AN: I mention the book Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman several times in this chapter. If you haven't read it yet, I highly suggest you check it out. It's one of my all-time favorite books and any fan of modern fantasy will be sure to enjoy it. :-)

Thank you again to my reviewers. I'm at a really frustrating point in my life (10 weeks until Peace Corps is over and I'm going out of my mind) and it's nice to have posting this story to look forward to. Keeps me sane. So thank you!

Chapter 10: In Which Lucy Wong Has A No Good, Very Bad Day

Lucy Wong was having a string of very, very bad days.

It all started when her best friend was kidnapped, literally vanishing before her eyes, by a trio of strange, pretty men. When Lucy went to the police station to file a missing persons report, she was told that the only Elizabeth Grahams who existed in the DC area were a three-year-old and a 65-year-old, and that if this was a joke, she could be arrested. Lucy left the station in confusion and despair.

The next day, Lucy showed up to class to find out that she wasn't registered for that class – or for any others. She went home, only to find that her apartment was being rented to a very nice elderly couple who said they had been living there for years. She tried her credit and debit cards, but they didn't work. Her bank said she didn't have an account. Her car wasn't where she parked it the night before. None of her friends knew her name. Her cell phone didn't get a signal. The weather was freezing, and she had twenty dollars in her pocket and nowhere to go.

Things were so bad, in fact, that she truly believed there was no possible way in Heaven or hell that her life could get any worse.

Until it did.

"Lucy?"

Lucy was huddled by the fireplace at Starbucks, sipping a free cup of water and trying to warm herself by the gas-powered flames. She glanced up at the sound of her name with an odd combination of hope and disinterest. Everyone she knew didn't remember her, or were at the very least playing some kind of cruel joke, so her first thought was that anyone calling the name Lucy was looking for someone else.

But there, looking around the café anxiously, her blonde hair in braided pigtails and shoved under a brightly-colored winter cap, was Beth.

Beth caught her eye and grinned with sudden relief. "Luc!" she cried, rushing to her friend. "Oh thank God. I was afraid you'd be frozen on a street corner somewhere. Are you okay?"

"Beth?" Lucy croaked, her jaw dropping. "You…you recognize me? Where have you been? Are you okay? Because my whole life is totally fucked and you were kidnapped…"

For some reason Beth winced at the sound of her name. "Of course I recognize you. I was looking for you. And I'm fine. Big misunderstanding, really, the whole kidnapping thing. Oh, and please don't call me Beth. Eli works. You want coffee?"

Lucy just gaped at her. For some reason, the only thing that came to her mind was: "But you hate the name Eli."

She shook her head. "Nope. Was just programmed to think so. Coffee?"

Lucy ran a hand through her short hair, close to tears. Beth – sorry, Eli—noticed this and immediately pulled her into a hug, resting the smaller girl's head against her shoulder and rubbing her back.

"Hey, hey there Luc, everything's cool," she murmured in soothing tones. "I'm here. We're gonna get through this."

Lucy sniffled into her shoulder. "It's just been…a really stressful couple of days," she said weakly, stepping away from the hug and rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "It's like my life suddenly became Neverwhere. And not the cool, 'running around in the sewers with the magical people' part. The 'no one remembers who you are and you're facing non-existence' part."

"I know," Eli said calmly, and Lucy's head jerked up. "I know all about it. And here's what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna buy you a huge mocha latte –" Here Lucy's stomach gave a distinctive growl and Eli glanced down at it with raised eyebrows – "and some snacks and we're gonna talk this through, okay?"

Lucy nodded, dazed. "O…okay. Yeah. I'll get us a seat."

Eli settled next to her on the small squishy couch a few minutes later, her arms heaped with treats. Lucy grabbed them and began eating rapidly, getting crumbs all over her slightly dirty turtleneck and pea coat. Eli watched quietly for a few minutes, then laced her hands over her knees and began to talk.

"Okay, so I don't really know how to start this," she began just as Lucy finished her third huge muffin. Stomach satisfied, the tiny dark-haired girl wiped her hands on a napkin and turned to Eli.

