Devery stood under the steady stream of hot water, watching as the blood washed down the drain.

"Are you okay?"

Gabriel's fingers curled around her waist, slick against her wet skin, his chin resting softly on her shoulder. His breath issued softly against her neck and she found herself leaning back into him, taking reassurance in his strength.

She shrugged and ran her fingers over his forearm softly, leaning her cheek against his. "I guess so. We have no real plan to deal with this, and Michael is gone, and the only memory I have of what happened after we died…" she shrugged again, "I don't know Gabriel," she sighed.

"Michael has gone after Alex and Noma, I'm sure of that," he replied softly.

Her brow furrowed…had she told Michael to go after Noma? She had told him to go somewhere…scrubbing a hand at her brow she sighed tiredly, trying to recall exactly what it was she had done while she had been in the world in between life and death.

Gabriel's hand travelled up her back to cup her neck, gently massaging the tensed muscles until she found herself sighing and slumping against him. After long, relaxing minutes she sighed softly and turned her cheek to press a kiss against Gabriel's strong jaw.

"We need to go," she whispered, her lips brushing against his skin. "We need to find a way to kill Lucifer and we have to find out where this human form is that he intends to inhabit, or we're screwed," she murmured.

Gabriel nodded slowly and reached out to turn the water off. "We should go then," he agreed softly. As they stepped out of the shower Devery glanced over at him, watching as he toweled off, his golden skin glowing with life, vitality.

Wrapping the towel around herself she stepped close and reached out, running her fingers over the scar where Noma had stabbed him, killing him.

"How does it feel?" she murmured, looking up at him through her lashes.

A wry smile spread slowly across his face, warming his eyes.

"Like every other scar darlin, painful at times, hardly noticeable at others," he replied softly, his smirk fading slowly as he ran his fingers down her arm. Devery shivered under his touch but backed away slowly, ignoring the pained look in his eye and the regret in her throat that seemed to choke her.

Swallowing hard she smiled tightly at him, "We've got a lot to do, and not a lot of time to do it in," she murmured, stepping around him and into her bedroom.

Quickly she dressed in a pair of tight black jeans with only minimal tears in the fabric, a cotton burgundy long sleeved Henley and a blue and white flannel that brushed pleasantly against her skin.

Rapidly she began filling her duffel bags with clothing, packing for the cold weather that would be coming. When her duffle was filled she went to the pantry and began gathering supplies that would enable them to travel through any weather and sustain them without having to stop in any waystations.

They had already seen what Lucifer could throw at them, and she didn't want to be caught in any other traps.

"You think we need all of that?"

She glanced over her shoulder to where Gabriel was standing; his duffel bag tossed onto the kitchen table, and nodded, "I don't want to stop at anyplace we don't have to. Lucifer is going to throw everything he has at us, and I don't know how long we'll be running," she murmured, reaching for packets of dried meat and complete meals.

"What about weapons?" he asked.

"What do you mean?" she replied, zipping up the pack, turning to face him, a frown on her face.

"I mean…shouldn't we take every weapon we can?" he asked, sounding annoyed.

Devery shook her head, "We're already taking a lot of supplies. I want us travelling light. We need to take light hand guns and ammo and blades." She paused and stared at him, a thought occurring to her that felt like déjà vu.

"Did…did you guys use some sort of blade to kill Lucifer?" she asked slowly, her eyes narrowed as she tried to concentrate on why this idea felt so real to her.

Gabriel's brows shot up at her question, surprise rippling through him. Neither he nor Michael had told her how they had done it last time, and in all honesty, Michael hadn't completed the mission properly last time, allowing Lucifer the ability to reform himself over centuries.

A tired sigh contracted in his chest as he ran a hand through his hair, brushing it back from his forehead. Next to David, this was the darkest moment of his life and she was asking about it as though it were just another day in his life, nothing special, nothing tragic.

