Author's Note: Hello there! I have the rest of Second Chance written out. I'll just need time to edit and make some last minute changes, but I should be releasing a chapter a week. We're in the final stretch.

A big thank you to everyone who's read this far! I really love writing, and the kind comments always spur me on to write more. I do have a TVD/SPN crossover in the works. It would be the continuation of the Ashlinn&Kai story for anyone who's interested.

All of the houses on this street looked almost exactly the same. Ashlinn breathlessly whispered a swear as she desperately looked into the houses. After getting into an argument with Balthazar, Castiel had disappeared, and Ashlinn knew exactly where he had gone. Today was the day that Lucifer would release Death. Luckily, Balthazar had been willing to fly Ashlinn to Carthage, and she had a way back to the house. Now she just needed to find Castiel.

A part of her couldn't help but feel like maybe it was fate that brought him here. Castiel first met Lucifer in the series in this exact place. Ashlinn worriedly thought that maybe this was Chuck's work. Maybe he was forcing this to happen to prove it to Ashlinn that no matter what she did, some things would remain the same. Gripping onto the strap on her back, Ashlinn renewed her search. The swish of a familiar tan coat in the window of a nearby house caught her attention.

Ashlinn bolted in through the doorway and ran smack into Castiel. He caught her before she could fall.

"Ashlinn. Why are you here?"

"I could ask you the same damn question!" Ashlinn snapped back. "We need to leave. NOW. Let's–"

There was a flash of light, and Ashlinn looked around to see that they had been teleported and trapped inside of a ring of holy fire.

"Hello, brother," a voice said, and Castiel pushed Ashlinn behind him.

A man was hidden by the shadows, but Ashlinn knew exactly who this was.

"Lucifer," Castiel said and tried to block Ashlinn from view.

Lucifer slowly sauntered toward them. His eyes focused on Ashlinn, and a slow smile spread onto his face.

"Why, hello. You must be the troublemaker that I've been hearing about," he said, meeting her eyes. "So I take it you're here with the Winchesters?"

"No," Castiel said quickly as though trying to refocus Lucifer's attention back onto him, but Lucifer kept his eyes on Ashlinn.

"Ashlinn," Lucifer said, and Ashlinn flinched at him knowing her name. "I must say… I'm quite happy to finally meet you. Ruining Azazel's plans… almost ruining Lilith's plans… freeing angels from Heaven's dungeon… You are quite impressive… especially for a human."

"Charmed," Ashlinn replied in a deadpan tone, and Lucifer chuckled.

"Quite the rebel… I could use someone like you."

"That's not going to happen, and I'm not giving you Sam Winchester!" Ashlinn snapped, glaring at Lucifer. "He doesn't deserve this. And I don't understand why you're so hellbent on playing by your Father's rules."

Lucifer crept closer and eyed Ashlinn measuringly. "And what do you mean by that?"

"God doesn't care about you. If he did, then he wouldn't have thrown you away. Think about it. Who gave you the Mark?"

Lucifer backed away as he looked at Ashlinn in surprise. Ashlinn moved out of Castiel's shadow. Every nerve in her body was telling her to escape, but she couldn't do that until Lucifer left… And she didn't want him to know about the mirror.

"He gave you the very thing that he knew would corrupt you, and then he blamed you for it. No second chance. No trying to help you understand why what you did was wrong. No… He tossed you into a cage and left you there… And he doesn't care about humans either."

"Why would you say that?" Lucifer asked with an edge to his voice.

"Because if he did, then he wouldn't allow Earth to be a battlefield. The only thing God cares about is a good story… And you're playing the exact role that he wants. God never cared about you being happy… he just needed a villain."

Lucifer had looked away from her now. A slight tremor in his jaw told her that he was still listening. Finally he replied, "If that's true, then why doesn't he just get rid of you? Why allow you to run amok?"

"Because then he'd have to admit that he was bested by one of his 'lesser creations.' And we both know that He can't do that. God isn't known for humility."

Lucifer chuckled at that, and Ashlinn gripped onto Castiel's coat as Lucifer focused his attention back on her.

"So are you trying to negotiate a truce?"

"If that's an option… but I don't think it is."

"Why not?"

"Because you hate humans… Because we're a reminder that your Father chose something else over you."

"Oddly enough, I don't think I hate you," Lucifer said and chuckled at Ashlinn's look of complete disbelief. "It's true… You're quite fascinating. Almost… like you aren't one of his creations."

Ashlinn's eyes widened as Lucifer watched her closely. Castiel moved to block her completely from Lucifer's view.

"Well… we can continue this conversation later. There's a matter that I need to settle first, but then… you and I will have a proper conversation. Don't go anywhere," Lucifer joked as he suddenly disappeared, leaving them encased in holy fire.

Ashlinn quickly pulled the canvas bag off of her bag and opened it to reveal a mirror. She looked at Castiel apologetically and said, "It might be a tight fit, but it's the only one that I could fit inside the bag."

Ashlinn cut her hand and activated the mirror as she set it on the ground. Slipping through to the other side, she left out her arm to reach out for Castiel. A large hand held onto hers as she guided him through the mirror. After sealing the mirror, she turned to him.

"Why… Why would you go there? Especially alone."

Castiel looked down but answered her softly, "I received a vision… I believed it to be from God, but now I believe otherwise."

"You think that Lucifer wanted you there?"

"No… he wanted you there. I suspect that he wanted to stop you from interfering. But why did you follow me? It would have been better to let me go alone."

"Because I didn't think that you'd come back… And I went alone, so he would underestimate me. I doubt that he would have left us alone if Sam and Dean were also there. Plus… I'm supposed to be working on the spell to bring Death here after he's released."