"What is going on, B—Eli?" she stuttered, studying her friend. She seemed…different. Dark clothing, no makeup, sad eyes, combat boots. A little too mature for silly Beth, except for the long braids and the cherry red hat. Lucy had also glimpsed something under the leather bomber jacket that looked suspiciously like a gun. "Everything I own is gone. I wasn't kidding about the Neverwhere reference—it's like I don't exist. I can't get a hold of my parents, the number has been disconnected. No one seems to remember me…except you. And where have you been?"

"I've been…man, this is harder than I thought," Eli muttered. She took a drink of coffee to stall. "I don't suppose anyone would be willing help me?" she near-yelled, glancing back at the floppy-haired barista. Much to Lucy's confusion, he just shot her a wink and shook his head, making a 'go on' motion with his hands. Eli groaned softly.

"Okay. Okay, I can do this. Look, Lucy, this is going to sound nuts. Completely nuts. Like, 'I should be locked in the loony-bin' nuts. But you're gonna have to trust me, okay?"

Lucy nodded slowly. "Yeah, sure. I mean, how weird can it be? I already don't exist."

"Yeah, about that…" Eli chewed on her lower lip, then sighed and put her still-steaming coffee back on the table. "There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just gonna lay it out there. You don't exist."

Lucy stared at her. "Yeah, I know. Something's going on where no one remembers me—"

"No, I mean, you literally don't exist. You never did. You weren't born, you were created."

Lucy tried to process what was being said. "I …don't understand. What are you talking about?"

And then Eli told her everything.

"This is a joke, right?" Lucy asked about an hour later. "This is like, some weird new story you're writing, right? Is this a fanfiction?"

"No, Lucy, I know it sounds nuts, but it's true. Angels are real, demons are real, everything that goes bump in the night is real. And I fight them."

"Because you're half-angel," Lucy said slowly. "Who was only brainwashed to think you were Beth."

Eli nodded. "I know, it's crazy. But I can prove it."

"And this…Archangel," Lucy continued, "created me out of thin air as a continuation of this illusion that was your life? That's…damn, Eli, if you're gonna write me into a story, make it have a bit of a better plot. I mean, that really sucks for me."

"It's true, Lucy," Eli said softly. "I wish there was another way to put it, but it's all true. You have to come with me. It's the only way you're going to survive. You can't make it on your own. The whole world thinks you don't exist."

Lucy shook her head fiercely. "Eli, seriously, stop. This is not funny!"

"I told you this was a mistake," a gruff voice said, and a second later a man in a trench coat with messy dark hair sat down next to Eli on the couch, his brow deeply furrowed. Lucy found her jaw dropping for at least the sixth time that day.

"That…that's the guy! The guy who appeared and then disappeared! Wha…what the hell?"

"I have to do this," Eli was saying to him in a low voice, grasping his hand. "She's my friend."

"She's one of his creations," the man said harshly, glaring at her. "She is not real. Dragging her into our lives will be helpful for no one."

"Um, sitting right here," Lucy said weakly, pointing to herself.

"We've been over this, Cas, and I'm not leaving her," Eli insisted. "Read her mind if you like. She's cool. Not a trick. And she needs our help."

"Right. Here," Lucy said, a little louder, gesturing to her face. "Eli, explanations, please."

"If you're going to insist on doing this, there is a better way," the man said, looking down at their joined hands pensively. "I could just put the information in her head."

"You…can do that?" Eli gasped. "Then why the hell have I been sitting here for the past hour trying to convince her that the insanity that is our lives is true?"

"I thought…"

"RIGHT HERE!" Lucy finally yelled, snapping both of their attentions back to her. "I need to know what the hell is going on right now! Eli, who is this guy?"

"He's my…" Eli hesitated, glancing at the man with unmistakable fondness. "He's, um…an angel."

"Of the Lord," the man clarified.

"An angel?" Lucy scoffed. "Like, fluffy wings and halos and harps?"

"My wings are not fluffy," he said sternly. "And I have never touched a harp."

