The bar wasn't very crowded, but it was still early; happy hour didn't even start for another twenty minutes. Ramiel wasn't even sure why he kept coming to the run-down place. He figured the drinks were okay, but he still hadn't gotten to a point where the tastes of human food and drink were pleasant enough that he actually craved them like Gabriel did. The music that played through speakers set in the corners of the room seemed to be the same fifteen songs played over and over, which got old very quickly. It was clean though, and Ramiel had to admit that that was preferable.

This run-down place was in a slightly less run-down town on the coast of North Carolina. Ramiel had arrived about a month ago, having spent a year or so wandering up and down the coast until Gabriel had gotten fed up with him.

"I thought I told you to relax and unwind," Gabriel had said. Ramiel had been on a walk through Charleston, taking a short break from his drive to relieve the tension that had risen up from sitting still in a car for so long.

"I'm working on it," Ramiel had replied.

"It's been more than a year. You aren't working on it."

"Then what do you suggest I do?" Ramiel had snapped.

"The next time you need to stop in a town for gas, stay. I don't care where it is. Take care of yourself for once."

Ramiel had taken his brother's advice, though grudgingly. He still hadn't wanted to stop moving, but he had figured Gabriel was trying to help him. So far, Ramiel couldn't say he disliked the town. It was a close knit community, so his arrival had caused a bit of a stir, but he had been accepted all the same. He had gotten a job working night-shift security at a nearby shipyard, but that was mainly for something to do. The house he had found for himself was small and had been a bit of a mess when he moved in, but in his month living there he had gotten it fixed up, and he supposed it was a comfortable building; there was a modestly sized bedroom and bathroom, the kitchen was probably a little small (he couldn't be sure since he had never used one for any extended period of time), and the den was a decent size. Ramiel usually used his spare time to read any number of novels, and since he didn't need to sleep or eat, he usually had quite a bit of spare time.

As happy hour officially began, Ramiel watched the people trickle into the bar. Usually the same people came in in the same order. Nothing much changed from day to day in this town, but Ramiel enjoyed watching the people all the same. It was comforting to watch friends greet each other at the end of the day and begin to swap stories, some of them told for the thousandth time. It didn't even seem to matter to anyone that this was a bar; people of all walks of life came in to socialize at the end of the day. There was a mechanic who vaguely reminded Ramiel of John Winchester, if John were about twenty years older, but there was also a teacher who had to be in her sixties. People who owned small shops in town would come, and so would those who worked in the city half an hour away. It wasn't even uncommon to see teenagers hanging around, though everyone was sure to keep any alcohol away from them.

There was one young woman in her late twenties Ramiel had begun to watch for. She was one of the few whose stories Ramiel didn't yet know, but she usually came in around seven with a small group of friends, though she didn't drink much. Ramiel hadn't even noticed he had begun to keep an eye out for her until one day when she hadn't come in and he had worried about what had kept her away.

Ramiel was surprised when today she came in just before six. She noticed him looking at her from the bar and ducked her head, turning to her friend and gesturing to a table in a far corner. Ramiel quickly looked away, not wanting to make her uncomfortable. Instead, he looked down at his glass, listening to the stories being told around him. He had become familiar with the people here, but his interaction with them was limited, as it always was when he settled somewhere. He didn't talk much unless someone spoke to him first, at least until he had gotten to know a few people. It was always harder to leave later when he was close to anyone.

"Um, hey," someone said, just behind him, effectively pulling him from his thoughts.

Ramiel turned to see the young woman he watched for standing behind him. "Hi," Ramiel said, a little surprised. "Can I help you with something?"

The woman shifted, seeming a bit anxious. "It's just that every time I come in here, you're sitting in the same seat, and you're never sitting with anyone," she trailed off, looking around as if she didn't know what to say after that. She was dressed in jeans and a loose fitting shirt, and Ramiel thought that he had never seen anyone look so enchanting while dressed so casually.