"When we murdered our brother it took all of my siblings. I lured Lucifer into a trap and even then we all nearly died in the attempt," he murmured, his russet brown eyes hard with emotion as he spoke. "Father gave us a sword to destroy him with, and when the deed was done, I threw it into the deepest hole I could find in a fit of rage and sorrow," he confided.

Devery listened with rapt attention, wondering where the sword was now, and why, above all, God hadn't simply taken Lucifer out on his own. He was after all, God. But from everything she had seen of him during their encounters, the all powerful being was a dick and nearly completely useless.

"Where did you put it?" she asked solemnly, knowing that before they ever went after Noma or Lucifer, they needed that weapon. A bolt of realization flashed through her and she remembered suddenly what she had told Michael to do.

"Did Michael know where you put it?" she demanded, lurching forward to grab his arm, eyes bright with excitement.

Gabriel shook his head, "No, I went alone, he never knew."

Devery's stomach plummeted and her grip on his arm relaxed, disappointment flooding her. She had told Michael to find a way to stop Lucifer, hoping that since he had done it once he would know of a way to do it again.

"Damn," she whispered, shaking her head in frustration. Running a hand across her forehead she frowned, her face pinching, "Okay, okay, let's think about this," she murmured, turning away to pace.

"We need to find that sword, do you remember where you put it?" she asked, glancing up at him as she paced.

He nodded, his eyes following her as she moved restlessly. "It's not going to be safe getting there. Where it is…" he paused and a dark look crossed his face, "there's a chance we may not come back from it," he told her, a shadow lingering in his eyes.

Devery paused, the gravity of his words settling on her. "Where did you leave it?" she whispered, an uneasy fear slithering through her.

Gabriel sighed…

"You're not going to like it."

The sky slowly warmed, changing from a cold steely color that was brushed with bruised violets, ceruleans and silvers to warm, burning ochres, golds and pinks. The sun began burning through the thin clouds that laced the sky along the top of the mountains, slowly erasing the dark pockets in the road and illuminating the shadows that lay in the interior of the truck.

Devery drove sedately through the mountain passes, the chains on the tires gripping the snowy roads easily. When Gabriel had told her where they needed to go, she had been in complete disbelief.

Lucifer had been killed at the rise of humanity, encouraging them along for his own purposes, encouraging them against his father's wishes, and for it, he had been destroyed. The sword used to do it, the destroyer of light as Gabriel had called it, had been thrown into an icy crevasse in the middle of the North Pole.

The North-friggin-Pole.

With a soft snort of disbelief Devery shook her head and glanced over at Gabriel who was stretched out as far as the seat would allow, his boots propped on the dash and his hood pulled close around his face, snoring softly as he slept.

They had been trading shifts as they drove steadily north through what had once been Canada, getting as close as they could till the terrain would grow too rough and Gabriel would have to fly them to the spot.

In the beginning of winter in Canada, it wasn't a prospect that Devery was particularly looking forward to. But it wasn't like Miles had stowed away a plane anywhere, at least not according to his notes, so they had little other choice.

She had few other choices. Every day since they had left the bunker, there had been growing signs of Lucifer's powers. Lightning storms that spanned the skies for miles, drenching the ground in blood and hail; visions of the dead haunting them, pleading for help, and most disturbingly, innocent children attacking them in the silence of the night, attempting to kill them.

When they had been ambushed twice in one night, Gabriel had silently packed their truck and sped away from their bloody campsite, his hands shaking, pupils dilated with rage. They had from that moment refused to stop except for refueling and bathroom breaks, sleeping in shifts and fighting off the attacks that Lucifer managed to send their way.

She smirked faintly when recalling their conversation that had propelled them onto this journey.

"The North Pole?!" she shouted, throwing her hands in the air, eyes bugging out in incredulity. "You're right, I don't just dislike that, I HATE it!" she shouted, shaking her head. Running her fingers through her hair she glared at him, "You couldn't have, oh I don't know, kept it in one of your secret lairs?" she demanded.

