It had sent Heaven in a tailspin when the fledgling had disappeared, the four archangels dispatched their ranks to find her at once, bring her home safe, as they turned their attentions to the Earth below, diving from the ends of the gates to search for her down there.

Their searches turned up empty handed, and they returned in somber moods. The Morningstar was a mess, without his little companion by his side, he lived for the fledgling, and she lived for him. They were not meant to be apart for so long. He slept in his bed alone that night, staring at the ceiling, his side cold against the outside air as he left the blanket flipped up as though for her to return and jump in to fill the spot.

The Healer had returned from his visit to the ancient world, one made in haste, in the sourest of moods. His rage had cast lightning storms all across the eastern seaboard, power outages were affecting the humans where ever they may live.

It wasn't some three weeks later that word had spread to them that the hunters and their angel had found something, and without further notice, the four archangels and their captains dived immediately for the trio.

"We found them about a week ago." Michael spared the younger hunter a hard stare at his words, "You found two beings and waited a week before alerting us."

"Hey," he held up his hands in an attempt to stay the archangels anger away from him, "We didn't think it was too important."

"So, Winchester, what made this opinion change?"

Sam opened the door to their dungeon and waved in, "See for yourself." They shared a look between them and turned to peer into the danger room with curious nerves, there could be anything beyond that door way, and they loath to admit they were scared for it. They peered into the danger room cautiously, breathing a sigh of relief, though worry still embedded itself in the pits of their stomachs, there sat a young girl upon the single chair within the room, red hair in tangles over her shoulders, mouth wired shut to keep from making a sound. At her feet paced a familiar jackal, dark as night, gold rings curled around long dark ears, a muzzle strapped tightly over the snout.

The Healer was the first to step into the room, kneeling before the raised podium that they sat on, ignoring for the moment the way the girl flinched away from him, "What have I said about pacing?"

The jackal came to a sudden stop, growling deeply behind the muzzle, and turned around ever so slowly, as though stalking ones pray. Golden eyes of the Jackal met those of the Healer, and the ancient hound whined lowly, lowering itself to its belly, crawling forward to meet the Healer.

He held a handout to the Jackal, sighing sadly when a flinch could not be concealed at the gesture, but a silk smooth head pressed to his palm in a moment and he scratched behind his ear for a moment.

"Who has dared muzzle you?"

The lock for the damned thing melted under his touch and he removed it with haste, curling his fingers around either side of the hounds face, pressing his lips to his snout.

"Transform for me?"

The jackal whined lowly and the Healer pressed his lips to his snout once more, "You are safe here. You know my brothers. No one shall harm you again."

It still seemed unsure, but still nodded in agreement, stepping back from the Healer the jackal closed its eyes and a bright golden hue overtook its form. They watched from the doorway, behind the Healer's shoulders, as the jackal transformed into the young Egyptian godling that their brother had taken under his wing. He jumped forward to hug the archangel that crouched before him, clutching at the back of his jacket as though if should he let go he would be stuck in the same nightmare as before, and the Healer hugged him back just as tightly.

"Do you remember Michael?", he turned them, gesturing to the tallest one, and golden eyes followed from where they hid within the folds of the Healers shirt, a hand settled over his head when he nodded, "Can you go stand with him while I look over your friend?"

He hesitated, "Anubis," whatever it was that had shocked the godling to the point of silent terror was horrid to think about, and their missing fledgling only settled that much more in their thoughts and worries, "It is alright. You're safe now."

The godling nodded, "He plays ball with me."

Raphael smiled, "That he does, would you go stand with him for me, I am sure he would not mind you holding onto him." The oldest archangel nodded at the statement, holding his hands out for the young deity, Anubis looked between the two of them, and nodded in trust. He let go of the Healer to clutch at the Viceroy instead, and Michael settled him close to his side, watching just as intently as the Healer moved onto the other.

The girl stared up at him with wide terrified eyes, and he smiled as he would to a skittish little fledgling, "This can't be comfortable." He touched a light finger to her lips and still she winced in pain, shaking her head quickly, it was not something one should do to a siren, sew their mouths shut, it was the cruelest thing one could do to their kind "I can remove them for you." He smiled down to her again when she looked up at him with the biggest roundest hopeful eyes one could ever look at someone with.

