Dawn spread across the desert in what seemed like the blink of an eye. The light had been slowly growing and spreading across the sky creating a watercolour-like blaze of blues and oranges. But in an instant the sun had breeched to horizon, spreading its beams of light shooting over the expanse of sand.

Michael paced the roof of the diner, scanning that horizon for any sign of danger. At the moment all was calm save for the yelps and howls of coyotes. His mind however was a different story.

The episode between him and his brother before he had made the concrete decision to disobey their Father's orders ran rampant though his thoughts. Gabriel was a creature of duty, and he lived to obey the Father no matter the cost to himself. This troubled Michael. No matter what his brother believed in his heart, he would complete the mission their Father had given him. However, as dawn grew closer, thoughts of the angel in the diner below him had begun to command his attention.

Ever since he had met Tessa centuries ago, he had sensed something special about her. He'd been the one to escort her soul to Heaven, taking her from her horrible, mortal fate to a new existence. He'd even begun to develop feelings for the troubled young angel. She'd made an excellent addition to the Army of Heaven, her anger and aggression making her deadly in battle against the demons they fought. She was always victorious, striking down demon after demon and not seeming to tire at all. But there had always been more to her than that. Michael had always sensed a deeper hurt in her, one that couldn't be made to go away when she unleashed her fury on the demons of hell. This concerned him, as most humans shed their resentments and pain upon their entry to Heaven. She was normally genuinely kind and gracious, her compassion a shining star within the boundaries of Heaven. Perhaps understandably, that compassion was hard-pressed to be passed to humans when one considered her past. Yet, Michael had seen that single hard part of her soul begin to soften in recent times.

He suspected that had something to do with his brother, who had taken her into his care shortly after she had arrived and discovered her own wings. Michael, who had also grown close to her, was forced to focus more on his duties as the General of Heaven's Army, so Tessa had found comfort in his brother's arms. He didn't begrudge either of them that. He loved his brother dearly, and anything that brought Tessa healing and peace was all right by him. In fact, to that point, he had never seen her more content and more at peace with herself than when she was in Gabriel's presence.

She had also brought out a side of Gabriel that he had rarely seen in his twin. The Messenger of God was always hard and cold; he had to be in order to do what was often demanded of him. She had brought out the softer side of his brother, allowing him to show the true depths of his compassionate heart. Michael was sure that his brother truly loved the young angel that brought out this unseen aspect of him. But that hadn't halted the tugging in his heart when he saw them together.

However, the sight of them together had become rare in recent years, and Michael had watched them begin to grow apart, saddened that neither of them had found anything more than temporary comfort. Yet even as she had grown away from his brother, Michael valued the continued attention and trust that Tessa gave him. Throughout the centuries that she had been among them, he had always considered her a close friend, but had never presumed that she wanted more. She had always seemed so contented to just possess his friendship. She had been skittish enough around males upon her entrance to Heaven that he had never dared to try and be more to her. Gabriel had seemed to be one of the few exceptions to that rule along with him. Now it seemed that she felt more than the bonds of friendship for him, and he was beginning to wonder how he had missed the signs of her growing feelings.

Tessa also had been watching the sky brighten, scanning the horizon for any sign of trouble. Her thoughts were just as chaotic as Michael's, for similar enough reasons. She was just now beginning to realize the true depth of emotion that stirred when she was in his presence, and when she was not. Gabriel had satisfied her longings for companionship and physical comfort and security, but she found she no longer needed that. Michael, however, allowed her to let out all the hidden secrets and wounds of her damaged psyche. He gave her a certain amount of physical comfort in that she always felt safe near him, but he'd also done a great deal to sooth the emotional hurt. There was nothing she felt she couldn't go to him about. She could always talk to him and he always lifted her spirits. He had become essential to her without her even realizing it. The instant she had heard of his fall, she hadn't hesitated to follow, though not quite to the extreme he had. She had never dreamed that he would actually sever his beautiful wings in effort to defy his orders.

She had told the truth earlier when she told him that she didn't know why she had followed. Tessa had known it wasn't out of any sense of devotion to mankind. Anyone who knew anything of her past knew that. All she knew was that she had the powerful compulsion to follow him, regardless of the consequences, which she knew were likely to be dire. Now, as she examined the last few hours in her mind, as well as the complicated well of emotions roiling around in her belly, she was discovering that the feelings of friendship, the ones that both she and Michael had taken to be her only feelings for him in the past, were far more than what they appeared to be. More even than what she had felt for Gabriel.

