Fill Your Soul with the fear of losing

The man that you love, Your reason to war

Become the princess which you've been destined

And fight with all that you are.

-Cassandra Elizabeth Collins

New Orleans (Present Day)

Charlie held her arms against her breasts and shivered. Despite her red leather jacket, the warm, muggy night air, and her hot demon blood, worry was chilling her to the bone. Her eyes hurt from all the crying, and what little make-up she'd chosen to wear had left black streaks down her pale skin-colored face and lay smudged against her reddish cheeks. A soft sniff escaped her, and she looked to her left, where Cassie was watching a Falcon 8X aircraft come in for a landing on the airstrip at the New Orleans Lakefront Airport. After the early morning call from Brute that they were en route and due at the airport in less than two hours, Cassie had pulled a couple of trunks out of her bedroom closet and, with Charlie's help, moved them to the couch in the living room.

"What's in these?" Charlie had asked, and Cassie shared a small grin as she flipped the first one open to reveal an array of crystals, powders, and other magical items.

"The shop didn't have all my inventory," Cassie announced, "I keep a secondary stash of powders in here, as well as some of the more dangerous, most powerful items in my collection. Rygen fucked up."

The various items in the chest astounded Charlie, and Cassie explained a few of them while cautioning her that they were the magics she had used the night she worked on Angel. With what they were about to face, Cassie needed to protect herself. Charlie agreed and told her that no matter what happened, she understood. Cassie then told her to gear up, and they'd be leaving in an hour.

Since she could conjure up most of the items they may need, Charlie mostly looked over them and committed them to memory, including GPS tags, knives, and the various items Angel kept inside the bag. Taking out the last of the darts that Angel had prepared, she reloaded her dart band and secured it tightly to her upper arm. When she'd finished, Charlie then tried something she'd never done before. While she could conjure whatever Angel or she needed, it was always something they could grab or appear in front of them. With focus, Charlie willed her armband to disappear. Then, with a thought, she willed it back, and she felt it return to her arm. A sense of relief mixed with pride filled her; she knew this trick would come in handy.

As she was finishing up, Cassie stepped out of the bedroom dressed in dark green, brown, and black army fatigues, her hair piled up in a bun under a Feld patrol cap, and a large duffel bag over her shoulder. Charlie whistled, impressed with the air of command Cassie presented. Cassie blushed slightly, saying she hadn't been in uniform since she left the service with Angel.

Now, as they stood on the tarmac watching Brute's plane taxi their way, Cassie spoke up as she handed Charlie a couple of tissues from her breast pocket. "They'll obviously be curious as to who you are, Charlie, but I don't want to introduce you or reveal what you are until we're in the air and away from any prying eyes out here."

"I won't go full demon," Charlie said while dabbing her messy cheeks. "I saw the fear in Amanda's eyes when I revealed myself, and I don't like seeing those eyes on my friends."

They both went silent for a moment, thinking of Amanda, before Cassie continued. "Good idea. Just enough so I can drive home the point of the mission—that you are not to be babied or protected. You're leading."

"I'm no leader, Cassie. I've never been in war, that I know of anyway. I don't know if I'm ready for this."

"No one ever really knows when they're ready until destiny calls upon them, sweetie." Cassie saw that Charlie had missed a spot, took one of the tissues, and gently wiped her dirty cheek. "Though, I do have to ask you: Can you take a life if it calls for it?"

"If it calls for it?" She paused and took a deep breath. "Yes." Charlie felt the bile in her stomach turn with such an admission, and she had to remind herself of who they were up against. How evil Bible, Samedi, and Rygen really were, and yet the thought of killing still nauseated her. "But losing Angel scares me far more than having to become the monster I never wanted to be."

Cassie gripped Charlie's hands in hers and looked at her with commanding eyes. "Fill your soul, Charie, with that fear. The fear of losing the man that you love." Cassie laid a hand on her shoulder, "He's your reason to war." Cassie then tapped the amulet under Charlie's black T-shirt. "Become the princess you're destined to be, and you will fight with all that you are."

"That sounded poetic." Charlie smiled softly.

"Did it?" Cassie tilted her head thoughtfully and chuckled. "I admit, it sounded kind of sing-songy in my head as I said it."

"I've been singing," Charlie admitted. "On the roof the last few nights. It felt so natural to me, and I felt something familiar in my soul, almost maternally."

"Maybe some of your memories found a way to surface through your songs." Cassie offered, "And I think that's really beautiful."