She nodded, and he took that as his sign of trust, "I must ask you not to wail when I remove them. We do not have the necessary items down here and these hunters can not be harmed, despite it not being the intention." Again, she nodded to his request, and he took her hand into his as he stood, forcing her into standing with him. She clutched herself close to his side, if anyone could provide protection from anything meaning harm, it would be an archangel.

Michael turned with their young Egyptian charge, nodding to the Healer as he joined them, and each archangel turned towards the hunter expectantly. Sam Winchester seemed unsure, but under the expectant gazes of all four archangel, he had no choice but to lead them back up to the library. Dean Winchester looked up from the book he had been reading, research for their latest hunt, when they appeared in the entrance way and immediately jumped to decline their request.

But they were archangels, they took what they wanted, when they wanted, and thus the hunter went ignored as the Healer sat the young siren in the nearest chair and Sam was quick in getting him a pair of wire cutters, he gave her a particular look, "Now, remember what you promised me not to wail, do I still have your word." She nodded, eyeing the wire cutters excitedly, and behind them the older hunter snorted, "Like we can trust the word of a monster."

Anubis took offence to that statement and had the Viceroy's arm not been curled around his shoulders, he would have surged forward and bit the human, despite the Healer having told him he was not permitted to bite people. Ever. No matter the circumstance. Ever. But he'd make an exception for this human.

"Technically speaking, I'm a monster, human."

"Don't get me started on you dog boy. We know how to kill godlings, Anubis."

He growled, and the arm around his shoulders tightened their hold, "Don't even think about it, pup."

"I wasn't gonna do it!" the older archangel hummed, "I'm sure you wouldn't." he felt the godling turn in his hold to look up at him, "I was just thinking about it!"

"Anubis, hush." The Healer interjected before anything else could be said, he caressed the cheek of the siren he was working on, "She's a good girl." And brushed a finger over her nose, "She won't let even a peep of a wail out." She shook her head, staring into his bright blue eyes, the brightest she had ever seen, and he smiled to her gently.

Gabriel, out of all the archangels, he was the one who they most trusted, turned to him "It'll be fine Winchester, Raph's one of the few who can get anyone to agree to anything with a soft word and a gentle touch."

He seemed doubtful, but the Healer would not be deterred as he had already made the claim of freeing her lips, and he curled the fingers of his left hand gently around the back of her head, tilting it upward for a better view of the particular stitching as there was no reason to make it worse then it already was.

"I'm going to snip the first one, you may feel a bit of a tug as I do at first, grab onto my arm." Her slim clawed fingers curled around his lower arm, and he nodded, "If it begins to hurt you just give my arm a squeeze, alright?" she nodded, and he turned to peer over his shoulder, "Anubis, go wash up."

"I don' wanna."

What hound wanted to take a bath?

"Either you can do so on your own, or I can turn you back into a hound and do it myself, the choice is yours."

The Egyptians eyes widened at the threat, it wouldn't be the first threat that was given, and he most certainly knew that the archangel would follow through with the threats, he had on more then one occasion and he always used cold water and scrub brushes. It took the Egyptian only a moment to make up his mind, ducking under the archangels arm, and called over his shoulder "I'll be back."

They stood as sentries behind him as he took hold of the edge of the stitching wire and snipped it, the siren took a deep breath but did not exhale, and he gave the back of her neck a gentle squeeze, "Breath, little one." And thus she exhaled at his soft command. After the snipping of the first one, the others weren't too snig, it loosened the line of sewn wire but she still squeezed at his arm. Most certainly more so out of fear then actual pain, but he made no mention of it, and continued on his way snipping through the wire.

It took little over three minutes for him to snip the fine little stitches and pick the wire curves out of the holes that were left behind, Anubis had returned in that timeframe, washed and long hair damp under the touch and he leaned back into the oldest archangels side upon his return. Michael lifted his arm to allow him to melt into his side, scratching his fingers through his dark damp locks, watching at his brother reached for the bottle of disinfectant that the hunter had given him with the wire cutters. He would have preferred to use his own mixtures that he used in Heaven but one must use what was provided to them.