Gabriel snorted inelegantly, "I wanted nothing more to do with it," he retorted, a bite of anger in his voice.

"Right. Well, how do you expect us to get there?" she demanded.

"We take that tank of a truck in the other bunker," he replied shortly, waving a hand in the general direction of said bunker. "Oh, and guns. Lots of guns," he muttered.

Devery shook her head, "I already told you, we don't need that many," she retorted sharply, grabbing the keys for the bunker out of the drawer before slinging the duffle bags of supplies over her shoulder.

Gabriel grabbed his and followed her outside, yanking her arm to pull her back, both of them narrowly avoiding being impaled by a spear—thrown by an 8-ball no more than 10 feet away. Devery reacted quickly, making a sharp hand motion that set the 8-ball ablaze before snapping its spine.

"See? I'd rather not be dead. Again."

Devery glanced at him and grimaced at the bad humor, shaking her head briefly before murmuring, "Fine. Go grab as many guns as you want. Just make sure you get enough ammo for all of it."

He had given her a wink before disappearing into the bunker, leaving her to kill another two 8-balls that appeared from the woods as she went to get the truck.

Glancing back at Gabriel, she sighed softly and shook her head; ultimately it had been a wise decision to bring so many different weapons. Her powers seemed to draw Lucifer's attention somehow, leaving them vulnerable to further attacks.

In just five days they had made it to the outer reaches of the Nunavut region in Canada where it was bitterly cold, windy, but surprisingly sunny. Their gas was running low, and Devery wanted to stop for a break, even with the threat that Lucifer and his spies posed.

Neither she nor Gabriel had gotten a decent night's sleep in five days, and with the number of abandoned properties this far into the wilderness, they would be able to take shelter safely, without alerting a human or 8-ball to their presence.

As they thumped over a particularly deep hole in the road, Gabriel snorted and gasped, jerking away, his hand clasping at the Colt tucked into his waistband, looking around blearily. "Wha-isst?" he muttered.

Devery bit her lip, staring firmly out the window to hide her laughter, "Just a pothole, sorry. But I think we should stop and rest. The tank's getting low and we need to eat something other than jerkey and granola bars. I saw a sign about ten miles back for a village, it should be abandoned by now," she murmured.

"And if it's not?" Gabriel demanded, his voice rough from sleep. "You good with killing everyone so Lucifer doesn't know where we are?" he rasped.

Devery shivered and gripped the steering wheel tighter. Of course she wasn't okay with that. She hated what they had to do to elude Lucifer. What he was making them do to survive. He was making them into monsters.

Instead of speaking she nodded and reached down, flipping on the defunct radio, switching on the tape player to listen to the only tape that had been in the truck. The scratchy and faded voices of the men called AC/DC filled the cab, taking up the space between them, occupying the silence that she didn't want to have to fill.

Gabriel stared out the window at the passing scenery, but in truth watched her reflection on the glass. Her jaw was tight as she drove, her hands passing restlessly from the wheel to her face, scrubbing at her forehead, running through her hair, then down to rub at her neck.

He could see the lines of exhaustion on her face, and knew they matched the ones on his own. She had been relentless about keeping them alive, always moving, always staying one step ahead of Lucifer, and never complaining about the things they had to do to stay that way.

He knew it wore on her, though she kept most of her thoughts to herself, keeping quiet as they drove, cleaning their guns and blades until each was pristine, even after use. She reminded him of a lioness pacing and eager for her prey, deadly with anticipation and patience.

Twice when they had been ambushed he had looked up to find her standing over a fallen foe, their gun or blade pointed at him and had found himself further indebted to her. When it had been the children he hadn't blamed or ridiculed her for being sick in the bushes or for the tears that had trickled silently down her cheeks.

When she had brushed them away he had seen a rage burn brighter in her eyes and felt fear flicker in his heart; if she chose to turn that rage on him, he would never stand a chance.

Somewhere deep inside he knew he would never be able to raise a hand against her again.

