CHAPTER ONE - PURGATORY

New assignments. Cath loved them. They gave her the opportunity to help someone new, to keep helping people and that was her job. That was what she loved to do. When her bosses told her that her new assignment was in a town called Purgatory, a chill ran down her spine. She knew that she had never had an assignment in that town before, but it still sounded familiar. And not in a good kind of way.

She got to the town early, to establish herself there. She got herself a room at a small hotel/motel that she spent her nights in as if she was sleeping, though she did not need sleep. She had breakfast at a local restaurant, thought she did not need the nourishment. It was all a part of the disguise, of making people believe that she was completely normal.

Cath's bosses had warned her about that it would be a mysterious death of a loved one that brought her assignment into town. So when a local man by the name of Curtis died (it was reported as a heart attack, but Cath knew better) she knew that it would be soon when she would really get to begin her assignment.

On the day of Curtis' funeral, while Cath stood among the crowd listening to the eulogy, that she walked up. Late, a leather jacket with fringes on the sleeves (something Cath had never understood, but that looked good on this woman) and a guilty look in her eyes.

This was her assignment.

This was Wynonna Earp.

Everyone went inside after and Wynonna made her way towards the man's widow, Gus. The conversation didn't seem to go very well, which was evident enough in how Gus walked away from Wynonna in the middle of the conversation, ending it, leaving the brunette to mutter, "It was a really nice eulogy..." to no one that was listening.

Cath sprung forward, picking out a piece of cheese from the food on the table. "Hi," she said to get the woman's attention.

Wynonna looked up, "uh, hi."

"I'm Cath," she said, extending a hand for her to shake. She did, and Cath smiled.

"Wynonna," she replied.

"Did you know Curtis?"

"Yeah," Wynonna told her, "he was my uncle. Are you new to town? I don't recognize you."

"I moved her a month and a half ago," she explained, "needed a break from the busy cities."

"Most people wouldn't choose to move to a town called Purgatory."

"I'm not most people," Cath replied with a smile, "I prefer a small quiet town. Less chance of bumping into someone, less chance of random violent crimes... Well, at least, most of the time."

"Well it was nice meeting you, um, Cath," Wynonna said.

"Yes, it was nice to meet you, too. Maybe I'll see you around town."

"Maybe."

Wynonna left then and Cath was soon to follow. She watched from a distance, wondering how she could approach Wynonna again, wondering if revealing herself was the route to go down. The rules weren't strict with revealing yourself to be an angel. Any assignment could know, but not just any regular human. So maybe revealing herself to be an angel was the best path for Cath to follow.

Cath knew about Wynonna retrieving the gun that had once belonged to Wyatt Earp from the well. How could she not know? It was her job to keep an eye on the woman. But it was while she was practicing her aim on the 'Welcome to Purgatory' sign, a chill ran down her spine, unsettling and the source of something that was unnatural. It was coming from the very well that Wynonna had retrieved the gun from.

The angel abandoned watching Wynonna to go to the well. Wynonna had left the rope she used to climb in and out of the well, and it was now pulled taut as if someone was climbing up out of the well. Cath's heart stopped in her chest. She knew exactly what was happening- who was climbing out of the well.

A hand came up on top of the well, then another, with a very distinctive ring on it. If Cath had had her doubts before, that ring settled all of them.

She waited patiently as the man pulled himself out of the well, settling back against it to rest.

"It's been a long time, Henry."

He looked towards her then, recognizing her in an instant.

"Well, there's a face I never expected to see again," he replied, "after you left me with no explanation."

"You have only yourself to blame for that. I told you that death was not the end, that there would only be peace for you after you died. But you couldn't listen," Cath said, standing stock still with her hands behind her back, "I would have been with you until the end, and then after. For the rest of eternity."

He scoffed, rolled his eyes. "I didn't tell you to disappear, sweetheart, so you can't say that I am to blame."

"You made a deal with a witch, Henry," Cath said, and his eyes went wide, "a deal for longevity. And in doing so, you gave up not only me, but any future we could have had."

"How do you know about that?" he asked.

