Ava could hardly believe that Michael was in Paradise Falls with her and the others, taking charge as though he'd been there all along. She never thought she would see him again, and she certainly never thought she would see him without his wings. There was only one way he could get rid of them; cut them off, and seemed almost impossible. Michael was a dedicated soldier of God, quite possibly the most dedicated in heaven. He would never willingly fall from Heaven.

Unfortunately, she'd yet to get a full explanation out of him. They hadn't spoken a word to each other since he told her they'd speak later and put them all to work boarding up the diner as best as they could in the little time they had.

At one point, she gave him a questioning look but he just shook his head and she got the message; he'd explain later.

Always later.

Once all the windows and doors were boarded up, Ava took a moment to show Charlie how to use the Glock Michael had given her. Just because Michael told Charlie not to do anything brave did not mean that she shouldn't know how to handle a gun. She had to wonder if it even occurred to him that Charlie didn't know how to use it.

Despite having never used a gun, Ava knew how to handle, fire, and clean nearly every gun imaginable along with every other angel in existence. Being an angel – even a fallen one – came with its perks, such as the knowledge of how to use any kind of weapon.

After ejecting the magazine then returning it to the Glock, Charlie asked, "How do you know that guy?"

Sighing, Ava replied, "We used to work together."

"Were you two involved or somethin'?"

"What?" Ava felt her cheeks heat up. "No."

Charlie arched a brow.

"I'm serious. We never had that kind of relationship." Shaking her head, she asked, "Why are you so interested anyways?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe because he evidently stole a cop car, nearly blew Bob's head off, has his own arsenal, and seems to think he runs the place?" she suggested angrily. "How well do you know this guy?"

Holding Charlie's stare, she replied, "He's one of the good guys. I promise."

Charlie huffed. "If you say so."

Making sure Charlie knew the basics of handling the Glock, Ava picked up a glass and filled it with water, taking a long drink and trying to get her thoughts off Michael.

After she fell, she began to understand the things she'd been feeling towards him when she was an angel. She cared about him, more than she should have, and she still did. But even so, the feelings she felt towards him were complicated and foreign. Never would she act on them if only to avoid embarrassing herself. Besides, she'd changed and was no longer the angel Michael once knew, at least not completely. Even if he had felt the same towards her – she doubted he ever had – he likely wouldn't approve of her new lifestyle.

Setting the glass down, she braced her hands against the sink and let out a sigh. She couldn't afford to think about such things right now.

All of a sudden, the power went out and the diner was cast in darkness.

There were a few gasps of shock and yelps of fear in the darkness, and Ava fumbled around, searching for the flashlight kept under the counter.

"Everybody stay calm," Percy whispered.

A few seconds later, Ava found the flashlight and turned it on, casting its beam around the diner and helping the others find lights as well. She'd been in the dark before, but tonight it seemed even more creepy and uncomfortable, probably due to the fact that there was something out there, coming for them.

Moments passed and at last most had a light of some sort.

Walking up to Michael, Kyle aimed his light at his face. "Okay, we're locked in here, so what the fuck we doing now?"

That was a good question. Holding up in the diner was all well and good but they would have a hard time defending it from where they currently were.

Michael seemed to be having the same thoughts and looked up at the ceiling for a few seconds before he looked to her and asked, "Is there access to the roof?"

"Yeah. Yeah, over here." Walking to the back, she showed him the ladder that led to the roof.

Nodding in approval, he said to Bob, Percy, and Kyle, "You three come with me. Ava, stay with Charlie."

Falling back into the role of the subordinate angel receiving orders from her superior, she gave a quick nod and headed back to join the others. It was so easy to fall back into the old routine. In fact, it was something she had missed. Taking orders was easy, natural. But following her own orders? Listening to herself? That was hard because she could never be sure she was making the right choice.

Upon returning to the dining room she saw that everyone wore a peculiar expression and were peeking out the windows. A cold sensation had also fallen over her, not making the change of mood any better.

Curious as to what was going on, she went to Jeep and asked, "What is it?"

"You hear that?" he asked quietly.

