The Youngest Fallen

Many years ago, when the angels were still young and heaven was a happy place, God called his four eldest children to him. Michael, Lucifer, Raphael and Gabriel all flew to their father's sacred garden. They found him staring off, looking over all of creation.

"It has been written", their father said without looking at his sons, "that a final angel is to be born to Heaven. She will alter the fate of all creation. I'm entrusting you four to raise her, like you did to your siblings all those years ago. I want you to show her what is right and what is wrong. ". He turned to his sons, "love her like she is your own as she will love and adore you" he said smiling warmly at his eldest children. " It has been written".

It can be said that at that moment the young Archangels were filled with a sense of wonder and excitement. It had been many years since they had raised a fledgling and were looking forward to a new little angel and at that, a little girl.

"Father", Lucifer whispered his dark brown eyes staring in wonder at his Father, " we understand and accept your task, when will we meet our new sister". God smiled at his son's longing.

"At once, my sons, at once".

God looked again at creation and stared at the stars filling the night sky. Reaching out he gently took hold of a new-born star. He held the star in his hands and whispered words to it. A little whimper was emitted from God's arms and a startled Michael stared in. A little fledgling angel with large gold and black wings struggled in her Father's arms. "This", God announced, "is Ariel".

For eight hundred years Ariel grew in the care of the Archangels. As the youngest angel in Heaven, she was cherished and cared for by all of her siblings. Everyone loved having the fledgling around, with her new- found sense of wonder and excitement at all things. Ariel adored her four eldest brothers. Michael, Lucifer, Raphael and Gabriel had raised her like a daughter and had given her all she had wanted. And they adored her, Ariel had brought a light into the Archangels life that had not been seen in centuries. For once the brothers were getting along, in fact most angels claim that since Ariel had come along Michael and Lucifer had not tried to smite the other, that was until Lucifer fell. In angel years Ariel was barely eight years old and according to Raphael it was time for her to learn how to fly.

Raphael expanded his beautiful white and red wings and flexed them twice. With a quick bend of his knees and a large push of his wings he rose twenty to thirty feet off the ground. He sunk back down and grinned, sticking his tongue through his teeth, "see Ari, easy as pie".

Ariel gritted her teeth and opened her small gold wings with black Enochian symbols on them. She flexed and jumped and even with all her energy couldn't lift herself off the ground. Raphael laughed at his sister's determination and watched for hoours until her little feet finally rose off the ground.

" Brilliant Ari", Raphael shouted as his sister rose higher and higher through heaven. "Easy now Ari, don't go too high" Raphael warned in a condescending but sweet tone. " Don't worry Raph, Mikey said that I'm gonna be the best flyer in all of heaven when I learn, wait you see" she said, struggling to stay afloat.

"Well, only after me", Michael laughed, flying up and grabbing his baby sister from behind and tickling her through the air.

"Mikey, she's not going to learn to fly properly for years at this rate if you keep distracting her" Raphael shouted, smirking at his brother's antics.

"Aw come on Raph, you know she'll get it eventually, she's a smart one this girl", Michael replied floating to the ground with his little sister on his back. Ari sighed, they were getting into this again. Her eldest brothers had such high expectations of her, she was only three hundred for Father's sake, most angels didn't learn to fly until they were at least 1000. "I'm going to find Gabe", she announced, hopping off Michael's back and running away laughing.

Gabriel was looking over the Earth when his youngest sister ran to him. "Ari, aren't you supposed to be practicing flying now?", Gabriel questioned. "But Gabey", the little girl whined looking at her youngest oldest brother with big ocean blue puppy- dog eyes, " I can't do it, it's too hard to stay up, my wings won't keep me up. But I got up for a few seconds today- I beat my old record... Can't I stay here with you". Gabriel laughed pulling his sister into his arms. "Well, just this once" he said and lifted her into the air showing her Earth, his favourite of Father's creations. From far above God looked down at his children with pride. His sons loved their sister more than anything, even Lucifer who had fallen years before had a place in his heart for her. He watched as Michael tucked his sister into her golden bed and sang her the lullaby written for her at her birth;

you are my sunshine, my only sunshine

you make me happy when skies are grey

you'll never know dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away

Ariel closed her eyes knowing that she was safe, the person she trusted the most in creation was watching over her and he would always be there to help her. He was the first thing that she had ever seen and every night she was glad that he was the last too.

Life changed drastically for Ariel in the next few years of her life. She saw less and less of Michael who stayed locked up in his office for the greater part of every day. Raphael became angry and less patient with her about everything and Gabriel had disappeared completely. Ari knew that something big was going on but no one would tell her. And she still couldn't fly properly.

On one of those rare foggy afternoons in heaven Ariel sat alone in the garden of the Angels. Michael had promised her that he would finally teach her how to do a loop de loop while flying. She had been so excited, in three days she had only seen Michael twice, once when he said come to say goodnight to her, the other when Raph needed him to scold her for turning up ten minutes late to her lessons.

But Michael hadn't shown up today.

