Sooo… Yeah. Please don't kill me, I know it's been forever- Trust me, I'm as invested in this story as you are (lol). I hope you guys like this story, and I also hope you leave a review, even if you're a guest, they are the only thing that made me write this story and 'An Angels Love'. Seriously.

Special thanks to 'thewindinthemedow', 'TheKingswoman'(I love you), 'TrickstertheKing' 'Telentropy X'(I Love your stories, even the deleted ones), and 'Esyluim Happiness'

(I also love any and all guest reviews)

P.S. Let me know about any typos, they drive me crazy and I have no Beta to catch them.

Anyway, Let the Story Begin!

I was unsurprised to hear a hospital monitor beeping when I finally
came to, After all, I had just been thrown against a hell of a large
tree by a wendigo.

All I could remember was jumping in front of Dean to give him enough
time to load the flare gun before the wendigo could get to him. I have
no Idea what happened after I flew through the air, whether or not
anyone else had made it was something I should figure out.

I slipped out of bed and walked down the hospital corridor not looking back.

I tried sneaking past the half-asleep night nurse, who I doubt would
notice if a drunk bear had walked next to her, much less me. But it
was still kind of exhilarating when I succeeded. However the ER doctor
that was coming around the corner would notice a patient running
around the halls, but I had a plan.

There was one thing public school had taught me, and it was the fact
that doors were perfect portals to safety, as long as you knew what
was on the other side. I would never forget sixth grade as long as I
lived, but at least I learned to ALWAYS check which bathroom it was.

I glanced up at the sign and slipped in, making sure I was alone in
this safe haven, more commonly called the women's bathroom. I put my
ear to the door and groaned when I heard the doctor talking to the
night nurse, catching a few snippets of their conversation:

"...Brain surgery..."

"...amazing long hair..."

"...love that show."

I face palmed as I realized they were talking about one of Dean's
shows that he never admitted that he watched. I had caught him once
though, we finished it together and it became the unspoken agreement
to never say a word of what became a weekly tradition. I put my ear to
the door again and continued listening.

"...almost too accurate..."

"...sooo hot..."

"...Dr. Sexy MD can't end!"

"...finale?"

"...checkup...later..."

"..Bye!"

I breathed a sigh of relief as they walked past. Standing upright I
caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror and a cold chill crawled up
my back as I realized what was wrong with this whole situation... I
was perfectly fine.

I was wearing my jeans and boots, a navy military trench, but my
golden feather was not on my wrist. My skin was more perfect than it
had been in years, and most disconcerting, I didn't have so much as a
bruise on me. My breath caught in my throat and I ran back towards my
hospital bed, the lights flickering around me. I slid to a stop on the
cold linoleum and stared down at my own pale face.

I looked like hell- No, I looked like I had fallen off a three story
house, through a tree, and was trampled by a heard of elephants before
a lion gnawed on me. And then went through hell.

But that meant I was a ghost, but somehow while my heart was still
beating. But if I was a ghost, how did I manage to open the door? I
would have to be decades older to do that, at least that was my
experience...

Oh well, weird crap happens, otherwise I'd be out of a job.

I glanced at the clock. 11:45pm. Great, I had time to experiment with
this, but now for the real question. What to try first? I could try
levitation, or moving things around without touching them- Oh, I know.

Let's walk through a wall.

After 10 minutes of doing it I ran into a wall, probably because had
gotten distracted and hadn't been focusing when I had gone through.

But in my defense, the lights flickering wherever I went was something

I was still getting used to. The faster I went, the more they blinked,
and if I went at a snails pace, they didn't change at all. And anyway,
as long as there was no salt, I couldn't get hurt when I ran into
something. So on that note, I went back to work. I tried writing a
note, but for some reason It wouldn't let me, so I experimented with
other things.

Light switch: yes

Paper: yes

Pen: no

After I messed around a bit I decided I should probably go find Sam
and Dean, they had to be somewhere close by.

I took a deep breath and tried floating through the floor.

I shivered as I slid through the floor, it felt like I was sinking
through cold water, which, I guess, was one more thing to get used to.

I ended up in some sort of storage closet, which was better than, say,
the waiting room, 'cause I still had no clue if people could see me or
not. One way to find out I suppose. I cracked open the door and made
sure the coast was clear before stepping out and hurrying to the
waiting room as inconspicuously as I could.

There were half a dozen people there, but the ones that caught my eye
were wearing flannel and arguing with the nurse at the desk- something
about visiting after hours without special permission. I sighed in
relief when I saw Dean had the feather bracelet around his wrist, I
wouldn't trust it with anyone else, other than Sam that is.

I walked slowly forward and stood in front of the other receptionist.

She didn't even glance my way. I sighed, this was just peachy, I could
turn tangible but not visible. Now I had to contact them some other
way... or did I?

I could just smack one over the head. But if it worked, I wouldn't
want to hurt them, or have the action amplified by ghost power or
something. I poked Sam's arm gently, waiting then trying again.