Frowning, she strained her ears to listen for something out of place and heard a vaguely familiar tune. She'd only heard it once when she was in the city wandering around.

Furrowing her brow, she asked out loud, "An ice-cream truck?"

"Glad I ain't the only one who thought that's what it was," Charlie mumbled from her position behind the counter.

Steadily, the noise grew louder and louder until the trucks headlights shown through the closed blinds on the windows. Having a good idea as to what was driving the truck, Ava tightened her grip on the shotgun she held. A part of her hated the thought of shooting an angel, but she'd do it if she had to, just as she'd tried to kill Gladys when she became hostile. To protect the people she cared about, she'd do anything, even give up her own life. She'd prefer not dying though.

After a few seconds the ice-cream truck came to a stop and so did the music, leaving them in silence. Oddly enough she preferred the noise. And then there was an unearthly scream.

"The hell was that?" Jeep asked, aiming his MP5 at the window.

Following the sound was heavy gunfire.

All was silent again.

Cautiously, Ava approached the window, ignoring the pleas to get back coming from the others. Peering outside, she saw the body of the deformed and possessed ice-cream man on the ground riddled with bullets. For a second, she allowed herself to hope that was it for now. But looking to the left and right, she saw that it was far from over. On either sides of the diner coming down the road were the headlights of cars.

She doubted they were coming for the pancakes.

"Get ready, guys," she warned, backing up to the counter and raising her weapon.

Just as she reached the counter, gunfire erupted from the roof and cars screeched to a halt, slamming into each other, causing explosions left and right. It was a war zone! Adrenaline pumping, she kept her eyes locked on the windows. There was silence once again for the briefest of moments before the shooting picked up again, this time more precise. Alma didn't have to look outside to know that the possessed had left their vehicles.

Out of nowhere one of the windows shattered as a figured jumped through and scurried off somewhere in the diner, hiding in the darkness.

"Where is he?" Jeep shouted, searching with his flashlight.

"Mom!" Audrey shouted to her mother. "Open your eyes!"

"I can't!" Sandra yelped.

"You have to open your eyes!"

Sandra screamed, "I can't!"

Unable to hear what was going on around her, Ava snapped, "Everyone, shut up!"

They did as they were told and Ava heard the faint sound of footsteps running around the diner. She stuck close to Charlie and swung her gun around, trying to get a lock on wherever the possessed individual had run off to.

Neither she nor Jeep had to search for long.

Before any of them could react, Howard was torn away from Sandra and Audrey and dragged to the window.

"Daddy!" Audrey screamed, scrambling after her screaming and flailing father and his attacker, her mother close behind.

Just as the creature reached the window Sandra darted past her daughter and grabbed Howard's hands.

Angered by their attempt to take away her victim, the teenage girl glares at Sandra. "See what you made me do, Mother?" she screamed.

Hysterical, Sandra pulled on Howard's arms while Audrey took one hand and Charlie ran up to take the other and help her. Not a second later, Jeep threw his weapon to the side and went to help.

"No!" Sandra cried, pulling harder.

Unable to just stand there and watch the struggle, Ava abandoned her post and rushed over to help, firing at approaching people while the three tried to drag Howard back inside, losing track of how many times she fired. She couldn't shoot the girl who had him as the risk of hitting Howard was too great, but if she could keep the others away, perhaps she could buy them enough time to…

Click.

Wide eyed, she stared at her empty weapon. She'd lost focus and forgot to keep track of how many times she pulled the trigger.

As soon as the gunfire ceased, one of the possessed reached inside and grabbed Charlie's arm. With a harsh pull, he hauled her towards the shattered window.

"Charlie!" Jeep shouted in terror and grabbed her flailing arm.

Forgetting about Howard, Ava got up onto the table and fought to tear the man's hand from her friends arm but he had his nails dug in deep, drawing blood.

"Ow!" Charlie cried out in pain and fear.

Staring at her, the man froze briefly. A hideous smile came to his face. "There you are…" Doubling his efforts, he pulled harder until she was almost halfway out the window.

With no one left to help them, Howard was dragged out of Sandra and Audrey's grip and into the night.

