Lights flashed eerily across the horizon as the night wore on. Percy and Kyle were up on the roof, while Bob settled himself to make steaks, a morose and silent Sandra sitting at the bar in front of him. Jeep, Michael and the newcomer, Tessa, were working at boarding up the windows. She hadn't exactly been there long, but she had settled in as if she had been there from the beginning. The others eyed her warily. She and Michael knew each other, and quite obviously had a past of some sort, but that seemed to matter very little now. Most eyes, when not looking elsewhere, watched her, but she only watched Michael. They hadn't had a chance to talk privately yet, and she was waiting patiently for a quiet moment with him. She was gathering up more materials from the back when she heard Jeep come up behind her. She could feel his eyes on her, but she paid it no mind. Michael's appearance a moment later to gather more boards stole the boy's attention. It wasn't long before Jeep broke the silence.

"So what did you do? You know, before you came here?" Michael looked up, his eyes meeting Tessa's briefly before focusing on Jeep. It took him a moment to answer, walking closer.

"I was a soldier. I was a general in His army." He turned his attention back to the boards. Tessa watched Jeep process this and, swallowing slowly, prepare to ask another.

"Well, what changed? What made you leave?" Michael's gaze once again focused on the boy, this time refusing to look at the third person in the room.

"I was given an order I didn't believe in," Jeep couldn't take his eyes off the fallen angel, his mouth open in shock and confusion. Michael continued, still refusing to look at Tessa, who was now watching him with the same intensity that Jeep was. She hadn't heard that part.

"He lost faith. I didn't." Five succinct words, and he turned away from them both, carrying more boards out of the room. Jeep once again retreated to his thoughts, while Tessa continued to watch Michael's retreating back. It was another moment before Jeep spoke again.

"Well, how come you still have faith?" Tessa tensed, something that Michael noticed but Jeep didn't, "I mean, it seems like everything I have faith in causes me nothing but trouble." The bitterness in his tone was obvious. Michael leaned against the doorframe, considering the young man in front of him. Finally he dropped his gaze, thinking about his answer, an answer that Tessa almost believed wouldn't come. Michael's quiet words broke the silence, his gaze coming up again to rest on Jeep.

"When God chose your kind as the object of his love I was the first in all of Heaven to bow down before you," Tessa's gaze was once again drawn to Michael as he paused, "My love, my hope for mankind was no less than His. But I have watched you trample that gift." Jeep turned to face Michael completely, while Tessa's jaw clenched at his next words. She turned away form the angel, struggling to keep her emotions in check; something else that Michael didn't miss.

"I've watched you kill each other over race and greed, waging war over dust and rubble and the words in old books, slaughtering the innocent for the sins and whims of the guilty." Tessa took a ragged breath, fighting the angry tears that suddenly threatened to overcome her, her hands clenched into fists as memories washed over her. She hadn't expected them to be so powerful, but apparently, being here on Earth, gave those memories renewed strength.

"And yet, in the midst of all this darkness, I see some people who will not be bowed. I see some people who will not give up even when they know all hope is lost." She could hear him walking closer, hanging onto every word he said as though it was for her alone, and in a way it was. Just as they applied to Jeep, they applied to her. He continued to talk, his blue-eyed fixed on the boy in front of him, rather than the woman in the shadows.

"Some people, who realize that being lost is so close to being found. I see you, Jeep. Fifteen years old, your mother leaves you; your father withdraws from the world. And you spend the next five years of your young life helping him find his way home." Jeep watched the angel intently, his forehead creasing in disbelief at his words. "You love a woman who bears the child of another and you love her with no thought for yourself, even though you know she may never love you the way you love her." Tessa closed her eyes, wondering if Michael knew just how true those last dozen words were now, and not just for Jeep.

"You, Jeep. You are the reason that I still have faith." Jeep continued to stare as Michael took a step back, gazing for a moment at the woman whose back was still turned, his eyes considering her. Tessa leaned her forehead against the cool metal of the cabinet in front of her, her eyes closed. Michael turned away, abruptly changing the subject.

"It's almost time for the next shift." Jeep continued to stare as Michael walked out of the room, gathering the boards he had separated from the main pile as he passed them. Tessa lifted her gaze as Jeep eventually left, watching him go as well before forcing herself to continue what she was doing.

A few moments passed before Tessa walked out into the main room of the diner, her arms filled with boards and nails. As she began to board up one of the last windows, she could feel Michael pause a few feet from her, his sky-blue gaze shifting to her. She almost expected him to say something, and was relieved when he didn't. She got one board nailed over the window before she spoke, her voice just loud enough that Michael could hear.

"So what happens to you when this is over?" Once again she felt his gaze on her, but it was several heartbeats before he answered, his voice just as quiet as hers.

"I don't know." The answer was almost sad, the tone saying things his words didn't. Tessa, breathing deeply turned to face him full on, gathering her will to speak again.