Nope. I'd have to figure something else out. Maybe I couldn't
interfere with living things yet, that would make some sense I
suppose, but it's not like I could check a manual. I glanced at the
clock.

11:57pm

I froze when a thought flashed in my head, midnight was the ghosting
hour, right? So maybe I could communicate with them then, but I would
need them alone sooo... I glanced over at the receptionist in front of
me and concentrated on her cup. If I could open doors as a ghost, this
should be a piece of cake. I walked around the counter and flicked the
cup of coffee off of the desk.

SCORE!

She shrieked in surprise when the cups contents spilled all over her
pants leg, then she rushed to get a paper towel. I ran towards my
room, grinning in satisfaction as the lights flickered. Sam and Dean
glanced at each other before slipping past the two women who were busy
mopping up the coffee spill. This was easier than falling down a
flight of stairs. I let the boys pass me in the hall, and I
concentrated on rising through the ceiling.

I decided Being a ghost wasn't so bad after I managed to beat the boys
to my own room. They sneaked in, whispering

"Dean, do you really think there was a ghost? Or was it just, I dunno,
a power failure?"

"Sam, when has it EVER been a power failure? Besides, hospitals have
backup power."

Sam shook his head, not bothering to answer

"So, we are in here, we think there's a ghost, and we have no clue
what to burn."

I smacked myself in the forehead. These boys would be the death of me.
A glint of gold caught my eye, and an idea flashed into my head. I
crouched down and called my bracelet to me, and without hesitating it
curled around my invisible wrist.

Dean yelped when it made the exchange, causing Sam to look at what
caused the commotion. I almost laughed out loud as realization dawned
on their faces.

"Hey Dean... do we still have that ouija board?"

"Yeah, it's in the trunk." They made to leave the room, but were
stopped by my hand franticly waving

"What?" Sam asked

The truth was I didn't want them to go out there, there was
something... unsettling in the air- more like behind the air,
something... Cold. Powerful.

But how was I supposed to tell them? There was no way to communicate
other than vague movements with a bracelet or interaction with- a
light switch. Of course. I flicked back and forth, making 3 short
flashes, 3 long, and 3 short again.

"S... O... S? What the hell Croft?"

Before I could flicker another message a cold breath blew across my
neck, causing me to shiver while frozen in place. Out of the corner of
my eye I glimpsed a large shadowy figure, sniffing the air by my head.
Perhaps if I don't move it will leave me alone. It kinda worked in
Jurassic Park, so why shouldn't work for me?

Because I'm not a fictional character apparently. It started running
towards me, knocking me over, so I ran, an unknown thing chasing me
for HELL KNOWS WHY and only a handful of powers to work with. I melted
through the floor and a couple walls heading outside, where the
Impala- and a weapons arsenal- waited for me.

Although- the chance of me being able to actually use any of the guns
was slim as a supermodel. I skidded to a halt when I saw a man leaning
against the impala.

He was tall, lean, and reminded me somewhat of Anton Ego from
Ratatouille, especially since he seemed to be eating. What stopped me
short was the fact that I saw a literal aura of power emanating from
him, and that the food seemed to be deep fried pickles.

I glanced behind me, and finding that I was no longer being chased, I
stepped forward hesitantly, a slight sprinkle of rain starting to come
down around us.

"Would you like one? I found an excellent little place that makes them
to order, and the batter is just superb." His tone was dry and
knowing, but not unkind.

I leaned on the impala next to him,

"I don't think I can... but for pickles, it's worth a shot."

Much to my delight, I could actually eat them. But I think it had more
to do with who was offering them than ghost physics.

We munched for a while in a comfortable silence before he turned to me
with a calculating look.

"You are the one they refer to as 'Laura Croft' are you not?"

I could tell it was not so much a question but a statement, given by
someone who already knew the answer.

"I think you don't really need the answer to that." I replied, kind of
wondering if the answer would be me smashed by a power surge from him.

It was a terrifying dichotomy to see the black swirl of light, bright
enough to squint at, but too dark to see his figure. Tendrils of power
flicked to him faster than lightning, then left at the same pace, I
could only guess at who they were, or why they seemed to be talking to
him whereas he seemed unfazed and focused on me.

I shook my head and looked at his corporal form, trying to ignore his
true form, which was nothing like I thought it would be. He noticed my
distraction and small smirk appeared on his face.

"So the rumors are true, you can see true forms. I'm quite surprised
you can see mine, even the tiniest glimpse of it would generally blow
a human to bits. A whisper would drive a demon mad- but you, you can
almost see my face... no wonder Michael likes you."

My throat tightened, I hadn't seen or heard from Michael in months,
and even Cas had been unable to tell me where he was, something that I
could tell bothered him.

"So you're here about him. I wish I could say I'm surprised."

A movement caught my eye, and I saw Dean looking out the window, and
his face paled at the sight of my acquaintance.

