"Zaves?", the little voice was the first thing he heard as he came into awareness, the little hands tugging at his top, and slowly cobalt eyes blinked open into the darkness that surrounded them, "Zaves I'm scared.", he blinked a few more times until his eyes adjusted to the sudden darkness and he could see the faint outline of his little friend sitting just beside him. She looked frightened, terrified a more apt description, gone was the usual fearlessness that normally exuded from her and in its place was another emotion.

He couldn't quite remember what had happened, all he could remember as the battle, they had breached the gates again, the Princes of Hell storming into the Axis. Angels being cut down from where they stood, the Powers running into the fray with the Warriors right behind them, the Principalities right behind them, and then the scream that caught his attention.

Everyone else was too focused on the fight at hand to notice a Knight dragging the fledgling away from the fray, most probably to be used as a bargaining chip later on, and he'd dropped out of the fighting to make chase. Right through the gates, leaving behind the sounds of clashing swords and screams of battle, he dove over the edge that they disappeared from and notched an arrow in his bow as they fell and shot it cleanly into the Knight's left shoulder.

As he slowly came to, looking around quickly taking in his surroundings, more started to fill in for him. He remembered her screaming as she was let go, free falling through the air as they slowly fell to the earth below, he had reached for her, straining against himself, just trying to reach a few more inches.

They fingers brushed against each other and her eyes stared up at him, wide in terror as she free fell, their hands outstretched for each other.

Then there was pain. Something had hit him over the back of the head, hard, and he'd blacked out to the scream of his friend.

"Zaves please, please wake up, please?"

He groaned in pain as the throbbing began anew, his fingers pressed into his head, and came away with stickiness. In front of him sat the fledgling, the archangels fledgling, and she was staring at him with wide frightened eyes. He sat up slowly, careful as the dizziness washed over him for a moment but let her pull him up completely.

"Zaves!"

His arms were full in the next moment, and he slowly curled them around the small shivering frame, pressing his cheek to the top of her braided head for a moment. She held onto him even still as she pulled away, helping him to his feet, and helped to steady him when he swayed slightly.

"Where are we?"

"I don't know, I think I do, the Knight hit you with his sword and dragged us here."

The young messenger tried to take in where 'here' was exactly but couldn't see really much of anything. It was just so dark. He could hear the trickling of water somewhere under him, perhaps in a cavern, and it slowly trickled off until it faded completely. He found that he couldn't move too far, his ankle shackled to the stone wall behind him, the little fledgling in the one next to him.

"Akeelah?", her grip tightened as if to acknowledge that she heard his inquiry, "Are you okay?"

"I think so. I'm scared Zaves. I wanna go home."

He nodded, he wanted the same thing, though he was too prideful to admit it out loud he really wished his master was here. He always knew how to make things better, always knew what to do, and he'd find a way to get them out.

There was grinding as rusted metal rubbed against rusted metal, and light spilled into their prison, both of them squinted back from it and ducked away. In the doorway stood the silhouette of a man, short and rounded, and his shoes clicked across the floor as he walked in. Behind him came two more, larger build and more muscle, following him as though he was the one in charge. Had the situation not been so tense he would have laughed at the thoughts that circled around his head.

"What have we here?"

Zaveriel recognized that voice, but he couldn't recall from where, he knew who it belonged to but couldn't place the name for the life of him. Akeelah screamed as she was lifted off her feet, the shackle released, their hands forced apart, and he jumped forward as she was pulled from the cell with her hand outstretched for him.

The man laughed, shaking his head in amusement, and motioned for the other one to follow him as he made his way out. Zaveriel shouted and cursed, straining against his restraints, reaching for his friend in return until she disappeared around a corner and the door was slid shut leaving him struggling in nothing but darkness and silence.

…

"They are not among the wounded." The Healer admitted as he joined them in front of the Infirmary, the Choir master and Messenger looked in-ordinarily worried and the Commander looked furious, a light in his eyes being the same shine that was seen during the first parts of the war when most were able to actual lay witness to him, "There is no place else to look for them."

