Disclaimer: Nope. (Slams door.)
Chapter 10: Replacement?
Sitting on a cloud overlooking the sea, Anna stared down at the glittering water, lost in thought. Of course, being lost in thought was not something a warrior of God should be doing, but the seraph was too preoccupied to care. Michael had announced that morning that, now that she and her siblings were nearly grown, Father was planning to make more angels. The entire Host had been in an uproar ever since, making it easy for the redhead to sneak off and think without interruption.
"Beautiful, don't you think?" came a smooth voice from behind her.
Her head whipped around, vibrant hair briefly getting in her eyes. "Lucifer! When did you get here?"
He smiled indulgently, sitting beside her, long, almost golden legs dangling next to her much paler ones. "I've been here for quite a while, Little One, but I'll forgive your lack of awareness this time. Still, magnificent, don't you think?"
"Oh, yes, the Earth is stunning."
His laugh was like organ music, melodious and loud. "I was referring to myself, you silly girl! You really are out of sorts today, aren't you?"
She blushed a bit, but was more annoyed than angry. "Modesty is a virtue, dear brother. Perhaps you should consider partaking in it."
A warm, powerful hand combed back his flaxen locks. "If I were modest, I'd be lying. How can it be a crime to be proud of how God created me?"
"Some might think you're bragging. Bragging can make others uncomfortable with themselves."
"So I should hide who I really am instead of expressing myself and stop showing Father's handiwork off for all to see? That seems counter-productive. Do you stop asking questions just because the others don't like it?"
"Well, no, but—"
"Exactly! Now what has gotten you so distracted that you've completely missed my glorious presence?"
She turned back to the distant water. "It's nothing. Just enjoying the peace."
Lucifer scoffed. "You do realize lying to an archangel is particularly unwise, don't you? You never brood over nothing."
"I wasn't brooding."
"You were, and while it's adorable, it makes me worry, and you don't want your favorite brother to worry, do you? Now tell me what's wrong."
"I told you, it's—"
"Say nothing again and I'll throw you into the sea."
Sighing, Anna briefly wished her brother was not so perceptive. "You know how Father's going to make a new batch of angels?"
He smirked. "I may have heard the occasional rumor."
She rolled her eyes. Sometimes she hated how Lucifer actually got to speak to God. "Well, I was thinking about how you took such an immediate shine to me. I was your favorite."
It bothered him that she had used the past tense, but for the moment chose to ignore it. "Do you regret that? I know our relationship bothers others, but I never thought I'd see the day that you would brood over it."
"Of course I don't regret it! You've made me happier than anyone else. It's just…what if you find a new favorite?"
He blinked in surprise. "Pardon?"
"What if," she said slowly, "you find a new favorite? What if you bond with another fledgling?"
Laughter echoed over the clouds like music across the desert. "What? That's what you're worried about? How adorable!"
Rage, or something close to it, bubbled up inside the Angel of Love. How dare he mock her? It was enough to replace her fear of replacement. "Well," she huffed, getting up from the ledge and flapping her wings irritably, "I'm glad my possible replacement amuses you. I hope whoever you bond with is exactly like Zachariah."
"Oh, sit down, Anna," he said, still chuckling. Really, she was so cute sometimes he could hardly stand it, especially when she got all indignant. Her cheeks would flush, her back would go ramrod straight, and her vibrant green eyes would narrow into piercing slits. It was both funny and fetching.
"I think I've done that quite enough for the day, thank you. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find Dumah or Barachiel. At least they don't find my legitimate concerns amusing."
Lucifer stopped laughing and narrowed his eyes at her tone. He did not like being refused. "Sit down, Little One."
"No! You're not even taking me seriously anymore, so why should I give you the same courtesy?"
"Anael," he growled, getting up and standing at his full height, looming over her. "I was kind enough to phrase that as a request. Now I'm ordering you to sit down."
Anna gave a nervous swallow, but stood her ground. She was not going to let Lucifer bully her. "No."
