Azriel shot up with a gasp. Everything was bright and loud. "Calm down, Azriel." a voice told her quickly. She managed to focus her gaze only to spot Michael next to her. "Michael." she gasped. He looked pale and shaken. "You're back." he whispered in relief and closed his eyes.
"What?" she asked him confused, but he instead pulled her to him and embraced her tightly. She was completely still in confusion, feeling him start to shake slightly. What had happened? "Michael?" she whispered, she didn't dare say it loud. "I wasn't sure you'd come back." he mumbled quietly. "I thought … that maybe you were dead."
It came back to her. The blade that was shoved through her chest, killing her. She was completely shocked. How had she come back? He had known that she was going to come back? Was that why he always sent her on dangerous missions?
"No, it's not."
She hadn't noticed that she'd projected.
"I send you on dangerous missions because I trust you. I trust you to accomplish them." he whispered in her ear. She clung to him as she fully comprehended what had happened. She had died. Then she had come back. By herself. "Michael, how?" she pleaded. "How did I come back?"
"I-I can't tell you." he mumbled.
"What?" she asked with a frown.
"I'm sorry, Aza-Azriel." he whispered. "I am not allowed to tell you. I can't break a binding promise."
She stayed silent, not answering. What was she supposed to think? He obviously knew what had happened, but apparently he had sworn a binding promise not to tell her about it, meaning he literally was not capable of breaking the promise.
He pulled away. "We were succesful." he told her softly. "Lucifer is free. Sam killed Lilith."
"He's free?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. She would've thought Michael'd already be on earth by now. "Did Dean say yes?"
Michael pressed his lips into a thin line. "No." he told her shortly. "Castiel got him out. Castiel is now dead."
"Oh." she mumbled with disappointment. Castiel had killed her. If he hadn't already been dead, she would've hunted him down to do it herself. Michael tilted his head and listened to something only he was capable of hearing. "It seems like some angels decided to take matters into their own hands. They cornered the vessels and decided to … force Dean to say yes."
She frowned in surprise. "I thought you ordered them not to do this."
"I did. Obviously they need … further encouraging to obey." he murmured. He focused his sharp eyes on her. "How do you feel?"
She took a moment to think. She flexed her hands and rolled her shoulders. "Strange." she responded finally. "Something is different."
"I can't tell you what is different." Michael told her. "The binding promise covers that as well."
She stared at him. "What are you hiding from me?" He shook his head. "I'm sorry."
She studied him. He looked tired. Incredibly so.
"Do you think you feel good enough for a mission?" Michael asked her.
"I think so." she told him. He smiled weakly and stroked the side of her face.
"I need you to protect the vessels." he told her. "I can't have anyone injuring them. Protect them from demons and angels as well."
"What am I supposed to do to them?" she asked him. She had already killed Uriel.
He looked away. "Tell the angels to stop. If they refuse to do so … kill them."
She stood in a dark corner in the human's house. His name was Robert Singer and he was a hunter. A friend of the Winchesters. He was in a wheelchair. She was pretty sure that was something new. She shrugged. "Sleep." she whispered. He rubbed his eyes tiredly he looked back down onto the book and his beer bottle fell to the floor. She stepped closer stroked her fingers half an inch away from his head through the air. "Dean." she whispered into his head. Scenes appeared before her eyes. She frowned. Nothing. "Sam."
Robert stabbing himself in the stomach instead of Sam, "That wasn't me". Then she finally got a location. She pulled out of his mind and narrowed her eyes. She didn't like not being able to find the Winchesters through conventional methods. She pulled out two tracking coins. They were the ones used by Jehova's Witnesses. It was better than nothing. She flew to the location she had seen in Robert's mind. She crashed to the floor in a painful motion. She pulled herself up, staggering slightly. She frowned. Flying wasn't supposed to be this painful. She resumed to think about this some other time. She needed to find them. She walked through the quiet town. There were several humans here, but they all seemed to be hiding somewhere. She was honestly confused. She heard loud voices and walked in that direction. She found Dean, fighting with a dark skinned human. "Rufus! The polluted water, the shooting star, the red Mustang - it's War. I'm telling you, it's War." Dean tried to tell the man. She frowned. She turned her sight to that of a human. Both Dean and the man, Rufus, had black eyes. She blinked again and saw the not-manipulated truth. Someone was creating illusions affecting all the humans.
"You're damn right it is." Rufus replied and punched Dean in the face, going for the gun. She flung him back with her powers and he slammed against the wall. She stepped forward. "Demon!" he grolled. "I am not a demon." she clarified.
"Who are you?!" Dean demanded. "Castiel killed you!"
She turned to him. "Dean. Nice to see you again." she said sarcastically, before smiling falsely. "I'm back!" she said and threw her hands in the air. "And I'm still the same as before. I have orders to protect both you and your brother." she told him blankly. He frowned at her. "Who are you?" the other man bellowed. She turned to him and snapped her fingers. He blinked as his sight readjusted. "I took the illusions from both of you." she told Dean. "I do not want to resurrect you." She frowned slightly. "Again."
