Charmian zipped her jacket up to her chin and burrowed her face beneath the collar as far as she could. It was pretty pointless really; it wasn’t much of a disguise. She just felt so incredibly vulnerable being outside and kidding herself that it helped was the only thing making her feel any better.

It was probably a stupid risk. It was definitely a stupid risk. Everybody was going to be combing the streets looking for her and they knew that as a human she wouldn’t have been able to go far. Once she had recovered her faculties after her botched kill (she thought it might have been one of Anton’s lackeys, couldn’t be sure) Justin had filled her in on what Lucas has said. It had confirmed all her fears. She should have known, really, that Michael wasn’t going to let her roam around freely. Whatever punishment he had in mind losing her immortality was only the half of it.

Unfortunately she no longer had any access to her usual methods of calling anybody. Katherine and Micah dropped in on occasion but had warned that they couldn’t do so regularly. Nathaniel had disappeared from her radar completely, and her team were all banned from going near her. If any of them happened upon her they would be duty bound to deliver her to Michael. She was under no illusions that she could escape from them in her weakened condition.

And so she found herself trudging her way to church. There was no guarantee that Nate would even be there, but presumably they’d have a phone number for him. You couldn’t very well masquerade as a human priest without having human contact details.

Charmian barely had time to register the black figure materialising in front of her before it was then behind her, grabbing her and clamping a hand over her mouth. It was difficult to resist screaming, but after last time she had determined to herself that when she inevitably got into an altercation again she was not going to do the human thing and fall to pieces. She might be hopelessly outgunned but she was going to at least try to remember her training. If she was going down it would be with as much fight as she could muster in her frail mortal body.

Step one was an elbow to the gut and a sharp heel thrust back into the foot. It was only a little break in the vice like grip but it was enough to stumble free momentarily.

Step two was to turn and throw a punch. It was easily deflected and when the assailant’s fist hit hers it felt like her hand was breaking, but it was at least slowing him down.

Step three was to concentrate very carefully and pray that the sword thing hadn’t been a fluke the last time. Thankfully it wasn’t and soon she was pointing a sword at her opponent’s throat.

“Hey, hey, it’s alright, it’s me!”

Well that she hadn’t expected. She brandished the sword, arm heavily shaking, but for the first time she really took in her attacker. Standing there before her, in his typical black trench coat and leather gloves (the get up Carmel said made him look like an undertaker) was a very familiar face. A face attached to a body with its hands held up in surrender.

“Alexander?” She said incredulously.

“Yeah, Alex. Which means you can put the sword down now.” He shook his head at her in bewilderment. “How you even have a sword to put down I got no fucking clue.”

It took her a moment. Seeing him was such a shock; it was difficult to believe it was real. Of all people to take her by surprise like that, it was her biggest work rival? She’d assumed he would be too busy trying to consolidate his position in her sudden absence to look for her personally. He was however a much bigger threat to her now she was mortal so she knew there was little point in trying to put up a fight with him. At least he would probably make it painless, unlike any demon she might come across. Finally she lowered the sword but she was still quaking in her sneakers.

“Got to say I’m impressed. Wasn’t expecting you to put up even that much of a fight, being human and all.”

“Wow. Not even ten seconds and already you’re gloating. I’m so not in the mood for this so let’s just get it over with, okay?”

“Get what over with?”

“The part where you get to take me to Michael and then crow over my downfall.”

An annoyed expression passed over Alex’s face. His lips were pursed and his eyes twitched like he was trying not to roll them. “You know I get pretty bored with you and your crew always casting me as your arch nemesis. If you need one that bad we got a pit full of demons all dying for the job – plenty of ‘em literally.”

“Why else would you be here?”

“I was hoping to quietly teleport you somewhere to talk but I guess I underestimated the mortal ability to fight back. Won’t do it again. Now let’s go before somebody sees us.”

Charmian blinked rapidly, unable to form a response. That was about the last thing she had expected and especially from Alex. Her mouth was gaping a little, giving her a particularly stupid expression.

“If all you wanted to do was talk why’d you sneak up on me and grab me?”

“Because I wanted you off the street as quickly as possible. Just expected it to be a little easier. Now can we go? It’s not safe in the open; my team is looking for you and if I say so myself they’re the best around at search.”

