On Borrowed Time

9. Angels

PART ONE: RUN

CHAPTER NINE: ANGELS

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TEAM ARROW, STARLING , USA

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He ignored the chill that clung to him as he chased off after Charlie, leaving the mysterious man behind. Despite the fact that she was running headlong into a cemetery where something was killing people, he couldn't bring himself to call out to her. She stumbled and fell and immediately readjusted her backpack and ran towards the site where the flash had happened. Oliver made a mental note to work on his cardio more as they dashed up a hill, feet slipping and sliding on the damp grass.

He fell instep with her finally as she lost her footing again. He grabbed her upper arm and hoisted her to her feet. The night was dark but the moon was bright enough he could just make out her bright hair and the tears that streamed down her face. "Charlie, who the hell was that? What's going on?" he whispered furiously, not wanting to attract the spirit or whatever the heck it was.

She looked desperately over her shoulder, towards the site of the flash as she restlessly fidgeted with her backpack. Finally it was as though she realized the only way she'd be able to get closer was if she told him what was going on. "The flash - not the flash, but you know - the flash!" she shouted, flustered and Oliver motioned for her to go on. "It was an angel!" Oliver frowned and Charlie continued in hurried words. "The man on the street was an angel - he said he was being hunted and they - they caught..." her voice wobbled and Oliver felt a cold dread begin to spread through him. His grip on her shoulder slackened as the pieces started to come together.

"No," he started, "It can't be..."

Charlie dipped his grip and took off again, she didn't have to go very far before she came to a staggering stop, dropping to her knees. Oliver was grateful that she had finally seemed to come to her senses, that was until he came to see what she did. Then it was as if the world had been dropped into another ice age. The terrible scene before him striking him as deeply wrong, and wonderfully horrific and beautiful all at once. But he felt so cold he might be numb.

Charlie fumbled with her backpack at his side, finally producing a camping lantern which she promptly flicked on and the whole weight of the scene dawned on him. A giant black feather sat next to his boot and he hesitantly bent to pick it up. It was larger than any feather he had ever seen on any bird, but he supposed it looked as if it might fit the scorching black expanse of wings that graced either side of the angel's body.

He looked past the feather, feeling rather numb as he watched Charlie drop to her knees beside his lifeless form. He found it hard to move as his brain processed everything he was seeing. He couldn't believe the angels actually existed, he never truly believed them when they had said it and before he even had the chance to believe, the single one he had ever met was dead before them.

Charlie cradled his head in her lap, sobbing over the body of her fallen friend. His pale skin looked white in their blue light and his hair looked jet black against Charlie's trembling fingers. He hadn't known Cas well, but even if he had only met him in passing, he was sure the beige trench coat would have been the dead giveaway as to the identity of the angel before them- Castiel.

He let himself drop into a squat, shock sinking in as he twirled the feather in his fingers and looked over the scene. Charlie pulled the sleeve of her family flannel down and wiped the blood away from his mouth and then carefully arranged his trench coat before finally closing his eyelids shut on his last starry night.

"Oliver," she finally stammered, her eyes tearing away from Cas hesitantly to look up at him in a glassy stare. "I don't think I can solve this without the Winchesters," she started, "someone needs to tell them." Oliver's head dropped as he looked at his boots. He hadn't even thought about how he was going to tell Felicity, how he was going to explain all of this to her. He dropped the feather and stood to pace, he regretted not calling them now. He should have called them as soon as people started dying.

He clenched and unclenched his hands at his sides as he paced before looking up to Charlie again. She held her phone in her trembling hands as she sat, still with Cas' head in her lap. Before he could protest the phone was to her ear and someone had answered.

A fresh wave of tears came over her and Oliver could hear Sam trying to calm her down. At least they had managed to find Sam, he supposed that was a plus. "Charlie, what's wrong? Where are you?" but her cries were too heavy and Oliver gently took the phone from her hand. He cleared his throat awkwardly as he put the phone to his ear.

"Sam, it's Oliver," the other end of the line went silent, the faint raging guitar of classic rock playing in the background. "We found Cas," he started, not sure how else to put it.

"What? Where?" he demanded and Oliver immediately felt the weight of the news he was about to deliver.

"Cas is... he's dead. I'm sorry Sam," but he could already hear Dean's shouting in the background and he immediately realized his mistake - he had been on speakerphone. There was a sound of movement and then Dean's voice became infinitely louder - he had taken it off of speaker phone.

"What the hell do you mean Cas is dead? I swear to God Queen, if this is some sort of joke- where the hell are you?" Oliver swallowed hard.

"Starling Cemetery, we're in Starling Cemetery - and Dean there's one more thing, there's something here that's killing people and I think it might still be in the cemetery."

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A/N - This is a chapter a little on the short side but I need the teams together now to start progressing farther. Yes, that's right the teams will finally be reunited. How do you think Team Winchester will react when they find out Oliver didn't call them in on this?

As usual, let me know what you think - I love feedback always, flames welcome :)