Castiel looked around the shed. Each corner was covered in Enochian symbols to ward off angels and demons.

"Do you need me to stay with you?"

"No. I sent the others away already. This sigil will protect the caster but not anyone else. I don't know if he'll be forced to kill because of Lucifer's orders, and I'd rather play it safe."

Castiel hesitated, so Ashlinn watched him out of the corner of her eye as she got to work preparing for the ritual.

"I know that you don't trust me… so I am unsure why you came to save me."

"I may not trust you, but that doesn't mean that I want Lucifer to grind you into a paste either. But… there is something that…"

"Yes?"

"If he sent you the visions… how did he know that I would follow? He seemed very… interested in me." Like a cat with a new toy, Ashlinn thought uncomfortably.

"Perhaps it was just luck. He sent me the visions because he knew that we were working together. It was likely that I would tell you or the Winchesters."

"Yeah… that makes sense."

Ashlinn focused on her preparations and cast her doubts aside. It was likely just a coincidence.

"Thank you," Castiel said, and Ashlinn turned to look at him. "I… I don't know what I was thinking. Balthazar was right. What I did was incredibly stupid."

"Well, that makes two of us then," Ashlinn said, and Castiel gave her a confused look. "He also called me stupid… but it didn't stop him from helping me get to you. So he might be a bit of an idiot as well."

Castiel gave her a small smile, and her heart did a little jump of excitement. How could this angel in the body of a full grown man be this adorable?

Ashlinn cleared her throat and said, "I'm almost ready. Wish me luck."

"Good luck, Ashlinn… And thank you," Castiel said before stepping out of the door and closing it behind him.

After hearing the flutter of wings, Ashlinn got to work on the ingredients. She closed her eyes and focused on keeping her magic under control as she muttered the incantation under her breath. Ashlinn's secret hope was that she could snatch Death away before Lucifer even got to see him. Ashlinn felt the candle on the altar in front of her ignite, and she kept up the spell. Gathering every speck of magic, she slowly cast out in hopes of bringing Death himself to her door.

Suddenly, a chill took over the room. Ashlinn opened her eyes to see that the candle had been snuffed out. A slow glance around the room revealed nothing. Ashlinn's shoulders slumped in disappointment. Had she started the spell too soon? Maybe she had done something wrong.

"Hello, my child," a man's voice said calmly, and Ashlinn jumped and looked up from the candle to see a thin man sitting in the rocking chair in the corner.

Ashlinn struggled to find the words as Death gave her a curious look. "The ring…"

"Ah, yes. There is that," Death said as he pulled the ring off of his finger and walked to the altar. He set it on the altar, taking his scythe from the table. After taking a look around the room, he continued, "This… is quite different. In all of God's prior games, I've never been called for the ring this early… and I've never met you. Although… that would make sense considering that you are not of this world."

Ashlinn felt her legs give out underneath her and asked, "How… how did you know?"

Death gave her a small smile and said, "I can tell which are His creations. After all, He gives them life, and I take them at the end. It's all a part of this ridiculous game… but it would appear that the rules are changing. I have been 'trapped' and 'released' by Him many times. And I have played the part He gives me. The last time was supposed to be the last time, but it would seem He cares little for promises."

"The last time… were you killed by Dean Winchester?"

Death's eyes widened, and he seemed to be looking at Ashlinn in a new light. Ashlinn quickly explained the tv show. Death took a seat near her and listened intently.

"I will give you a brief overview of our relationship," Death said as he took one of the fried cookies from the altar. "God… or Chuck as you know him… He has been working on a story for the past few millennia or so, but it always has the same role for me. Lucifer calls for me. I come. Over the past few decades, it has gotten… quite stale. So I told him that would be the last time I played this role for him, but Chuck had other plans. I suppose He didn't quite lie… He told me that would be the last time he would invite me to another of his new worlds. After being 'killed' by Dean, Chuck truly sealed me away… It's no longer an invitation when you are forced into the world. You didn't truly believe that I would hand Dean the very thing that would kill me and then order him to kill his brother. I am many things, but stupid is not one of them. Sam Winchester could be killed by a large rock… And he probably has at some point. Oh, these are quite lovely."

Death seemed rather impressed with the cookies. A huge relief for Ashlinn.

"So… is that why you left the instructions on how to kill Chuck?"

Death gave her an appreciating look and replied, "Yes. I didn't quite trust Chuck completely, and it's always best to have a plan for when things go awry."

Ashlinn met his gaze nervously, and Death knelt beside her.

"I have a gift for you. As thanks for the cookies. Hold out your hand. I promise it won't hurt."

Ashlinn nervously held out her left hand. Death took it in his cold boney fingers before drawing a strange sigil on her hand. Ashlinn watched in horror as sigils appeared up her arm before disappearing.

Death smiled at her in amusement before he reassured her, "I said that it was a gift. In your hands you now contain some of my power… The ability to help others pass on. Should one of your hunters be dying a slow, painful death, you can help them find peace… but only if they are willing. It won't cause them pain, but it will bring them peace. I do hope that you will never need to use it. But one can't be too careful."

Ashlinn gave him a nod, not knowing what to say, but also hoping that she would never need to use it. Death helped her to her feet.

"Needless to say, there will be certain side effects… but I have faith that you will adapt. Oh… and your name?"

"Ashlinn."

"Ashlinn… I do wish you luck. Goodbye for now, child."

Death disappeared as quickly as he had appeared, leaving Ashlinn to stare at her arm and wonder about the "gift" she had been given.