I looked away before the stranger noticed. "So, was the thing chasing
me your doing?"

"I found it to be the most efficient way to get you out here."

I mulled over his words, and a pit settled in my stomach as the puzzle
pieces started to fall into place. I feigned ignorance and asked,

"Huh... and care to tell me who you are- not everyone can pull stunts
like that- or have a ghost eat deep fried pickles- OR even talk to a
ghost at all!"

"Please, you've had enough hints to at least make a guess, and it
should be easy considering that you have a hunch already. If you don't
get it right, well, you're obviously not the person I'm looking for."

Something about this whole situation was wrong, I could feel it in my
core, but I took a deep breath and whispered,

"I know who you are... but what would Death want with me? I'm still alive."

He lifted an eyebrow

"I thought we already established I'm not here about you. However,
your 'Faience' worries me, mostly the lack of noise he's been making
in heaven. I cannot personally go up there without drawing attention
to the situation, that is, I believe, very dire."

"So... you need me to break into heaven... but Why? What is something
that worries death so much that he would ask me to do that?"

He pursed his lips tightly,

"The last time he took charge, the apocalypse was started. Seeing as I

don't want that to happen again I thought it best I took a look at

it."

I squinted at him slightly, before shaking my head.

"No, that's not it. You don't want to let something slip... You of all
people should know, I look at enough fake faces to see a real one, and
you? You're lying through gritted teeth."

He faced me square on, his lanky frame towering over me.

"I think you have forgotten who you are speaking to, and that I can
snuff you out with a blink." as he spoke, it started getting harder to
breathe, and I stumbled away from the car as I realized what he was
doing.

He stepped towards me and I started to feel lightheaded as I choked
for air, crumpling to my knees.

Black spots danced behind my eyes as he continued,

"You are no more than a dust speck screaming 'I am significant!' to a
hurricane. Know your place, and learn it well."

With those words he left me sucking in the air on the ground, his eyes
staring down at me.

I rolled over, trying to get as much oxygen in my lungs as I could,
and in between gasps I saw Dean run up towards us, Sam closely
following- Both of them wearing glasses for some reason.

"Croft, so help me... Are you ok?"

I grinned weakly at them "For a dust speck, I'm not too bad"

He chuckled back at me despite the situation

"He compared me to bacteria, and that I had an inflated sense of my
own importance- because I thought he was gonna kill me, so count
yourself lucky."

I lifted an eyebrow at him

"Wait... I thought you couldn't see me. Does it have something to do
with the hipster glasses you're wearing-?"

"Guys" Sam interrupted "I think you forgot we have an audience"

"Not forgotten, Just ignored" I snarked, grinning at the scandalized
look Sam shot my way.

Death also looked slightly shocked, and all I could do was laugh at
the whole situation.

"You know," I wheezed when my laughter had subsided "You could have
just asked us to check heaven out for you, and I totally get that you
would want to stay away since the last archangel nearly killed you.
But Pa-leaz, cut the drama, cuz' you showed your hand too soon- You
need me and you know it. CROWLEY."

I stood up, fixing my gaze on him

"Fix me up and let's get some food, I'm tired of not eating. Then you
can tell US what needs doing, and loose the costume, Death doesn't
suit you."

I turned around, stalking across the silent parking lot. I faced them
again when they didn't follow.

All of them stood staring at me with a mixture of shock and disbelief
in their eyes.

"Well? Are you coming or not? And Crowley, I'm serious. I want my body back."