"I know a lot of things that you might not want me to know. I know things that you want to know," she told him, "but I am not in this town for you. I have another assignment."

"Assignment? What in the hell is that supposed to mean?" he asked.

"Did you ever wonder? In your never-ending containment inside of that well, why I zeroed in on you and Wyatt? Why I inserted myself into your life? How I never got hurt, despite all that we went through? All the times that you and Wyatt came out with scrapes and scratches, and I had not a hair out of place? How a 'gal so pretty as myself' wandered into the exact saloon you and Wyatt were staying at for one night only and made my way across the room to your side?"

Henry looked like he wanted to say no, like he wanted to argue, to refute her claim. He stared at her for a long time, fighting himself, not wanting to admit to her words, but being ever so curious.

"So what if I did? I thought about a lotta things down there."

"So do you want an answer?"

He almost said no.

Almost.

With one touch, Cath had been able to connect with Wynonna Earp. If she chose, she could sense Wynonna and the emotions that she was feeling. So when she sensed fear and sadness, she knew that she had to act.

Wynonna was at Gus' place. There was a cake on the floor, uneaten, broken glasses and plates, napkins strewn about. The woman was kneeling on the ground next to Gus. There was blood on her lips and she was unconscious.

"Wynonna?" Cath called out.

She turned at the sound of the angel's voice, "what are you doing here?"

Spotting Gus on the ground, Cath made her way over to the older woman, reaching out for her. Wynonna stopped her immediately, grabbing her hand and pushing her away.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I am trying to help. That is my job after all," Cath replied, easily breaking out of the woman's hold.

"Job?"

"I am a Guardian," Cath explained, "and I have been made your Guardian until the time comes that I am reassigned."

"By who?" Wynonna asked.

"My bosses. I can explain all of this to you and more after. But right now, Gus needs your help. And mine. I do not know the extent of her injuries, but I can make sure that she doesn't die, if you allow me to," Cath said.

It seemed that Wynonna was at a loss, not knowing if she could trust Cath but wanting to help Gus. For a minute, she debated inside her head, tossing pros and cons around. Then she moved out of Cath's way.

"Thank you."

Cath placed a hand on the woman's forehead and closed her eyes. White mist surrounded her fingers, and a moment later, she pulled her hand away and turned to Wynonna.

"I suggest calling 911 now. She won't die, but she does need to get to a hospital of some kind," Cath told her.

Wynonna called for medical assistance and then the two women waited around as Gus was taken into the ambulance and driven to the hospital.

As soon as the ambulance was gone, Wynonna and Cath began to make their way over to the hospital as well. They waited in the waiting room for news. Cath sat patiently in a chair, watching as Wynonna paced back and forth in front of her, worrying about Gus. Worrying about her sister, Waverly. Worrying about what she was going to do, what she needed to do.

"I need to talk to Dolls," she said finally, producing a card from her jacket.

"The detective?" Cath asked.

Wynonna nodded, "yeah."

For a moment, she didn't take out her phone or stop pacing, just held the card in her hand as she thought. What she was thinking about, Cath didn't know. But she would figure it out in the end.

"Okay, okay," Wynonna said, stopping and dialing the number on the card. She held it up to her ear as it rang. And rang. And rang.

Only he didn't answer the phone. So she tried calling again, but still, he didn't answer. Each time she tried to call the man, he didn't pick up. No matter how many times she tried, the phone rang and rang, but no one picked up.

Cath followed calmly behind Wynonna as she approached Dolls' car. The man was sat on the back bumper, reading over a paper in his hand, not reacting in any way to the aggression in Wynonna's voice as she approached him.

"You're supposed to be following me!" she accused, "I called the number on your card fifty times."

"I heard and I'm very sorry about Gus," Dolls replied calmly.

"She's in intensive care, Dolls," Wynonna said.

"And I assure you we are monitoring the situation," Dolls continued in a calm voice.

"'Monitoring'? I need to find who took my sister," Wynonna told him.

"You know who took your sister. Officially coyotes, and unofficially..." Dolls trailed off, cast a look between Wynonna and Cath, "demons."