Charlie blushed softly. "I know I've said it before, but I feel like myself even if I can't remember. It's helped me feel more in control."

"I failed you. " Cassie sighed. "If it had been within my power—"

"I know, sis." Charlie stopped her by placing a hand on Cassie's cheek. "But you didn't fail me. You did your best, and it's more than I could have ever hoped for. I've come to accept that I may never remember all of who I was, and I am okay with that as long as I don't lose my family."

"You won't," Cassie swore. "Brute's as good a tactician as Angel, and we'll come up with a plan to get Angel out and stop Bible once and for all."

"Then I think I'm as ready as I can be."

"Good!" Cassie held up her hand for a high five, and Charlie gave her a quizical look. "Really? You've never high-fived before."

Charlie shook her head, and Cassie let out a soft laugh. She showed Charlie how to high-five, and they did, with Charlie laughing as well. Some of the fear numbed for a moment. They turned as the plane came to a stop near them. Cassie picked up her duffel bag and motioned for Charlie to follow her. As they approached, the side door opened, and a large, husky man, nearly 6'6 ft tall and broad-shouldered, carrying a hefty weight that was almost all muscle, smiled as he saw Cassie approaching.

"Bug!" The man shouted over the engines that were still running, "I've got the tower ready to get us back in the air. Get on board and buckle up, buttercups!"

Cassie laughed. "Brute! All business as usual."

"We got an angel to save; get your asses on board now!" Brute gruffly said, adding a wink as he lowered the staircase and grabbed Cassie's duffel as she started up the steps. Brute gave Charlie a cursory glance but stepped back to let both women board. Once they were past him, he pulled up the stairs and closed the door. "Go through the galley and get seated. Once we're in the air, I'll put it on autopilot, and we'll get the briefing underway."

"Yes, sir!" Cassie responded and guided Charlie through the small galley into a more open space with large, extremely comfortable seats, and Charlie saw three others seated. Her eyes scanned them quickly, accessing them when the one man nearest lifted a camera and clicked a picture, startling Charlie.

Cassie smirked. "Charlie, this is Snapshot. He's our sniper and wedding photographer."

Snapshot, a six-foot-tall, muscular-built man with short blond hair, blue eyes, and a thin mustache, chuckled. "Maybe one day, if you'd ever settle down."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you." Cassie tossed her duffel into an empty seat and motioned for Charlie to sit in the one next to it, which faced Snapshot and the other two. Cassie sat in a third seat and pointed to the next man. "This is Shrapnel, our demolition expert."

"A p-pleasure to m-meet you," Shrapnel stuttered. At five-foot-seven and with scars on his face and arms, he looked like a pieced-together puzzle, but in a not-unattractive way.

"Your hands are still steady, at least?" Cassie teased Shrapnel, who laughed and said in a clearer voice. "My hands are p-perfect. I'm j-just s-shy around pretty l-ladies."

"Then use sign language," Cassie quipped, which elicited a rowdy laugh from Snapshot and a soft chuckle from a woman in the next row back from the men. Shrapnel rolled his eyes.

Cassie nodded her head next towards the woman, a seemingly delicate and demure woman with cropped red hair and green eyes, which seemed to bore right through Charlie. Her cool stare made Charlie squirm in her seat, and she immediately respected her. "Charlie, this is Panther. She's our tracker and scout and can disappear almost as well as you."

Panther gave a crisp nod, his eyes serious. "While it is good to see you, Chatterbug, we can do pleasantries later. Fill us in?"

"I will, Panther," Cassie snapped her seatbelt. "But I want to wait until Brute's back here with us. There's a lot to explain."

"Very well." Panther's tone was stoic.

Cassie sighed. "I'm sorry to call all of you in like this."

Panther cut in. "Forgive me, Bug; I don't mean to sound cold and aloof about this. I'm here for Angel, but I heard about Bible, and as a mother, I want to see that man put down. For good."

"I know," Cassie solemnly said. "But I don't want you to put yourself at unnecessary risk. Charlie and I are leading the main mission. You all are meant to create a distraction, take out as much of his forces as possible, and rescue the children."

At the mention of Charlie, the three look at her with intense curiosity.

"Her?" Shrapnel asked.

"Sorry, I got ahead of myself. Once we're in the air, okay?"

The three nodded, but it's obvious they were impatient.

Moments later, Brute's voice came across the speakers: "We're clear for takeoff. Once we're at altitude, I'll set the autopilot, turn off the seatbelt sign, and come join you."