I continued across the parking lot, grinning when I suddenly heard my
footsteps on the concrete, and I felt the freezing wet rain against my
hair. I never wanted to be anything but corporal again.

~~~

When four strange people show up on your doorstep at 1:00 in the
morning, most places would raise an eyebrow, or even call the police
when they realized that one was a girl accompanied by three guys at
least twice her age.

But not Denny's.

Denny's is a hunter's best friend, nobody lifts an eyebrow if you go
in covered in blood, ashes, or have a sword strapped to your back
(True story, I tried it when I was hunting vamps a year back). As a
matter of fact, everyone in Denny's at night looks like they have had
the soul sucked out of them, or are nocturnal beings that post weird
things on Tumblr at 3 in the morning. I've actually heard of a hunter
who believed that Denny's was run by some sort of zombie breed, and he
studied it for 50 years until his death... He made a rather convincing
case if I do say so myself.

I practically skipped over to the booth with a grumpy Crowley and two
boys in tow, passing someone dozing at a table.

The waitress took our orders with glazed eyes, not caring when Crowley
produced a bottle of fine aged whiskey from his coat and asked for
shot glasses

Sam was eating some sort of salad that I'm fairly sure a rabbit would
be proud of, Dean had gotten a hamburger and a slice of Dutch apple
pie, I did one better and just got two different kinds of pie and a
huge Milkshake. Cowley had gotten a steak and a bottle of wine that
I'm fairly sure Denny's didn't actually serve.

I was munching on some of Dean's Fries when Crowley spoke up

"How did you see through my disguise? I paid good money for that!"

"I highly doubt it was 'good' or 'Money'" I laughed "but I told you, I
see faces all the time Crowley, and yours was just too complex. Death
is really a simple thing, it's the people that make it complicated. It
was a good costume though, it would probably fool anyone else."

"One other thing, When did you figure out it was me?"

"When you tried to kill me, I suppose."

"So you would have mouthed off to DEATH?" He asked disbelievingly

I shrugged.

"I have never met someone so impulsive and unabashedly afraid of dying
as you. It's almost suicidal. Even Dean had more sense than you, and I
never thought that could possible."

Sam laughed at that, and Dean's eyes shot daggers towards him.

I replied

"This may surprise you, but I don't fear you, or what you can do to
me. I have something much stronger than death."

Death tilted his head and said

"And what would that be?"

"Faith."

I said simply before sipping more of my milkshake

"Well faith is a fragile thing."

"Try me, I'm catholic."

Now it was Dean's turn to snort, and I winked, but my smirk quickly
faded, and I stirred my drink slowly

"But I could tell you were telling the truth about Heaven... what's
the deal? You seem to think it's pretty bad."

"I know it is. Heaven has a history of not enjoying change, in any way
shape or form. And Michael has come back a very changed man. I have
heard whispers, tendrils of information- and none of it good. It seems
someone has taken over Naomi's shop, and apparently, it is bigger and
better than ever before, however, it is more hidden than ever before
as well. However it is not ALL of heaven, so we stand a chance."

I could feel the blood drain from my face, and Sam's hand gripped mine
under the table.

"You don't think..." my voice cracked, and Dean put his arm around my shoulder.

Sam finished my thought

"…Michael is being 'repaired?'"

"I do. And the fact is, anyone that wants to re-train Micheal will
make him worse than before, and it will take someone far stronger than
Laura here to get him out. I suggest Dean."

I was too drained to remark on that statement, but Dean felt no such thing.

"Hey!" He barked "She can do as much as me or Sam, or even Cas, so cut
the crap. And we both know it won't be just her."

"You do realize you will die to do this."

Dean shrugged

"It doesn't matter, she's Family." He smirked "Besides, Death never
seems to stick."

Crowley took a long sip from his glass before nodding

"Very well."

Sam shrugged and asked

"When to we start?"

"When you call the annoying angel that seems to follow you everywhere.

He knows his way around heaven as well as anyone."

We all turned to look at Dean, who groaned and buried his face in his hands

"You realize he's your friend too, right?"

We stared

"Fine!" he grumbled before closing his eyes

"Uh, Cas? We need to talk to you, so, um... yeah."

With a flutter of wings Cas was standing by our table, and when he saw
the group seated around it he turned and said

"Dean, I need to tell you something."

Dean shifted uncomfortably in his seat

"Yeah?"

"Whatever this plan is, I already don't like it."

I couldn't help it, I really, REALLY, tried to keep a straight face,
but I laughed. He turned a puzzled look on me

"Did I say something funny?"

I just shook my head, trying to contain my giggles, sure I was failing
miserably. No matter how often he made an unintended joke it still
made me laugh. I sobered when I thought of what we were about to do.

"Come on boys, Crowley still has Hell to run, and Michael... He needs our help."

I finally said, standing.

"Anyone know where a portal to heaven is?" Sam asked

Crowley perked up "Colorado Springs"

Dean sent him a bitchface "Garden of the Gods Man? You've gotta be kidding me."

Crowley smirked "No, Idiot. In the wilderness, obviously. It's so far
out of the way nobody guards it, making it perfect for us."

Dean nodded, rubbing his eyes "Alright. Let's get going."

~~~~

"Crowley, this had better be the right waterfall this time, or so help
me, I will spill your guts." Dean Growled, climbing over yet another
sunset colored rock.

We had been hiking for hours, looking for 'The Spring-water' according
to Crowley. Cas was little to no help, as he never had to use portals
to get to heaven, and the fact we couldn't draw attention to ourselves
by having him teleport us. I rubbed my eyes. I hadn't slept in days,
too busy trying my best to tame my fears, with no luck.

The stones were orange sandstone, and the turquoise water made a
striking image against it and the evergreens. The water was also
surprisingly warm, which Crowley said was from the hot springs deep
inside the mountain. 'Not boiling hot but pleasant enough to swim in'
were his exact words. Which kind of surprised me. I never thought of
Crowley as the informational type- on geology, at least. Blood rituals
yes, Cold to Hot water ratio, no.

"Relax Squirrel, have I ever led you wrong?" Crowley purred back, not
even breaking a sweat in his black suit. One of the perks to being a
demon I suppose.

I hardly noticed the prattle surrounding me, it had been three, almost
four days since Crowley had told us what was going on. Days of Endless
searching for any information on heaven, or where Naomi's office was.

