It's been over a year, but I remembered this chapter existed and figured I should post it instead of letting it fester on my hard drive. I've re-written it as an unofficial ending, so if you've been reading this from the beginning, thank you for staying with me, and I hope this is an acceptable finale.

Disclaimer: I do not, and never have, owned Supernatural.

Chapter 11: An Unlikely Rival

"He's so small," Anna stated, voice full of wonder.

Lucifer chuckled beside her. "Well, of course he's small. Newborns typically are, if the dozen or so others you've seen are any indication."

Normally she'd glare at him for his cheek, but she just couldn't bring herself to tear her eyes away from the tiny bundle in Michael's arms.

Father had been spending the past few centuries creating new fledglings, and the Sword of Heaven had made it a point to present every newborn to his brothers and sisters. The babe was small, possibly smaller than any other so far. The tiny wings that poked out of the blanket were barely the size of Lucifer's hands.

Michael cleared his throat. "Lucifer, Anael, meet our newest brother, Castiel."

Lucifer looked at the small angel disinterestedly. "So another one joins the family, eh? I'm beginning to think Father's trying to build an army."

"Mind your tongue, Brother. Father said this one is destined for great things. Would you like to hold him?"

Lucifer waved off the offer, but Anna stepped forward to peer at the dark-haired babe more closely.

Castiel's enormous blue eyes stared back at her, innocent and curious in their observation. Lucifer figured it was due to her hair, as it was a bit of an oddity among the angels and was probably the first time the newborn had seen the color. Of course, he couldn't blame the little angel for being so enraptured at the sight. He certainly adored the color, along with everything else about her.

The babe's own hair was charcoal black and stuck out in messy little tufts. His skin was faintly gold, as if the sun wished to touch him but feared burning such a delicate creature. He didn't smile or make a sound, simply watching Anna with the same intensity as she.

Finally, the silent staring contest became too much. "He's…he's…" Her face broke into a grin. "He's so cute!"

"What?" Lucifer said, staring at the red head in shock.

"He's absolutely adorable," she gushed, green eyes sparkling in delight. The two archangels could only stare dumbly as she took the offered bundle from Michael's arms and started cooing at Castiel. She had never seen such a darling creature in her entire existence. Of course, she knew every angel was special and should be loved, and she'd certainly found each of them lovely, but something about his tousled hair and wide eyes just made him unbearably precious to her. She just wanted to stand there and cuddle her baby brother all day.

As he watched his sister lavish attention on the newborn, a horrified thought entered Lucifer's mind; what if Castiel bonded with his Anna like she had him? What if she became so close to the child that she forgot about him? He'd laughed about Anna's concerns over being replaced, yet now it seemed the shoe was on the other foot, so to speak. But he would not let that happen. He would not be shadowed by an insignificant little fledgling.

Michael, on the other hand, was torn. True, he wanted Lucifer to finally cease his constant presence in Anael's life, but he didn't want his sister to become the same sort of problem for Castiel. Yet it seemed that those were the only two possible outcomes to this state of affairs. It was a no-win situation.

Turning to Lucifer, he opened his mouth to speak when he caught the dark look in his brother's eye. The Morning Star was looking at Castiel like he was an enemy, comparable to a wolf whose status as alpha in his pack has been threatened. The beautiful archangel appeared…jealous.

Michael's eyes widened, quickly realizing that there was another possible outcome to this scenario, one that was far worse than the other two. The Sword of Heaven stepped forward. "Anael," he said as calmly as he could, "give me Castiel."

She looked up from the newborn as if only just remember anyone else was around. "Must I? I think I'm close to making him smile."

He nodded sharply, trying to keep the anxiety at bay. "There are others I must introduce him to, and I have delayed myself too long already."

Anna wanted to argue, but was distracted by the sudden feel of powerful arms wrapping around her waist and a warm chest pressing against her back.

"Do as he says, Anna," Lucifer said, voice soft and silky and just a little bit dangerous, like he was barely holding himself back from something. She could feel the muscles beneath his skin flex and relax, like a snake constricting around its potential prey. "Give Michael the fledgling."

Slowly, carefully, she obeyed; gently placing the now squirming bundle into Michael's outstretched arms. Castiel, for his part, actually seemed reluctant to leave the warm embrace of the pretty redhead, though he was even more uncomfortable with the powerful aura that came from behind her. Still, Michael took the babe, holding him as comfortingly as he could, and flew off, the sound of six enormous wings filling the air.

With his would-be usurper now out of sight, Lucifer allowed himself to relax, but didn't let the redhead go. Anna bit her lip, attempting to shift her wings into a more comfortable position, as they were feeling a bit crushed.

Finally, Lucifer sighed, breaking the tension. "I apologized for laughing at you, right? When you expressed concern over me replacing you?"

"Yes."

He nodded and crouched down so he could nuzzle her hair a bit. It felt a bit strange to do so, but he found the sensation of the silky strands against his face oddly comforting. "Good," he whispered, mouth just barely brushing the shell of her ear. "Now where's my apology?"

She tried to look at him, but their position made it difficult. "Excuse me?"

"My apology," he growled darkly, "for attempting to replace me."

"I did not try to replace you!"

"Don't lie, Little One." The pet name didn't sound as teasing or affectionate as it usually did. Now, it sounded more like a threat; a statement of how much more powerful the archangel was.

