Kye has washed the same piece of cloth for almost an hour. Her mind is somewhere else entirely. She stares at her distorted reflection in the water, wondering the same question she has asked herself from the moment she woke up.

What is he doing?

It has been three days since that night she spent with Michael. It has been hard. Somehow, seeing him and then having to say goodbye again, with nothing but his promise, is way harder than not seeing him at all. It is gut-wrenching, and Kye just can't focus on anything.

Ruby has been quiet lately, sleeping twelve hours a day and waking up only for a few spoons of liquid food or medicine times. She gave Kye a dirty look that day when Kye got back to the cabin but didn't say anything. Kye didn't think Ruby even knew that she had been gone all night, but she couldn't be sure.

That night in the forest had been the first time in months that Kye could sleep more than four hours. It felt so good, to be wrapped up in the protective arms of someone she loved, surrounded by his scent and soothing voice.

Even when she didn't speak his language at all, somehow, she could understand it. Enochian was magical. It communicated directly with her heart and soul, like a precise arrow, and wrapped them in tingling, luscious layers. Everything felt so much like a dream that Kye wanted to fall deeper into and never wake up from. She was afraid that when she opened her eyes, Michael would disappear like a cruel, vivid illusion her mind had somehow whipped up.

Wake up. It's time.

But the archangel's voice rang in her dream. Kye smiled with tears rolling down her cheeks. "Please...5 more minutes. Please...Michael, don't go..."

***

It broke the archangel's heart and elated him at the same time. She needed him, just as much as he needed her. 

"I'm here." He kissed her forehead and watched her eyes slowly blink.

He had been sitting in this same position all night. All he wanted to do was stay and watch over her for eternity. The sight of Kye sleeping in his arms filled Michael with so much joy and peace that in millennia guarding the realms, nothing came remotely close.

Kye was looking at him owlishly as if she had never seen him before. Her eyes were dewy, full of awe and confusion. Then suddenly, she jumped and threw her arms around his neck, squeezing it hard. She would've squeezed the life out of him if Michael actually needed oxygen to survive.

"It's ok, I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere." He held her head steady next to his while combing through her soft brown hair. Finally, Kye relaxed and loosened her grip around his neck.

"You're right here," she whispered.

"Yes, I am. So are you." 

Michael closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of her hair. It took a monumental amount of willpower not to give in to his heart's desire and teleport back to the city with her in his arms. How hard it is to wait for all of this to be over.

"I don't care about the Resistance," Michael said, "but I think it's time for you to go back. Give Bobby Singer the news. So he can relax and stop locking you up day and night."

"He doesn't lock me up," Kye laughed. "Bobby is a good man. He just tries to protect everyone. You're intimidating."

"Oh, I'm intimidating?"

"Yes, you are. And he will be happy with the news. They all will be..." Kye smiled while tracing Michael's face. Suddenly, the smile was wiped off her face. "Holy...Sorry, what time is it?"

"Based on the position of the sun, 7:40 am.'" Michael tilted his head, watching Kye scramble on her knees and hands. 

***

Kye wrapped the wool blanket around her body and jumped off the truck bed. Her knees wobbled, and she almost kissed the ground. Last night was something. Their clothes were all over the place and covered in dirt. 

Kye picked everything up. "Dress up, handsome." She threw Michael's clothes at him. "Jeez... How long have you been up, and you just leave our clothes on the ground like that?"

"I don't sleep, you know that. I can clean the clothes if you want."

The archangel snapped his finger, and all their clothes were perfectly cleaned and folded into two neat stacks. He didn't seem to notice his naked state.

Kye peeked at him from the corner of her eyes and bit her lower lip, trying to hide a smile. It was distracting. Somehow, the innocent expression fit his gorgeous vessel so perfectly. She was one lucky girl.

Kye dusted her clothes as a habit before putting them on. She felt lighter and renewed, all thanks to Michael. Her eyes were on him as she walked to the driver's door. Michael was looking down at his hands, lost in thought. The morning sun hit him at a perfect angle, making his whole body glow in the golden light.

As if feeling her eyes on him, the archangel lifted his head and smiled. His smile was faint, not enough to warm up the cold exterior, but to Kye, it was always the most beautiful sight in the whole world.