Devery pulled the ancient garage door shut, wincing at the loud shriek of door hinges. The village had indeed been abandoned, and after getting the truck stowed, they went about hiding their presence.

Hiding tire tracks, footprints and broken into property took skill, but for Devery and Gabriel, it was a shared skill that quickly became a competition. When they had finished only the most trained eye would be able to spot their presence.

Devery sank down onto the ratty mattress that they had drug into the living room, tossing more wood into the cast iron stove that was currently heating the room to a point where she felt comfortable removing one of her coats.

Considering she had on two coats on top of a sweater and a vest, it wasn't saying much. Gabriel tossed more blankets and pillows that they had scavenged onto the mattress and flopped down next to her, reclining against the pillow with a satisfied groan.

"You should get under the covers if you want to get warm," Gabriel suggested softly, his eyes remaining closed as he tucked a hand behind his head, looking for all the world like he was in the most luxurious bed in the world.

How does he do that? she wondered, shaking her head softly. The man seemed to be able to get comfortable no matter where they were, even in the uncomfortable confines of the truck.

"I just want to make sure the fire doesn't go out while we sleep," she replied, glancing out the window, once again checking to make sure no one and nothing was there, that they were indeed alone and safe.

"There's no one there. We've set alarms. Take your layers off, let the heat in, and get under the covers," Gabriel murmured.

She turned back to find he still had his eyes shut, but a smirk on his lips. Shaking her head softly she smiled wryly and peeled off another few layers, wincing as the cold snuck in. They would be able to sleep for awhile, eat something, then drive a little further north through the night.

In the morning they would fly through biting wind, ice and snow to the Northern Polar Ice Cap and try to find the exact spot that Gabriel had thrown the sword into a crevasse.

Not hard at all.

Devery slid beneath the covers, shuddering as the cold invaded her limbs, making them ache and tremble.

"You're making the mattress shake, and not in a fun way."

"W-well exc-uuse me if it's f-freezing!" she hissed back.

A chuckle of laughter filled the space between them and a moment later Gabriel rolled towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist, tugging her against him with a lazy smile, his eyes hooded sleepily.

Stiffening for a moment she pushed against his chest, "What are you doing?" she demanded.

"Keeping you warm," he whispered, smirking at her softly, his lips widening into a teasing grin, "Unless you want to be cold?" he asked, pulling away to allow the cool air to rush between them again.

Devery shook her head and slid against him, wedging her thigh between his and slid a hand under his shirt, smirking at his wince.

"Your hands are fucking freezing," he muttered, but didn't pull away or remove her from touching him.

Nuzzling her face into his neck, Devery sighed and closed her eyes, "Yea…but you're warm," she whispered tiredly. Gabriel's fingers began tracing up and down her back, an unexpected pleasure that began to ease her into a sleepy state quickly.

"You…'re always…warm…why?" she whispered groggily, her breath brushing against his neck.

Gabriel smiled faintly, sleep reaching for him as well.

"Angel thing love. Keeps me hot," he murmured before pulling her more snugly against his chest. She sighed in contentment and a few moments later he heard her soft snores. Her breath echoed against him and as he too began to drift to sleep he wondered if he would always be able to hold her like this, to be happy.

The engine of the truck rattled to a stop, whining as the wind whipped around them, lifting ice and snow into a near blinding wall of white outside the safety of the cab. Devery looked over at Gabriel and smiled weakly, "Well, this should be fun," she joked.

He grimaced and she swallowed hard, silently pulling her face guard down to cover her face. It met with the high necked thermal shirt she had pulled out of storage and formed a barrier to keep her skin protected while they were in these brutal conditions.

Slowly they layered on additional protections, against the cold and attack, until they were both sure that they had every precaution that they could muster. With a shared sharp nod, they exited the truck and stepped out into the frozen world.

Devery bit back a shriek as the air sliced through every layer she wore and seemed to shatter her lungs, stiffen every muscle to the point of impossible rigidity, and leave her with a marrow deep ache in her bones.