Ariel was growing to despise her brothers. She waited hours for Michael. Of course he forgot. They're too good for me. None of them want me anymore, not Mickey, not Raph not even Gabe. If Luci was here he'd welcome me with open wings. But oh no they got rid of them too. They think I'm pathetic. I can't even fly right

With that thought the fledgling expanded her double set of golden wings dotted with black Enochian symbols and ruins. Ariel flexed her wings twice and with all her might lifted herself into the air and flew forward through the sky, her head filled with anger and betrayal. She flew past temples and houses, loving the feel of the air through her wings. Ariel flew towards the edge where she always used to sit with Gabriel before he had abandoned her. She peered down at Earth. Now I understand why Gabe loved it so much, she thought, examining the lush green forests and hills from the safety of heaven's doorstep. Suddenly a thought occurred to her, "I'm flying!", she exclaimed, "I'm really doing it". She felt her energy draining and wings drooping. With all of her strength Ariel pushed and pushed to get back to heaven.

But it was too late. Ariel felt her wings drop and a gust of wind as she fell towards the earth. She screamed as loud as she could for Michael, the other angels and even her Father, but no one heard her. Her little angelic voice was drowned out by the wind. No- one knew that Heaven's youngest Angel fell to Earth. Not even Michael who raised her in love. Not Raphael who had taught her how to walk and talk, not any of the angels in Heaven who had watched over their younger sibling for hundreds of years. The angels of heaven realised their loss when it was too late; when they felt the bright grace of their youngest being ripped from her body as she crashed down to Earth.

Thirteen year old Dean Winchester sat on the hood of his dad's '67 Chevy Impala when the meteor crashed not even fifty miles from where they were parked. His dad had picked him and his nine year old brother Sammy up from another dingy motel with hooker sheets a few hours earlier. John had killed two Wendingos the day before and was beat up pretty bad. Thirteen year old Dean Winchester sat on the hood of his dad's '67 Chevy Impala as his baby brother slept soundly inside and his dad got fixed up in the emergency room.

The explosion from the meteor had shook Dean and sure enough not only moments after it struck John was out of that ER and shoving Dean into the car.

"That was no ordinary meteor", John exclaimed, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the steering wheel.

"Is it something to do with a demon", Dean whispered, glancing at a sleeping Sam. John sighed, " I don't think so, but it feels like something bigger, much bigger and we should check it out"

"All of us?"

"All of us."

They reached the crash site a little over a half hour later. The meteor had, luckily, fallen on a rural farm but had, unluckily, made impact with a small farm house when it had landed. John leaped out of the car.

"Dean", he said, looking into his eldest's eyes and placing a rifle in his hands, "listen to me very carefully. I want you to go up to that house and see if there is anyone still alive and bring them back down here and be careful."

"Yes sir", Dean replied and set off towards the house. It would have been a nice place to grow up, he thought to himself as he rounded the yard. The house was two stories with a picket fence and a swing set. The house itself would have been cream maybe yellow but now it was just a smoulder of black and grey. Dean closed his eyes and whispered a silent prayer that the family was okay even though he doubted it. He warily pushed open the hall door and called out, the was no reply, the only sound was that of falling debris and rubble. Dean quickly left the house and ran down the drive way, when he thought he heard a sound, a cry.

"Is there anyone there", he shouted hopefully. Nothing. "Please, where are you?" he screamed. A sound, barely audible came from far on Dean's left. He ran, looking back on that day Dean had no idea why he ran towards that crash site, all he knew was that it was a matter of life and death and he had to choose life. What Dean saw there scarred him like nothing he had ever seen. A little pale arm jutting out from under a large pile of rubble was all that could be seen of a body. Dean dropped the gun and quickly lifted the stone off the child.

A small brown haired girl lay like a broken doll in front of Dean. She looked only three years old. Her pale face was covered in blood and her leg was pointed in an awkward angle. Dean made a conscious decision at that moment in time. John would never help the girl who was in the meteor. Dean carefully lifted the girl up and ran down to his father.

"Dad, she was in the house and I don't know how but I think she survived and she's sick and we need to help her an-" "DEAN", his father cut off. "of course we'll help her".

The next 12 hours were a blur for Dean, he remembered his dad bringing the little girl to the hospital and claiming that she was his own. He remembered the nurse saying that the little girl would be ok. He remembered his dad sitting him and Sammy down and asking them if they wanted a baby sister because this little girl had no one left. He remembers himself saying yes.

Ariel opened her eyes and shut them tightly again, the light was too bright for her eyes. She tried to remember what happened, nothing, only a sharp pain in her back. Ariel started to panic she couldn't remember anything. She started to cry, what had happened? Where was she? The door opened and Ariel saw three males come in, one old and two young.

"Who are you?"

The old one sat beside her and looked her in the eye, "I'm John, John Winchester. These are my sons Sam and Dean. What's your name?"

"Ariel, I think"

"Ok Ariel, my oldest son Dean found you in a house after an accident. You were alone. I understand if this is too forward but would you like to come and live with us?"

Shocked wasn't the word. Ariel looked at the man, he seemed nice and he had a funny beard. She looked at the boys. The little one looked confused but happy to be there. The big one, Dean she guessed, looked relieved. She was only little and she had no family. These men want to help.

"OK", she shrugged.

And that is how one of the most powerful angels of the lord ended up living as a Winchester.