Panicking, Ava dug her heels into the floor and pulled as hard as she could, but even the strength she retained from being an angel was no use. Not knowing what else to do, she screamed, "Michael!"

The moment he heard Ava's scream, Michael was running to the open hatch on the roof. Never had he heard her sound so fearful, so desperate. Even during the darkest of times on Heaven and Earth she managed to keep it together. Ignoring the confused questions of the men on the roof, he skipped the ladder and jumped to the floor of the back room.

Pulling his blade from the sheath he'd placed it in, he ran into the dining room and had to suppress his initial shock. Rather than standing back from a safe distance and firing on the possessed, everyone was in a panic at the window. Audrey was struggling to hold onto her mother and keep her inside, while Ava and Jeep struggled to keep a man from pulling Charlie and her unborn baby out the window.

It was complete and utter chaos.

Wasting no time, Michael ran to them and brought his blade down on the man's arm, cutting through the bone in one clean strike.

Ava, Jeep, and Charlie fell back onto the floor, the man's arm still gripping Charlie's arm. Seeing the limb, Ava grabbed it from her friend's arm and threw it to the side before looking up at Michael. The only warning her gave her was a look as he picked up two machine guns.

Eye's widening, Ava got to her feet and grabbed Sandra and Audrey. "Get down!"

Hardly waiting for them to get out of the way, Michael opened fire on the possessed out the window, lighting up the diner. In just seconds, it was over and the possessed fled from the diner. It was hardly a victory, though.

Shouting at Ava and Audrey, Sandra broke free of their grip and lunged for the shattered window, intent on going after her husband.

Not having any of that, Michael grabbed her about the waist from behind and effortlessly lifted her off the floor, pulling her away from the window.

"No, no, no, he's out there!" Sandra insisted, struggling against him. "He's alive! He's out there! He's out there!"

Setting her down at a booth, he turned her around to face him. "He's gone," he said sternly. Seeing the anguish on the woman's tear streaked face, he repeated with more sympathy, "He's gone."

Sandra stared at him, falling into the booth before putting her head in her hands and crying for her lost husband. Audrey hurried to her mother and put her arms around her.

Turning his attention to Charlie, Michael saw Jeep helping her to her feet and Ava placing a hand on her back to steady the pregnant woman. Anger seemed into his veins. Not towards Charlie or Jeep, but towards Ava. She shouldn't have allowed things to get out of control. Taking a steadying breath, he controlled his anger and approached Charlie.

Looking up at him, Charlie said tightly, "Thanks."

Rather than acknowledging her thanks, he said, "I told you not to do anything brave."

Charlie cast her eyes to the floor, walls, looking at anything but him.

"It was the heat of the moment, Michael," Ava said, placing her hand on Charlie's shoulder. "And if anything the whole situation was my fault. I let my gun run out."

"Ava," Jeep began. "It ain't your fault."

"Maybe. But nonetheless, if anyone here is to be blamed, I'll take responsibility," she said, eyes locking with Michael's.

He sighed, feeling some of his anger dissipate. At least some aspects of her personality hadn't changed. Even as an angel she tended to take the blame for another's mistake. He always knew that she was never the one to blame but she took the responsibility of others onto her shoulders without a second thought. She could be selfless to a fault at times, and, as proven by falling, also extremely selfish.

Running into the room, Kyle announced, "We got 'em running." At the lack of reaction, he asked, "What happened?"

"We lost Howard," Ava said quietly so as not to further upset the mother and daughter.

Though he understood that everyone was under a great deal of stress, Michael knew that they were vulnerable without eyes on the room. "Someone needs to be on the roof," he said to everyone.

Percy started for the back. "I'll go."

"Hold on." Pushing pasted Percy, Bob walked up to Michael, angry and determined. "You better start talkin'. I wanna know what the hell is goin' on here."

Crossing her arms over her chest, Ava nodded slowly. "I wouldn't mind knowing as well."

Michael looked to her.

Had she been in Heaven, she'd have known everything. But looking her eyes she saw that she was just as lost as the others. It was strange. Ava had always stood by his and Gabriel's side in Heaven despite not being an archangel and had thus known what was going on when Michael and Gabriel found things out. Having not been in Heaven for two years, she was in the dark.