Gabriel took unsteady steps towards her and wrapped his arms around her waist, his chest shuddering against hers. She stared up at his mask and goggled covered face and nodded, letting him know she was ready.

A moment later he shrugged and his midnight colored wings spread, snapping against the wind, buffering them from the worst of the howling fury. She could feel Gabriel struggle against it and a few moments passed before he could lift them into the air.

His arms strained around her and through his mask she heard the muffled sound of curse words as he fought the wind, lifting them higher. As they rose the wind changed, lessening, allowing Gabriel the ability to glide, as a bird would.

Slowly they made their way North, changing course with the air currents that allowed Gabriel to glide, giving him the most rest. Finally after hours of flying Devery tugged on his arm, letting him know that they needed to land; her warming packs were no longer sufficient to keep her from getting hypothermia and she need to add more from the stash she had in her pockets.

Gabriel glided down to a large cliff and set them down carefully, his knees trembling with the effort after so many hours in flight. He couldn't remember a time he had carried someone for so long, or fought conditions so terrible.

Devery quickly began pulling her used hot packs out of her boots and gloves, tossing them aside to be replaced by new, hot ones. Her hands moved quickly to do the same for Gabriel, wishing she could use her powers to sustain both of them with warmth while he flew them.

But every time she had used her powers against Lucifer's minions he had seemingly been able to track them and send more after them, making her hesitant to use them now and give away what they were doing.

Instead she took out two more hot packs and stepped around his back, touching his shoulders gently so he would extend his wings. A moment later she began applying the heat packs to the joints, holding them in place until he shifted uncomfortably.

It wasn't enough, she knew, but it would have to be for now. As the heat in the packs died from extreme exposure Devery tossed them aside and massaged his shoulders and the joints of the wings, knowing the journey was hurting Gabriel, even if he refused to say anything.

A few minutes later he turned and nodded at her, wrapping his arms back around her waist, giving her just a moment to prepare herself before they lifted into the air once again. The white, ice covered land passed beneath them for miles, nearly indescribable in its similitude.

Hours passed and Devery felt Gabriel drop in the air. Exhaustion was slowing him and they hadn't found the spot. It didn't help that global climate change of the previous century and the angelic nuclear war of this century had changed the landscape of the earth so much that actually finding the damn thing was nearly impossible.

Suddenly Gabriel banked hard, dropping quickly towards a cliff. Devery's hand dug into his forearm, fear prickling down her spine. As they approached he slowed, their feet touching down quickly, though not smoothly.

Devery quickly turned to face him, grabbing his arm as he stumbled. He shook his head and stood straight after a moment, waving a hand towards the cliff.

"It's there," he told her, his words slightly muffled by the mask.

Devery estimated that they had been flying for nearly six hours, and with the way Gabriel was drooping, he wouldn't be able to make it back, let alone recover the sword.

Nodding, she turned her back on him and walked slowly towards the cliff, making sure her weight was evenly displaced in case the ice was thin. Hearing no cracking noises under her feet, she proceeded, cautiously.

Peering over the edge of the cliff she frowned; the sword was nowhere in sight. Slowly she lowered herself to her belly and leaned over the edge, looking for it further, trying not to let panic at the idea of falling grab her.

As the light in the sky shifted she noticed something shimmer beneath the ice nearly fifty feet below her. She couldn't tell for sure…but it was possible it was the sword.

Pulling herself back from the edge she went to her feet and walked slowly back to Gabriel, running through possibilities. His shoulders were hunched against the cold but he looked up at her when she came to stand with him, his hand reaching out to brush against her hip for a moment in simple reassurance to them both that they were still okay.

"I think it's about fifty feet down. If you can fly down there with me, I'll melt it out and grab it," she shouted to him over the rising wind.

He immediately shook his head, rejecting the use of her powers. "Not safe. We'll use the guns," he countered.

"That could take forever! You're too tired for that!" she shouted back.