He sat back as the siren reached up to touch her freed lips, opening her mouth as if to test it, and her eyes sparkled as she looked up to thank the Healer. He waved her thanks away and pat her cheek fondly, "It is of no problem. It was a wrong that needed righted."

They had known of the Egyptians disappearance, of course there was no way for them to know of the siren's disappearance, and with his disappearance being in the same time frame of his fledgling's, Lucifer was the first to break the silence, "What happened?"

The siren was still preoccupied with her mouth being freed from the stitching, but their godling friend turned from his place in Michael's side, "There's someone out their nabbing creatures off the streets and selling them to the highest bidder."

The Morningstar feared the worst, "Did you see my fledgling?" he set a hand on the godling's shoulder, "Did you see Akeelah?"

Anubis shook his head sadly, "No, I didn't, they had me blindfolded the entire time."

"We will find her brother." Michael squeezed his hand in comfort, "And then we will bring down our wrath at whoever has dared to take her."

"A little angel?", the siren spoke with a soft tone, she turned to look at them from over the Healer's shoulder, "With dark colorful wings?"

Lucifer took a step forward, "Yes?"

"I saw her."

The archangel stood over the Healer's shoulder, "Is she okay?" his worry was evident in his tone "Do you know where she is?"

His younger brother held up his hand a moment to stop him short, turning his attention back to his charge "What is your name, little one?"

"Naida." She smiled to the one who had allowed her to speak once more, "My name is Naida."

"Little Naida, will you tell us all you know of the little angel you saw?"

The siren nodded to him, owing him a great debt, "I saw the little angel when they brought me to the meeting place. We were put in the same cage together. She never told me her name, I am sorry."

Lucifer knelt next to his brother, squeezing her knee, waiting until the tension under his fingers released itself, "Is she still there? Do you know the place?"

Naida shook her head, "I do not know the place. They had my eyes covered. I was only able to get the cloth up when they put me into the cage and chained me to the wall like they had the little angel." She turned away from the Healer to look at the Morningstar, "I pulled the chain from the wall and told her to run. They had not closed the gates of the meeting place. She ran through and disappeared."

"You?" Dean Winchester intercepted the conversation, "You pulled a chain attach to a stone wall free?"

She stiffened in offense, "I could tear you in half, human. My people are strong enough to sink man's ships."

"Sirens can lift tons in their arms." Raphael spared the hunter a look over his shoulder, squeezing the girls knee as his attention was turned to the other side, the Egyptian had taken back to his hound form and trotted across the room, butting his head against the archangels right arm. Raphael chuckled, turning to pat the jackals head, "Do you want to lay down?"

The jackal butted his arm again, rubbing it's snout over his hand "You do not want to go alone?"

It shook its dark smooth head, "Alright, I will come with you." Sharp canines closed around his sleeve and tugged it sharply, "Alright, calm down now, we can go lay down."

He turned to the siren for a moment, scratching behind the jackal's ears to pacify him for a moment and it sat at his side silently in acceptance of the ear scratches, her bright eyes stared into his for a moment of silence and he held a hand out to her, which she looked down at with her unblinking stare.

"Why don't you join us, little one, you both have had quite the experience."

That brought her to blink and she glanced up at him from staring at his hand. "I'm not scared. I want to go home." He shook his head passively. "I never said you were, it was merely an offer, a well given suggestion. Rest before the trek home. Gather your strength." She stared at him again and then back down to his hand before she hesitantly reached out to take it with her own. His fingers curled around her petite hand, warm and protectively firm, he stood and carefully guided her up to her feet.

The Healer stood, feeling the jackal rub its head against his leg, "Winchester, I need a room."

Dean scoffed, but Sam nodded, leading him down the hall towards a free room. He returned a moment later, clearly having a question on his lips, and the other archangels turned to him to answer it should he bring it to light.

He did after a moment of silent contemplation.

Gesturing over his shoulder, where he had led the Healer to a bedroom for the two creatures to rest under his guarding, he turned to look at the three remaining archangels in question.

