Author's Note: I know I haven't posted anything on this in a while, but I've been very distracted. I can't say "busy" because that's not exactly true, but I'm easily distracted and that's what I've been. I hope you can forgive me. If it's any consolation, I have a new chapter for you.

"I've been wondering when you were going to wake," the King of Hades continued.

"Well, maybe next time don't use a frying pan," Azariah retorted.

"You would never have come willingly." Crowley stood up from his chair and turned to face her. "Sit. It's more comfortable." Azariah's gray eyes narrowed, danger and caution glimmering in them. "Oh come on. I'm not going to maim, poison, or do anything to you in any way. That would be very counter-productive and get a very powerful angel very angry with me."

"What are you talking about? All the powerful angels don't care that I even exist," Azariah retorted.

"Castiel is a powerful Seraph, is he not?" Crowley asked. "Higher caste of angel, stronger than the average foot soldier such as yourself. One of the last, as a matter of fact. Only made into a Seraph after his dear big brother imploded him and his daddy put him back together, right?" Azariah didn't say anything. "Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. You are a tough one. I'm not going to hurt you because I need to be on good terms with Castiel."

"What are you talking about?"

"He and I have an arrangement. And you're part of the 'not-to-be-hurt' bit," Crowley said. He lifted up his glass of amber liquid. "Would you like a drink? Seems rude not to offer you one."

"I don't condone alcohol," Azariah remarked, her voice blank and her eyes impassive.

"No, you don't." He gestured to the seat next to him. "Have a seat princess."

"Why did you bring me here?" Azariah asked, moving and sitting down, looking Crowley coolly in the eye. He resumed his seat and took a swallow from his very ornate crystal glass. His dark eyes watched her as she glared levelly at him.

"It's all part of keeping you safe from the little skirmish going on upstairs."

"Don't make a Heavenly civil war sound light and unimportant you son-of-a-witch!" Azariah spat. "And I can keep myself safe from them!"

Crowley raised his eyebrows, like he was reconsidering his wish to make her his princess. For being an emotionless robot of a soldier, she certainly was feisty. She definitely displayed more emotions than most of her kin—with the exception of Gabriel and Castiel of course. "You need quite the attitude-adjustment, don't you think?" he finally remarked.

"Yeah, I probably do, no thanks to idiots like you who make the life I'm trying to live harder than it needs to be," she snapped.

Luckily Crowley was smart and knew that he was getting nowhere with her, so he changed the topic. "Would you like something to eat or drink? Not alcohol of course. Perhaps some lemonade?" he offered. Azariah's level gray gaze didn't move as she shook her head.

"No. Thanks. It all just tastes like molecules, so what's the point?"

"When was the last time you were here? Hmm? Two years ago?"

"About three, actually," she corrected. "I was part of the garrison incursion that laid siege to rescue Dean's soul. I almost did it too, except Alistair caught me in a headlock so Castiel made the home stretch alone since the other two angels with us stayed behind to free me." She shrugged. "It was actually quite fascinating. Lot of… facets to this place. Little nooks and crannies and places to hide." She wanted to finish her little monologue with I didn't know demons were that cowardly, but even though she was protected by Cas for some reason, she didn't really want to tick Crowley off.

"Has anyone seen Azariah? I really don't want Cas to slaughter us when he comes back and we can't find her," Dean asked Sam and Bobby as he opened the door into a closet and peered in, looking for the baby angel—who would insist she wasn't a baby if she caught him thinking that.

Sam glanced up from the computer screen and shrugged. "Haven't seen her in… several hours. Since before Jody came."

"She went downstairs so she could give us some privacy. I heard a loud bang and when I went down, she was gone, and the book she'd been reading earlier was on the table. As was a dent that looked like she'd been hitting her forehead on it pretty hard," Bobby offered from his desk where he was sifting through some papers. Dean sighed in irritation and clenched his jaw.

"Great. So we lost the baby angel and she didn't even leave through the front door. We promised Cas we would protect her!"

"No, actually, you didn't," a new voice commented from behind. "You simply said she could stay here." Dean whirled around to see Castiel leaned against the kitchen counter casually, hands resting on the edges. He almost had an amused look on his face. "And it's okay. You didn't lose her. I had an associate of mine take her somewhere even safer than here. So don't worry." Dean raised his eyebrows at the "safer than here" bit.

"Do you think we can't protect her?" He sounded slightly indignant.

Castiel shook his head. "No. I know you can protect her, but where she is now, no angel will go there. Especially not while the civil war is going on."

"Where is it?" Sam asked.

"An old angel outpost that hasn't been used in millennia. Most of my kind has forgotten it exists. Even if some do remember, it's so out-of-the-way they would see no point in going there. It's purely metaphysical." Castiel gave them a reassuring nod. "So don't worry about her. She'll be fine. Safe. I could never let any harm come to her anyway if I could avoid it."

"Let me guess," Dean started. "You still see her as a baby with goofy, fledgling wings."

Castiel almost smiled. "How'd you guess?" He sounded genuinely curious, not sarcastic.

"I know how older brothers think," Dean replied. Sam smirked behind him, wondering sarcastically if Dean still saw him as a baby with goofy fledgling wings. He sure hoped not. He was twenty-eight. He wasn't the kid who had to get back to school for a law school interview anymore.

"Well, yes. I do still see her as a child," Castiel confirmed. "I also see her as a soldier, but she's…"

"Young?" Dean suggested.

"Yes."

End Note: AAWW! I think Cas and Aza's relationship is so cute! Let me know what you thought! (Jeez that sounds like one of my teachers. Ugh!)

Thanks for reading!

~Cass