Heaven and Hell
"Excuse me?" Michelle stepped up, "Why does she have to die?"
"Out of the way," Uriel demanded, but made no move to touch her.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Dean stepped up next to Michelle, "Ok, I know she's wiretapping your angel chats or whatever, but it's no reason to gank her."
"Don't worry, I'll kill her gently," Uriel assured them, not helping at all.
"You're some heartless sons of a bitch, you know that?" Dean glared at him.
"As a matter of fact, we are," Castiel agreed, "And?"
"And?" Sam raised an eyebrow, "Anna's an innocent girl."
"She is far from innocent."
"What do you mean?" Michelle glanced at the angel.
"It means she's worse than this abomination he's been screwing," Uriel nodded at Sam and Ruby, "Now give us the girl."
"Hold on, no one is killing anyone," Michelle stated.
"Who's gonna stop us?" Uriel glared at her, "You? Them? That demon?"
Her eyes narrowed, "You are not to harm Anna until I learn the truth, is that clear?" Michelle demanded, standing before the two angels, her hands on her hips.
Sam and Dean looked at each other, confused as to what she was doing.
"Michelle…" Castiel began.
"That is an order Castiel," she said firmly. The angels looked at each other a moment before nodding and disappearing from the cabin.
"The hell was that?" Dean looked at Michelle in shock.
"Come on," she said, walking to the back room, "We need to check on Anna."
They opened the door to see Anna cowering in the corner, "Are they…are they gone?"
Michelle nodded, "For now, I sent them away."
"How the hell did you do that anyway?" Dean shook his head at her.
"They uh…they have to obey any orders I give them?" she tried waving it off.
"…why?" Dean eyed her.
"Uh…" Michelle looked away, "I…"
"They're indebted to her," Anna cut in, stepping next to the woman, "When she gave herself up to save you, the angels were indebted to her for it. They have to do what she says as a sort of payment."
Michelle glanced back at the woman, sending her a thankful look the others missed.
"Really?" Dean asked, they both nodded, "That could be useful."
"Not entirely," Michelle commented, "I don't think all angels have to listen to me."
Anna nodded, "I've heard them talk about that, the archangels don't."
"But the rest do?" Sam raised an eyebrow, not quite believing that one girl had power over almost all the angels out there.
Michelle shrugged, "I guess…"
She swallowed hard, worried, because now...now a demon knew about the small power she had over some angels. She didn't trust Ruby, now at all. She could only pray that that little discovery would remain with the demon and not be spread. If other demons learned about it there was no telling what they would do to get there hands on the angelic remote control.
~8~
"So, what do you think?" Michelle asked as she sat by Sam and Dean in the cabin, Anna sleeping in the next room, with Ruby keeping watch outside.
"I think Anna's getting more interesting by the second," Sam remarked, thinking about how much the angels wanted her now too.
"Yeah, I agree," Dean nodded, "And what did they mean by 'she's not innocent?'"
"I don't know," Michelle sighed, when they looked at her, "They really want to get their hands on her and not just because of the angel-radio thing."
"Something's going on with her. See what you can find out," he got up as Michelle and Sam watched him.
"What are you gonna do?" Sam asked.
"The angels may be gone for now, but, sooner or later, they're gonna be back," Dean told them, "We got to get ourselves safe now."
~8~
Sam and Michelle pulled up to Bobby's house the next day. Dean had taken Anna and Ruby with him to hide out in Bobby's panic room till they had a better idea of what was going on. So the duo had done some research about Anna in the meantime, talked to neighbors, elementary school teachers, and eventually another psychiatrist. What they found was interesting.
"Dean!" Sam called as they got out of the Impala and walked towards the door.
He came out of the house within seconds, "How's the car?" of course that would be his first question, followed by, "You didn't let her drive it did you?"
Michelle rolled her eyes at him, "She's fine, and no, I didn't drive it."
"Where's Bobby?" Sam looked around.
"The Dominican," Dean replied, "He said we break anything, we buy it."
"He's working a job?" Michelle raised an eyebrow.
"God, I hope so. Otherwise, he's at hedonism in a banana hammock and a trucker cap."
"Now that's seared in my brain," Sam frowned.
"What did you find on Anna?" Dean asked, getting back on topic.
"Uh, not much," Sam answered, flipping through a few pages of his notebook, "Her parents were Rich and Amy Milton, a church deacon and a housewife…"
"Riveting," Dean sighed, that was no help.