"Just, how?" he looked over his shoulder in amazement. "We've met sirens before and their anger can ignite in the slightest of instances. This siren has been captured, taken from home, bound, muzzled, and was almost sold to the highest bidder." He turned back to them. "How on earth did he keep her from lashing out?" he wasn't done yet. "The same for Anubis, he's passive, sure, but even he has a temper. And we've met that temper before."

"Easy," Gabriel waved a hand in the general direction that his older brother had disappeared, "He has Anubis wrapped around his finger."

Michael spared him a look, shaking his head in fond exasperation for the younger archangel, Gabriel grinned and looked down from his gaze.

"Raphael knows how to calm people because of his duty as Heaven's Healer. It comes with practice. He hums as he works because the soft tune calms the nerves of those he cares for, not matter what he's tending to, it's easier to treat someone who doesn't struggle against you then it is the other way around." He rubbed at his forehead. "He can provide a security that is more preceptive to those he tends to then others can provide. He kept the siren at ease with the softness of his tone and the safety he gives off in assurance. He keeps Anubis from loosing his temper very carefully, even he knows what can become of the natural order when the Egyptian deity looses his control, once it is lost it is quite difficult to reign in again. He maintains a certain level of trust with the young jackal and a close relationship to aid in the matter should Anubis loose his temper, in any situation, the Egyptian likes most all persons he meets, but none more than our brother."

Lucifer was muttering to himself, swiping his hands through his hair every so many minutes, looking very much like he'd be pacing had he not been standing between his two brothers. They had met the archangel's fledgling numerous times, and they knew that she was as tough as they come, but she was still so very young and out there on her own without anyone knowing where she may be, no protection available should she need it.

"How old is she?"

Sam Winchester had never thought he'd be making conversation with, attempting to comfort, the one who had caused him so much torment. But Lucifer looked absolutely pitiful.

"She is the equivalent of a human six-year-old."

The seraph, who had been standing guard behind his two hunters, as though he assumed, he could take on the four archangels should things take a negative turn. Lucifer glared at him with all the hatred he could muster.

"I don't want you going anywhere near my fledgling."

"I don't see anyone else offering to go and seek the fledgling out."

Michael reached out to squeeze the Morningstar's shoulder in comfort and assurance. "She will be found, little brother."

All three remaining archangels ignored Castiel as they called out for others to join them.

They recognized the first one immediately, they had met him numerous times before, standing nearly as tall as the archangel he looked to for commandment. His long dirty blonde hair done up in a loose bun, beard as finely done as always, piercing blue eyes looking towards his commander in the ready for any order he were to give. He wasn't in his battle armor; dawned in a pair of blue jeans, a light blue shirt, leather jacket, and boots, the sword attached to his left hip stood out against the casual human attire.

The second one they recognized as well, not as much as they did the first, much shorter than the others around him, but just as deadly as they came. Dark black hair spiked up with some unseen product, jaw set in a way that told them volumes of what he knew of the situation, piercing violet eyes glaring at the two hunters with a certain amount of heat in it.

The third on they had met only a few times, and thus didn't know him as much as they knew the first two, but they had no doubts he could stand against any of them even on his worst day. His red hair stood on in contrast to his pale skin tones, he stood at the Morningstar's side with ease and comfort, as if knowing that the archangel was running on a short fuse.

The three of them all knew that the fledgling was missing.

Michael finally turned to address Castiel. "I wouldn't say that, Seraph, I can think of quite a few who would volunteer to go in search of our fledgling." He gestured to the three they had called down. "I doubt that Nisroc, Puriel, and Semyaza would have any objection."

Nisroc shook his head, serious in the matter at hand, crossing his arms over his broad chest loosely.

Puriel shook his head in the same manner, resting his hands on his hip, a pack of items unknown hanging across his chest.

Semyaza gave one sharp jerk of his head, crossing his arms in the same manner as the Powers Captain, glaring with a certain amount of heat at the two hunters and their angel friend.

He turned to face the three of them. "I don't care what you must do." He spared them each an individual look. "Just find our fledgling."

They nodded in unison, and the angels in the room watched them open their wings in preparation for them to take their leave at this greatly important mission, they stopped at the raised hand of the seraph.