Shaking his head slowly, Michael walked past the group and into one of the rooms in the back that had been turned into a makeshift armory, taking the time it took to get to the room to figure out what to say. Explaining everything to Ava would be easy, but making the others understand might be a bit of a challenge. Humans, he noticed over his time spent watching them, tended to fear the unfamiliar, sometimes reacting with hostility. Walking around the desk that held various weapons and cases of ammo, he leaned forward on his hands, lowing his head. Around him the others sat down, leaned against a wall, or crossed their arms, waiting somewhat impatiently. Out of the corner of his eye to his left, he saw Ava step over to the table, leaning on her hip against it and staring at him with patience. Raising his head, he met her eyes and she gave him the briefest nod of encouragement.

Deciding on where to start, he looked to the others. "The last time God lost faith in man, He sent a flood. This time, He sent what you see outside."

Percy asked, "Are you saying this is the Apocalypse?"

"I'm saying this is an extermination," Michael clarified. "Those things outside are just vessels. They're possessed. The weakest willed are the easiest to turn."

"Possessed by what?" Kyle asked from behind him. "Demons?"

"No," Michael replied. "No. By angels."

Everyone in the room stared at him in disbelief. All except Ava who had closed her eyes, bowing her head. He could imagine how this must sound to her. He himself never thought this would happen.

Percy shook his head. "No, no, wait, wait, wait. Hold on, son. I don't know what book you've been readin', but in my version, the angels are the good guys."

Ava huffed, a sad smirk on her face. "Good and evil are two sides of the same coin, Percy, along with various shades of gray."

"Ava," Percy began.

"She's right," Michael interrupted. "The truth, I'm afraid, is never that simple."

"Bullshit," snapped Kyle. "I'm not a pastor, but I've never heard of no ice-cream man or old lady eatin' raw meat, jumping on the ceiling with baby teeth, so I don't know what the fuck you talkin' about."

Jeep took a step forward, coming to stand beside Charlie. "Hold on. How do you know so much about them?"

Michael was wondering when they'd get to that question. Bluntly, he replied, "Because until last night, I was on their side."

"So… you're sayin' you're…"

Michael shook his head and looked to Ava when he answered, "Not anymore."

Bob crossed his arms and shook his head. "Right, and yesterday I was fuckin' Santa Claus."

"He's telling the truth, Bob," Ava insisted, coming to stand beside Michael.

"And just how do you know that?" he demanded. "How are you so unconcerned 'bout what's goin' on?"

Ava didn't say a word at first, but held Bob's glare almost guiltily. Taking a shaky breath, she said, "Before I came here two years ago… I was one of them as well. That's how I know Michael. I was his subordinate."

No one spoke and they gave Ava looks of anger and disbelief.

"You…" Jeep began slowly. "You were an angel too?" When she nodded, he asked, "Why didn't you tell us?"

She let out a small laugh. "You would have had me locked up in a heartbeat. It was better for you not to know."

"But you knew this would happen," Charlie stated angrily. "You knew!"

"No, I didn't. I had no idea that this would happen, I swear," Ava said honestly.

Bob ran his hand over his face. "Y'all know this is crazy, right? I mean, I don't even believe in God."

Picking up a weapon, Michael began loading it. "Well, that's just fine, Bob. He doesn't believe in you, either." Looking around the room, he added, "He doesn't believe in any of this anymore."

Leaning against a filing cabinet, Percy murmured, "I knew this day was comin'. I just didn't think I'd be around to see it."

Bob looked at his friend incredulously. "Come on, Percy. What are we even talkin' about this for? Angels and possessed people? It's not real!"

"Have you looked outside, Bob?" Percy whispered. "I mean, those people aren't exactly regular customers."

"Well, how do we know he didn't bring 'em here?" Bob questioned, trying to gain some ground.

"Let me get this straight," Ava started, looking over at Bob. "Michael leads them here only to arm us, save our butts, then tell us what's going on? Doesn't that sound a bit strange to you?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

Charlie shook her head. "C'mon, Bob. You ain't that stupid."