Then one day, I packed my bags and started walking, leaving a note on
the door. I was no good at research, and I was climbing the walls with
anxious energy. They caught up five hours later, giving me time to
breathe.

"Yes. Several times." Sam answered, following Dean up the steep incline.

I followed their footsteps, Cas right behind me. I tugged on the
straps of my bag, rolling my shoulders to loosen the ache. I was
tired, but my mind kept wandering to Michael. I knew we were going as
fast as we could, but it didn't seem fast enough to me.

I was so lost in thought I nearly ran into Sam, who was paused to take
his bag off.

"Whoa, there!" He chuckled. "Let's sit, shall we? Crowley says the
place is over the next rise. Dean's checking it out to see if it's
good for setting up the tents."

I nodded slowly, sliding the straps off, not even noticing where it
went when Sam took it. It was hard to focus, probably because I hadn't
eaten since the diner. I had tried, but all I could keep down was
water, and if I was lucky, tea. I don't think anyone noticed, except
perhaps Cas, who only shot worried glances from time to time.

Sam wandered off to check on Dean, who was most likely at Crowley's throat.

The sun was warm, and I could hear the birds in the trees. Michael
would love a day like this... with a start I snapped my eyes open,
shaking my head to try and clear my thoughts. I needed to be ready to
take on heaven, but my entire body ached, my head no exception. I was
so tired, but no matter how long I laid down, and no matter how much
whisky I drank, my head buzzed too much to sleep.

I pulled my hair into a braid, then walked over to the edge of the
water, sitting on a fallen log. The mist was flying from the
waterfall, where Crowley still insisted the doorway to heaven was. I
slipped my shoes off and waded in, closing my eyes and breathing in
the pine scent that came off the trees.

A splashing noise broke the silence, and I reeled back in shock as an
angel's presence splashed towards me, that much I could tell, but all
I could see of her was blood, so much blood. It practically coated her
grace, but the closer she got, I could see it wasn't hers. I tried to
yell for anyone, but her hand was faster, and her fingers touched my
lips. The last thing I saw was her tears of despair as she crumbled to
dust, and a blue light coated my vision.

I didn't notice my eyes fluttering shut, or falling, or hitting the ground.

.oOo.

I felt pain when I woke up, like I had just been sunburned with the
light of a supernova, but it was fleeting, and by the time I stood up,
it had dulled to a slight throbbing.

There was a white room, no door that I could see, just a chair with
straps and a tray next to it, full of what looked like needles, still
bloody.

I blinked, unsure of what I was seeing, I looked down, and found I was
wearing a pair of white jeans and a dove grey trench coat with a big
collar, which was strange, considering the fact that I had never seen
or thought about having one.

I pulled my sleeves up, breathing a sigh of relief and letting them
drop when I found the feather still around my wrist.

So not a dream then. But hey- when were they ever? And what about the
strange angel I saw? I shook my head. She had to have been a
hallucination from lack of sleep, no angel I had ever seen or heard of
would cry, and I'd never seen anything so coated in blood. Even though
it could possibly explain what was going on, or... I shook my head.

No. Wherever I was, I had to be thinking clearly.

I stepped forward and nearly fell headfirst off of stiletto boots.

"Of course it had to be heels" I grumbled, teetering forward over the
impeccable white carpet.

I walked around the room, running my hand along the wall, trying to
figure out where I was, or more importantly, why I was here.

My eyebrows wrinkled in confusion as my hand found a sliver as long as
my thumb, pale wood against the perfect polish of the walls. I touched
it carefully, and suddenly the wall split open with a screaming gust
of wind, carrying out snowflakes the size of marbles that numbed any
skin they touched. I tried to see into the darkness, but the shadows
seemed to devour any shred of warmth and light they touched.

I turned my collar up and fought my way into the gale, my eyes closed
against the slivers of ice, falling over when the door shut behind me.

I could barely feel my face, and my fingers were red with cold. My
breath was stark white against the darkness.

I stumbled to my feet warily, pulling my jacket close. I seemed to be
wrapped in the only light in this soul crushingly cold and dark place,
but I took a hesitant step forward, and then another. A glimmer of
gold caught my eye, and I walked towards it, my teeth chattering.

As my eyes adjusted to the dim gold light I was walking towards, a
strangled sob caught my throat, and I broke into a run.

They were wings.

Michael's arms were chained high above his bowed head, iron cutting
into flesh, all six of his massive wings were tied down to the ground,
ice forming over each delicate feather- the ones that were left, that
is. Frost covered his bare chest, feet, and hair. Every inch of skin
was a massive collection of welts, his pants riddled with scorch marks
and holes, and his lips were practically blue from cold. His normally
shaggy blond hair was matted with blood that trickled down his face
from where his skin had been pierced. Most likely with the needles in
the first room. Sigils surrounded him, and one was branded on his
shoulder, another carved on his wrist.

My stomach flip-flopped as I carefully made my way over the wardings.

My hands hovered over his face a moment before carefully cupping his
chin and lifting his head.