"Then why are you doing this?" She winced at the sound of despair in her voice, but held his piercing gaze. Again, he let the seconds wear on before speaking, taking a step closer to her.

"Sometimes we have to face the thing we fear the most in order to be free of it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Now it was her voice that was bitter. Michael often liked to talk in metaphor and half-meanings. Tessa was much more straightforward than that. Maybe it had to do with the time period and station to which she had been born, or perhaps it was just that she was a soldier now above all else. This time he didn't answer her, instead stepping behind her to grab another board, propping it up so she could nail it in place. She was hyper aware of his body so close to hers, but tried to ignore it as she hammered the nails in place.

Once the board was secure, he turned away. Tessa raised her head to say something but gasped reflexively at what she saw instead. Blood was starting to seep through the back of Michael's t-shirt, inky-black in the low light. Michael paused at the sound, turning his head back slightly to look at her. Unable to speak at first, Tessa could only walk forward to gently probe around the area where his wings usually were, feeling muscles tense in pain at her touch. A million thoughts began to rush through her head, but before she could give voice to any of them Michael took her hand and led her into the next room.

"Not out here." Tessa followed mutely, only hesitating to grab the large First Aid Kit from the counter where it sat abandoned after Howard's neck wound had been rudimentarily cared for.

Once they were safely behind closed doors in Bob's makeshift office, Tessa rounded on Michael, her face twisted in dismay. Her voice was barely above a whisper, but the former archangel could hear her pain in each syllable she spoke.

"You cut them off?" Michael could only nod in response, watching as Tessa inhaled sharply. After taking a few more harsh breaths, she forced her emotions behind the façade of the soldier she was. Her deft hands had the First Aid Kit on the table and its contents bared in quick, precise movements. She efficiently removed her leather braces, sliding them into her pocket before exploring what she had to work with.

"Take off the shirt." Michael couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at her demand, but complied at the stern glance she gave him. Ordering him to sit on one of the chairs left in the room, she turned back to face him, gauze, tape, surgical scissors, a needle and thread and disinfectant clutched in her hands. She very nearly dropped them when she saw the state his back was in.

Two gauze pads, now nearly soaked through with blood covered where the base of his wings had once attached to his body. Beneath those there were two awkwardly stitched-up gashes that seemed to take up a great deal of his back. A number of the stitches had been ripped out and fresh blood seeped from the gaping wounds. Steeling her nerve, Tessa pulled up another chair and sat behind him, proceeding to cut loose the now ineffective stitching from the inflamed skin of his back. She could feel his muscles tense in pain as she diligently worked to fix the job he'd done, but he never made a sound. After cleaning the wounds Tessa began to stitch the gashes shut again in the hopes that this time they could begin to heal properly, though the loss of his beautiful iron-grey wings seemed devastating to her. She nearly jumped when Michael began to speak to her.

"Why did you come? Why did you follow me?" Tessa took a deep breath, but didn't answer right away. The truth was, she still wasn't a hundred percent sure why she'd come after him.

"I felt that I had to. End of story." He twisted slightly to look at her over his right shoulder, causing her to make a sound of dismay as he interrupted her ministrations.

"Why? We both know very well that you have little love for mankind." That she didn't have an answer to. He was right of course. She truly did have no great attachment to the humans that lived below Heaven, and usually cared very little for their fates. She smiled a little, a hard cynicism in her expression rather than compassion.

"Perhaps there is a small part of me that still cares because I used to be one of them. I do not know. All I know is that's not why I followed." His shocking blue eyes continued to stare at her, trying to comprehend what even she didn't fully understand. She pushed gently at his right shoulder, forcing him to turn those eyes away from her again so she could continue to sew. It was then that she let out a breath that she didn't realize she was holding.

"He's going to be very angry with you." She paused for the briefest moment, knowing exactly whom he meant. She could still feel his arms around her from when he told her of Michael's defection. She had been nearly inconsolable with disbelief, but he had tried to comfort her, even as she made her own plans to defect as well. She could still feel his parting kiss, knowing it was likely the last before she betrayed him by following Michael.

"Yes, and I suspect he's furious with you," she said by way of an answer. He made a sound that could've almost been mistaken for a laugh. This time she did stop, resting her bloodstained fingers on one of the uninjured parts of his back. She felt him shiver ever so slightly at her touch. "Why did you do it? I heard what you told that boy, Jeep, but there's more, isn't there?" Michael sighed, his head dropping in what she interpreted as heartache, or something similar.

"I didn't want it to come to this. Mankind doesn't deserve this, not really. They need guidance, not punishment. I disobeyed because what our Father wants is not what he truly needs." Once again he turned to face her, his eyes meeting hers. "I did this because I knew no one else would." The sadness in his eyes was heart wrenching. Tessa lifted her hand from his back to touch his cheek, not caring about the blood that smeared on it.

"You're not alone now." A faint smile came to his lips.