She glanced over her shoulder when she heard someone stir. Surprisingly, everyone in the diner who tried to sleep slept peacefully, or relatively well. She had expected nightmares and insomnia considering what they had experienced up to this point.

Sandra, Audrey's mother, was the one stirring. The woman glanced briefly at Tessa before heading deeper into the Diner. The angel sighed before turning her eyes back to the desert on the other side of the wood and glass. There had been a great deal of pain in Sandra's eyes when she looked at Tessa, something she couldn't quite shake from her inner eye. It brought back memories that the angel would've preferred to keep buried. Memories of a mother with tears streaming down her face, whispering prayers for mercy as she watched bundles of sticks and twigs piled high around her daughter's feet. Memories of the pain in that mother's eyes, wondering if that daughter had betrayed her like everyone insisted, or if the executioner was murdering an innocent child who did nothing but cling to the hope of truth. Tessa shook her head to clear the fuzzy memories. They were from a long time ago, and had no bearing on the here and now.

She was startled from her thoughts when she heard Sandra cry out, all but screaming for her husband. More shouts and the sound of shifting furniture came from the back room as Audrey and Percy raced for the back door. In an instant Tessa was on her feet, bolting towards the sounds of shouting. She could hear Charlie and Jeep behind her, also drawn to the noise.

Tessa arrived in time to see Sandra bursting through the back door, desperate to get out with Percy hard on her heels. Kyle was coming round from where he'd fallen and Audrey was sluggishly getting to her feet. Tessa made it to the door just in time to see Percy grab hold of Sandra, turning to shield her with his own body as the upside down figure of her husband exploded in a gruesome deluge of pus and blood. Tessa just barely turned in time to shield herself from the spray of foul-smelling fluid. Looking back up, she pushed the door open wider so the single-handed cook could push the now hysterical woman back inside the diner. Sandra sprawled ungraciously on the floor, wailing in grief as Kyle began to bind her hands. Charlie stepped forward as Tessa's eyes turned back to the cook, the waitress softly calling his name.

Tessa knew before he even hit the ground that he was gone. The fluids that had sprayed from Howard's body had burned clean through his clothes and skin to reveal a sickening display of charred, raw muscle and vivid white bone that steamed in the early morning temperature. Tessa fought the urge to cry out in horror as his body thudded to the floor. In her years as a soldier fighting demons, she had seen things much more gruesome than this. Even in her mortal life, she had experienced things less merciful. At least Percy's death had been quick. Still, the sight of his mutilated flesh got to her, even though it was just for a moment. As Michael and Bob charged into the room, Tessa had already regained her wits and had closed and blocked the door. Kyle and Audrey had already pulled Sandra from the ground, and Jeep had guided a shocked and horror-stricken Charlie back out to the main part of the Diner, where Tessa could hear her begin to sob.

The two angels locked gazes for a moment, understanding about what had just happened passing between them before reverently picking up Percy's lifeless body and moving it to the Diner's cooler. Bob stood by, his face blank with shock despite the stream of tears beginning to cover his ruddy cheeks, his body beginning to tremble as he digested what he saw.

Tessa felt her own share of grief at the one-handed man's passing. He was one of the souls that Michael had spoken of earlier, even though Percy's light hadn't been quite so strong as Jeep's. His actions leading up to his death cemented in her mind that he was one of the ones that should have been saved. Her bleak outlook on humans and their capacity for good had been shifting leading up to God's orders, but this man had been one of the exceptions to the opinion she had made long ago about mankind. She had seen that the moment she'd first seen his face. His heart had been good, and as she and Michael laid him on the only clear surface in the cooler, she silently offered up a prayer that his soul would arrive unmolested to the gates of Heaven. Then she turned and left, the steady drip of his blood onto the floor echoing in her ears like thunder over the desert.

-* * *

Michael found her a little while later on the roof of the diner sitting on the far corner, one of the machine guns cradled to her chest. She heard him coming and so she didn't jump as he laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. When she didn't react further, he sat beside her, his long legs dangling over the edge beside hers. He reached an arm around her shoulder and pulled her close. Tessa didn't fight it; she wanted him to hold her. Her world was in turmoil and she felt like she hadn't noticed until now. She nuzzled closer to his chest, her arm wrapping around his waist as his other arm came up to enclose her. They sat there for several moments, watching the sun-lit desert. It seemed odd to her that in such a dark time the sky could still be so blue and the sun so bright.