"His name is Castiel," Eli said quickly. "Look, this has gotten all out of hand. I'm just gonna need for you to trust me. For five minutes, Lucy, for our friendship, just trust me. Can you do that?"

Lucy stared at her. "I am so confused right now," she said slowly. "But since you're the only person in days who seems to know who I am, who has an explanation as to what is going on, even if it is an insane one…then sure. I'll trust you."

Eli nodded, sighing. "Great. Then I'm just gonna take the easy way out." She glanced at the man (angel?) beside her. "Cas?"

He nodded, gripped Eli's hand tighter, and reached across the sofa to Lucy.

"This might feel a little uncomfortable," he apologized, touching two fingers to her forehead.

The world upended. There was the feeling of cold air, like flying, and then they were someplace else.

"They return victorious," a slightly sarcastic voice said, the first thing Lucy heard as she touched down on solid ground again. "Is this gonna be another screaming thing? I've really had enough of women freaking out."

They were in a slightly run-down house, guns and cartons of salt and old, leather-bound books everywhere. Three men were staring at her; two of them she recognized, the cute ones from the bar, but the third, an older man with a beard and a baseball cap, was unfamiliar to her.

Then it really set in. They were someplace else.

"Flying," Eli said quietly, wrapping an arm around her shaking friend. "It's not what you think it would be. You okay?"

Lucy shook her head. "No," she said in a small voice.

Eli sighed. "Do you want this all to make a little more sense?"

Lucy nodded blankly. "Yes."

"I think we broke her brain," one of the men, the pretty one with spiky hair, muttered to the tall one, who quickly shushed him.

"Lucy," said Castiel's calm, focused voice. She turned to him like a zombie, still trying to sort out all of the random information that Eli had given her. Why was this happening? What was the backstory? Who were these people? Were there really angels? Was Eli even still the same person, or—

"Look at me," Castiel said gently, lifting her chin. "Just look into my eyes. Just for a moment."

"Try not to blink," Eli said helpfully.

Lucy stared at him; it wasn't difficult to do. The man was gorgeous. His eyes were a perfect storm blue, very intense; something shifted inside of them, like light, or moving water, and Lucy found herself drawn in.

Slowly, everything started to make sense. Information arranged itself in her head, knowledge that she couldn't possibly have had. Who people were, what had happened, why it had all happened. Who she really was. Names, dates, facts, all slotted into her brain as neatly as if arranged on index cards.

"These are not the droids you're looking for," Dean muttered to Sam.

"Nah, I think it's more of a Vulcan Mind Meld," Sam whispered back. Eli shot them a look.

Finally, Castiel stepped away. Lucy blinked, dazed but understanding. Everything they had said was true. Her life was a lie.

Quietly, Lucy began to weep.

"Hey you. What up?"

"My life is a lie," Lucy muttered. She was halfway through eating her way through the whole pie that Eli had brought her. "Do you have the brownies I asked for?"

Eli sighed and dropped down next to her at the kitchen table. "Yeah, but I really don't think…"

"Brownies," Lucy ordered. Eli slid them over to her and she unwrapped one and began to eat. Eli watched, mildly disgusted.

"I haven't seen anyone eat this much since Famine," she muttered.

"Horseman of the apocalypse, made people gorge themselves, Sam stopped him with his demon powers and you guys cut the ring off of his finger," Lucy said between chews. She stopped, swallowing abruptly. "Dude, that's weird. That's weird that I know that."

"Vulcan Mind Meld," Eli said wearily, picking at a brownie. "Weirdness is a side effect."

Lucy continued to eat. "I mean, how am I supposed to live with this?" she asked. "Everything I believed is fake. Bring me milk."

"I went through the same thing," Eli said, getting up and opening the fridge. She found a carton of milk, sniffed it tentatively, and started to pour. Lucy shook her head.

"That's totally different, and you know it. I mean, you had a real life, just not the one you thought you had. You have parents, and a destiny. I'm just a…side character with no back story opposite your heroine. That blows. Plus, you wanted this. You always wanted this big magical life. Thanks." She took the milk from Eli and glugged it, then continued to voraciously attack her brownie, speaking in-between mouthfuls. "I just want to like, go to school and travel and be an archeologist. I like old things. I like books, and bones, and digs. But why do I like these things? I mean, I didn't even exist up until three months ago! This is bullshit! I call bullshit on my life."