"I will come with you."

Semyaza growled softly. "I don't think you were invited." He waved a hand at him in dismissal. "You would only hinder us."

"A missing fledgling is a matter for the entire host."

"And that does not include you." He closed the gap between them quickly, poking a harsh finger into his chest. "And you are one to talk, this is the same fledgling you had been willing to torture into submission to your will, not the will of the Host you so speak of." He poked him again, as harshly as he could manage. "You're only wanting to come because Father has been showing distaste to you and your humans for all the bullshit you try and put one of His youngest through."

"Semyaza," the Power called out to him softly, "leave him. Let us go find our fledgling."

…

The met in the middle of a clearing once again, empty handed once again, and the irritation at their lack of success was starting to grate on their nerves. The sun was beginning to set and it would do no good to have a fledgling as young as she was on their own in the dark of earth's nights, especially not with vermin out there trapping supernatural creatures to sell to the highest bidder, they had to find her before the sun set completely or she was found by others meaning her harm.

Puriel ran his fingers through his hair in irritation, a mix of concern in there as well, looking between them both and then settling on his Captain.

"This would be so much easier if we had a way of tracking her."

It took him a moment of deep thinking until it dawned on him, and then for a moment the Captain felt foolishness run through him at his not remembering the little fact that they had. There was a way of tracking her, he was sure of it, and he shook his head at his not realizing sooner.

"Puriel, we have our pendants so that we may be found if we get separated on the battlefield."

The medic Power nodded his head, raising an eyebrow in confusion, Semyaza watched them with just as much curiosity as the other Power spared his Captain. He didn't know the delicate intricacies of the other Legions, they all had the small secrets that was kept between each other, and it came as no surprise that they had that sort of trick up their sleeves.

"I know this, we all do, what does that have to do with anything at the present moment?"

Nisroc shook his head, waving a few fingers for him to listen. "I gave mine to the fledgling when we first met in the Garden."

Puriel and Semyaza turned to him fully, eyes widening in realization, the medic's jaw dropped for a moment in awe at the minor detail that had been forgotten after all this time. They had made the pendants together, intricately lining each pendant with a sliver of their graces, so that they could be tracked down should they become separated from each other in the heat of battle.

"You can trace the location of your grace."

The Captain nodded, closing his eyes as he reached out for it, far and wide until he felt it push back at him. A few minutes passed, he could feel the hopeful stares of the other two as he searched with his senses, and they looked just as hopeful as they felt when he opened his eyes as suddenly as he did.

There was no saying she still had the necklace he'd given her, if she had taken it off previously, or if it had been torn from her in the midst of a struggle to escape her kidnappers. He couldn't track her, he could only track the pendant, and hope that it was still around her neck.

"I know where she's at."

…

The location he led them to wasn't too far from where they had been standing previously, about 7 miles away from their previous location, he had shared with them his concerns that the necklace had been removed or broken in a struggle, and they searched the area with a keen eye for any sight of the pendant among the colored leaves on the ground or the sight of the fledgling hiding somewhere in the vicinity.

He was sifting through the debris just before a small crevice between two rather large boulders when he spotted it, just out of the corner of his eye, it was a rusty piece of metal, hidden well in the shadows of the crevice, a thick link of a chain. Puriel set his hand against the side of the boulder gently, leaning around to get a closer look . The crevice was too small for him to see into completely, but he followed the link in the chain to the next one, until it led him to a pair of tiny toes. He couldn't see the foot, he couldn't see anything else, but he saw the toes. There was the possibility that it was another creature that had been found, but there was no other reason for Nisroc to be able to place them here unless it was for his pendant, and there was no one else who would be wearing it.

Puriel waved at the others from over his shoulder, and they met at his back immediately, as he reached into the crevice as best as he could for the little toes. He managed to give them a slight tug and the foot was pulled way in an instance, a small whimper floated out from within, and it caused them equal amounts of broken-heartedness and anger at the mere sound of it.

"It's okay, you know how I love playing with your little toes, can you come out for us?"

There wasn't even the sound of a shuffle from within the hiding place.

"Come, Baby Power, you know me."