Michael then snapped his fingers, and he was fully dressed again. Sometimes, Kye wondered why he even bothered to get in and out of clothes manually.

Maybe it was the fascination with human behaviors that led to his mimicking. Maybe it was a show he put on, knowing fully the effect he had on her. Whatever it was, Kye didn't complain. 

Michael looked as perfect as ever in his blue suit. He was fixing his scrollwork tie while staring at the endless snow-topped mountains. Kye had not paid a lot of attention to his outfit the night before, but now she did. A man could only look this good.

She could drink in the sight of him forever, but time was what they didn't have. Kye pulled the truck door open and dug out her phone from under the driver's seat. 50 missed calls, endless text messages. Reality came and punched her in the guts. Two-thirds of them were from Sam, and the rest were Bobby's. Kye took a sharp breath, closed her eyes, and pushed the Call button. Sam didn't pick up at all, so she called Bobby.

"Kye, where the hell have you been?" The old man shouted.

***

Bobby never imagined the girl would just get up and leave like that, but he knew she would come back. He hoped. Kye didn't take anything with her, and her sister was still here. Bobby didn't know what happened between Sam and her, but it was a total nightmare. He felt a massive headache just sitting here and recalling how stupidly drunk Sam had been the previous night after looking high and low for Kye. 

It was upsetting seeing how frantic the boy had been, pulling his brother into the vain search. Bobby had never seen Sam act that way, even after his breakup with his first girlfriend, whom he was supposed to marry. Maybe he was too young back then to feel the full impact of a heartbreak. Dean had followed Sam all their lives, so naturally, he helped, but eventually, he was forced to knock his brother out to stop Sam from running their Jeep through the main gate. It was maddening.

By the morning, right before Kye called, the boys had been gone. Dean had taken Sam to Outpost 15, where Garth and Benny were because he believed a change of scenery was what Sam needed at the moment. Before he left, however, Dean had been very clear about how he felt.

I hope that bitch never comes back because you know what? I don't know what I'm gonna do if I see her. I've never liked her. She can trick everyone with her innocent look, but she is poison and the cause of what we're in right now. Things happen because of her. We should never be tangled with the angels this way, but here we are. 

Bobby sighed, it felt as if he was running a daycare. He would never blame the girl for anything, but he understood where Dean came from. Kye was guilty of whatever his brother went through, and to Dean, it was a big crime. He just happened to forget that Sam was an adult. He should know how to take care of his own heart and put it in the right place. Bobby had warned him many times, but an old man's words meant little when it came to love.

"Just come back here, Kye. I'll tell you what happened." Bobby sighed into the phone and took off his cap. 

Sam and Dean were probably gone for the time being. There wasn't a lot going on right now at the camp thanks to a decision that the director board had come up with: No more activities besides supply runs until their three angels returned. They were still in Michael's hand and provoking him wasn't smart. The organization could take advantage of this rare break to strengthen its security, stock up on supplies, and recruit and train new members.

The longer the Resistance was in operation, the more it changed. It was all about preservation now. The balance between humans and angels was always shaky at best, and another direct war was something they couldn't afford. Humankind had not succeeded twenty years ago. They were in worse shape now with a fraction of the population remaining and limited resources. 

Things had been slightly better, or people had gotten used to the conditions they were subjected to. Either way, Bobby knew it wouldn't last forever.

***

"I've got to go." Kye put her phone in her back pocket and looked at Michael. 

He stood there like a statue without saying anything—so out of place yet perfectly blended into the nature scene. Kye's heart felt as if it weighed a thousand pounds.

Michael reached out his right hand, and without a word being asked, Kye ran toward it. She buried her face in his chest and tried her best not to cry.

"Don't be sad." The archangel combed his hand through her long hair. "I promise it won't be long. I will come for you soon."

That didn't help much, and Kye's tears started to soak through Michael's dress shirt.

"Look at me." The archangel lifted her chin. "I can take you and your truck a little closer to the camp. I don't want you to drive alone—"

"I just did last night."

"I know, but not now. Not when I'm here and can help it. Tell Bobby Singer that I will send the angels back as soon as possible. In the meantime, don't leave the camp. If you need me, pray to me. I may not be able to answer every time, but just know that your prayers won't fall on deaf ears."

"Fine... Wait, you can hear my prayers?" Kye quirked her eyebrows.

