The Third Man

But I hadn't stayed that way.

A year after Sam had let in Lucifer to grab Michael and fall back into the depths of Hell into the cage, and after he had somehow been resurrected, I was back to full-Angel strength.

And more defiant and outgoing and freedom-loving than ever.

During a full-scale civil war in Heaven between Raphael and Castiel as the commanders.

Raphael and his followers wanted to start the Apocalypse again and have the ending done as it had been written.

Castiel and his followers, including myself, wanted nothing more than to make sure that that never happened again.

A lot of weapons had been stolen from Heaven. Each side of Heaven were trying to find them to become stronger than the other. A civil war.

Of course, Sam and Dean had their own problems.

Sam had been calling for Castiel after he was somehow brought back from Hell. Cas hadn't gone to him. Hadn't even answered. When Sam called, I came, but that wasn't often.

I didn't know how Sam was back.

Castiel was the one to call.

I came to the motel room where he was with Sam and Dean, looking at Castiel. "I see you're done avoiding them because you have no answers to give."

Sam looked at me differently.

I walked closer, smirking.

"They've led me to an Angel who is buying souls to exchange for the weapons," Castiel explained. "Your old friend, Balthazar."

I raised my eyebrows. "Balthazar?"

"Yes," Castiel answered.

"So, what, is this like you and Gabriel 2.0?" Dean asked.

I shook my head. "No. I was Balthazar's superior before... everything that happened. Before I threw away everything for the three of you."

"Oh, well, you were the one suicidal enough to go through with some of those plans," Sam told me. "Including trying to kill yourself to kill the other Angels."

I gave Sam an amused look.

Sam smirked.

Dean looked between us in confusion, shaking it off, looking at me. "Can you find this Balthazar or not, Octavia?"

"I was his superior," I told them. "By definition, I can always find the Angels in my control. Although, he also saved my life as much as I saved his."

"Great," Dean told me. "That's perfect. Tell us where he is."

"It's not that easy," I told them. "Give me a minute."

I disappeared briefly.

Dean sighed. "Freaking Angels."

I reappeared. "Found him."

"How?" Sam asked. "You weren't gone two seconds. Where did you look?"

"Everywhere," I answered. "Let's go."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean told us. "What about him?"

I followed his gaze to a boy lying on the bed, unconscious.

"Don't you think the police will take him home?" Castiel asked.

Dean gave him a look.

*

I brought the boys to a mansion after dark, standing outside.

"Huh," Dean said. "I was expecting more Dr. No, less Liberace."

We waked toward the mansion.

*

I walked into the opulent foyer.

A frog was perched on the balustrade of a grand staircase, croaking.

I heard music from a room upstairs, teleporting into the room with a piano and strobe lights.

The doors behind me closed.

I readied my Angel sword.

"Ava," Balthazar told me. "You're here."

"Balthazar," I told him.

"It's so good to see you," Balthazar told me. "He told me you and your boss were floating around."

"He?" I repeated.

"I believe Cas and this one have flown together," Balthazar told me, turning on the lights. "Oh, you know, the old frog in the throat."

An Angel was dead on the floor. A frog jumped out of his mouth onto the floor, croaking.

"That's a bad joke," I told him. "You faked your death."

"And yet you knew I wasn't dead because all of the Angel bosses have tabs on their lower counterparts," Balthazar told me. "You have a boss, yet you are a boss. Angels are very efficient that way. I'm sorry about that, you know. I wanted others to think, you know, so... they wouldn't come looking for me."

"What is all this?" I asked. "What are you doing?"

"Whatever I want," Balthazar answered, walking closer. "This morning I had a menage a—what's French for 12?"

I shook my head barely. "You stole a lot of things. You were a great and honorable soldier. We fought together."

"Yes, too many times to count," Balthazar agreed.

"I know you," I told him. "You're not some common thief."

"Common?" Balthazar asked. "No. Thief? Eh."

"I need your help," I told him.

"I know," Balthazar told me. "I've been hearing all about you, and as far as I'm concerned, you and me, Octavia, nothing's changed. Of course I want to help you."

"Thank you," I told him. "I need the weapons."

"Don't ask that," Balthazar told me.

"Why take them?" I asked. "Why run away?"

"Because I could," Balthazar answered. "What? I mean, you and Cas, you're the ones who made it possible. The footsteps I'm following? They're yours. What you two did, stopping the big plan, the prize fight? You did more than rebel. You tore up the whole script and burned the pages for all of us." He laughed, taking my hand, spinning me in a circle, lowering me into a dip, pulling me up, backing away. "It's a new era." He snapped his fingers, making the music stop. "No rules, no destiny. Just utter and complete freedom."

I raised my eyebrows in amusement. "And this is what you do with it?"

"Hey, screw it, right?" Balthazar asked. "I mean, Dad's not coming back. You might as well blow coke and jump on the bed. You proved to me we could do anything, so I'm trying everything. What difference does it make?"

