They gathered in the Council Chamber once more, on one side sat the four Archangels, and on the other the ones they had called into the meeting. Nisroc sat nearest the Prince, both charges on either knee, one leaning forward on the table with crossed arms and the other leaning back in the crook of his arm. Jeremiah and Hazel sat next to him, Jezaniah perched on the Elders knee again, his arm curled around the little waist to keep him in place, and more surprisingly on the Elder's left sat Sariel who looked as though she was ready to bolt at any given opportunity. Next to the Choir Elder, sat Oren, with small Adonis sitting on his right knee, leaning back into his stomach. Next to the Virtue sat the retired Sentry, Gadreel, look a bit worse for wear, shadows haunted his once bright eyes, but he sat there in strength unknown.

Across from them all, the last of their party, little Akeelah sat with the Morningstar. She leaned back against his chest, her little hand curled around the one he had curled around her stomach protectively, watching the Council in similar fashion as the others were.

"We thank you for coming." They each nodded in turn to the Prince, though without the option to not to if they didn't desire it, no one could ignore a summons to the Council. "There is no one else we can seek the answers to the questions we have."

They each looked uneasy, for good reason, whenever they were called to the chamber, this particular group, it was to discuss things they would rather be left in the past. But one couldn't begin the process of healing if no one knew what they were healing from.

The Council of Archangel exchanged looks, and the Healer carried on with the subject even they were nervous to broach, "We wish to ask about The Fall."

"What is there to ask?", Sariel was the first to speak up, tone harsh, if a bit too quiet, "You banished out Choir Master. Everyone knows this."

"Yes." The Messenger was serious for this meeting, and they all knew by such, that business was meant "We do. When he says The Fall, he means the second one, caused by our exiled brother." The Healer nodded, thanking him with his eyes for elaborating where he couldn't, and turned to look at them each in kind "

The ones on the other end exchanged looks, it was their story to tell, their secrets to share, and they knew that if they denied such a request that it would not be forced on out of respect for their privacy, hence the reason they were being asked.

Gadreel rubbed at his face, eyes closed, "Even being freed from my confines of the Prison, I was still held captive, forced to commit crimes that others have been punished for, why not I?"

Michael leaned back in his chair, looking over to the Sentry, though his eyes were averted and it sent a jolt of pain through him. When he had sentenced the Sentry, he had been grief stricken at the loss of his brother, perhaps the one he had been closest to, and had spared no mercy. The blame for the tortures he endured was on him alone. He had allowed him to be locked away and the key to be lost without care. He knew when the younger woke in the middle of the silent night in terror. He knew every flinch that was had. Every ounce of pain he still felt from wounds that would never truly heal.

"Because, Gad, you did not want to do so. Those who have been punished did those acts out of their own violition, you acted on the desire for redemption, you had your dreams used against you and given false promises in return. You are no murdered. You are a martyr. A poor abused martyr."

He reached across the table, clutching at the hands that lay folded tightly on the otherside, "Your redemption has been made, young one, you are free despite how much I know it still torments you. Meet me after this meeting, would you?" Gadreel nodded, looking down still, though he did curl the fingers of his free hand over the Archangels that lay still clutched around his.

"I was found by human warriors in blue shirts." Sashael raised his hand, surprising the Power he sat on, and looked ahead at the council only, not wanting to meet his guardians eyes, "And they took me to this big building with a lot of others. The next morning, I was put in the back of one of their automobiles and taken to a home. It wasn't a home." He curled his fingers around those of the hand that lay lightly across his lap, tightly he clutched at them, and still refused to meet the Power's gaze "Everyone knows what Thaddeus did because of the sentencing. They all know how he was. He was bad. This home I was taken to was bad too. They did the same thing he did, but they just didn't gave the power to keep me in place, I hid most of the time. In a closet under the stairs. I'm good at that. Hiding. I think it's the only thing I'm good at sometimes, especially over being a warrior, that's why I was pulled out of training."

Nisroc finally had enough of him refusing to meet his gaze and tilted his head upwards with the hand the boy clutched at so strongly, "You know that's not true. You are truly masterful at so many things; your drawings that you've shown me are masterpieces, your ability to overcome, the way you trust despite past treatment, your ability with a short blade is outstanding." He tapped his chin with his finger "And you were pulled from training because you are still so young, my fledgling. Not because of lacking any skill. Most of your friends were pulled with you, given new guardians, or returned to those previously had, depending on their situation. Had I known you had felt this way I would have told you the reasoning."

The Prince nodding in agreement in front of them, "Indeed, you skill with a blade, despite being so young, is impressive. It has captured even my attention. You and young Paul here. You may have been pulled from training to live what's left of your fledglinghood, but it does not overtake the choice you made, once you are old enough you will rejoin my ranks in training."

"I remember the way it burned." Jezaniah looked up to the Choir Elder, "When we all fell. I was standing in the atrium at the center of the Pantheon and then I fell, and it burned." All of those, heartbreakingly with the young ones, nodded in remembrance. The only one who didn't seem to know the pain of the burning was Gadreel, whose wings had been partially destroyed enough that the nerve endings had been fried, he hadn't felt more then the pain he always felt now. "I heard everyone screaming as well fell to the earth below. And when we landed. It hurt when we landed too. I fell with Ariel." He looked down then "Only I came back."

Akeelah picked up where he left off, "I remember hearing Castiel's name. That he was trying to seal the gates and Metatron had tricked him. He caused all of this….. unneeded hurt…..If he had sealed us in…I don't know what would have happened." Her expression darkened "All he cares about are those stupid monkeys. He doesn't care about us. He doesn't care about any of us! Hadn't we all hurt enough already?" and with her piece spoken she curled back into her guardians chest and remained there, joining them in only appearance, refusing to say any more from then on.

The meeting adjourned and they slowly parted; Jeremiah returned the three of them to the Pantheon, Nisroc took his two charges up and left for the Pavilion, Lucifer and the younger two archangels disappeared with their little fledgling in tow. The only one who remained was the Sentry, at the word of the Archangel he had once served under, and he sat where he had taken seat when he'd first arrived, staring down at his scarred hands.

"I can not begin to understand the horrors you faced." The Archangel had watched him for the better part of a minute before he stood to step around the table, and despite his touch being soft and gently, the Sentry still flinched, "All I can do is apologize, despite how useless words may be, for what I had done to you."

"It is I who should apologize."

"No. Never. You had been deceived by one who had been raised to trust, and in my blindness, in my rage, I ignored that fact."

Michael knelt before him, taking his shaking hands into his own, holding them steady despite their desire to quake.

"I hear your screams in the middle of the night, from the room in the Infirmary where you stay, and it breaks me to know that I am the true cause for such terror that you feel."

Gadreel looked up from his hands to meet the eyes of the one who had once raised him, the one who he had thought he could trust to protect him no matter what may come, and the one who had broken it with such ferocity. Michael looked concerned, saddened, perhaps even a little broken.

"I have had a bed prepared for you in my rooms, you will come stay with me until we get you a room of your own made, and I may be there to help should you need it."

"I am alright."

"Please, little 'Reel." Hearing such a name, a pet name he had been given as a young fledgling, hearing it again brought a smile to his features despite how hollow he felt, "I should not ask anything of you, not after what I've put you through, but do it for me?" The Sentry watched him for a moment, before he nodded, making ready to get to his feet. Everything was a struggle now, even the simplest of things, and he was grateful for the Archangel being there to help him stand. "Come, we will return, it has been exciting today, you need to rest."