His tone sent warning bells off in her head and her wings fluttered in agitation, trying to put some distance between them. Unfortunately, this just irritated him further, causing him to squeeze her a bit tighter as a warning.

She winced in pain, feeling the bones of her wings ache and strain. It was rare that Lucifer became even the slightest bit angry at her, but on those occasions, one must tread very, very carefully. Anna knew her only option was to try to reason with him. "Lucifer, I swear, replacement was the furthest thing from my mind. I just wanted to hold Castiel. What's the harm in that?"

"You were never that affectionate to any of the other newborns."

"That doesn't mean Castiel could replace you," she said as calmly as she could, though her voice hitched in fear as she felt his fingers dig into her arms. "He's a beautiful child, and I couldn't help myself. But I swear on Father's name that he could never replace you."

Lucifer pondered her words. His Anna did not make such declarations lightly. "So you did not feel any sort of bond with the child?"

"None that could hold a candle to ours. I found him adorable. That's all."

The Morning Star remained still, but allowed his Grace to reach out and caress hers probingly. He felt no trace of Castiel's, nothing to imply they had been in contact in any way but physical. Finally, he relaxed, releasing his sister.

She quickly stepped away and stretched her wings, frowning at the disarray of her beautiful feathers. Sighing, she mentally resigned herself to at least an extra hour of grooming. By angel standards she had almost reached full maturity, and thus her wings had grown larger and fuller. They were still white, but several of her primaries had taken on a pearlier sheen, sometimes reflecting iridescently, depending on the light. Unfortunately, now that they were longer they were harder to groom, and she often needed someone's help to get them all straightened out. Messy feathers were uncomfortable, not to mention difficult to fly with. But at least it would take her mind of the sting that lingered upon her arms. She dared not look at them, fearing she might find bruises or marks from his nails to remind her of his irrational wrath.

She jumped as Lucifer stepped into her line of sight, serene smile once again in place.

"Would you like me to help with those?" he asked.

She was baffled. He's acting like nothing just happened, she mentally groused, feathers puffing up in annoyance. Of course, that just made the mess worse, so she immediately forced herself to calm down. "I appreciate the offer, but I think I can handle them myself," she replied. After the way he manhandled her, she felt she needed some space, at least until she was sure he was over his little temper tantrum. As much as she loved him, she knew him better than anyone, and while it was rare that she saw him angry, it was still highly unnerving when he became so, especially over such a little thing.

His smile fell into a small frown. "Anna, you know that will take too long, and they never come out quite right. Let me help you." His tone was all honey and wine and just a hint of sadness, something he knew she hated to hear in his voice.

She bit her lip, resolve cracking. He could play her like a harp, and she knew this. Usually she didn't mind, as she loved making her brother happy, but at times like this she wished she were a little bit more resistant to his charms. Not that she didn't try to resist, of course. "Lucifer, I can find someone else. Lailah probably isn't too busy right now, so you needn't trouble yourself."

His fingertips just barely touched her cheek. "It's no trouble, Little One. You know I hate making you uncomfortable, and considering how your current state is partially my fault, I want to make it up to you."

Partially? Uncomfortable? Anna thought sourly, but kept it to herself. Still, it was hard to resist him when he looked at her like a wounded puppy. Despite her reluctance, she sighed. When Lucifer got like this, it was often best to simply bend to his will. It kept the anger from resurfacing. "Very well," she said, sitting down on one of the fluffier clouds and starting on her front.

His grin returned, this time triumphant, and he happily took his place behind her. Talented fingers quickly began straightening out her feathers and the two sat in silence, focused on their task.

When the last feather was back in place, Lucifer playfully patted her head. "There; all done. Now doesn't that feel better?"

She frowned, grateful her back was to him. "Yes, Lucifer."

He let out a sigh. "If you're still mad about how I acted, I'm sorry, but what was I supposed to think? You barely let out so much as a sigh over the other newborns, and yet you go completely ga-ga over this one?" He bent his neck over one of her wings to lightly kiss her cheek. "I thought I was losing you. I was scared," he whispered pitifully.

She wanted to stay mad. She really did. Over the centuries, despite her adoration for him, she had come to realize that, for all his beauty, knowledge, and adoration for her, her favorite brother was flawed. Lucifer was possessive, dangerous, and vicious when angered. But that voice…she doubted any angel could resist that voice. Gently, she reached up and cupped his cheek. "It's all right, Lucifer. I forgive you."

She could feel him smile into her cheek, but she couldn't see the dark gleam of victory in his eyes. Anna would be his, forever, and nothing would come between them. Not Michael. Not Gabriel or Raphael. Certainly not some little upstart with wide blue eyes and an intense stare. He'd kill anything and anyone who dared attempt to take her from him. He'd make sure she would stay by his side, no matter the cost. She was his sister, his Little One, his Anna. She'd never leave him.

And Heaven and Earth would burn if she tried.

END (Probably)

So, this has been on my hard drive for quite some time, and though I've lost interest in this story, I figured I should at least put it up. After all, Baby!Castiel shouldn't go to waste, right? I'd had big plans for this, with their relationship becoming more and more dysfunctional as Lucifer came closer and closer to falling, and even after Anna became a human. I've simply lost steam, and will most likely move on to other things. Drop me a review if you like, though in all probability I won't be continuing this. However, if anyone comes up with any Anna with Baby!Castiel fanart, I'd love to see it. Same with Anna/Lucifer fanart. Thanks for reading, and I hope I've managed to entertain you, at least for a short while.