Then there was a slight shuffle, the chain rattled against the stone sides of the hiding place, and bright blue eyes peered out at him from behind an edge.

"Puri?"

He smiled, raising his hand to wiggle his fingers slightly in greeting. "And Nis and Sem." Those cautious blue eyes peered behind him, and the others waved in similar fashion.

"Puri!"

There was another slight shuffle, and their missing fledgling crawled out from the small crevice she'd taken as her hiding spot, struggling to get to her feet when she was free enough to do so, the fledgling jumped into his open arms. He curled his arms around her tightly and stood, turning to the others behind him, smiling despite the touchy situation they found themselves in. The fledgling clutched at him for all she was worth, shaking like a leaf in the wind.

"I've got you, Baby Power." He rubbed her back soothingly. "I've got you, it's alright, I've got you."

She reached for her ankle, the one that the chain links hung from, despite the hold he had on her.

"Puri get it off." Scratching at her ankle desperately. "Get it off."

He nodded to her request. "We'll get it off, I promise you, we'll get it off." Brushing a hand over her dirty braids, he turned her around to face him. "Let me see you."

Her eyes were bright when they met his, bright with fear and the adrenaline of the 'fight or flight' instinct, and he brushed his thumb over the dark bruise under her eye just above her cheek bone. There was a deep slice on the corner of her lower lip, as though she had bit it harshly during a fall or something sharp had cut it, little cuts and scrapes littered her face and neck, a glistening knot on her left temple indicating that someone had either struck her harshly or she had hit her head on something rather hard.

So many wounds to be concerned over and he was only looking at her face.

"I'm going to give you to Nis, okay?"

Akeelah seemed alright with that, even reaching out for the Power Captain, and he happily took her into his arms. Lifting her up and away from the medic's grasp, settling her on his arm, he held her tight and he held her firm, ensuring that she knew she was safe within his grasp. She laid her head on his shoulder as the adrenaline began to wear off and he curled his free hand over the side of her head.

"You're safe now, Akeelah." He whispered in her ear. "No one will ever take you from us again."

There was a part of them that almost wanted some of those who took the young ones from the supernatural world for selling off to show themselves in that moment, the took the youth because they wouldn't dare and attempt to take the grown. Facing three of Heaven's finest trained soldiers would be the last thing they ever accomplished.

"I know Nis." She looked up at him slightly, tilting her head upwards against his shoulder. "Its safe now."

He nodded in return, kissing her temple carefully.

She kicked her leg up again. "Puri, get it off." The Power medic caught it as it fell back down, and knelt slightly to look it over, clicking his tongue softly as he twisted her foot around, looking over the raw skin around her ankle. It was clear that she had tried to force it off herself, tearing the skin of her ankle in the process, and when that didn't seem to work, she resorted to trying to scratch it away.

But he promised to remove it, and that was a promise he was intending to keep, even he didn't like the idea of her being trapped anymore then she already had been.

There was a manacle clasped tightly around her red raw ankle, which would have prevented her from being able forcefully push it off, the ones who had kept her prisoner had wanted to make sure she would never have managed to free herself.

They clearly hadn't thought that a siren child would be able to snap the chain that held her captive to the wall.

On the back of the manacle, keeping it securely shut, was a human made padlock. He rubbed his hand over her lower calf, looking up to meet her eyes, it saddened him to see the fright and sorrow that shone in those normally excited and happy blue eyes.

"I need you to calm down for me, you're so tense, you need to calm down. Alright?" she nodded to his request and little by little he felt the tension in her leg fade away, it didn't go completely, but enough that he could bend her foot in the position he needed it to be in to free her from her cuff. "I need you to be as still as you can be now, okay?" she nodded again, little fingers curling into his Captain's shirt.

Puriel gripped her ankle, grimacing at the whine it produce, and curled the fingers of his other hand around the padlock. The human crafted device was enough to keep a weakened youth captured, most certainly a human too, but stood no match against a grown angel, and it snapped as though it were a mere twig when he yanked it away from the ring on the back of the manacle. With its lock gone, the manacle fell freely from the fledgling's ankle to the ground under him, where he let it lay.

He rubbed a hand over the sole of her foot, scratching a few fingers into it, and looked up to see her small smile at the feeling it brought.