"Yes, I can. All of it."

Kye's mouth gaped open. She knew it was possible but hearing it from Michael was different.

"How long have you been listening to my prayers?"

"Since the day you left." Michael smiled and gently traced her hairline. His blue eyes wandered as if he were searching for something.

Kye's stomach churned. So, in eight months, every pathetic thought and feeling had ever taken shape in her head, from the moment she woke up, during the day when she had a chance to rest, to late at night when she laid her head down, Michael knew it all. He knew how intense her shame, guilt, loneliness, and pain were. How strong her desire to feel his hands on her body again. And then what happened with Sam yesterday... Michael obliterated all her layers and left her completely bare. For his judgment. Or entertainment. 

"You knew it all, and you didn't care." Kye squinted her eyes. "You didn't do anything. You didn't lift a finger to let me know that you heard me. How many times did I cry myself to sleep thinking about you, Michael? I talked to myself, imagined that I was talking to you like a crazy person, but you heard it all. How does it feel knowing how much I needed you? How much I suffered? It must've felt good. It must've excited your sadistic mind!" 

Kye pushed Michael hard and stumbled backward. The archangel, on the other hand, didn't move an inch. 

"You never change, Michael," Kye whispered. "It's a mistake to assume I know you. This is all my fault. We should never see each other again..."

"Look me in the eyes and tell me that's what you really want." 

***

An undeniably uncertain feeling crept up inside Michael. What if that was what she really wanted? To never see him again. 

In all the time they spent together, she had never got this mad and raised her voice at him. Maybe a new life among her kind had helped her find a new perspective and courage to speak her mind? And that human. How much did he mean to her?

Kye was staring at the sky right now. Michael knew he couldn't let her go back like that, thinking he didn't care, or worse, deliberately hurt her. He stepped closer and stood right before Kye. His hands clenched tightly in his pockets even when they wanted nothing more than to reach out and hold hers.

"Humans always say,' Listen to your heart.' That expression never made a lot of sense to me. I thought that heart rate was indeed informative, but besides your health and, sometimes, your mood, what else could it tell you? How did it help with making decisions? I didn't have a heart, at least not a physical one like yours. This vessel's heart didn't count. It just happened to be there and beat because of muscle memory. I didn't need it. I made decisions based on logic and reason only. And then I met you. Finally, I understood. Every time I need to make a decision now, I can just ask myself, "What would Kye do?", "What would she want me to do? "How would this affect her or make her feel?" You are my heart, Kye. You've changed me." Michael pulled Kye's hand and turned her toward him. "Remember the time we've been together. It was not perfect, but I tried. I always try. Look at what we have and listen to your heart because you have one. Then tell me if you think we should never see each other again."

***

"Michael..." Kye groaned.

All she could see in his eyes was her reflection. She knew they had something worth holding on to. Kye just got carried away with her self-blame sometimes. Michael was too good to be true. He could easily replace her with anybody, and that person could give him just as much joy and happiness as she had, if not more.

"I was there, Kye. Right outside the fence. Sometimes, several times a day. The wardings made it hard, but I was there regardless. I must. Some days, I could hear and feel you very clearly, like you were right next to me, but some other days, I felt nothing. It was frustrating. Painful. I heard your prayers, how you talked to me, and I tried to respond the same way we had always done in the past, but nothing got through to you. Your human mind is very limited."

"Wow, thanks a lot..." Michael did have a way of ruining a touching moment, but Kye still needed to come clean. "Yesterday..."

"Don't mention it. I know. You don't have to explain anything. Your body and soul were tired. They needed comfort, but your heart has been strong, and I appreciate it."

Kye nodded before something occurred to her. "You said you went to the camp many times? You knew where it was? Why would you do that? They could've attacked you!"

"Attacked me?" The archangel chuckled. "With what? I would like to see them take their best shot. You know why I did that, and I would do that again if I had to. No one can stop me, but you're right about one thing: It is a headache to deal with the humans and angels in the camp, so I was careful. I had my route, and I kept a distance. Don't worry... About the location of the camp, yes, I know where it is. I know where they all are."

"You're not gonna hurt them, aren't you, Michael?" Kye whispered. "Many are just civilians."

"As long as the Resistance doesn't do anything major, I'll leave them alone. I couldn't say they would give us the same courtesy if they knew our weaknesses..."