"I'll do it myself. Less weight," he replied, no hint of teasing in his voice—there wasn't time for it right now.

Devery shook her head, "My way is faster! I can melt it from up here and you can fly to get it!" she insisted.

Gabriel shook his head sharply and turned away, spreading his wings with a snap. A moment later he launched into the air and flew down the side of the cliff, the sound of gunfire filling the air.

"Stubborn ass!" Devery hissed, rushing to the cliffside to make sure a ricochet didn't kill him.

Waste of bullets! Idiot!

Nearly five minutes later she watched as Gabriel ejected another clip and loaded a fresh one in, the pommel of the sword only partially free. Should have used a grenade the way he's going!

With a shake of her head she stood back from the cliff and paced, trying to keep warm. Suddenly she paused. Warm…

Turning back to the cliff she lay on her belly and waved a hand frantically at Gabriel until he noticed the action and stopped shooting, landing on the cliff beside her.

"What? What's wrong?" he demanded.

"The hot packs! They'll melt the ice!" she exclaimed excitedly, pulling her dying ones out of her boots and gloves to shove into his hands. Gabriel stared at her for a moment before nodding and pulling his out, flying them down to where the sword was still lodged in the ice.

Devery shuddered and began to shake as the freezing air sank deeper into her body. She had just four hot packs left, not nearly enough for both of them to make it the whole way back. Shaking that thought off, she watched from the cliff edge as the contents of the packs melted the ice rapidly and Gabriel wrenched it free, sliding it into a waiting scabbard on his back.

Landing heavily in front of her, Gabriel heaved a long sigh and shifted his shoulders, feeling the weight of the sword on not just his body, but his soul. Devery quickly stepped forward and tucked two new hot packs into his boots, her body visibly trembling with the cold.

He wrapped his arms around her and a moment later they began their laborious journey back.

Devery felt it when only an hour later Gabriel began to falter, his arms growing loose around her and his breath rasping against her ear. They would never make it back.

Not unless she did something.

Taking a deep breath she focused her powers on healing and strengthening him, warming them both so they would preserve energy instead of wasting it on trying to heat their bodies. A few moments later she felt heat begin to swirl in her toes and fingers and begin to spread slowly, making the aching in her limbs lessen and the desire to give up disappear from her thoughts.

She felt it when Gabriel perked up, his arms tightening around her and his wings beat faster, carrying them with strength back to the truck. He said nothing, but she felt his hands on her tighten and then release, letting her know that he was aware of what she had done.

They flew in silence, the miles closing between them and the truck until finally, it appeared like a green dot on the horizon. Puffs of snow rose in the air as they landed, the wind no longer tearing and howling at them like a mad banshee.

They remained quiet as they climbed into the truck, grateful for the responsive engine in the bitter cold. Gabriel drove quickly, letting the heat build in the cab before he pulled his mask and goggles off, exposing his skin.

Devery removed the gear on her face and watched as the small village disappeared, and still Gabriel drove on, the twilight sparkling around them.

"You planning on stopping?" she asked softly.

"Not until that gauge hits empty," he replied sharply. "They'll come for us. You know that," he murmured harshly.

"Would you have rathered I let you collapse? That we have died on some desolate ice floe in the north fuckin pole?" she snapped, glaring over at him.

"I wished you had allowed us to rest, to use the supplies we brought with us. I would have been fine," Gabriel replied harshly, glaring back at her quickly.

"Right. Of course. Remind me of that when we get ambushed again and you need me to save your ass."

"Because you used your powers!"

Devery glared at Gabriel and pulled out her gun cleaning kit, needing to keep her hands busy and cool her temper down. Instead of rising to the bait and arguing back, she had learned to just ignore him and clean her weapons.

Much better for her blood pressure.

And his survival rate.

AN: Guys...I love these two. Like, I slammed out two chapters in half a day because it's just flowed, and there's more ready! I really hope you're enjoying the story, please review and let me know what you think! Thank you as always for reading!