"I'm going to fix up your ankle, alright?"

She nodded silently. "Okay, Puri." He smiled at the sound of her voice and the fact that she was as responsive as she was being. Turning to the pack he carried with him, the medic sifted through his bag for the items he was looking for, fishing out a blue jar and some bandages. He set the bandages over his thigh and scooped some of the thick mixture from the jar, rubbing it into the raw skin of her ankle, scratching a few fingers of his free hand over her sole again when she gave a soft whine. There was a soft giggle, a nearly silent little thing, but they all heard it. He wrapped the bandages around her ankle securely and smiled up at her.

"All done."

Akeelah returned the smile in kind, kicking her bandaged leg again, clearly happy that the cruel thing had been removed from her person.

Reaching into his bag again, he pulled out a few cloths, draping them over his Captain's other shoulder, Nisroc snorted in amusement. The medic pulled out a small brown jug from within his bag and took one of the rags in hand.

"Let's get you cleaned up, Baby Power."

He started first with her knees, skinned red from falls and climbing through the forests, perhaps even when she crawled into her hiding spot. Then moved on to her hands, cleaning away the debris and dirt from the skinned little palms, wrapping both in soft bandages as he went. Then he turned his attentions to her face and head, dabbing at the glistening knot on her temple, and then to the various cuts and scrapes, finishing with the deep cut on her lip. Puriel examined that a bit closer to see to the matter on whether or not it would need stitching.

Humming under his breath, he dug through his bag for a numbing agent and needle and thread, the fledgling whined at the sight of them as the Power pulled them from his pack.

"I know you don't like it." The medic gave her an encouraging smile. "I'll be done really quick." He rubbed a bit of the numbing agent on her lower lip, on either side of the split, and dropped it back into his bag. "You hold onto Nis, okay, it'll be really quick. Done before you know it."

Akeelah did as he suggested, curling her fingers into the Captains shirt on the front side, and the leather jacket on the back, nodding when she was ready.

The numbing agent did as it had been intended to do, the fledgling flinched in discomfort, but only felt a slight pinch as the needle weaved in and out. Three stitches later, he pulled the thread taught and knotted it before snipping it free, tucked in back in its leather pouch, and stuffed it back in his pack.

Puriel rubbed his hand over her arm. "Do you wanna go home now?" he smiled at her nod. "There's quite a few people who are waiting anxiously to see you again."

"I wanna go home, Puri."

He kissed her softly on the cheek. "Then let's get you home."

…

"Akeelah!" The Morningstar rushed from his brothers sides at the sight of the little fledgling. "Luci!" she squirmed in Nisroc's arms to be set down, and the Power bent over to set her on her feet, watching her run down the aisle of the Infirmary for the second oldest archangel.

Lucifer bent as they met, lifting her up into his arms in one foul swoop, clutching her tightly to him. She latched onto his front, like a baby monkey to it's mother, wrapping both arms around his neck and both legs around his waist.

The others smiled at the sight of guardian and charge being reunited again.

"I've been so worried about you."

He twisted them from side to side, holding her as close as he could possibly manage, and she clung to him just as closely, savoring the safety of his embrace. No one would dare to stand against an archangel. No one.

"It was scary Luci!"

The Morningstar rubbed a hand over her back. "It's okay, your home and safe, no one will ever take you from us again."

He turned, thanking the three of them from over his fledgling's shoulder, they nodded in turn. It was no skin off their noses, they all wanted the fledgling back home and safe and sound where she belonged too, it was their pleasure to be the ones to deliver her to them.

Turning, the second born archangel rejoined his brothers. Michael smiled to the fledgling, rubbing a hand down the back of her head, and from his right side, Gabriel pet her little hands with a few fingers. On the other side, Raphael stroked her cheek lightly, whispering to her questions they were not privy to.

The oldest archangel stepped away as his brothers turned in the direction to the Infirmary's washroom, coming to stand before the three of them. "Thank you for finding her." He turned to look over his shoulder. "Take your Legions. I want you to find whoever dared take her from us and destroy them."

They exchanged heated glances. "With great pleasure, sir."