"Is this going to work?"
A beat of silence.
"It has to."
xxxxx
She was lying on a beach which was empty, save for her. A long violet towel protected her from the hot sand. There didn't seem to be much point to keeping her glamours up, so beneath the white bikini her flesh was brown, as it was naturally.
When Zoey had gone into the cage, her first act had been to separate Lucifer from his vessel, Nick. Her second act had been to throw a barrier up between them and the angry archangel.
Nick was nice enough, but they found that they weren't ever going to be good friends. So she had constructed him a world, complete with his own home, his wife, and a baby. She hadn't heard any complaints (she kept an ear on his thoughts, in case Lucifer found a way to break through the barrier), so she assumed that everything was fine.
For herself, she couldn't bring herself to be anything but alone. She could have easily constructed herself a Castiel to be with, and it would have been damn close to perfect. But every time she thought about doing it, in her moments of weakness, her heart ached. She didn't want anything but the real, cold, firm angel.
And so she was alone.
Lucifer still raged against the barrier on occasion, but it held. Zoey was, after all, the most powerful being in all of heaven, earth, and hell. She had no trouble keeping Lucifer away from Nick and herself.
There was no way to tell how long she'd been in the cage, and Zoey had no urge to try to track the time. Eternity was eternity, whether you counted the hours going by or not.
She worried a little about going crazy, but it was a worry for later. Besides, if she was crazy, she probably wouldn't mind a little bit of torture at the hands of the devil. She wasn't overly concerned.
For now, she lay out on a pristine, empty beach, and relived her night with a half-fallen angel over and over again.
xxxxx
"You sure we're ready?"
"Yes."
xxxxx
She was in her apartment, sitting on the balcony, missing her cat, when a huge, horrible sound, like metal being torn apart, destroyed her peace.
Adrenaline splashed through her. Zoey leapt to her feet, her glamours already firmly in place again, fearing that Lucifer had found a weakness in her barrier. Eternity was going to be a lot less pleasant with him around.
But when she found the source of the disturbance, her racing mind shorted out.
Hd looked good. Less rumpled than the last time she'd seen him. He was more… Angelic, somehow.
He was standing in what looked like a hole in her reality. Through it, she could see the shorn metal of the cages, with Sam and Dean standing and smiling behind the angel.
Castiel smiled, and she lost herself for a moment in the joy shining in his blue eyes.
He held a hand out to her.
"You are needed, Zoey Crane."
She stepped forward and slipped her hand into his without a second thought.
xxxxx
Hi, beautiful readers! Here are my notes:
I own only Zoey Crane, the original character. I don't own Supernatural or any of the characters. (heartbroken)
Reviews, comments, and kudos give me life and keep me going.
And, as always, thank you for reading, you beautiful, beautiful people.
**Zoey has been so much fun to write. I love her, and I'm going to miss her.
**Maybe, if the time becomes right, a sequel?