He must have found a new host, not one I had seen, and not Adam
either. Whoever it was, both eyes were blackened, but I could feel a
weak breath tickle at my neck, raspy from what I assumed were broken
ribs. My thumb stroked his cheek as unbidden tears fell.

I had to get him out of here.

I wiped my tears away on my sleeve, gently resting his chin back on
his chest. He stirred and his clear blue eyes stared at me as a ghost
of a sardonic smile crossed his lips.

His voice was weaker than I remembered, but it was still bold and
commanding as he rasped,

"Really Ahriman? You used to have a shred of decency in you." a
coughing fit overtook him, and blood dripped from his lips as he
continued,

"But imitating my mate to torture me... that is a new low."

"But I'm here to get you out." I said

He snorted "That's Likely"

I shook my head

"No- No, it's really me. It's Laura."

He groaned in pain as he lifted his head, but a sneer marked his face

"It. Is. Not. Possible." a cough cut him off, but he finished "Now get
to doing what you're here to do- we both know that you want to" He
gritted out vehemently, head dropping again.

I shook my head in disbelief,

"Fine, but you better hold still"

He didn't even look up, or acknowledge me in any way as I ripped a
long strip off of the shirt I was wearing.

Stepping close I lifted his chin once more, his eyes stared into mine,
full of bravado. I wiped as much blood as I could from his face, then
moved towards his wrist.

"What are you doing?" he asked, his voice holding a shred of uncertainty.

I met his gaze sadly

"Trying to help. Now if you are willing to trust me, you can shut up
and hold still so I can try to get you free. If not, I will try to
stop the blood until they come back. And then once they leave I will
do it again, and again, and again... until the day I get caught or you
die- perhaps both."

I kept staring at him, the only sound made was his raspy breathing and
the occasional shifting of my feet to try to stay warm.

The silence was broken when he broke into another cough, blood
spattering the snow beneath him. He didn't even try to muster the
strength to raise his head again.

I wiped the blood from his lips once more, then opened my coat and
stepped forward, closing the space between us, trying to wake him up.

The second his cold skin got touched by my warmth, he shuddered and
let out a gasp that was almost a sob, melting into it.

A sad smile twitched across my face, and I cupped my hands around his
face, warming it best I could, and a groan escaped his mouth. I
glanced up at him, his eyes were closed, and his whole body shivered
uncontrollably. I waited till the frost on his face was gone before
letting my fingers move down to his neck, and his eyes fluttered open.

He opened his mouth to speak, but I stretched up and brought our lips
together, and after a moment he returned the kiss. His cold lips were
clumsy and slow against mine, but I didn't care as I wrapped my arms
around and pushed myself flush against him. His fingers curled above
us as he pulled against the chains, trying return the embrace.

I broke away to catch my breath, and I couldn't help but murmur

"So that convinced you, hmm?"

A dry laugh accompanied the reply

"I have often wanted to touch those lips again. Needless to say, it is
not an easy thing to forget- or replicate." his teeth chattered as our
frosty breaths intermingled.

"We will have to make sure that memory is fresh when we get you out of here."

I glanced up at his face where I saw his eyes were closed in
exhaustion, his breathing heavier than before.

"Hey- come on, don't fall asleep on me ok? Here, give me some bright
ideas, you have to know how to get out."

His eyes were till shut but he whispered

"Take my blade, when they come, they'll unlock me, then you will need
to kill them."

I shuddered- I had never killed an angel, but I knew that it wasn't easy. And for Micheal to ask me to kill his siblings…

"Are you sure?" I asked, peering at him closely

His eyes opened for a fraction of a second, staring at me a moment.

"Yes."

"Alright. How many?"

"Should be three."

I gave a week smile

"Only three? You must be getting soft in your old age."

His face was pulled tight in a grimace,

"Well, you don't exactly expect to be stabbed in the back by one of
your best friends."

He took a deep breath and his angel blade appeared, falling onto the
ground next to us. The brand on his chest flared up with incredible
heat, the force of it pushing me to the ground.

His face contorted and an unholy scream burst from his lips, his back
arching in pain. as suddenly as it came, the heat dispersed, leaving
the smell of burning flesh and a wisp of smoke.

I grasped the hilt of the sword with one hand, sliding it into my
boot. Frantically I scraped the snow into a ball, scrambling to my
feet and pressing it against the wound, the snow melted too quickly to
do much good, but I was more concerned with if Michael was even alive.

He was unconscious, looking like a burned out shell of the man he used
to be. I put my ear to his chest and nearly collapsed in relief when I
heard a heartbeat.

"You idiot. If I had known that it would to that to you, I would have said no."

I muttered, wrapping myself once more around him.

.oOo.

The door was just as noisy opening from this side as it was from the
other, thank heavens, otherwise I would have been caught.

I untangled myself from him and slid into the shadows, watching as two
angels walked inside, both of them wearing suits.

