Charlie spent most of the next evening contemplating Anael's offer. She had given a lot of thought on the words the angel had said. She knew the angel had been sincere in her request. She meant her no harm, and would protect her. None of that bothered her. What did was the idea of her parents watching over her from heaven. Would they be ashamed of her if she did this? What would her mother think of her if she ended up calling another woman "Mommy"? Charlie didn't know. And the lack of knowing distressed her.

Anael was back up in heaven when she felt her new connection with Charlie being pulled. It was only a slight tug, but it was enough to worry her. Alarmed, she immediately appeared in Charlie's home.

Startled at the sudden intrusion, Charlie's head snapped up as she was met with Anael's tenderly concerned gaze.

"Are you alright?" Asked Anael.

Charlie smiled. "I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

Anael looked at her with surprising knowledge. "We both know that isn't true.

Charlie sighed and sat down on the couch. Her shoulders slumped and she began to shake with quiet sobs.

Anael stood there awkwardly for a moment, unsure of how to proceed, before coming to comfort her. She sat beside her on the sofa and put an arm around her shoulders. She felt Charlie lean into her embrace. For a long while, neither of them said anything, and eventually Charlie's sobs died into sniffles.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Anael asked.

Charlie finally looked up and wiped at her eyes. "I'm so confused." The words were a broken whisper.

"What are you confused about?"

"About this. Us. I don't know what to think. I don't know what my Mother would think about all this…"

Anael sat quietly for a minute, trying to find the right words to say. She felt a strange protectiveness well up in her, one that was unrivaled by any other. She wondered briefly if this was the kind of feeling that Castiel had when he raised Dean from perdition. And in that moment, she knew she was forever changed. She knew with a sudden and fierce intensity that even if this aspect of their relationship didn't work out, she would always be Charlie's guardian angel.

"I think your mother would want you to be happy." She said tactfully, hoping the words sounded sincere without giving too much of her feelings away.

Charlie looked up at her, half afraid to believe her words. She had long ago began to forget little details about her mother. The way her hair fell around her face, the way she sang off key at church, and the sound of her laugh. The memories came flooding back in a rush, and the words made her heart wrench, and suddenly she was crying all over again.

Anael's heart plummeted to the floor at the thought of saying the wrong thing. But one look in Charlie's mind told her that she had actually said the right thing. She gave Charlie a tight hug.

"She would be so proud of you." Anael whispered.

"Thank you." Charlie rasped.

"Are you alright?"

She felt herself still. she almost said no, but she felt himself barely, just barely, shake her head no. She watched Anael's eyes fill with worry. She sighed quietly, and then stood up. She pulled Charlie over and had her calm down in a nearby rocking chair. She knelt down on the floor until Charlie met her eye level.

"What is bothering you?" She enunciated each word very specifically for her. She tried to break her eye contact, but she would not let her.

"I don't know how to say it." She found herself saying.

"If I have to look into your mind, I will." She said.

Somehow she found that oddly comforting. She wanted to say it though.

"I… I need to tell you something."

"Alright. I'm listening." She said calmly.

She knew she was trying to bolster her, but somehow it made her anxiety rise higher.

"I… Do you… Do you remember when you asked if I would consider your offer

"Yes, I do." She said slowly, trying to figure out where she was going with this.

"There was… there is… a voice." she said, Trying to figure out what to say. "It has come along over the years, and has told me to try new things. There was one that I kept ignoring it over the years. It told me that It was embarrassing to want something like that at all. Especially when my mother was on a ventilator. But it was there even before that, and I just learned to push it away." By the end of her speech she was blushing, and it gave Anael the answers she needed.

"Charlie… Is the voice yours?" She asked.

Her blush brightened, if that was even possible. Slowly, hesitantly, she gave her the barest nod. Anael gently took Charlie's hands into her own and clasped them. "There's no reason to be ashamed of wanting this, Charlie."

"Yes there is!" She exploded. "This isn't normal; Who wants to be treated this way?!"

"You do, and that's perfectly fine. I'm not going to judge you for wanting to be treated like this. In fact I prefer this, because I want to be a mother just as much as you want to be a baby. But you have to let yourself have this. There's no shame or judgement with me. You can be as free with me as you are on your own here. I just want to hear you say that this is what you really want."

Charlie looked up at her with vulnerable eyes and saw nothing but love mirrored in Anael's. Her gentle smile made sure she had nothing to fear. The connection bridged any gap of awkwardness between them. So, with a trembling voice and equally shaky hands, she gave her final answer to Anael's question.

"Yes."