"It's a civil war up there," I told him.

"I know," Balthazar told me.

"If we can beat Raphael, we can end this," I told him. "Just give me the weapons."

Balthazar laughed. "Do you know what's funny about you? You actually believe that you can stop the fighting. It will never stop. My advice? Grab something valuable and fake your own death."

"You've gone insane," I told him. "Your little holiday? It's over. Raphael knows you're alive by now."

"Oh, Raphael can try me anytime," Balthazar told me. "I'm armed. I'm sorry, Ava. All else aside, I'm really, really happy to see you. You've changed, and for the better, I think. You're... fun." Thunder crashed from outside. "Was that you?" I shook my head. "Oh, that's my cue, then. Tell, uh, Raphael to bite me."

Balthazar disappeared.

*

I heard advancing Angels from outside, walking out into the hall.

Raphael and Castiel were in the foyer. Raphael grabbed Castiel by the collar, throwing him back against a set of double doors that fell open. He kicked Cas into the other room.

I started to teleport to that room.

An Angel appeared in front of me to stop me. I kicked that Angel down the stairs. Another Angel attacked me from behind, trying to slash me with an Angel blade. I raised my arm to block the move, pushing his arm aside, grabbing my own blade from my jacket pocket, twirling it in my hand to get a better grip, trying to stab the Angel. The Angel ducked. I slashed toward his stomach. The Angel backed away just enough to make me miss, trying to grab my throat. I caught his arm, flipping him to the landing of the stairs. The Angel I had kicked down the stairs stepped along the wall and the railing, trying to tackle me. I ducked. The Angel fell toward the floor. I stood, slashing the blade into his stomach, not deep enough to kill him, making him fall to the floor in front of me. The Angel behind me stood, slashing toward me. I caught his arm, trying to stab him. The Angel used his other arm to catch mine, spinning me to face away from him and to face the other Angel, restraining me from behind. I tried to stab the Angel in front of me. He caught the blade, merely inches from his chest. I kicked the blade into his chest with both feet, into his heart. He glowed with white light, screaming as he died, falling down the stairs into the foyer. His wings seared into the floor around him. I kicked against the wall next to us, making the Angel restraining me back away into the wall behind us, making him let go. I teleported down into the foyer next to the Angel's body, taking my blade out of his chest, throwing it into the Angel up the stair's chest, killing him with a white light. He fell to the floor, dead. I teleported onto the landing of the stairs, pulling my blade out of his chest, teleporting into the room where Castiel and Raphael were fighting.

Raphael held Castiel on the floor, raising an Angel blade to kill him. "Somehow, I don't think God will be bringing you back this time."

I twirled the blade in my hand, walking closer to stab Raphael.

Balthazar appeared, holding a glowing crystal. "Hey! Look at my junk."

"No," Raphael told him.

Balthazar smirked.

Raphael completely turned into salt. The salt clattered to the floor.

Balthazar chuckled. "Same thing happened to Lot's wife. Iodize the poor sucker, and your kitchen is stocked for life."

Balthazar laughed.

"You came back," I told him.

Castiel stood.

"Well, now Raphael will have to go shopping for a new vessel," Balthazar told us. "Should give me a nice, long head start on him. Until next time."

"Next time?" Castiel asked.

Dean walked in. "No time like the present."

Dean flicked a lighter, dropping it on a circle of holy oil that surrounded Balthazar.

"Holy fire," Balthazar told him angrily. "You hairless ape! Release me!"

"First, you're taking your marker off of Aaron Birch's soul," Dean told him.

"Am I?" Balthazar asked.

"Sam?" Dean called.

Sam walked in, uncorking a bottle of holy oil. "Unless you like your wings extra crispy, I'd think about it."

"Octavia, I stood for you in Heaven," Balthazar told me. "Are you gonna let—"

"I believe... the hairless ape has the floor," I told him.

Balthazar laughed. "Very well." He inhaled, touching his clasped hands to his forehead, exhaling. "The boy's debt is cleared. His soul is his own."

"Why you bringing up human souls, anyway?" Dean asked.

"In this economy?" Balthazar asked. "It's probably the only thing worth buying. Do you have any idea what souls are worth? What power they hold? Now, release me."

"Suck it, ass clown," Dean told him. "Nobody said anything—"

I lowered my hand to my side, using magic to extinguish the flames.

"Octavia, what are you doing?" Castiel asked.

I ignored them, looking at Balthazar. "My debt to you is cleared."

"Fair enough," Balthazar told me, disappearing, leaving.

"Ava, are you out of your mind?" Dean asked.

I didn't answer, looking at Sam, Dean and Castiel.

Sam didn't seem as bothered as Dean and Castiel did.

I looked at Sam in confusion for his lack of concern, growing used to it, disappearing, leaving.