Unsure of what else to say, Bob shut his mouth and threw his hands in the air, pacing a bit.

Hesitantly, Audrey looked up at Michael from her position next to her mother on the floor and asked, "Wait, so, are you here to protect us?"

"No, not you," he replied and looked at Charlie. "Her."

Charlie shifted uncomfortably. "Me?" she asked. "Why me?"

"Because your child is the only hope humanity has of surviving," he said matter-of-factly.

With all eyes on her, Charlie did the only thing that could be expected. She laughed, unable to believe it. But as it became clear that he wasn't joking, her laughter died, replaced with fear.

Ava stared at Charlie with wide blue eyes and asked Michael, "You mean her child is…?"

"Yes," the archangel answered with a nod.

Charlie looked ready to faint. "Oh, Jesus."

Again, Michael nodded. "Exactly."

Bob scratched his head. "I thought Mary was a virgin?"

"Bob!" Charlie snapped angrily.

"Just sayin'."

Percy walked over to Bob. "Makes you wonder about Mary, don't it?"

Panicking, Charlie said, "This can't be happening to me. I mean, I'm nobody. I'm just a waitress. I'm not pregnant with some Savior or hero. I don't even own a car!"

"None of that matters anymore," Michael said. "Either your child lives or mankind dies."

Kyle looked from Charlie to Michael. "So we supposed to hold those things off 'til the baby gets here?"

"That's it."

Charlie swallowed. "I'm only eight months pregnant."

Sandra, face blank with despair, asked, "How are we supposed to survive her for a month?"

Focused on loading the guns, he replied, "We won't have to."

Closing her eyes, Charlie asked, "It's coming soon, isn't it?"

"Yes." Taking his eyes off his work, Michael sighed. "Listen. I simply don't care what you people believe. And those things outside, they don't care, either. They just want the child dead."

"Why?" asked Ava. "Why would they want the child dead?"

For the first time, Michael chose to lie to her. "I don't know." Before she could question his answer, he continued, "Now, this first attack was a test of our strength. The next will be a test of our weakness. Now, we can sit her and discuss it, or you can try and help me." Snapping a clip into a machine gun, he added, "But believe me, something much worse is on the way."

At the end, he met Ava's eyes. When hers widened a fraction, he knew that she knew who he was speaking of. The only thing that could take down an archangel was another archangel. One in particular would gladly take the job.

After a long moment of silence, Kyle asked, "So, what's the plan?"

"We'll keep watch on the roof in shifts a two to three. Jeep…" He looked to the boy. "Get some tools. Everyone else, find whatever can be used to better board up the windows and doors."

Silently nodding, they all got to work.

Alone with Ava, he let himself lean wearily against the table.

With a sigh, Ava placed her hand on his back in what was likely meant to be a comforting gesture. Instead, pain shot down his back from the wound she touched and he winced.

Frowning, Ava asked, "How bad are the wounds?"

"They'll heal with time," he answered.

"That's not what I asked." Sighing, she dragged a chair over and said, "Take of the coat, vest, and shirt then take a seat. I'll get the first-aid-kit."

"There's no need."

Meeting his eyes, she asked with a note of annoyance, "Do you really want to argue with me, Michael?"

In no mood to fight with her, Michael took off his coat with a slight wince and tossed it to the side before unzipping the vest.

With a pleased expression, Ava turned and left the room to get the kit.

Tossing his shirt over to the other items of clothing, he took a seat in the chair. His back ached terribly from the wounds being pulled due to running, shooting, and just extending his arms. With the clothing gone, he could easily feel the blood trickle down his back from the wounds where his wings had once been. He'd taken care of it as best as he could, but there was only so much he could do.

A minute or so later Ava returned with a small box, a disk of water balancing on it, and two dish towels over her shoulder. Upon looking at him, Michael thought he saw her hesitate and a slight blush came to her cheeks as she hurried behind him. He had to fight not to smirk. Now was not the time to pick on her.

Setting the items on the table, Ava stared at his back. "Could you have done a worse job?" she questioned, taking out a pair of scissors and cutting away the thread.

Gritting his teeth, he replied, "I was in a hurry."