"Wakey, wakey, Michael. Big plans for you today."

Michael didn't stir until one walked up to him and slapped him across
the face with enough force to send him reeling to the side as much as
the chain would let him.

"Is Sleeping beauty awake now?" the angel sneered grabbing his hair
and yanking upwards so he could see Michael's eyes burning with cold
fury.

"Ahriman..." Michael sneered "where's Azrael? You think that an old
friend would be the first to show up."

Ahriman's eyes flashed

"She couldn't take the heat of retraining you. She went and cleansed
herself... knowing who she was, I wouldn't be surprised if she chose
the biggest idiot she lay eyes on."

Michael's eyes widened almost imperceptibly, and flicked towards me,
but thankfully Ahriman was too busy yelling at the other angel to
notice.

"Dumah, the keys. Now!" He snapped the other angel fumbled with the
keys before handing them to Ahriman, who proceeded to unlock all the
chains holding Michael, unlocking the ones at his hands last. Shoving
him as the last lock clicked out of place, causing him to collapse to
the floor.

"See, this is what you have become. You're soft now... A weakling. You
should be thanking us if you think about it." Ahriman said, tossing
the keys to Dumah, who missed.

"I highly doubt that." Michael spat, receiving a sharp kick in the side.

Dumah flinched at the pained grunt from Michael's mouth as he scrambled for the keys.

I stepped as close as I dared, keeping to the shadows behind Ahriman,
sword drawn. He aimed another kick at Michael but before it landed a
chill went through my bones and the world seemed to slow. A snowflake
hovered in the air, and I stepped forward, touching it. I stared at it
a moment before I knelt in front of Michael, his breath blowing the
snow away in slow motion, eyes flashing with barely contained
lightning.

Ahriman was also frozen in time, his blustering red face full of hate.
Dumah was afraid of an unchained lion of his own making, the way he
hid himself away from Michael proved the fact.

Now, whatever was going on, I would take advantage of it.

A whisper of wind carried me forward, and I swept my arm up, slicing

Ahriman's throat. With a curl of my arm and a twist of my body his
head was on the floor.

And Dumah? The last thing he ever saw was an archangel's blade heading
towards his face, wielded by a human with murder in her eyes.

"What did you just do?" Michael muttered, head resting on the floor.

"I-I'm Not sure..." I whispered, staring at the blade in my hands.

Suddenly very tired, and the cold bit into me like never before

I sheathed the blade in my boot and slipped my fingers around his
shoulders, helping him to his feet as well as I could, tossing his arm
over my shoulder.

"Comon" I gasped, not ready for the massive amount of drag from his
wings. "Damn, you're heavy."

"M 'sorry" He slurred, losing the fight with consciousness bit by bit.

"No biggie man." I said as we stumbled forward, "You should lay off
the angel waffles though." I added with a dry laugh. He didn't answer
and his ragged breathing eased. He was out cold.

I dragged him, shaking my head. There was a buzzing noise that was
getting louder with every weary step.

.oOo.

I barely managed to get Michael to the white room and into the chair
before my legs rebelled, and I collapsed on the floor beside him in
agony.

I had no clue why I had more than just my voice screaming in my head.
I could only pick out a couple words from the static before it was
washed out by another message, it pounded with so many languages and
volumes ricocheting violently around inside it.

I held my head in between my hands, unable to contain a whimper.

I gasped when Michael's voice echoed through my mind, deep and full of
power, "Silence."

It was quiet. So still and calm I could float on it. Michael's hand
brushed across my forehead, and I glanced up at him slowly. He was
still laying on the chair, staring down at me.

"So you can hear it... Don't worry, it should be quiet for now." I
nodded and heaved myself up, grabbing the edge of a table for support.

I winced away from it when I realized it was the one still holding the
tray of silver needles. I shoved them as far as I could from myself in
revulsion, turning on my heel away from them, only to face Michael's
blue eyes.

He was staring at me, too tired to do anything but blink occasionally.
His lips were no longer blue, but he still shivered from time to time.

I stepped over to him, covering him with my coat. I slid the angel
blade out of my boot and put it on my lap as I sat on the floor, head
leaned up against him. I couldn't help my eyes closing and letting my
dreams wash over me.

I woke up with a jolt. Somebody was shouting my name, enough to echo
through the walls.

I jumped up and shrieked "Over here" as loudly as I could, grinning
when I could hear Cas bark orders like the warrior he was, Dean's
bitching in the background, and Sam's silent presence resonating
through the air.

I turned and kissed Michael square on the lips before pulling away, he
pushed himself up and pulled me close, and I sat next to him, forehead
touching his.

That was how they found us, and the first word that anyone said was

Dean's "Get a room!"

Followed by a dull thud that I'm sure was Sam smacking him.

I pulled away and smiled "Well Dean, we had a room, and you barged in on us."

Dean shrugged, "Fair enough."

We gathered in a rough circle on the floor, except Michael, who's
fingers were entwined with mine as we conversed.