"There is something here in the report," Michelle pulled out a file, "Turns out this latest psych episode wasn't her first."
"No?" he raised an eyebrow.
"When she was two and a half, she'd get hysterical any time her dad got close. She was convinced that he wasn't her real dad."
"Who was? The plumber, hmm? A little snaking the pipes?"
"Dude, you're confusing reality with porn again," Sam rolled his eyes, "Look, Anna didn't say. She just kept repeating that this real father of hers was mad. Very mad, like wanted-to-kill-her mad."
"Kind of heavy for a 2 year old."
"Well, she saw a kid's shrink, got better, and grew up normal."
"Until now," Dean sighed, when Sam glanced at Michelle, "What?"
"Tell him," Sam nudged her gently.
She sighed, "I keep seeing a flicker."
"Of what?" Dean asked.
"Angel wings. Sometimes, when I look at Anna, there's a flicker of wings, but it's gone too fast for me to tell if it's real or not."
Dean nodded in thought, taking in this new information, "So, what's she hiding?"
"Why don't you ask her?" Michelle nodded behind him to see Anna standing there, with Ruby leaning against the doorframe.
"Nice job watching her," Dean commented.
"I'm watching her," Ruby sassed back.
"You're right," Sam smiled at Anna, "Is there anything you want to tell us?"
"About what?" Anna shook her head in confusion.
"The angels said you were guilty of something," Michelle told her, "Why would they say that?"
"You tell me. Tell me why my life has been leveled, why my parents are dead. I don't know. I swear. I would give anything to know."
"Ok," Sam nodded, "Then let's find out."
"How?" Anna eyed them.
~8~
A few hours later Dean was leading Bobby's psychic friend, Pamela Barnes, the same one who Castiel had burned the eyes out of when Dean had returned to Earth, down the stairs and into the basement of Bobby's house.
"We're here!" Dean shouted.
Sam smiled and jumped up from his seat to go greet her, Michelle, Ruby, and Anna stood as well, Michelle stepping closer with Sam.
"Pamela hey!" he walked over to her, reaching out to lay a hand on her shoulder.
"Sam?" the woman asked.
"It's me. It's Sam."
"SAM?"
"Yeah," he nodded.
Michelle smirked, realizing what the woman was doing.
"Sam, is that you?" she reached out to lay her hands on him.
"I'm right here."
"Know how I can tell?" she suddenly reached out and smacked his butt, "That perky little ass of yours. You could bounce a nickel off that thing. Of course I know it's you, grumpy," she smiled, "Same way I know that's a demon," she nodded towards Ruby, "And that poor girl's Anna," she nodded towards Anna, "And that you've been eyeing my rack."
Sam looked speechless so Pamela pushed him aside to walk up to Michelle, "And you must be Michelle, I gotta say you're more beautiful than I pictured," she reached out to cup Michelle's face, "Finally got out of the frying pan huh?"
She let out a laugh, "I'm not one for barbeque."
Pamela laughed and walked over to Anna, "Hey, Anna How are you? I'm Pamela."
"Hi," Anna greeted her.
"Dean told me what's been going on. I'm excited to help."
"That's nice of you," Anna smiled.
"Oh, well, not really. Any chance I can dick over an angel, I'm taking it."
"Why?" Anna's brow furrowed in confusion.
"They stole something from me," Pamela explained as she lifted her sunglasses to reveal blank eyes, Michelle's eyes widened, "Demony, I know. But they're just plastic. Good for business. Makes me look extra psychic, don't you think?" she put her glasses back and looked back at Anna, "Now...how about you tell me what your deal is? Hmm? Don't you worry."
~8~
They moved to the panic room, Pamela suggesting that hypnosis might be the best way to find out what happened to Anna. They set Anna up on the cot with a chair next to her for Pamela to sit on, the rest of them standing around the room, waiting.
"Nice and relaxed," Pamela recited calmly to Anna, who was lying down, "Now, I'm going to count down from five to zero. When we're at zero, you'll be in a deep state of hypnosis. As I count down, just go deeper and deeper, ok? 5...4...3...2...1. Deep sleep. Deep sleep. Every muscle calm and relaxed. Can you hear me?"
"I can hear you," Anna replied, calmly.
"Now, Anna, tell me...how can you hear the angels?"
"I don't know. I just do."