"Even so, you have to worry about your wounds now. Essentially, you're human, and humans can die. You have to take care of yourself." Picking up one of the towels, she gently wiped away the blood. "When I fell, I ended up having to venture to a hospital because my wounds had become mildly infected. Of course I left before they could ask too many questions. What could I even say? Hello, I'm a fallen angel and cut my wings off? I'd be called insane if I said that to a doctor, or even to the people here."

"I can't imagine that going well for you if you had said that," he commented before they lapsed back into silence.

Working as gently as she could given the seriousness of the wounds, Ava finished removing his stitches and dabbed the blood away with the other towel that was soaked with warm water. It stung but the warmth of the water and her tender touch.

Ringing out the towel, blood drops mixing with the water, she asked quietly, "Why did you fall, Michael?"

Sighing, he glanced at her over his shoulder. "I didn't believe the humans should be eradicated when they are only lost and in need of guidance." It wasn't entirely a lie.

"As admirable as it is for you to come down here and protect them," Ava began, soaking the dry towel with peroxide. "But that's not a good enough reason to fall. Not for you at least. You are – were – God's right hand essentially. You followed every order He gave you. Tell me why you really fell."

Staring at the wall in front of him, he tried to think about what to say to her without lying but without telling about his order to kill the child. Being less than honest with her was painful, but he couldn't tell her yet.

"God lost faith in man," he said after a few seconds. "But I didn't. It has always been our place to guide them. To just turn our backs on them and attack them seemed… wrong. Gabriel…ah!" he hissed when Ava suddenly pressed the peroxide soaked towel to one of his wounds.

"Sorry. Thought it might be better to do that when you weren't expecting it so you weren't tensed up."

"It's all right," he assured her though his teeth.

Giving the opposite wound the same treatment, she asked, "What were you about to say in regards to Gabriel?"

"He believed that the humans deserved to be exterminated," Michael said. "It was the source of many arguments. When the decision was made to wipe out the humans, he didn't blink at the thought. He wanted to give God what He asked, while I wanted to give God what He needed."

"That sounds like Gabriel," Ava commented. "So simply put, you fell to show God that there is still hope for mankind?"

"In a sense, yes," he replied, accepting what she said as partial truth.

Nodding though he couldn't see the action, Ava set down the towel and picked up a surgical needle and thread. Not paying attention for the fraction of a second, Alma hissed when she nicked her finger on the needle. "Shit," she hissed, putting her finger in her mouth before cleaning the needle.

"You swear now," he stated quietly.

Pausing with the needle near the wound she nodded. "Yeah. Guess you could say that I picked up some bad habits from the humans."

Forcing himself to think of something other than the pain of her sewing the wounds up, he said, "You've changed greatly since I last saw you."

"I like to think I've changed for the better. I'm happier than I've ever been. At least until the recent events." Cleaning up some blood that trickled down his back, she added, "I do pray every day, though. I mean, I already know where I'm going when I die, but I figure that it can't hurt to ask for forgiveness for the sins I've committed as a human."

"Sins?" he echoed.

Aside from falling from Heaven, he couldn't picture her sinning.

"I've been somewhat prideful, selfish, then there's theft, adultery, along with…"

"Adultery?" Michael in the chair to looked at her with disbelief and hurt.

Blushing, she nodded. "Yeah. When put up against falling from Heaven, having sex while unmarried seemed pretty far down on the list of sins I've committed. Basically, I decided that if I was going to Hell, I might as well have a little bit of fun. I tried to make the relationship we formed last, but it didn't, not once I found out that he lied to me and was married. I wouldn't say I regret it completely, but in a few ways I do." Turning him around, she got back to work on taking care of his back.

Michael fell silent as a mixture of familiar as well a strange new feelings rushed through him. The most prominent feelings were… disappointment? Sadness? None of the feelings were directed towards her actions exactly, but towards the fact that she'd sought the arms of another. He wasn't going to deny that a short time before she fell he'd developed feelings for her, but as an angel it was forbidden to act on them. He now wished that he had.

With neither having anything else to say, they remained silent, dwelling on their confusing feelings towards each other.

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