Max was behind the wheel, driving down the highway. She couldn't help it. She felt like she was kidnapping him. He was just so….trusting.
Jack was in the passenger's seat beside her. She had invited him to "go get lunch" so they could talk. While she did want to talk to him and it was about being a Nephilim, he had no idea what her actual intentions were.
"So, where are we going?" Jack asked. He knew some of the roads around the bunker from hunting with Sam and Dean. And he knew this was not the way to town.
She turned to him and quickly gave him a sheepish smile. "I lied," she told him, turning back towards the road. "I mean, I can take you to lunch, but that's not really why I wanted to get you alone, away from the bunker."
"I would like lunch. I am hungry," Jack replied in his child-like manner. "But then we wouldn't be alone."
Max nodded, with a wide smile crossing her face. She had met Jack briefly at the bunker, but had a lot of memories of him from Dean. She liked that he was straightforward, that he didn't lie. He didn't use any double-speak because he didn't know how.
"We'll grab something to eat and then we'll talk." She didn't want him to be distracted by an empty stomach.
They pulled off at the first exit with somewhere to grab some food. They sat in the car in the parking lot eating, so that Max could talk while they ate.
"Jack," she started. "What I really want to talk about is Dean and us saving him."
Jack's eyes grew wide. "Us saving him? Why do you need me? I don't have my grace anymore so I am useless."
"That's the thing," she took a breath. "I don't think Lucifer took all your grace. You should be able to recharge and I want to give you mine."
Jack started to shake his head 'no'. "I couldn't—"
"Let me tell you my reasons," she interrupted him. "You're stronger than I am because your father is Lucifer. With my grace, you should be back up to almost full power. Michael won't be expecting that. Plus, I'll still have my craft."
"Even with grace, I don't really know how to use it. I got some practice in the other world, but I still have a lot to learn."
"I know," she responded. "But I can give you my knowledge of the power as well. And I figure with the two of us, we should be able to free Dean and kill Michael."
Jack had a look of concentration on his face as he thought about it. "Dean did everything he could to save me. I'll do the same for him."
Max got excited and hugged Jack awkwardly in the cramped space of her front seat.
"Thank you so much!"
Jack smiled. "So, what's the plan after giving me your grace?"
The drive to Los Angeles was long. Max told Jack her story, how she didn't know what she was until well into her life. She told him about the first time she met Cas and how they almost killed each other. Jack told her about his mother and the other world. Their conversation was easy and they felt like the family they were.
Max kept her grace for the trip. She wanted it to track Michael. Not to mention she was worried that Jack might burn it all up before their fight. She needed him at as close to full strength as he could be. It also helped her remain calm. She knew what she was going to have to do, and it was scary.
They set up in an old warehouse on the outskirts of the city. They wanted to limit collateral damage because they knew this wasn't going to go smooth. Plus it didn't matter if they drew on the walls, floor and ceilings.
After they had the warehouse set up the way they wanted, they had to lure Michael there. Max knew she had to be the bait. Michael would want to finish was he started and kill her. Not to mention the temptation of her grace.
Max found Michael at an upscale club, Lux, that was known for its high profile guests and free flowing party favors. Max didn't even want to think about the kind of debauchery Michael might be getting into in Dean's body.
They weren't in LA more than a week, when they decided to put their plan into motion. Max had gone over and over it with Jack. All he had to do was take care of Michael, keep him occupied, and when the time came, kill him. Max would take care of the rest, including making sure Dean was ok.
Jack was worried about being able to wield his abilities once Max gave him her grace. Max assured him that the knowledge she would transfer would make him an expert. Was it the truth? It was the truth she was telling herself. It was what they needed to be true.
"So, how do we do this?" Jack asked. "Do I really have to cut you?"
Max loved this kid. She still couldn't believe Lucifer was his father. Although, knowing that Sam and Cas had raised him, with Dean pitching in after a while, it was easy to see why he had turned out so well so far. Even after Lucifer turned on him, Jack was trying to make the most of everything and help in any way he could.
"I'll do the cutting," she told him.
She produced an archangel blade from one of the bags she had brought. She made a small cut on her neck to let the grace out. Jack was hesitant at first at taking it, but after a small taste, he gladly took the rest.
"I'd almost forgot what this felt like," he smiled.
Max felt a slight power drain, but she knew her magic was strong. She only hoped that it was her magic she'd been using all these centuries. She had kept a trace amount of grace so Michael would be able to sense it in her.
"Be careful," she instructed him. "Since it's not your grace, it has limits. Every time you use it, it lessens."
"Don't worry," Jack assured her. "I'm saving everything I got for Michael."
"Now for the rest of it." She said a silent prayer that this would work.
She lightly grabbed Jack's face and pulled it close. Then she placed a small, chaste kiss on his lips. His eyes widened and his jaw fell open in shock. Then he fell to his knees, the knowledge over whelming him a little.
"Sorry," she apologized. "I should have warned you it can have quite a punch."
Jack took a deep breath and looked up at her. "I…I can do it all?" he questioned.
She nodded. "But remember, your power is limited."
He stood up, his face still holding an expression of wonder. "Michael isn't going to stand a chance."
Max really wondered about their chances as she walked into Lux wearing a dress she would have never even considered before. Low cut. Short skirt. Cut-outs on the side. She felt practically naked. The only thing she liked about it was the shiny silver material. There was just something about the way it caught the lights.
Jack was worried about this part of the plan. Max had told him Michael had hurt her. She hadn't gone in to a lot of details, but he could tell it had been really bad. But Max assured him—and herself—she could do it.
Max scanned the room, looking for Michael. She didn't spot him, but she knew right when he spotted her. The hair on the back of neck stood up. She turned in the direction she could sense him. And she lost her breath for a moment.
Not Dean had his hair slicked back, the perfect five o'clock shadow gracing his jaw line. He was wearing a black with white pin stripes suit. His shirt perfectly matching the color of his pocket square. If it hadn't been Michael, Max would have been impressed. Dean cleaned up well.
She watched Michael cut through the crowd, greeting some of the women who approached him as he passed. His eyes never left her, though. She waited until he was within arms reach and vanished, making sure she left enough of a trace for him to follow.
And so the plan was set in to motion.