As much as it pained her to admit it that was true. She’d put money on any of her guys in a fight but Alexander’s strict attention to detail and the systematic precision he demanded of his troops made them great at tasks like tracking. So when he reached out a gloved hand Charmian took it, against her better judgment.

Where they landed she didn’t know, but it clearly belonged to somebody with more money than taste. There was leopard print, there was gold trim, and the room was full of some rather plastic looking couches. She assumed they were supposed to be leather.

“Where are we?”

“Belongs to a guy I cleansed last night. He was a pretty naughty boy so he’s not coming back any time soon.”

“Oh.” That was all Charmian could think to say.

Automatically her eyes had started darting around the room, judging the best vantage points and escape routes. It was a force of habit anyway but in this situation she was particularly on edge. Alexander was one of the good guys, she had always respected his work ethic and his talent even through their rivalry, but she couldn’t trust him in these circumstances. As an avenger he’d always respected the chain of command – when that had included her she could count on his loyalty even if it came from obligation. It didn’t include her any more. He answered to an extremely powerful being that was rather pissed with her.

“So…” Alex took a seat and sprawled back comfortably, throwing an arm over the back of the couch. His ankle came to rest lazily on his knee and he looked far more relaxed than she’d ever seen him. That was weird. He was always so regimented and serious. “How exactly do you still have your sword?”

“I don’t know.” She still felt like she was blinking too much. “Nate passed on a message that it was still mine, I have no idea what that means.”

“Hmm…” He tipped his head back a little, peering at her through thoughtful eyes. “Well, the sword came with the job and you don’t have a job any more. Unless somebody higher up than Michael isn’t done with you yet.”

It was pretty silly, really. She had thought over it a hundred times already yet when he put it like that it suddenly clicked in her head.  How could she have been so short sighted? She had more than one job. Michael ruled over the avengers but he had no power at all over a guardian. She still had a sword because she was still Justin’s guardian. That was incredibly awkward since she’d never had any of the powers of a guardian and clearly wasn’t about to get them any time soon, but it was no small mercy when she was such demon bait. Apparently Michael hadn’t been able to sever all her connections to the light.

This moment of revelation didn’t escape Alex either. He had seen the hope dawn on her face. “Of course. You always had more than one job. I thought they’d…” Now it was his turn to pause. Alex had always possessed a quick mind, however, so it wasn’t for long. “Oh. Now I really do get it.”

“Get what?” Charmian eyed him warily. She refused to sit down. It was futile really, she couldn’t run from a guy who could teleport and had super speed, but she wanted to feel like she could turn tail at any moment.

“Michael. Not our Michael, I mean, your Michael. You were made his guardian and I guess your sword still comes with the job. Clearly he’s not as gone as we were told he was. Which would explain how cagey and absent and all round weird you’ve been lately.”

Now the shock was wearing off and her fear was dying down he was starting to irritate her. “What do you want, Alex?”

“Like I said - to chat. And also to return something that belongs to you. They passed it to me but I figured you’d be missing it.”

He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out something about the size of his palm and promptly tossed it at her. She had to drop the sword to catch it and then she nearly fumbled it. For the millionth time she mentally bitched about human reflexes (she didn’t know it but Alex had wanted to test them as much as hand her property back to her). When she turned it over, in her hand was a black cuff with a very familiar shield on it. The axe and the bat looked like they’d been recently polished.

“This isn’t mine any more. And given how long you’ve wanted my gauntlet I’m amazed you’re giving it back.”

“Ahh.” Alex hissed out between his teeth, sitting back up from his previously reclined position and leaning forward. “I know you all think I’m plotting against you twenty four seven but really, this shit’s got to stop. If I wanted to try and undercut you I would have done it centuries ago. Though I suppose at least you’re finally admitting that’s what you think instead of playing civil to my face and laughing with Lucas behind my back. I probably should’ve let him know earlier that I wasn’t planning an insurrection but it’s been kind of funny watching him sweat. Call it payback for the lack of faith.”

It was starting to feel like all she did was either blink or let her mouth gape. Of all the things she had been picturing when she stepped out of the door and risked the world, this was definitely not among them.