Immediately, something came over Wynonna's face and she started to back away while Dolls looked at her with a blank expression.

"You said it. You actually said..."

"Yes."

"They had me committed. They had me sent away! We can find them, Dolls," Wynonna said, rushing back over to the man, her voice excited.

"How?" Dolls asked, "they can blend in. They look just like us."

Disbelief came over Wynonna's face, "you won't help my sister?"

"Wynonna... she's already dead."

Before Cath could blink or think about saying how there was no way that the youngest Earp was dead, Wynonna reeled back and punched Dolls in the face. She looked at Dolls, at her fist and then backed away, turning away from him and walking past Cath, giving her a look that said it was time to go.

"You don't even know where they took her," Dolls called after the two.

"Sure, I do," Wynonna responded, "where this whole thing began."

As the two women walked towards Shorty's, Cath stopped Wynonna.

"I can't go with you to the homestead," she told her.

"What? You're my Guardian or whatever, right? Shouldn't you be there, guarding me?" Wynonna asked.

"If this were anything else, I would say yes, but it isn't. The revenants can't know that you have me on your side. And if I go near them, they'll know about me and that will be bad for everyone. For now, this needs to be kept quiet. I can meet you after you save your sister and I can explain everything, like I promised. But for now, trust me."

"I- alright," Wynonna said, "meet me at Gus' place."

"I will be there."

Wynonna made her way to Shorty's to do just as she planned to do, and Cath stayed put until the woman disappeared from her sight.

On Gus' front porch, Cath and Wynonna sat, discussing what Cath was, why she was here, what her job was and more. Cath did most of the talking, explaining while Wynonna watched her with a blank expression.

"So," she said once Cath finished, "an angel?"

"A guardian angel. Your guardian angel," Cath replied.

"And you're here to protect me from the revenants?" she asked.

"Not necessarily. I am here to be a friend, a confidante. Someone to lean on, talk to. I'm here to help you in any way that I can, whether that be protection from those that hunt you, or from other things," Cath explained.

"For how long?"

"Until I am no longer needed."

At that moment, Waverly came out of the house and made her way over to her sister and Cath. She leaned on the railing that the two women were sitting on and looked at her sister.

"Gus is getting discharged tomorrow," she said.

"I put fresh flowers in her bedroom," Wynonna told her.

"God, what happened to Wyatt Earp to make us... deserve this?" Waverly asked, turning so she was leaning back against the railing.

Cath looked down at the mention of Wyatt. Wynonna noticed.

"You're really staying this time, aren't you?" Waverly guessed.

"That's why they call it a curse," Wynonna replied.

Waverly laughed and turned her head towards where a black SUV was pulling up to the house. Inside it was Dolls.

"Well," Waverly said, "looks like you're not the only one sticking around."

"Big city, leather loafers. Douche," Wynonna said.

"Great butt though," Waverly replied.

"Yep," Wynonna agreed and Cath laughed.

Dolls came up to them then and looked at Wynonna, a file in his hand. "Let's talk," he said. With a huff, Wynonna glanced at her sister and Cath before hopping over the edge of the railing and following Dolls to a place where it was quieter.

Waverly and Cath watched them go before the young woman turned to the angel. "I overheard you and Wynonna talking," she said, not meeting Cath's eyes, "are you really an angel?"

"Yes," Cath replied simply.

"Does that mean that there's a-"

"I'm not really allowed to discuss those things with people. Guardian Angels are not the lowest rung on the ladder, but we are nowhere near the top, either," Cath admitted, "I could get in big trouble from my bosses if I went around telling everybody about everything."

"Your bosses, like, God?" Waverly asked.

"That's a complicated subject, Waverly."

Darkness had fallen when Cath made her way to the camp of the revenants. She knew that Henry was staying there, so even though it was dangerous for her to be there, she went anyways.

From a distance, she could see him sitting in front of a small trailer, smoking and watching the revenants' party and be loud, obnoxious and crazy. He stayed on the outskirts, not mingling, but not staying away entirely. Cath didn't know what his game was, but whatever he had planned, she knew that she wouldn't like it.