"Does anyone know why they attacked this time?"

Nisroc asked the question they were all thinking, but none of them had an answer, though none of them were really focused on that matter as they were missing at least two of their own and it was their priority to find them before sorting anything else out. Michael turned to his brother, the Morningstar sat on his right rubbing at his chin and his eyes were unfocused as his mind was elsewhere.

"Lucifer."

"Hmm?", the younger archangel turned to look at his older brother, "Yes?"

"Have you chosen your regent yet?"

"I have in fact, Drexel, he had treated me with respect and therefore I give it in return."

Gabriel tilted his head to the side, "Wasn't he also the one who had once made your vessel the same sort of cell as the cage had been?"

"There was that too, I need someone innovative and intelligent to serve in my absence, there is no one else but him."

Michael nodded as he spoke, curling his fingers around his own chin in thought, "Was there any who would find the decision to be distasteful?"

The Morningstar thought on his for a moment, preparing to shake his head, but stopped himself before he could, eyes narrowing in thought.

"There is one. Thinks it's his rightful place since he was given permission by one of my Princes. Ramel has no desire to take the position, I asked him, he prefers to reconcile with the other Grigori." He glanced at Nisroc for a moment, "And Titus I believe. They were once very close as I remember." He turned back to look at the older archangel, "He would be this low as to steal a fledging for his own benefit."

"Zaves better give him hell until we catch up."

…

"She won't crack, nor play nicely, bring in her little friend.", he leaned back in the throne, an unconscious demon locked in a small cage behind him, the little fledgling laying on the floor with a bruise slowly starting to darken her cheek. She turned to watch as they two wh had brought her here nodded at the command and turned to fulfill the order, leaving the two of them alone, he looked down at her in silence and she tried to remember where she had seen his face before.

"I don't know why you won't just do what you're told to." He spoke with an accent she recognized, "You wouldn't have to be hurt. Now your friend is going to be to, and it will be all your fault."

The door to the infernal throne room opened again and they walked in dragging her friend between them, despite the blood dripping down from somewhere in his hair line, Zaveriel still struggled against them. They dropped him next to the fledgling and she crawled over to him, little fingers curling into his tunic, shaking him to wake him again. His eyes were fogy and he was clearly losing focus.

He smiled at her as best as he could and pulled himself up, slowly getting to his feet, stepping in front of his younger friend. Akeelah stepped up behind him, fingers curling instead into his trousers, hiding behind his leg as he faced off against their capturer.

"It took me a minute to place where I know you from.", he pointed a finger at the one sitting in the throne, "And those idiotic Winchesters won't be able to save you now."

The other snarled at him, "Boys? If you would show our friend here his place among us."

Akeelah shrieked when he was pulled from her grasp and watched with wide eyes as he was punched hard enough in the gut that she heard something snap, he choked on a breath and fell to his knees, already injured from the battle at the gate. Her eyes watered as she turned to look back at the demon on the throne, looking smug at their predicament, "You just have to do one thing for me. One small thing. This is your doing, little angel."

…

He held the witch up by the neck, her feet kicking weakly for the purchase of the ground, the protects of the Winchesters falling on deaf ears. When someone stood against his Choir, they were standing against him in turn, when someone took his fledgling it was more then that.

"You better think fast", he squeezed her throat tighter, not caring when she choked on another breath, her nails clawing at his hand, "My patience wears thin. I am not the merciful one out of the four of us."

Castiel finally managed to break free from a Grigori's grip and surged forward, his blade sliding from his coat sleeve, raising it to strike to distracted Morningstar's back. They would be furious at his death but would thank him later for it.