“Really? Then how come you’re always questioning me, jostling for position and trying to one up me?”

“I question you because your team doesn’t do it enough. I work my ass off to impress the boss, not to take your place. And I try to one up you because you’re one of the few left who can beat me and it’s good to keep my skills sharp. If nothing’s a challenge you start getting sloppy, that doesn’t mean that I don’t respect you or your command. Now can we get back to the problem at hand?”

Perhaps it was best not to try and answer that. It would have been difficult to formulate a decent comeback anyway since he’d shocked the heck out of her with that speech. “Which is?”

“Shit’s happening and this is maybe the worst moment you could have picked to get put on a time out. Lucas is trying but he’s a lieutenant not a general. He can’t keep the troops on task. And since you and your team are all so suspicious of me and won’t tell me sweet FA about what’s going on, I can’t help. Which by the way is bullshit, Charmian. You may not like me but you know I’m a good strategist.”

“Should you be helping now?” Charmian asked pointedly. “Aren’t you all under orders to bring me in?”

Alex winced. “I’m abusing a technicality. Let’s not dwell on the details.”

She very nearly smiled at that. If her situation hadn’t been so dire it would have been hilarious. Alexander’s continual use of military terms was no accident; it was him all over. He was regimented, he was methodical and he was married to the chain of command. He was precise to an extreme degree and brooked no dissention. Transgressors in his team were punished sorely. ‘Abusing a technicality’ was wildly uncharacteristic - he’d never met a rule he didn’t like and it must have been killing him to stretch one.

“But why come to me?”

“Because you’re our leader.” He shrugged. “And contrary to the jealous witterings of some it’s not because you’re the boss’s pet. It’s because you see shit that others don’t and make good decisions. Mostly. I still say that fiasco in Peru was your fault.”

Oddly, it made her feel better to hear the backhander. It convinced her that it really was Alex even if the compliments felt incongruous.  

“Okay… guess it’s not exactly like I’ve got allies stacked up to spare, better take what I can get.” Charmian finally strode over and sat in the chair opposite him. In truth she was glad to, she had tweaked her ankle in her fight against the demon and it still didn’t feel right. Human healing times sucked.

“I’ll ignore that.”

“So… yeah, basically.” Her fingers traced over the bandage on her arm. “I take it you were filled in on Anton?”

“Yep. Slimy bastard is proving elusive.”

“Slimy bastard is after Michael. My Michael.” She still didn’t trust Alex enough to use Justin’s name. “Who has a new identity and a new face but is still a demon magnet. Anton showed up in his life, put a succubus of all things on him…”

“A succubus?” Alex’s voice became a little indignant. “Where the fuck did he find one? I thought we wiped them out?”

“I know. It was an unpleasant surprise, to say the least, but it then got more disturbing because before we could make her talk Anton pulled some voodoo on her that he shouldn’t have access to. Somebody’s feeding him juice, which makes me worry that this is a high priority mission. Around the same time all that screwy shit started happening with the infections - it was all a big distraction. They’re not aware that they’re chasing the same guy but they still want him and they really didn’t want us to know that. I’m fairly sure it’s so they can corrupt him and make him with all his influence do their dirty work for him. Because we wouldn’t be able to touch him un-possessed. “

Once it started, it wouldn’t stop. The words were pouring out of her mouth unbidden. Maybe it was odd that she should confide in her rival but in a way his detachment from it all was comforting.

“And to that end, they’ve managed to come up with some manner of poison which will actually slow us… you… slow avengers down. Plus Bob’s back up top.”

Alexander immediately flinched at the mention, but Charmian didn’t pause.

“So you understand why I’m so worried because they’re really gunning for him, which means they got big plans. We were struggling to contain it and especially not to let the info about the poison leak because we didn’t want Hell knowing it worked. All of that combined made the boss flip his lid at me, though he doesn’t know the identity of the target like you now do, so now I’m human and I’m desperately trying to work out what to do because I cannot keep Michael locked away in a warded room forever. Which is made all the more complicated by the fact that I’m still in love with him and mortals don’t repress emotion well.”

“Not to mention that being human severely limits your ability to do anything about any of this.” Alex replied.