Everyone acknowledged his announcement in silence. The light feeling of introductions now doused with their thoughts of who Charlie was, as well as the danger Angel was in. They felt the plane make the necessary turns and line up for takeoff, and soon they were in the air. Minutes passed while everyone busied themselves with personal things. Snapshot played with the settings on his camera. Shrapnel flipped through a manual of explosives, occasionally writing down notes, and Panther sat back in her chair, eyes closed, meditating. A ding signaled that the seatbelt sign had been turned off, and everyone came to attention as Brute came down through the galley and took a seat next to Snapshot.

"Okay, Cassie. Fill us in."

"First." Cassie held up a hand and turned to Charlie. "Charlie, this is Brute. The toughest, more formidable teddy bear you'd ever meet. He is the wall you want at your back. He'll be in charge of the mission on the outside while we're inside."

"Brute." Charlie nodded, her eyes wet again. "Thank you so much for coming."

"So," Snapshot spoke up, his curiosity interrupting. "Who is Charlie?"

All eyes turned to Charlie, and she gave Cassie a look. Cassie nodded. "You're up."

Charlie unclicked her seatbelt, stood, and walked into the empty space between the chairs that were facing each other, so all four could see her clearly. She turned in a slow circle as she spoke. "My name is Charlotte Morningstar, and I am Angel's partner and girlfriend. I have been working with him for the past few months, seeking out and saving children that have been taken by Bible and others. I'm the reason he's been kidnapped. Bible and Samedi want me, and he is the trap to lure me in for a trade. A trade I know they don't plan to honor. I won't let them kill Angel, and I expect all of you to do your very best to help me see him safe."

"Why in the hell would they want you?" Brute eyed her up and down. "You're clearly neither a child nor a soldier, so what the fuck does Bible want with you?"

"It's more about what I am than who I am."

"Meaning?" Panther queried.

Charlie looked over her shoulder as Cassie, who nodded the go-ahead, addressed the group. "I warn you all. What you're about to see may frighten you. Please trust me that you're all perfectly safe."

That caused everyone to look at everyone else, and then back to Charlie, who had closed her eyes. She stood in silence for a moment as she debated what to reveal. What would drive home the point but not be too scary? With that question, the answer came, and Charlie smiled softly as her body began to emit a soft, white glow of energy, and the gasps she heard told her they saw her wings unfold behind her, spreading out to brush against the windows on each side of the plane.

"Oh, my God," Shrapnel whispered.

"What…is…she?" Brute whispered.

Snapshot, eyes wide, lifted his camera and took a picture without thinking. This caused Charlie to snap her eyes open, which had gone blood red, and her demon voice blended with her soft human voice. "No pictures!"

The voice and eyes caused yelps as the group fell back into their chairs. Charlie shook her head and added, "Please? I don't want to be discovered."

"Cassie?" Brute turned to her. "What is this?"

"Charlie Morningstar is the daughter of the Devil himself, Lucifer Morningstar. She is the Princess of Hell, and she is family." Cassie emphasized the last bit, which made Charlie warm. "Angel found her months ago when she was summoned to Earth by a spell gone wrong. She lost her memories but found much of who she is as she worked by Angel's side. They grew fond of each other and fell in love. Bible somehow learned of her, though, and sent a demon named Rygen to capture her and kill Angel. He failed to do either. Now, Bible has chosen to set up a trade. Angel for Charlie."

As Cassie laid out a quick history, Charlie tucked her wings in and returned to her seat. However, she chose to drive home the point of what she was by keeping her eyes red against the warm yellow of her sclera. In doing so, there was an air of electrical energy around her that kept the hairs of the group on end. Cassie wrapped up the events of the day before. Her shop destroyed, Davis and Amanda killed. The group had taken it all in as professionally as she expected.

"So." Brute clarified. "If Bible gets his hands on Charlie and binds her, he becomes almost invincible?"

"Yes," Cassie said with a nod. "And he'll have her kill Angel, no doubt."

Charlie visibly shivered at those words. She bit her lip, silently pleading to herself to not let that happen.

"Then why are we letting you and her go in, alone and unarmed? You'll just be giving her to him?" Panther's voice said she did not approve of the plan.

"He said to come alone," Cassie answered. "But I'm sure he knows we won't. By going in as he's ordered, we can keep you four out of sight for as long as possible. Plus, Angel is our responsibility. Yours is distraction, elimination, and rescuing any children he has locked up. We're both going to be distractions for each other's missions."