Watching the seraph from his Commanders side, the chief Power stepped forward unprompted, he had not forgotten what this foot soldier had attempted to do with the Baby Power. He shoulder checked him hard, the blade clattering out of his hand, and with a palm flat against his chest knocked the seraph off his feet and thrust him into the ground. The air was knocked out of him, slim fingers curling around his wrist, but he hadn't become Chief by being easily outdone. Nisroc applied more pressure until the ribcage under his touch creaked against his hand, "Stay down." He stood after another moment and stepped on his hand as he moved back to his commander's side, smirking when he heard the bones in his fingers crack under him.

Michael turned to him with a disapproving look, "I raised you better than that Nisroc."

"Sir, pardon my bluntness, but I was merely protecting my Princes from such trash."

"Pardoned, and perhaps a bit of personal vendetta."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

…

"Akeelah…", blood spilled down his chin, but the messenger managed to speak her name still, "Akeelah…" the fledgling was crying, he didn't like it when she cried, and her face appeared in his blurry vision. He blinked when a tear drop splashed on his forehead. Reaching a shaking hand up he brushed it over her cheek to wipe away the wet trail. "Don't…Cry…."

"Fetch our guest the holy oil.", she clenched her fists in fear and anger, eyes staring down into her friends, Zaveriel would protect her to his last breath and endure a thousand years of torture for her and she was going to return the favor. His eyes widened at the glow that began to emanate from her clenched fists, and he tried to push himself up, he was one of the few who had seen what she was capable of power wise. For such a tiny thing there hadn't been much left to salvage.

"Akeelah…. No…."

She shook off his hand and slowly pushed herself to her feet. The demon on the throne had wanted her grace, much like the mean Prince had taken Gabriel's, and expected her to give it to him because he had asked her nicely for it. As she clenched her fists tighter the glowing got brighter, her iridescent blue eyes began to light up in a fury that no one her age should be capable of having, if he wanted her grace then she'd give it to him.

The tension in the room grew tighter, the air around them growing thin, the two demons who had been beating on her friend bent over hacking for a breath of air. Gravity buckled and little pebbles and stones began to lift into the air, her braids lifted with the same force, and the demon could finally see his error in judgement and how much he had underestimated a fledgling angels power.

He stumbled back over the thrones arm, when her little hand lifted, palm open towards the ground. It was like the room was vacuuming in on itself, and as her fingers slowly closed, the room seemed to close in on itself the tension around them became so thick.

Finally, she placed his face to the name she knew, "Crowley." And the room imploded into madness.

…

Sam Winchester froze up midstep, much like the others did in turn, watching as reality starting to combust around them. Tree's wilted and stone melted, he coughed as the air was seemingly pulled from his chest by an unseen hand, whatever the Crossroads demon had done had backfired on him. He knew that much.

They stormed into the Throne Room with weapons blazing, stopping short, he made his way forward to stand between the Prince and his Power. There seemed to be a barrier around them, perhaps the affects calmed by the presence of the four archangels in one place, but the others weren't so lucky. The two Demons nearest them were shivering on the floor, struggling to breath, their faces going purple.

Crowley was sprawled on his back before the throne.

And down the steps from the King's throne came the little fledgling. She was awe inspiring and fearsome at the same moment, her eyes glowing bright against the dark backdrop of Hell's throne room, burning bright like a star. A star about to explode into a blackhole.

"Lucifer." The Healers voice echoed in his ears as he tried to speak over the whining in the air around them "You need to calm her down." He nodded at the given order and stepped forward, he knelt first next to Zaveriel and whispered something down to him, whatever was said seemed to satisfy him for the moment and he moved on to kneel before the fledgling. He whispered something to her that was drowned out by the building tension filled silence, she didn't appear to respond to whatever was said to her, but it was something that got her to calm herself. The glowing died down ever so slowly, and she dived forward into his chest, he wrapped his arms around the fledgling and stood. Pebbles fell to the floor, the tension released, and the air in the room surged around them like a wave rolling through the ocean.

The Morningstar handed her off to the Commander and turned back around to converge on the one ballsy enough to take his fledgling from him.