"What do you mean, again?" he asked angrily. She just smirked at him.
"It was the horseman, right?" he asked her, pushing his obvious dislike of her aside. She furrowed her forehead. "Probably." she admitted. "You were obviously attacking each other, thinking the other is a demon. I assume you're not the only ones affected."
Dean shook his head. "Sam!" he exclaimed. "Where is he?" she asked. "I can't find you. Those signs hide you from me." she stated with distaste, staring at the signs carved into his ribs. Sam apparently had them too, otherwise she would have felt him. "They're supposed to do that!" he shot back. She didn't reply. Dean lead Rufus and Azriel to a house and Azriel shrugged and placed a powerful kick against the door. The door flew open and she walked inside. A shot hit her chest and she stumbled aside, holding her chest. She was obviously still weak from her 'death'. "Whoa, whoa!" Dean exclaimed and held his hands up. "She's not a demon! Actually the opposite! She's an angel. Why did that shot hurt you?" he asked with a frown. She glared at him. "I was killed a few days ago." she hissed and rubbed her chest. "I'm still weak!" He shrugged in acknowledgement.
"We all on the same page?" the woman asked Dean and Rufus. They looked at each other and nodded.
"Good." Rufus said with a nod.
"Hi, Jo."
"Hey." That was the younger, blonde woman.
"Okay, we got to find War before everybody in this town kills each-" he broke off as gunshots rang through the air. They all ducked.
"Damn it! Where's Sam?" Dean asked worriedly.
"Upstairs." Rufus answered and Dean ran upstairs and she followed him.
"Dean. It's not demons." Sam quickly told his brother.
"It's War." they both said in sync.
"I just can't figure out how he's doing it." Dean said in confusion. "He has a ring. His ring makes him powerful." she told them. Sam turned around so fast she could practically hear his neck cracking. "You told me she was dead!" he said accusingly. "She was dead." Dean told him.
"But I came back." she said. "And now you won't get rid of me."
"Apparently she's under orders to protect us." Dean told him drily. Sam frowned at her. Dean succeeded in cutting Sam free.
"We got to move. Come on." Dean said and they started walking. Azriel followed them. They were on the search for War. "Take his ring and he loses his power." she told them. They spotted War and the Winchesters advanced on him. Sam and Dean grabbed him. Dean fixated him in place and Sam pulled out the demon killing knife.
"Whoa. Okay. That's a sweet little knife. But come on. You can't kill war, kiddos." War told them condescendingly.
"Oh, we know." Dean replied. Sam pressed War's hand against the car and cut four fingers off. The ring fell down onto the ground. Azriel bend down and picked it up. War disappeared, along with his car. She gave Dean the ring. "It does nothing." she told him. "It's only powerful in his hands."
He studied her and nodded. She followed them as they said their goodbyes to their friends and followed after them as they drove away in their car. She caught up to them when they made a stop at a picnic table.
"So, pit stop at Mount Doom?" Dean asked jokingly.
"Dean-" Sam said hesitantly.
"Sam, let's not." Dean said. She eyed them. There was obviously bad blood between them.
"No, listen. This is important. I know you don't trust me." Sam told him. Dean looked away. She frowned. They weren't going to do what she thought they were going to do, right?
"Just, now I realize something. I don't trust me either." Sam admitted and Dean looked back up.
"From the minute I saw that blood, only thought in my head … and I tell myself it's for the right reasons, my intentions are good, and it, it feels true, you know? But I think, underneath … I just miss the feeling. I know how messed up that sounds, which means I know how messed up I am. Thing is, the problem's not the demon blood, not really. I mean, I, what I did, I can't blame the blood or Ruby or … anything. The problem's me. How far I'll go. There's something in me that … scares the hell out of me, Dean. In the last couple of days, I caught another glimpse … " he trailed off. She refrained from telling him that he couldn't have really been craving the blood since the blood hadn't been demon blood.
"So what are you saying?" Dean said finally.
"I'm in no shape to be hunting. I need to step back, 'cause I'm dangerous. Maybe it's best we just … go our separate ways." Sam suggested carefully.
"Well, I think you're right." And they were doing what she had been afraid off. Why couldn't it be easy? Why couldn't they stay together? It would make everything easier for her. Now she had to give Sam another tracking coin. Fun.
"I was expecting a fight." Sam said slightly confused.
"The truth is I spend more time worrying about you than about doing the job right. And I just, I can't afford that, you know? Not now."
Sam nodded. "I'm sorry, Dean."
"I know you are, Sam." Dean said tiredly. She quickly made herself invisible and threw a tracking coin in Sam's backpack.
"Hey, do you, uh, wanna take the Impala?" Dean suggested. Please, don't, she pleaded inwardly.
"It's okay." Sam said with a unconvincing nod. He stood up and walked a few steps, before turning back.
"Take care of yourself, Dean."
"Yeah, you too, Sammy."
Sam took his backpack and got into a nearby pickup truck. Then he drove away with the driver.