"I'm new to town," Ramiel supplied. "I haven't met anyone to drink with."

"Well, would you mind if I joined you?" the woman asked, looking up at him shyly.

"I would be delighted to have your company," Ramiel said, gesturing to the open seat on his right. "May I buy you a drink?"

"Sure," the woman said, taking her seat cautiously.

When she had ordered, Ramiel shifted in his seat so he was facing her. "What may I call you?" he asked.

"Rina," she said. "And you?"

"Caleb," Ramiel said. He had heard that name a while ago and had decided he like it.

"Well Caleb, what brought you to this tiny old place?" Rina asked. "It's not exactly a place that attracts many newcomers."

"I needed a change of scenery," Ramiel said with a shrug. "I've always had a soft spot for little places."

"Yeah? Where are you from?"

"Well, it didn't have a name when I was there last," Ramiel said, deciding to tell her as much of the truth as he could. "It's a little place in Jordan," he elaborated, thinking of the place he had landed when he had been cast out of Heaven.

"Jordan? Like, out in the Middle East?"

"That is the one," Ramiel said, taking a sip of his drink. "This is surprising?" he asked, noticing the look on her face.

"Well- I mean why would you come here?" Rina asked, not believing why anyone would choose such a rundown place.

"I came here a long time ago. I had heard stories of America, and I was curious to see what it was like," Ramiel said with a slight shrug. That was certainly the truth.

"So you just dropped everything and left?"

"Yes. I've been to the big cities, but there is too much activity there for my liking. I like places like this," Ramiel said, making a gesture with his hand that encompassed the whole town.

"Have you seen many places then?" Rina asked, taking a sip of her drink, eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"A great many places," Ramiel said, nodding as a small smile spread across his face. "And you?"

Rina shook her head. "I've lived here my whole life," she said. "I went to Florida once to visit family, but other than that, I haven't gone anywhere. I'd like to though."

"I hope you get the chance to," Ramiel said. "The world is an interesting place."

Rina smiled down at her glass. "Well, for now I'm stuck here."

"Oh, I wouldn't say you're stuck anywhere," Ramiel said thoughtfully. "You could leave anytime you want to."

"Well, what I do makes that a little difficult," Rina said, looking back up at him with a small laugh.

"What do you do?" Ramiel asked curiously.

"I teach at the local middle school," Rina said. "It's not glamorous, but I like it."

"Good," Ramiel said.

"Good?"

"Well, if you like what you do, it doesn't feel so much like work, does it?"

Rina's smile grew. "No, I guess it doesn't."

There followed a brief silence, and Ramiel used it to get his thoughts in order. He wasn't sure what was going on here with Rina, but he couldn't say he didn't like it. It had been a long time since he'd been close to anyone who wasn't Gabriel, and he liked the feeling.

"I hate to cut our time short, but I have to be getting to work," Ramiel said, checking the time.

"Oh," Rina said, looking disappointed.

Ramiel smiled at her. "I don't mean to be forward, but would you mind accompanying me for dinner this weekend?" he asked. He wasn't sure where the offer came from, but he was sure that he wanted to see Rina again.

"I would love to!" Rina said, her face lighting up once more. She started digging around in her bag and found a pen and pad of paper. "Let me just give you my number, and we can work out a time later."

"Of course," Ramiel said, folding the paper carefully and tucking it into his pocket when she handed it to him. "Thank you for your company. I look forward to seeing you again," he added as he stood to leave and threw a few dollars on the counter to pay for the drinks.

"I look forward to seeing you too," Rina said, a smile still lighting her face.

Ramiel had that smile on his mind for the next few days. He tried to focus on other things, but Rina was always there, at the back of his thoughts.

When the day of his date with Rina arrived, Ramiel wasn't sure what to do with himself. He had never been out with anyone. Sure, he had had friends and acquaintances and coworkers, but he had never been out with only one other person. The prospect was surprisingly daunting.