Michael slid his hand down Kye's long hair. It was a tangled mess but still as soft as he remembered. The golden sunlight danced on it, making his heart somersault. It was hard to peel his eyes away, but Michael forced himself to. 

"It's time to go back." He closed his eyes and put his other hand on the truck's hood.

***

The wicked winter is approaching. The rain bashes down on Ayham nonstop. The turbulent weather resembles Raphael's mental state perfectly.

He squinted his eyes to look through the grey veil of water. Nothing can stop now.

Raphael has led this particular garrison from the beginning. He has never slacked. That is why it didn't collapse several years ago when many of his siblings left their ranks. Raphael can never understand their reasons, but it doesn't matter. Apparently, it doesn't matter to Michael how hard he has worked to keep things in order, either. His brother isn't the easiest to please. Michael has blamed him and given him a hard time ever since. Funny how they are supposed to be the closest brothers—created in the same mold just days apart—but for some reason, they just clash.

From the outside, Raphael and Michael are exactly the same. Two sides of a rigid, cold, emotionless coin. Both uphold the rules to an extreme even by the angel standards. However, there is only one destined to be the leader, and it's not Raphael.

Maybe, that is the reason.

Being the Second Born is bad. Raphael is in the middle, nothing special, nothing to make Father look twice. It is worse than being a rebellious runt who got booted out. At least, that foolish runt stays in everyone's mind, even as a forbidden memory.

Raphael doesn't envy Luc, with all that being said. This planet is filthy. He never wants to deal with humans, ever, if he doesn't have to. The very idea of them revolts him, but they can be the perfect experiment subjects, Raphael gave them that.

While Michael is infamous for his open ruthlessness, Raphael is the preferred dark story humans tell their children to scare them to behave. He is elusive to them. No one wants to disappear and end up on his table. That would be worse than death.

Raphael sort of enjoys that reputation, but it makes it impossible for him to find human servants. Even the councilmen and women stay miles away from him. Michael wants him to change his conduct because it interferes with his "policies", but how can Raphael change?

Human hatred and fear run deep, and it's not like his kind needs them. Their power is enough.

Raphael dreams of Heaven. That is his true home, but he is needed here. Since the War happened and ended, there has always been so much work to do. Raphael has healed countless wounded angels, but it never ends. There was a short time he could take a break and fly back to Heaven, but things have gotten worse recently. For some reason, it has always been too late when his siblings were brought to him, and there was not much else Raphael could do but watch them die. That has taken a toll even on an immortal being such as himself.

A cloud of mist has formed above his head. The night is getting colder. Raphael doesn't blink under the drizzle despite his tan wool coat being drenched in tiny droplets. He is waiting patiently.

His vessel's heart beats fast and loud. The last time he saw Luc, it was a mess. It pained Raphael to see him that way, even when he had little love for his brother. Luc got what he deserved, but Raphael would never, in a million years, imagine him falling that far. It was just pathetic. An archangel who had no grace, and no power trapped in a meat suit was a human through and through. That was Luc. He would've suffered badly if it was not for Raphael. Sure, he couldn't die, but he felt pain, and healing took time.

Raphael doesn't know what happened, but he has never asked. He doesn't care. Since then, however, like a bad habit, they have met every few months. Just to talk. Of course, Michael and the garrisons don't know.

Raphael can tell something is very off with Luc, but so what? He has no power. What trouble can he conjure up this time?

Tonight, the air feels different. Heavy, like a storm is coming. Raphael has waited in this alley for almost an hour. Luc is still a no-show. Raphael needs to ask him something or it will haunt him for the rest of his existence.

"Brother, you look dashing!"

The phony upbeat quality of Luc's voice grates on Rapahel's nerves.

"Lucifer, I need to ask you something, and I need you to be honest with me."

"No small talk? I'm sad, but alright, tell me. What do you want to know?"

Raphael glared at Luc with conviction in his dark brown eyes. "I know what you do, brother, but I need to hear it from you. Are you planning to attack Michael?"

Luc coughs violently, trying not to laugh. Raphael is a fool. Luc was nervous, no, he was scared at first when Raphael said that he knew, but his brother doesn't even know half of it.

