended. ''The only reason I not that offended by that statement, is because I have seen you take a few sips before handing it over.'' She wagged her finger at him and grinned at him using both hands to hold the hot cup taking a few more sips looking at him. Ruby had gotten into the habit of drinking coffee after the late nights trying to stay away, or more like stay away from the nightmares, and the bitter black stuff, made her try different things, so keep bought her hazelnut creamer after hearing her complain.

Jeep had a learning problem, he was a little slow sometimes, but he was like a brother, and she would always be thankful of having him by her side. Jeep was always by Charlie, even after everything, and she knew that the pregnant young girl meant a lot to him, especially after his mother pass away.

Percy just bowed slightly and laughed walking out in his newly changed clothes not saying anything, and the next thing she heard was the front door opening and looked out her window seeing him walk towards the diner that wasn't really that far, still within walking distance, but far enough that it would make you want to take a car, though the heat is the one to blame for that.

Ruby sighed as the feeling of dread faded away as her medicine kicked in quickly and she sighed, and again looked out the small window on the double wide carry trailer. It was small, though bigger than most, and most importantly it was home, her home, and that's what she wanted. To have a home, to have a family, and that is what they have been giving her, even after she lost her family.

But she still couldn't shake the idea that something very bad was coming their way, and they all need to be prepared, and they would all need to be ready for things that they can't even imagine.