"How did you guys get up here? I thought that you had to be dead to-
wait, you guys did not kill yourselves to get up here did you?"

Sam shrugged,

"No, Crowley did. But don't worry, we made a deal."

I stared at them in disbelief and he clarified.

"We do this, and he brings us back to life... not like a DEAL deal.
Anyway, we woke up in our heavens and Cas came and got us, we've been
looking for you since. But, how did you get up here? Crowley said the
portal had been opened, but it wasn't Cas, and you were just... gone."

Cas nodded in agreement

"And I searched for your heaven, and there wasn't one for me to find
you in. So we know two things, one: You were not dead. Two: You were
either going to hell, which- from everything I know of you, is
impossible, or you are not human which..." he shrugged at me
apologetically,"…Is far more possible"

I gaped at him, before Michael's tired voice said

"She heard angel radio, and all this was after Azrael cleansed
herself. I think she chose Laura."

Cas's eyes widened in surprise and he stared at me like he was trying
to look at my soul, which in all fairness, he might have been doing.

But I'd had enough, and I waved my hand and said, "Hold. The. Hell.
Up. I dunno about Sam here, but Dean and I are both high school
dropouts that need a little bit more help. So say what's going on in a
way we puny mortals can understand it."

"Simply put, you have just been turned into an angel by Azrael. Even
now you are beginning to have the side effects of grace, which you
would know as angel radio."

Michael broke in quietly, sitting upright with a groan

"She stopped time."

Everyone turned to stare at me, and I rolled my eyes

"Look I didn't MEAN to, it just kind of happened."

Dean shrugged and stood up "Angel or not, we have to get going before
the winged ass-hats realize we broke out of our heavens."

Cas, Michael, and I scowled at him

"I meant the OTHER winged ass-hats- I mean all of the other angels-
you know what? I'm just leaving now."

Sam shrugged and followed him out the door.

I snorted as I stood, hauling Michael up with me.

"Dean Winchester: Smooth as crunchy peanut butter."

That got a laugh out of Michael, despite his obvious pain.

I turned and said "Hey Cas? Let's go home."

He nodded, and with a flash of light the bunker walls materialized around us.

I dragged our first aid kit out of the closet and had Michael sit on
the kitchen counter. H looked slightly concerned watching me digging
through books on 'How to Amputate' and 'Field Dressing Wounds- for
Dummies.' looking rather relived when I only ended up grabbing some
bandages.

He whispered in my ear,

"You realize I'll be fine in the morning, right?"

I cut him off before he could say anything more,

"We both know that is a blatant lie to make me feel better, those
sigils will keep you out of the game for weeks. So sit still and let
me play the concerned girlfriend for once."

He shook his head and let me bandage him up. Only interrupting me with,

"Are you really alright with being an angel?" he asked in all seriousness

"Yeah." I let out a sigh and perched on the counter next to him, an
easy smile stealing across my face. "I don't know man, other than some
of the side effects, it's all good. I'm still me, just with some added
bells and whistles."

He returned my smile and remarked "I knew you were meant for me, but
Fate outdid herself on our story."

I pecked him on the cheek before continuing to bandage his arm,

"I think so too."

.oOo.

A few hours later...

I had managed to get Michael to go sleep when he nearly fell off the
counter while I made the boys' dinner, leaving me to my own devices
until they came home.

I was in the middle of reading a book and drinking hot chocolate when
Sam and Dean's voices came from the garage. I got up, and by the time
they had reached the kitchen I had served a bowl of spaghetti for each
of them, accompanied by a yawn.

"Eat up, it's still warm. I am going to bed and don't want to be
bothered until hell freezes over. GOT IT?" Harding my voice on the
last bit.

Looking back, they probably thought I was insane, but fighting a
wendigo, being a ghost, having emotional trauma and finding out you're
an angel puts strain on a girl.

I turned and wandered off towards my room, not waiting for an answer.

Sliding into an oversize shirt, I curled up around Michael, not a care
in the world.

I woke up to Michael's blue eyes, he had a soft smile as he ran his
hand through my hair. I could stay there forever, happy, warm and
safe, Dean and Sam harassing Cas up the hall. Dean would be making
victory Bacon, and Sam would be boiling tea water, enough for all of
us, though He and I would be the only ones drinking it.

I pulled Michael out of bead and we wandered upstairs joining the
banter that was so familiar.

Tomorrow was a new day, a new fight, a new demon to face, but today was good.

Today was for us to be family. All we were missing was a Redhead nerd,
an Asian geek, someone that would call us idjits for dying, a sheriff
or two, teens with sass, and a Brit with his mother.

And they were only a call away.

Ok guys, this here is the result of me getting the truly insane idea that I wanted to write 'within certain parameters' and that made me set a goal of over 5,000 words, but less than 10,000 words. And thus started the tea chugging and ten-o'clock writing frenzies, and honestly? By God and reviewers alone did this fic get written.

Thank you all again!