"...It is wrong and suicidal." Raphael shakes his head and continues his lecture. "Haven't you learned anything from last time? What would you achieve? You cannot lead the angels. You have no powers. Michael is our brother, as bitter as that truth is, Father assigned him to lead us. We may not agree with him, but we must obey Father. You have to stop before you get yourself killed."

Typical Raphael, always buries his head in the sand and thinks he knows everything. If he knows what Luc is really doing, he won't hesitate to turn him in.

"Brother, brother, brother..." Luc chuckles. "Stop worrying. I am not attacking Michael. I just try to protect myself. As usual. Look at me. Do I look like I can take on Michael? He would eat me alive, but do you notice how weird he seems lately?"

"What do you mean?" Raphel frowned.

"Come on, Raphie! Pay attention! The garrisons' mobilization every day, rumors of new laws, and his new lenient attitude toward humans. What do you think? Michael has lost his way." Luc looks Raphael dead in the eyes. His mouth curves up like a crescent moon, but his voice is grave. "Michael has gotten too close to humans. He cares about them more than our siblings and Heaven now. Seems impossible, doesn't it? But do you know that Michael is in love? With a human. A Nephilim is coming. Think about it, Raphie, a Nephilim of Michael. You understand what that means, right?"

Raphael puts his head down for a second, trying to process all the information Luc has just dumped on him before whipping his head up and whispering. "Michael's Nephilim. But how? He would never do that! It is against the Law of Heaven, and he hates humans!"

"He used to." Luc squeezes his eyes. "You know Michael's only domesticated companion?"

"Who... Oh, that one. What does she... Wait, you mean it's her?"

Luc nodded and smirked. "Our brother has been quite busy as we all can see. He has been hunting a ghost in the past few months instead of focusing on the usual business, leading the garrisons, and governing Earth. All because of her. The human girl has clouded his judgment. If he can do that much for her, abusing his power and Heaven's resources, imagine what else he can do."

"Sure...Michael may get carried away, but it doesn't mean he would betray Father and Heaven like that."

"Can you guarantee that, brother? Can anyone? Look, Raphael...I may not be much of an archangel anymore, but I still care about Heaven and all of you." Luc feels a wicked urge to laugh at his own lie and Raphael's contorted face. "Immortality and premonitions are all I have left," he sighed. "But I have achieved a lot on Earth thanks to my premonitions. They have never failed me, but they were always about me and what happened around me, you know? That's why the one I had a couple of months ago was different. It showed Michael holding his Nephilim by the Gate. Everything that came after was...chaotic. Disorder. Two suns, disasters, Earth turning upside down. Do you understand what that means?"

"The end. Of everything. We have been warned."

Luc plays with the lint in the bottom of his coat pocket, watching Raphael's mind unravel and his walls of security shatter. A sense of joy washed over him. His brother is easy to manipulate, just as he has predicted. Threaten his way of life, and Raphael crumbles.

"What archangel in his right mind would do that... Laying with filth... Tarnishing our grace... Betraying our Heaven..."

"Not to mention what it would do to Father."

"Father... Oh, no, no, no, it can't happen. I won't let it. I won't let them destroy us and Father."

"I know you won't, Raphie. You're a good son and brother. We must band together against Michael's treachery. I know I haven't been there for you, but you need to trust me on this. We can't let Michael have his way and screw everyone over."

"So, what should we do?"

"Stick it where it hurts. You alone won't do anything to him, and me, well, I'm an invalid," Luc chuckled, "But what we can't do to Michael, we can give it to his pet. She is vulnerable. She is staying in a camp full of humans and some angels. None at your level, Raphael. You can annihilate them easily. Now, it's true that the mother of Michael's Nephilim could be someone else, too, but that girl is our best bet. I'm telling you Michael really cares about her. We all know that it needs intention for a Nephilim to be created. We are not like them. There is no accidental pregnancy. Kill her, and I can guarantee Michael won't go looking for another companion any time soon. We will have enough time to prepare a real plan to either notify Father and bring him back or just prevent this from ever happening again. Michael has done enough. It's time he takes a step back and lets someone truly capable take the lead."

"Just let me think about it... This is too big for me to decide right now."

"When you're done thinking, you know where to find me."

Luc watches Raphael's lonely back disappear into the shadow and smiles widely to himself. The fun has just begun.

A new day

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