“Yeah, see, that’s the other thing. I came across a full blown possession the other day and made a really bad hatchet job of killing the bastard.” She held up her arm to display the bandage. “Think it was Adramelech but not sure. Either way, I came within an inch of having my ass killed; turns out having the technique plus centuries of practice still doesn’t begin to compensate for the strength difference. I’m really not confident in my ability to protect him or even myself. It’s bad enough now but it’s going to get worse when the pit hears that I’m human because it’ll be open season on me, payback time. So in conclusion… I’m screwed. Now, you wanted to help with that?”

Finally it was somebody else’s turn to look dumbfounded. Alex clearly hadn’t been expecting that. His forehead creased and immediately he looked worried.

“Identity of your boy aside, it worries me that I’m hearing so much of that for the first time. Nobody’s said anything about poison. Or Bob.” He gave an involuntary shudder. “No fucking wonder you were being weird. Holy shit, Char.”

She ignored his over-familiar use of the nickname. “Indeed. If you have ideas I’d love to hear them.”

“Fuck. And here was me thinking that hiding you from the boss was going to be our biggest problem.”

“I just…. UGH!”

She picked up a very tacky china cat from the coffee table and threw it. It didn’t break nearly well enough to be satisfying. It made a weak tinkle rather than a decent crash against the wall.

“I don’t know how humans manage to feel like this all the time. It’s constant emotional overload and I feel so fucking vulnerable. All the god damn time.”

He frowned. “It’s not like you couldn’t be beaten before. It’s not like our job doesn’t come with risks.”

“It’s just so different.” Even to herself she sounded tired. “When we fight, unless we’re tussling one of the big guys then we know that we’re walking away. A bit of pain, a bit of bruised ego, but it’s fleeting. When you’re immortal and you know that even if you lose the worst that can happen is you retreat to fight more battles in this stupid unwinnable war, it’s different stakes.”

“Getting dragged to hell and tortured for eternity because you can’t die is pretty big stakes.”

“But even then…” She rubbed her cheek with her hand. “It’s just different, Alex. It’s so much more real, like it could honestly happen any time. We haven’t been human in so long that we forgot how fragile they are. You break so much easier, and you know that one false move and you’re really dead this time. Really dead and gone, it could be all over in a second. I’d forgotten how it felt to be afraid of pain, let alone death - you should have seen me after that kill. I was practically catatonic.”

For a while he didn’t respond. He tapped his foot against the floor instead. It was a long standing tic of his; she had come to realise that it meant he was thinking.

“Okay. I need to go away and take some time to work this out. I wish I could bounce things off your team but under the circumstances it’s a bad idea.”

“Guessing the boss expects them to break the rules and contact me. Are there spies on them?”

“Exactly. If I manage to get away with this it’ll only be because I’m the last person anyone expects to be helping you. Anyway, point is we need to work out how to get you and Michael moved somewhere under proper surveillance. You can’t stay locked up forever but you can’t protect yourselves either. You did way better than I’d ever have imagined you could but that luck’s going to run out quick. If I really had been trying to hurt you earlier you wouldn’t have stood a chance.”

Charmian didn’t take offence; he was absolutely right. Luck not skill had dispatched Adramelech and what little fight she’d been able to put up against Alex had been futile. 

“You do realise that if you get caught helping me you’ll be next up to be demoted?”

“I realise.”

“And you’re going to help me anyway?”

“Like I said, you were our leader for a reason. If I can work with you to get some kind of real plan then I can take that back to Lucas and we can try to get this shit back on track. Because right now we’re splintered, and while you were focused on me you missed a few people who actually would like to undercut you. While they’re all busy trying to take your spot the mission’s going to hell.”

He didn’t need to say that he wasn’t being wholly metaphorical. With Bob around there was a very literal risk involved.

“Okay. I’m in.”

Charmian still didn’t wholly trust Alex but the one thing she could trust was his dedication to the mission. If he was playing fast and loose with the rules, following the letter yet not the spirit of Michael’s law, then things had got serious. He had no motive to trick her; it wasn’t necessary when he could overpower her so easily. If what he wanted was to beat her or capture her he had no need of deceit.

“Cool. Now, if you have any ideas for getting Lucas to trust me without me telling him I saw you then let’s hear ‘em.”