"I still don't like it," Panther countered. "If Bible takes Charlie, all is for naught."

"I have something cooked up for that," Cassie assured Panther.

Charlie looked at her. "What?"

Cassie held up a hand. "Trust me, sis, for this one, I need to play it close to the vest. Okay?"

Charlie nodded, accepting her word with full trust.

"Very well," Brute said, accepting the situation. "Did Bible tell you where to go?"

"Yes. And I looked up what I could on the net. Unfortunately, his compound isn't listed anywhere, so I could not get any architectural plans."

"Then it'll be up to me," Panther spoke up. "How much time will we have once we arrive?"

"A few hours, at the most," Cassie answered. "I have to make contact with him when we land. I'm going to stall that, so by the time we arrive, it'll be well after dark."

"Excellent." Panther smiled. "I'll scout the perimeter and see what I can gather for intel. I won't have much time, so it'll be a dirty scout."

"I will have an air tag on me." Cassie motioned between her breasts. "So you can keep track of my movements, and if we get a chance, we'll deviate from the path so you can get an idea of where rooms are."

"That'll help a bit if they don't search you thoroughly." Brute nodded. "Once Panther has given us the intel, Shrapnel will lay ordinance at three exit points. We'll set the rendezvous, and the other two will be decoys. Snapshot will snipe anyone who gets in our way at that point."

"We have no idea where the children are being held," Cassie added. "For that, you'll just have to go in with 'brute' force."

"My favorite." Brute smirked.

"I'm still working out how to sneak in my earpiece and powder bag." Cassie bit her lip, puzzling that one issue out.

"I already have a solution for that." Charlie wiggled her fingers, and the earpiece Cassie mentioned tickled her ear as it appeared, nestled perfectly in place. Cassie reached up, surprised. "I didn't know you could be that precise."

"I tried it earlier with my dart band. It was kind of a spur-of-the-moment idea, but I was confident I could."

"Pefect." Cassie smiled.

The others had impressed looks on their faces, and collectively, they appeared to be more at ease with Charlie and the plan.

Cassie continued, "This'll work, as long as we don't get separated before reaching Angel."

"Do your best," Snapshot said. "We're going in blind, but it's not the first time we've had to do this. This time, however, we know more than we did the last time."

"The children come first, team. Charlie and I can take care of ourselves. I promise."

"And if you f-fail?" Shrapnel had to ask the question.

"Focus on saving the kids, Shrapnel. Whatever else happens, don't let any of them down," Cassie drove the point home to not worry about them.

A moment of uncomfortable silence filled the room. There was more to go over, but there were twelve hours to go, and Brute suggested they get some rest until they made their final approach, and they'd go over things one more time then. Brute announced that there was food and drink in the galley, and to enjoy all he had to offer. Charlie asked if he had any chocolate, which earned her a raised eyebrow and a chuckle from Cassie.

After making sure everyone was settled, Brute stood and motioned for Cassie and Charlie to follow him down the aisle to the rear. Once they were at the back of the plane, Brute turned abruptly and stepped up to Charlie; his frame towered over hers, and he growled. "I don't trust you."

Charlie lifted her chin up, and he watched her eyes bleed red as she let her demon flow forth, shifting fully into her hybrid form. Her tail swished behind her, and she drew her forefinger claw along one of the seats, cutting the material. She was through with fucking around. "Because of this?"

Cassie had to suppress a smile as Brute whined, "Oh, come on. Not the seats!"

"I don't fucking care if you trust me or not, Brute; I am not going to hide anymore. I love Angel, and I'm getting him back. You can trust that!" The thick oil of her demon voice gave no quarter.

Brute's demeanor changed, and his shoulders fell. He held out a hand to Charlie, who looked at it suspiciously. "I needed to know what you'd say or do if I challenged you. I believe you." He motioned his hand again, and Charlie retracted her claws and dropped her hand into his. "And I trust you. Bring our Angel home."

Charlie nodded, folded her fingers around his massive hand, and squeezed with demon strength, enough that Brute winced slightly, driving home how powerful she really was. Feeling confident, Charlie smiled with sharp, demon teeth. "With this team? For Bible, it's gonna be hasta la vista, baby!"

"What?" Cassie and Brute both asked in confusion.

Suddenly feeling awkward, Charlie let go of Brute's hand, her voice timid. "Catchphrase?"

Brute bit back a laugh. Cassie, however, shook her head, letting her laughter flow freely. "Keep trying, sweetie. Keep trying."