He settled on dressing in slacks and a button-down shirt with black shoes. He briefly considered just leaving town and not dealing with it. It wasn't that he didn't like Rina; far from it. And that was the problem. The last time he had allowed himself to be close to a human woman was three thousand years ago, and that had ended with his two Nephilim children and his human love to be destroyed in the Flood, along with the rest of the planet. The memory was almost enough for Ramiel to cut his losses and get out of town. Almost. The last thing he needed was for Michael to have another reason to want him dead, but he couldn't get his mind off of Rina.

Ramiel finally decided he was over-thinking things. He was going to go out and enjoy himself. He would be careful. And he wasn't going to give Michael another reason to kill him. So Ramiel took a deep breath to steady himself and made his way to the address Rina had given him.

"You made it!" Rina said when she opened the door, a grin spreading across her face. She was dressed in a simple blue dress and low heels.

"I wouldn't miss it," Ramiel said, smiling back at her as he stepped aside to let her exit and lock her door.

"Let's go," Rina said happily when her door was locked. Ramiel turned and held his arm out to her, making her giggle in delight as she took it. When she spotted his car, her eyes grew wide. "Whoa," she said quietly.

"What is it?" Ramiel asked, looking around to make sure there was nothing suspicious lurking in the shadows.

"Nothing," Rina said with a small laugh at Ramiel's sudden alertness. "It's just that you don't normally see cars like that around a place like this."

Ramiel looked back at his car. It was a black Mustang he'd bought new in '65 when his previous car had finally broken down.

"I like it," Rina said as Ramiel held the door open for her.

Ramiel climbed into the car and started heading north, toward the city. Rina had recommended a restaurant there that was on the coast, and since Ramiel didn't know the area, he had agreed. Besides, it wasn't hurting anything to go where she wanted to go; it wasn't like Ramiel would be able to taste the food much anyway.

Their table was on a patio behind the restaurant that overlooked the ocean. A cool breeze came off the waves, and the gentle lapping at the shore made a soothing rhythm.

"This is a lovely place," Ramiel commented as they looked over the menu.

"It is," Rina agreed. "My parents brought me and my brother here when we were little. This was where they had their first date." Rina glanced up shyly, gauging Ramiel's reaction.

"Then it must be a special place as well," Ramiel said with a small smile.

After they had taken their orders, they sat in companionable silence for a moment, looking out over the waves washing gently over the shore.

"Would you tell me about your family?" Ramiel asked. "You mentioned a brother. I'd like to know about him."

Rina laughed quietly. "Well, I don't know how interesting my stories about my family are," she said.

Ramiel met her gaze. "They're your stories. Of course they're interesting."

Rina grinned and glanced down bashfully before meeting his eyes again. "Fine," she said. And she talked about the adventures she and her brother, Daniel, had had in their backyard as children. She spoke affectionately of him. He was a year younger than her, she explained, and she had always felt a certain responsibility for him. She helped him with his schoolwork, since bother of her parents worked long hours and couldn't always be around as much as they would have liked.

The arrival of the food interrupted their conversation for a moment as they both sampled their meals.

"What about you? Any family?" Rina asked.

Ramiel shrugged. "I never knew my mother," he said, which was technically true. He didn't have a mother. "I haven't heard from my father for many years."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Rina said.

Ramiel shook his head. "It's fine. Really. I've been very close to my brother Gabriel. He and I both came to America at the same time and we would check in with each other every so often. He's had a grand old time here, and he'll readily admit it." Ramiel smiled at the thought of his brother. "He's been a lot of help in recent years as I was moving around. I felt lost, in a way, and he helped ground me again. He's the reason I stopped in your town, actually."

"Really?" Rina asked, more than a little surprised. "I thought you said you like small towns."

"I do," Ramiel confirmed. "But I couldn't stop moving. He made me promise to stop in the next town I needed to stop in and stay for a while. And I'm glad he did."