"He was different than most of the human's I've known. He was good. His faith may have been shaken, but he still clung to his belief that God was good. I could see it in his eyes last night, when he asked me what I was. I don't know what to believe anymore, Michael. My collar feels heavy, and it never has before. All these flawed souls—I'm not sure I understand anymore." He listened in silence, his hand gently chafing her shoulder. He wanted to comfort her, but he had little comfort to give. The clear-cut distinction she had always believed existed between right and wrong was dissolving. Her faith in the justice of God had never wavered, even when she suffered at the hands of her fellow man. But now, she was witnessing God punishing not just the wicked, but to good as well. This time, it was God, not man that was causing the suffering she abhorred. Michael kissed the crown of her head, murmuring softly to her.

"That is why we must show him there is still the presence of good among his children, that there is still something to nourish."

"I don't know if I can. I still cannot move past the overwhelming evil I see in mankind. I cannot see past the lies and the torture." She shuddered on his arms, memories flooding her vision. Time had made them hazy, but they still held powerful sway over her. "I know in my heart that I'm supposed to love them, and deep down I suppose I do. But every time I try to open my heart to love them unconditionally—" Her voice broke, unable to finish. Michael tilted her chin up so that he could look her in the eyes.

"You will. You're here, aren't you?" A tear slipped out of the corner of her vivid blue eye. He brushed it away gently with his thumb, caressing her soft skin.

"But I didn't come for them."

"I know," he leaned forward, his forehead resting against hers, "why did you never tell me how you felt?" She made a little sound somewhere between a sigh and a laugh, her dark lashes closing over her blue eyes.

"I suppose because I didn't even know myself." She raised her other hand to his face, tracing the lines of his jaw and cheek. He truly was a beautiful creature, inside and out. "I didn't realize why I followed you until I was here." Michael shifted a little to place a soft kiss on her lips, followed by a deeper, lingering one. As he pulled back, she opened her eyes to meet his, and she knew deep down that she'd made the right decision.

* * *

Shortly after their conversation on the roof, Tessa was back in the main room of the Diner. She sat on one of the far booths, her feet propped in the edge of the table as she surveyed the landscape beyond.

Audrey was kneeling in front of her mother, offering the broken woman some water. For her own safety, and that of everyone else, Sandra had been tied to a chair in the centre of the dining room. Tessa couldn't help but examine the girl who was trying desperately to make her devastated mother comfortable. She could sense the innumerable physical sins on the soul of the girl, but she also easily saw the hurt and pain that had driven her to partake in some of the nearly unmentionable activities she had experienced in her young life. She could also see the deep-seated and constant desire to be good flickering at the centre of her being. This sad, lonely little girl was drowning in her mistakes and was desperately trying to overcome them.

Even a few days ago, Tessa might have considered Audrey's inability to pull herself from her net of sin weak, but now, after spending time actually watching these people and their flawed souls, she now saw the teenager's struggle as a showcase of her inner strength. No matter the shadows this girl's past held, she was still clinging to the desire and the will to pull herself above it. The angel might not understand or condone what the teenager had done in her past, but she could no longer condemn her for it either.

She watched as Audrey popped the lid off a pill container and offered one to her mother, insisting that she'd feel better if she took it. Sandra just looked around with half-wild eyes, complacently accepting whatever her daughter offered or said while tears streaked down her face. The angel could see the way Audrey relaxed when her mother gazed mildly at her, accepting the comfort she was trying to give. That was, until Sandra began to speak.

"This is your fault. We were only moving because of you." Tessa slowly rose to her feet, all but feeling the alarm coursing through Audrey as her mother's face began to twist with hatred and blame. "We sacrificed everything for you."

"N-no. You, you wanted to go. Y-you said that you wanted to." Sandra's voice rose in pitch, ignoring Audrey's attempt to understand.

"I loved my house. I loved my life, and you have ruined it. You ruined everything! Everything!"

"Enough." Tessa's voice was cold and deadly in the quiet room. Sandra didn't take her eyes off her trembling daughter, but she stopped her merciless tirade against the devastated teen. "You're just going to sit here and torture your daughter like this?" Tessa's voice was incredulous behind the anger. She just stood, still on the other side of the diner, her flashing, unearthly blue eyes slicing into Sandra. Kyle stood solemnly behind the broken woman, his face revealing sympathy only for Audrey. After a moment he walked forward, just as angry with the woman as the angel was, though he was considerably less dangerous. Tessa could tell that if she hadn't spoken up, he would've. Kyle, tapping the teen on the shoulder, aimed a question at Audrey in order to pull her mind from the horrible words she'd just heard, pointedly ignoring her mother now that she was silent.