"Yes, I know. And I thank you. I just hope the price isn't too great." This time it was Tessa who smiled faintly.

"I want to be here, truly. And no price is too great." A glimmer of comprehension awoke in Michael's eyes as Tessa once again gently pushed his shoulder to expose the full expanse of his back. It didn't take much longer for her to finish stitching his skin back together and a few moments after that and she had finished covering the wounds with gauze. Standing, partially wiping her hands on a leftover scrap, she walked slowly around to face Michael properly, leaning on the Desk in front of him.

"You're all done." He stood to, twisting a little to examine Tessa's handiwork, tensing his shoulders to test her small, neat stitches. Then his gaze slid back to hers, considering her.

"Thank you. You've done a much neater job than I could've." Tessa smirked a little.

"You should've seen my needlepoint." She straightened, preparing to clean up the remaining supplies when she felt his hand grasp her arm, turning her around to face him. He held her there, just staring into her eyes. Tessa froze, not even able to respond when he spoke.

"You can still get out, you know. It's not safe for you here." It was then that her expression darkened.

"It's not safe for anyone here. And I'm not going anywhere, whether you like it or not. Besides, I can't go back anyway." With that she wrenched herself from his grasp, and proceeded to shove the remaining First Aid supplies back into their box. Michael sighed. He could never seem to say the right things around her when he really needed to.

"Tessa, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you." She paused, her hands still hovering over the box she was about to shut. Her expression softened as she turned, walking towards him.

"I chose to be here. I'm ready for the consequences." Michael raised his hand to her cheek, stroking it gently with his thumb. Tessa couldn't help but lean into it, just for a moment, before pulling away.

"It's time for your shift. I'll watch from inside." Nodding, Michael slipped on his shirt before picking up one of the guns lying on the table a feet from them, sparing her one last look before ducking out the door.

Tessa finished packing up the First Aid Kit, this time putting everything away neatly before she closed it up. Then, grabbing it and one of the machine guns sitting on the table, she too exited the room.

She passed Bob on her way out to the main room as he headed up to the room for his shift. Though he gave a startled look at her, she paid him no mind. Once in the main dining room, she placed the First Aid kit back on the counter before walking forward to glance out through the spaces in the boarded-up windows. The sound of someone clearing his throat caught her attention. It was Percy, and when he stepped forward she could see he had a question for her purely by the look on his face.

"Are you alright?" She frowned at his concern. Of course she was, why ever wouldn't she be? True, she was having some emotional issues at the moment, but it was highly unlikely that a human to notice that. It was then that she noticed Audrey, the teenage girl, and Charlie, the pregnant woman, staring at her hands. Looking down, she remembered the bloodstains that remained from her tending to Michael's wounds.

"Oh, No. It is not mine. I am well." Without another word she walked into the kitchen, intent on washing the still damp blood from her hands. Percy followed her. She tried to ignore him, but eventually she gave up, turning her own gaze on the one-handed cook. She didn't say a word, but Percy asked his question anyway.

"Is it his blood?" She had focused again on scrubbing the blood from her hands, her fingers lingering on the angelic script winding around her wrists.

"Yes." Like many of Michael's answers, her were often short and to the point. Although, hers were usually short because she wasn't fond of talking to humans.

"Are you like him?" She turned her gaze back to him, her eyebrows knit in a small frown. He gestured to the roof, obviously referring to the angel that was currently standing watch. She considered him for a moment. That he was struggling to reconcile himself to what Michael had told them was obvious. This man had diligently believed in a kind and merciful God for a long time. Now his faith, in a manner of speaking, was shaken. They were preparing to defend their lives against the very beings he had always believed were there to protect humankind; beings who were acting on the orders of a Father who had given up on his children. Tessa didn't expect to relate to this man, but she did. A bit of her own faith had been shaken when the Soldiers of Heaven had been told of the task facing them.

"Yes. In a way." She sighed at the sight of his frown. Drying off her hands, she stepped out of the kitchen and walked back into the main room, where everyone else left on the ground level had turned their attention to her as well. She pulled her braces out of her pocket, replacing them on her wrists and tightening the webbing between her slim fingers and down the sides.

"I am a soldier in the Army of Heaven. No more, no less. Michael was my General, until he fell with the purpose of helping you." She fixed a pointed stare at Charlie, taking a grim satisfaction as the young woman flinched reflexively. Good. They all knew she was dangerous. She could see it in their eyes. She didn't need any of them going all 'save us pretty angel!!' She had seen enough of that when watching humans from above. These humans, if they wanted to survive, were going to have to help themselves. She flexed her hands, allowing the leather to settle into its familiar shape

"You should all sleep while you can." Without another word, she resumed her watch through the slits of the boarded windows. Around her she could hear the other occupants of the diner bunking down for whatever rest they could manage. She imagined that it was going to be a difficult sleep for most of them. Strangely enough, sympathy was one of the reactions she felt at that thought.

A/N: Thanks for reading!

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