"More milk?"

"Please."

Eli poured her another glass. "Well, besides the fact that my 'special destiny' has now put the world in danger," she said, setting it down in front of her friend, who had now returned to the pie. "Your life isn't over. In fact, this could be a great thing for you."

"Yeah, right."

"No, really!" Eli insisted. She tried to take a piece of pie away and Lucy smacked her hand.

"I was created from thin air by a douchebag with wings," Lucy wailed. "This is never going to be okay. And Goddamnit, I want some cheesecake. And buffalo wings. With spicy sauce."

"Okay, now it's getting weird," Eli said, eyeing her friend's tiny frame. "Where is it all going?"

"I won a competitive eating competition when I was sixteen…" She trailed off, looking horrified. "No I didn't! Because it never ha-ha-happened." She started to cry into her pie.

Sam entered the room, took one look at the tiny, weeping Asian girl, and started to back out again. Eli caught his eye and mouthed: Cheesecake. Now. He nodded and vanished.

"Ok, so here's the deal," Eli said softly, stroking her friend's hair. "We were all created by someone. And, truth be told, God's really not all that He's chalked up to be. Drinks a lot. Writes kinda cheesy novels."

"You…met God?" Lucy asked, sniffling. Eli blanched.

"Ah…let's not get into that. Anyway. We're all someone else's creation. You just happen to be created by some other crazy powerful being than the rest of us. It's really a matter of semantics. That doesn't make you any less of a person. You are still Lucy Wong. You're my best friend! You like Indian food and weird historical facts and cataloguing dead baby bones and referring to yourself in the third person and pretending to be a dinosaur in public places."

"This Lucy does like to do that stuff," she admitted grudgingly.

"And look, when this whole apocalypse thing is over, you'll be able to do whatever you want to do," Eli said. Lucy looked at her in surprise. "I'm serious. These guys are the best at creating fake identities. We can get you a social security number, set you up with a bank and some money, get you into any school you want or any job you want. You'll be set for life." She hesitated. "And if you still can't deal with the truth, well, we can wipe your mind, too. Give you a great life with no memory of any of this."

"You…can do that?" Lucy asked, putting her fork down and staring at Eli.

"Do you want us to do that?" Eli asked quietly. Lucy shook her head.

"I don't know. It's…been a really long day. I'll have to think on it."

There was a moment of silence. Then Eli had an idea. "Hey! You want me to teach you to shoot tomorrow? With the Mind Meld you already know the basics of being a hunter. You could help us out. Saving the world and all that."

"I know you're just trying to make me feel better," Lucy said flatly. "But thanks." She hesitated. "There is one thing you can do for me."

"Anything," Eli said immediately. Lucy looked her in the eyes.

"When all of this is over, I want to kill Gabriel."

Eli was taken aback. "What?"

"He's responsible for all of this. He gave me a life and then snatched it away. Everyone I ever loved is gone. I don't even know if I have a soul. Hell, I don't really know if I'm human. I am nothing. Every miserable thing that has happened to me is because of him."

"You're only alive because of him," Eli pointed out. She shook her head.

"Doesn't matter. I want him dead, Eli. When all of this is over, I want him to pay for what he did to me. To us. Will you help me?"

Eli was at a loss. She bit her thumbnail, contemplating, then nodded slowly. "If that's what it takes for you to get closure, then…yeah. But let's survive the end of the world before we start killing anybody, okay?"

Lucy leaned her head against Eli's shoulder. "Thanks. I really need you with me on this."

"Yeah…sure," Eli said, rubbing her back, feeling very uncomfortable and torn. Her friend had just had her whole world and sense of self ripped from her. Of course she wanted revenge. Eli only hoped that Lucy's opinions would change by the time judgment day rolled around. "Anything you say, hun. Anything you say."

If things didn't change, Eli was very sure that someone was going to die. She just wasn't sure who.