Less than half a second later she was flat on her back, looking up at a rather irritated archangel. Growling in frustration, Michael's combat training kicked in; she thrust out her leg, catching him just behind the knee, knocking her brother to the ground beside her. She tried to get up, but his hand caught her foot and pulled her back down in a flurry of white and red. Furious, she lashed out at him, attempting to strike his perfect face like a wildcat. Irritation rising, Lucifer caught her wrists and flipped her over, trapping her beneath him. Unfortunately, years of training with her larger brothers had made Anna something of a combat pragmatist. Without a second thought, she slammed her head into the Morning Star's nose, forcing him to jerk back and giving Anna the opening she needed to get her hands free, striking his chin and gaining enough space to regain her footing. Yet it wasn't enough to beat Lucifer. Faster than she could even see, he was on his feet and had a hand around her neck. It wasn't tight enough to truly hurt, but it certainly kept her in place. Lucifer stared down at his little sister, and the cold look in his eyes was enough to vanquish whatever fight she had left in her.
Never had Lucifer looked at her so callously, and it brought her fears right back to the surface. She'd lost his favor, and now some other fledgling would take her place at the Morning Star's side. Unbidden, hot tears welled up and spilled down her cheeks, dripping slowly onto her brother's hand.
Lucifer stared down at her in shock, perturbed by her tears. His grip loosened and his free hand rose to gently brush her cheek. "Anna?"
"Don't touch me!" she shouted, jerking out of his grip. Her throat hurt, and she wasn't sure if it was from him or her attempts to hold back from crying.
He let her pull away, watching her face closely, looking for any clue that might help him comfort his sister. Finding none, he had no other option but to ask. "Anna, please, tell me what's the matter." Though confident in his powers of persuasion, he knew he was at a disadvantage when he couldn't understand why his sister was crying.
She angrily swiped at her face. She was too old for tears. "Everything's changed! There are going to be new fledglings and I'm scared you're going to bond with one of them and you don't even seem to care. The only thing that hasn't changed is that you still treat me like I'm a fledgling! Is that clear enough for you?"
Understanding dawned on him more brightly than the sun. "Oh, Anna," he said sadly, soothingly, as he pulled her back into his arms. She struggled, but despite her rage and training, Lucifer was still much stronger, so she had no choice but to stand stiffly in his embrace. "My precious Anna. I'm sorry, but you misunderstood. I wasn't laughing at you; I was laughing at the ridiculous notion that anyone could ever replace you."
"Sure you were," she grumbled, voice muffled by his tunic.
"I was!" he exclaimed. "Anna, listen to me; even if I do, by some act of God, take a shine to another newborn, no one could ever replace you. You are my favorite sister, and I love you far too much to toss you aside like a broken toy." His Grace brushed against hers in reassurance.
Anna relaxed enough that Lucifer allowed her to pull back just enough to look him in the eyes. "Can you promise this?" Her green orbs were narrowed and piercing, refusing to be fooled by tricks, honeyed words, or half-truths.
And this time, Lucifer would not give her any of those. "Anna, if there is one promise to you that I will never, ever break, it's this one. I swear on my own Grace that I will always love you, and I would fight the entire Host of Heaven to keep you by my side."
She smiled. "You won't have to. I'm sorry I doubted you, but it did seem like you weren't taking me seriously."
"It's okay to doubt sometimes, Little One, but I do hope that from now on you won't doubt me." Gently, he brushed stray strands of red away from her face.
She wrinkled her nose indignantly. "Well maybe if you quit playing annoying mind games and just give me straight answers I'd have no reason to doubt you."
He laughed and brushed his lips across her forehead teasingly. "But where's the fun in that? Besides, you're simply too cute when you're angry. How can you deny me that?"
Rolling her eyes, she returned his embrace. "Jerk. You're lucky you're my favorite big brother."
TBC
Tell me something, does Anna come across as adult to you? For some reason I got really attached to little!Anna and sometimes I can't help visualizing her as such when I read her dialogue, yet she's supposed to be what we would equate to mid-to-late teens by now. I'm not writing her too young, right? It's just my subconscious messing with me? Please let me know, I don't want to make silly mistakes if I can help it.
Sorry about how long this has taken. This chapter's been mostly-finished for a while, but I got stuck in the middle and couldn't seem to figure out how the fight between Anna and Lucifer should have gone down. Hopefully it works. As for future chapters, I'm not sure how many chapters I plan on making this. I was originally planning on making this story got up to and possibly into the series, but I've kind of been distancing myself from the show, and I just don't seem to have the inspiration I used to, and I'm not sure as to my original plans for how their relationship will evolve and how this whole thing's going to end. All I know is that I do not plan on it being them happily flying off into the sunset with everybody happy. This is Supernatural, after all. Just be patient while I attempt to figure this out. The next chapter will definitely be posted more quickly.