"Can you come help me find a station that actually works?" With a lot of effort and, Tessa noticed with bewilderment, one last concerned look at her mother, Audrey pulled herself to her feet, following Kyle to where Percy's radio sat abandoned on the counter.

As Kyle sat a short distance away from the teen, Audrey settled in front of the radio, distractedly turning the dials in a futile effort to distract her thoughts. Tessa, instead of resuming her post at the window, came to sit on the other side of the girl, watching her without restraint.

"Are you alright?" The angel didn't mean to speak, but didn't catch herself before the words slipped out. She felt genuine concern for the girl, something she hadn't expected after seeing the stains left by her life of sin thus far. But, as she had been musing before Sandra's awful accusations, Audrey's sins did not make up her whole character. Even the glance of worry after the blame had rained down on her young head caused the angel to wonder for this young woman. She was startlingly reminded of the weeping woman from her memories. The angel wondered if that mother had thought the same things about her daughter when the young girl had been—Tessa could hardly bear to think about either of them, the mother or daughter. Audrey lifted her gaze to the angel in front of her, mistrust and pain warring in her eyes.

"How do you think I'm doing?" She glared at Tessa without a trace of fear in her eyes. "How would you be doing?" The teenager dropped her gaze down to the radio after a moment, resuming her absent fiddling with the dials. Tessa continued to watch her, sympathy flooding through her.

"I would not be doing so well." Audrey's fingers paused on the dials as Tessa spoke, her voice soft and distinctly pained. "I do not think I would have remained so concerned for my mother had she ever said those things to me, especially now." Audrey fought to hold back her tears.

"She was right. Besides, what would you know? You're an angel. This would never happen to you."

"You are right. It never happened to me, though, I suspect that's probably because I died before my mother had a chance to say it." Audrey looked up at Tessa in disbelief.

"But—" She was interrupted when others started to file into the room. Charlie was first, groaning softly as she settled her swollen body into a chair nearby. Michael and Jeep followed close behind. Tessa met the former archangel's gaze for a moment, though he was baffled by the swirl of conflicting emotions he saw there. As he settled near where Tessa had originally been watching the desert, Audrey once again began to fiddle with the radio; her thoughts conflicted for yet another reason.

Tessa stood and went to stand beside Michael, who was watching Charlie with concern, touching his sleeve gently. His clear-blue gaze settled on her face, this time the concern for her, but before she could say anything Audrey began to shout.

"Wait. You guys. Oh, my God, I'm hearing something!" Kyle and Charlie hurried to Audrey's side, listening intently to the static filled voice coming over the radio.

"We're on our own here, people. If you can hear my voice we're getting the first bits of good news since this—apocalypse began nearly 48 hours ago. A militia has formed on the outskirts of Las Vegas and begun to engage those affected. I'm getting unconfirmed reports of other militias gathering in Death Valley, Zion and Red Ridge National Parks in the Mojave Desert." Charlie looked around at the others.

"Red Ridge. That's only an hour up the road from here."

"Does that mean we can leave?" Audrey turned to look at the backs of the two angels standing by the boarded up windows. Michael clenched his jaw before speaking, glancing quickly as Tessa. She could see the regret in his expression before he turned to crush to hope in Audrey's eyes.

"No. We're not going anywhere." Charlie stood, confusion written all over her face.

"What?" The waitress stared at Michael, her hands hovering around her unborn child. Kyle spoke next, a grim conviction in his voice.

"I don't know about you, but I gotta get the fuck out of here." Michael shook his head, all remorse gone from his expression, hidden from the people in front of him.

"No. I won't risk being on the move when the baby comes." His gaze shifted to Charlie, a hint of sadness in his eyes. Charlie looked down to her belly. The fallen angel looked back to Kyle. "It's too dangerous." With that he turned back to the window, gazing out at the desert. Tessa watched him along with everyone else, though concern was written all over her features. Charlie walked slowly away, her expression one of disbelief and anger. Kyle took another step forward, not quite ready to let it go.

"Too dangerous? What the fuck do you mean, too dangerous?" Michael didn't respond but continued to stare out the window, his jaw clenched with resolve. In the background the voice on the radio continued to talk on, the voice grave and tired.

"May God give us the strength to survive, and have mercy on those who are already lost."

A/N: Thanks for reading!

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