Dean woke up in a comfortable bed he couldn't remember falling asleep in. Blinking he recognized the smell of fresh coffee and being that it was at least familiar he chose to follow it to a large kitchen/great room.

"Sleeping Beauty awakes!" Gabriel said. "Finally I can get this over with."

"What exactly is it that you have to get over with?" Sam asked. "And why are all these books so important?" The younger Winchester waved his hand around at the Enochian books all stacked on the kitchen counter.

"Well since Deano's here, I'll just give you guys the Readers Digest version." Gabriel said. "It concerns The Choirs. Namely the First Triad"

Everyone turned in Cas direction as he gasped "But that's just a myth. Stories the Archangels told to entertain us as fledglings, right?"

"No Castiel they are real." Gabriel said quietly. The first Choir left before the Seraph were created and they had no intentions of returning."

"Choirs? Of what singing angels?" Dean asked.

"Choir does not mean the same thing to us that it means to you Dean." Cas said swallowing. "Choir refers to authority and power levels among the angelic host. The stories say that there are nine choirs all separated into Triads."

Sam looked down at the book in front of him. He flipped pages until he got to the one he was looking for. "Crap, you guys are really the low men on the totem pole, third Triad?"

Gabriel nodded. "I'm one of the four most powerful beings to ever walk the face of the Earth, but compared to the First Triad? It's like pitting ants against an elephant and the Archangels are the ants. We're talking about the most powerful beings in the entire Cosmos and only God himself is more powerful than one of them."

"I guess uber-boned doesn't come close." Dean said collapsing into a chair.

"Mmmm, not exactly," Gabriel smirked. "Luckily they follow every one of Dad's commands to the letter so..."

"They're coming to protect humanity." Castiel said hopefully.

"Yep, but I might make it my main goal to avoid her for a while if I was you Cas. Dad forbid her smiting you but she's not too happy about your little 'I am your new god' phase." Gabriel said.

"Her?" Sam asked.

Gabriel picked up the book and flipped through a few pages and set it back down in front of the hunter. "First among angels, defender of God's throne, the first angel created in the entire existence of the Cosmos; Seraphiel. She is the one that is coming and she is not a happy camper."

Dean watched as Castiel sat on the couch and wrapped his arms around his knees burying his face in his arms and trembling. "I would rather she smite me."

"Cas?" Dean said sitting beside the terrified angel. "Look Sam and I won't let anything happen to you. We know you screwed up but you were trying to keep Raphael from starting the apocalypse all over again. We'll think of something man."

"I suggest you figure out something soon because she'll come when I issue the Proclamation." Gabriel said. "When I get the order, that's it."

"Do you have any idea of how soon that will happen?" Sam asked. "It would be nice to know how much time we have."

"Nope. The fact that you have any notice at all is unheard of." Gabriel said. "I tried to put a good word in for you here and there bro, but she's determined that you pay a penance."

"Dammit Cas put the souls back!" Dean said "And he helped us with Dick Roman! He went to Purgatory for God's sake!"

"How long were you in Purgatory?" Gabriel asked as he sat up straight. "That may go a long way towards appeasing her."

"18 months." Sam answered.

"And he was dodging pissed off Leviathans the whole time!" Dean added.

"Okay. When she gets here, I'll plead your case." Gabriel said placing his hand on Cas's shoulder. "I'd better go check on Junior."

Sam watched as Gabriel snapped his fingers and disappeared. Dean looked at the angel huddling on the couch.

"Cas why are you so rattled? Gabriel said this angel is coming to help."

"You don't understand Dean. The stories they told us about the first choir, they were terrifying and if they are true then Seraphiel is the most terrifying angel that our father ever created." Cas said. "In her eyes my sin is unforgivable, I claimed to be god. She is the defender of God's throne, she is the one who smites false gods."

"Gabriel said that God specifically told her not to Smite you." Sam said "And she follows gods orders."

Cas lifted his head and pinned Sam with a glare. "You should understand Sam, you know there are worse things than death. Things that can make you pray for Death." Cas dropped his head back down.


Seraphiel perched on the table in front of the couch watching as Gabriel and Castiel interacted with the humans. She carefully kept herself hidden from all present both human and angel. She was actually curious about the humans.

In the thousands of years since she had set foot on Earth they had developed at an amazing rate. They had embraced technology using it to harness powers that once belonged solely to the angels of this world. They could create light and warmth inside of these shelters that they called houses. Darkness, cold and predators were no longer to be feared.

They no longer had to hunt our work themselves to death to secure food. Starvation was mostly a thing of the past with storehouses that held all manner of nourishment there for the taking. Traveling was accomplished comfortably for them through the use of all manner of vehicles including the chariot that they called 'Baby'.

