Seraphiel and Andre walked their bikes quietly, parking them in front of the ramshackle old church. Andre, his jacket flung over his handbars, walked around the fence dividing the cemetery from the street and peered into the darkness, his slitted dragon's eyes reading the words on the tombstones with ease. "Pet cemetery? Beside a church? Kind of freaky. Guess the preacher doesn't get much company on Sunday."

The older angel glanced back at the fence with a frown. " Small town. Maybe they like their pets." He sniffed the night breeze, senses on alert. "Why do I smell a shape-shifter nearby?"

Andre took a deep breath and turned towards the door leading to the basement. "Me too. Good place for one to hide." He looked over at his companion with gleaming eyes. "Personally I think shifters are better off in big towns with a more varied supply of prey. But then, that's just me. I like chasing things down in the twisty-turny alleys of New York and L.A. Think one of these guys in the diner is our elusive shifter?"

"It is me" a deep voice replied from the shadows. The Rev had not stayed after watching Joe's confrontation with the strangers, slipping quietly out of the dining room while his friends had been occupied with Joe's explination about what or who these "men" were. That feeling of a predator stalking Midnight has only intensified when he left the cafe, making him uncomfortable in his human form. It was a feeling he recognized, the same one he had felt when Bowie, the fallen angel, had attacked him in his own church. He had spotted the two visitors moving towards the ramshackle structure and knew he must confront them, as he had confronted her. These two were after his friend just as she had been. The Rev had lost enough friends in his life, sometimes because of his condition, and sometimes because Fate had chosen to leave him a solitary figure. Coming to Midnight had been the first time in a long time he had felt safe and at home, with people who cared for him despite his condition. He would not willingly lose them if he could help it. The Rev stood in the shadows, wishing for once that the Moon was full and that his were-essence could help with the fight and knowing that for this battle he would have to rely on his words alone. "What brings you to my home?"

"Not you" the older man replied, holding out a hand to his young companion to keep him still and in his place beside the fence. "I have no quarrel with shifters, especially those born to their fate. Our business is with Joseph and the sooner it is done the sooner all will be mended."

Andre shifted his feet restlessly, muscled arms crossed across his chest. "So - shifter? What type are you? Wolf? Bear? Born to it or made?"

"I was born to it - born a were-Tiger" Rev replied, not taking his eyes off what he knew was the main threat - the quiet, grey-haired man in front of him.

"Tiger?" Andre snorted, laughing. "Damn boy - good thing my sister isn't here. She would probably adopt you. Girl LOVES cats."

Seraphiel sighed. "He's not a cat. boy, but a shifter. Your sister knows the difference - even if she does tend to offer sanctuary to assorted magical felines I don't particularly care for."

Andre laughed harder. "Yeah - you tell her that her shifter cat people are not welcomed in her home. I'll have 911 on speed dial for when she tries to send you into orbit without a rocket."

Seraphiel shook his head, a wry smile on his formerly taciturn face. "Sometimes boy I'm not sure how your father has managed not to turn more grey than he is after dealing with you." He looked up at the silent man in front of him and shrugged. "Young ones. They keep you on your toes."

"Hey!" Andre protested. "I'm not THAT young!"

"In comparison to me, boyo, the pyramids of Giza are brand new construction."

The Rev watched the playful banter between the two men with a frown. Bowie had not been like this. Her brittle, mad anger had made her a danger from the first moment she had entered the church. These two were more like an older uncle saddled on a road trip with a rambunctious young nephew and making the best of it. "Are you here about Bowie?" he asked finally, stepping slightly closer to the pair. "Because if you are you should know she gave Joe no choice. She used his friends as bait to lure him out and would have killed us all to make her plan work."

Seraphiel stepped back, keeping the distance between them. "Yes, I know - and no, Bowie isn't all of the reason we're here. Joseph and I must talk and the sooner he gets himself out here the less painful this conversation will be. Little dragon and I have other places to be, other people to see. Can't spend all my time in a place about to be over run by the hordes of Hell."

"Then you know about the veil and what will happen when it falls?"

Andre shrugged, stepping forward to be at his friend's side. "Yeah - but not our problem. That's your problem. The Old Man put you all here for a reason. Figure that reason is to stop what's coming - or not."

"Were you here when it first fell?" The Rev asked quietly.

"I've been at almost every war against the infernal hosts that Heaven has participated in. This one was no exception. I can't tell you how this one will end but I will say this. The last time the veil fell, the war ended not because of the might of angelic swords but because of the sacrifice of one brave human. Take that for what ever you can make of it." Seraphiel looked across the road at the group leaving the cafe and headed in their direction. "Your friends are coming. Best you join them."