Rina giggled at that. "Me too," she said. She raised her glass in a toast. "To Gabriel," she offered.

Ramiel laughed, sure that Gabriel would hear this and be waiting for him when he got home, but he raised his glass anyway. "To Gabriel. Probably the best brother I could have asked for."

The rest of their dinner passed in comfortable silence, occasionally broken by a story of travels. Rina told Ramiel about when she had been to Florida as a child. Ramiel chose a story from recently when he had been in New York during one of his short breaks from wandering the east coast.

After dinner, they went for a walk on the beach, looking up at the stars and pointing out any constellations they could see, sometimes making one up on the spot as a joke. Ramiel decided he really liked the sound of Rina's laugh. He would point out an imagined constellation and come up with a story to go with it just to hear her laugh. He remembered when he had helped create the stars, and he made up a story to go with that as well.

"That one," he said, pointing to a random cluster of stars.

"What about that one?" Rina asked, the stars shining in her dark laughing eyes.

"That's Ramiel," he said.

"Oh? And who's Ramiel?" Rina teased.

"He's an Angel," Ramiel said mischievously. "He helped create the cosmos."

"Did he now?" Rina was laughing again.

"He did."

"Is he a nice Angel?" Rina asked, poking Ramiel in the ribs.

"How should I know? I've never met him."

Rina laughed again, a musical sound.

"This was fun," Rina said about an hour later as Ramiel walked her to her door.

"It was," Ramiel agreed. "I hope you'll allow me to take you out again sometime."

"I would like nothing more than that," Rina said, grinning at him.

"It's been a pleasure," Ramiel said, gently taking Rina's hand. He held it gingerly for a moment before bending to kiss it.

Rina giggled. "Thank you," she said, taking her hand back after a moment so she could open her door. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Rina," Ramiel said, savoring the taste of her name on his lips.

When he stepped inside his house later that night and turned the light on, he saw a familiar figure lounging on his sofa.

"You're toasting me now?" Gabriel asked as he stood, his gaze curious and laughing. "I'm not complaining, of course, just intrigued by this interesting turn of events."

Ramiel's mouth turned up at the corners. "It was her idea," he said.

"I figured it must have been," Gabriel said. "You'd never willingly sing my praises otherwise."

"I don't know," Ramiel said, raising an eyebrow at his brother. "You aren't so bad."

"I am brilliant," Gabriel said with feigned annoyance. Then he shook his head, as if remembering a point he had wanted to bring up. "You didn't actually tell her who you are, did you?"

"Of course not," Ramiel said, though he had debated it on the way back to town.

"Good," Gabriel said. "No point in going around outing yourself."

"I might," Ramiel admitted.

Gabriel sighed. "You realize that would involve all the uncomfortable questions?"

"I wouldn't expect this time to be any different than the other times someone found out," Ramiel said with a shrug.

"She could be angry with you for not telling her."

"I expect that too."

Gabriel studied his brother. "You remember when I told you that you're too fond of humanity for your own good?"

"I remember every time you insult me," Ramiel said with a smirk.

"Oh, I wouldn't say that's an insult. But it's still true."

"So be it," Ramiel replied.

Gabriel sighed. "Just watch yourself, okay?"

"Always," Ramiel said.

A silence passed between them. Gabriel couldn't seem to decide if he wanted to say something or not. "I'm glad you found someone, I really am. It wasn't good for you to wander around alone like that," he finally got out.

"Thank you," Ramiel said.

"And I don't think it would kill you to toast me a little more often," Gabriel said, his eyes shining again.

Ramiel shook his head and chuckled. "Will you be toasting me at all?"

"Maybe. If it crosses my mind," Gabriel said noncommittally.

"So no?"

"Probably not."

"I expect nothing less from you Gabriel," Ramiel said, laughing.

"And I'm glad I'm living up to expectations," Gabriel said as he vanished again.