But the thing that surprised her most was their acceptance of angels, and they were capable of Agape. She stood up and walked over to Samuel Winchester. She knew that he was Lucifer's destined vessel just as she knew that his brother Dean was Michael's. She carefully wrapped her wings around him seeing into his soul.

His soul shuddered under the burden of guilt. So much guilt. He had released Lucifer from the cage. Even though there was no way on Earth available to him to release Dean and Castiel from Purgatory he felt guilty for not trying harder even though he had been on the verge of a mental breakdown. He felt guilty for getting Gabriel killed even though Gabriel stood whole in front of them Sam shouldered blame for forcing Gabriel to stand up to Lucifer.

Releasing Sam she moved on to Dean. If Sam's soul was overwhelming in it's capacity for love, Deans soul was that of a defender. Fierce in it's protectiveness over those he loved. He would go to any lengths to protect them. She was amused by Dean's thoughts of what he thought he could do against her. Castiel was family to him and you don't mess with his family.

Dean was so like Gabriel and Gabriel had gotten it from her. She was sure that neither Dean nor Sam truly understood why Gabriel had taken such an interest in them over the years. For that matter Gabriel was probably just as clueless. The key was the scared little Seraph named Castiel.

Seraphiel looked at the Seraph who was almost completely hidden by the ebony wings he had wrapped tightly around himself. Only the shaggy top of his vessel's head and the toes of his shoes poked out from top and bottom of the cringing bundle.

Oh little brother she thought. You are as wracked with guilt as I am. So many mistakes but all made for humanity. You made the wrong choices for the right reasons while I just sat and watched. But we will fix this. I promise you.

Father said that you would do penance and you have.

She watched as Gabriel said something about checking on the prophet and disappeared. She found him on the roof leaning against the chimney.

"Seraphiel I know you're there." Gabriel said. "We both know father's decree means you can't reveal yourself to them, but you are the one who taught me to use loopholes."

"Gabriel." Seraphiel appeared next to him. "Michael and Lucifer created such a mess here with their bickering."

"The Metatron could never admit to being wrong." Gabriel said. "And he mentored them both."

Gabriel snapped his fingers producing a couple of chocolate bars and handed one to Seraphiel. Unwrapping the bar he took a bite. "You know sometimes I wonder if he's figured out why no one on Earth ever prays to him."

Seraphiel gave him a totally innocent look as she smothered a giggle. "Why Gabriel, whatever do you mean?"

"Somebody made sure everyone here thought Metatron was his name and not his title. I mean I don't pay much attention to people who start their prayers off with 'Hey Messenger!'" Gabriel laughed.

"Well he is an insufferable little prig. And I am charged with defending him. I figured this way there will be less entities I have to smite. It gets old real quick." Seraphiel snapped her fingers producing a huge scroll handing it to Gabriel.

"Oh in Father's name! This damned thing is longer than a Merriam-Webster dictionary!" Gabriel said. "I'll paraphrase it, but I'm not reading it!"

"I won't tell if you don't tell." Seraphiel smiled.

"Oh well at least the looks on their faces is gonna be priceless." Gabriel said.


Castiel was still huddled on the couch. Gabriel snapped his fingers and Kevin Dean and Sam appeared in the room.

"Gabriel what?" Sam started then stopped as Gabriel lifted his hand.

"Hmmm, human, prophet, angel, cockroaches in the walls, mouse in the cupboard; guess I'm good." Gabriel said snapping his fingers and producing a pair of glasses that he donned for effect before pulling out a scroll and opening it. He smirked as it rolled across the large room hitting the opposite wall and was still not halfway unrolled.

Gabriel cleared his throat and started speaking. "Dearly beloved we are gathered here today...Oops wrong speech. That's the one for weddings." Gabriel snapped the scroll away somewhere.

"Dude, you snapped he out of the shower for this?" Dean growled.

Patting his pocket he finally reached inside one and pulled out a folded sheet of notebook paper. Unfolding it he began again. "Okay let all creatures know that the Angel of Angels, Defender of the Throne Most Holy, First Angel of the First Choir of the First Triad returns to Earth. Now everybody rejoice or something." Gabriel said snapping his fingers and suddenly everyone was holding a glass of champagne while Prince's 1999 was playing on the stereo.

"I said rejoice! Dance or jump up and down or something before you piss her off." Gabriel said.

"Gabriel stop scaring the humans." A voice said behind the gathered humans who all turned to come face to face with a young woman.

Seraphiel's vessel was a young Black woman. Her hair was in an elaborate braided style. While she was female there was no denying that she was muscular as the T-shirt she wore was straining at the seams over her bulging biceps. She was wearing a pair of desert cammo BDU pants tucked into brightly polished combat boots.

"The guest of honor has arrived. What say we get this party started?" She said with a smile.