"Your father...what's his name?"
"Rich Milton."
"Alright," Pamela sighed, "But I want you to look further back...when you were very young...just a couple of years old."
Anna frowned in her sleep, "I don't want to."
"It'll be ok. Anna, just one look, that's all we need."
"No," Anna pleaded.
"What's your dad's name? Your real dad. Why is he angry at you?"
"No!" Anna shouted, starting to toss and turn on the cot, growing more panicked. The trio looked at each other in concern, "No...no. No!"
"Calm down," Pamela responded softly.
"He's gonna kill me!"
"Anna, you're safe. Calm down."
"He's gonna kill me!"
"Anna?" Pamela called, seeing that she was now convulsing and spasming.
Dean ran to the girl's side, trying to wake her up.
"Dean don't!" Pamela shouted, but he was thrown across the room by Anna's thrashing, knocking Pamela over in the process.
"Anna!" Michelle yelled, placing her hands on the girls shoulders to brace her to the bed, her spasming lessened a bit, her breathing slower but not by much. Pamela crawled over and placed her hand on Anna's forehead.
"Wake in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5," Pamela commanded as Anna's eyes opened, Michelle moving to help her up from where she'd fallen, "Anna...Anna? You alright?"
Anna sat up, staring at nothing for a minute before looking at Pamela, "Thank you, Pamela. That helps a lot," she replied, far too calm, she looked up at the group, "I remember now."
"Remember what?" Sam asked her, helping Dean up.
"Who I am."
"I'll buy it," Dean groaned, standing, "Who are you?"
"I'm an angel," she looked over at Michelle, whose eyes widened as she backed up from the bed.
~8~
"Don't be afraid," Anna told them as she paced across Bobby's living room, the boys sitting on the couch, Michelle sitting on the arm of it, Ruby leaning on the door behind her, "I'm not like the others."
"I don't find that very reassuring," Ruby told her.
"Neither do I," Pamela frowned from her spot on a chair by a desk.
"So...Castiel, Uriel, they're the ones that came for me?" Anna looked over at Michelle, who nodded.
"You know them?" Sam asked.
"We were kind of in the same foxhole."
"So, what, they're like your bosses or something?" Dean shook his head.
"Try the other way around," Anna smiled a bit.
"Look at you," Dean smirked.
"But now they want to kill you?" Pamela asked.
"Orders are orders," Anna shrugged, "I'm sure I have a death sentence on my head."
"Why?"
"I disobeyed...which, for us, is about the worst thing you can do."
"She Fell," Michelle added.
"Meaning?" Dean looked over at Michelle for more.
"She fell to Earth, became human," Michelle explained, before muttering to herself, "Well that explains the flickering."
"Wait a minute," Sam shook his head, "I don't understand. So, angels can just…become human?"
"It kind of hurts," Anna admitted as Michelle snorted, "Try cutting your kidney out with a butter knife. That kind of hurt."
"She ripped out her Grace," Michelle shook her head at the woman sadly.
"Come again?" Dean looked between the two.
"My Grace," Anna explained, glancing at Michelle regretfully, "It's...energy. Hacked it out and…Fell. My mother, Amy, couldn't get pregnant, always called me her little miracle. She had no idea how right she was."
"So, you just forgot that you were God's little Power Ranger?" Dean raised an eyebrow.
"The older I got, the longer I was human, yeah."
"I don't think you all appreciate how completely screwed we are," Ruby cut in.
"Ruby's right. Heaven wants me dead."
"And Hell just wants her. A flesh-and-blood angel that you can question, torture, that bleeds…sister, you're the Stanley Cup. And sooner or later, Heaven or Hell, they're gonna find you."
Anna sat down heavily on a chair, realizing she was, in fact, so screwed.
Michelle hesitated a moment, before getting up to kneel before her, "Anna," she said, getting the girl's attention, "I can't promise you the angels won't get you, but I swear, I won't let the demons. I wouldn't wish that torture on anyone."
Anna smiled gratefully at her.
"Wait," Dean shook his head, "Why wouldn't you be able to stop the angels?"
"Yeah," Sam agreed, "They have to follow your orders, couldn't you just order them to protect her or at least leave her alone?"
Michelle frowned and stepped away from Anna, "No, besides the fact that I don't like ordering them around, especially Castiel, this is beyond me. A Fallen angel, Falling in general, it's a punishment ordained by God. There's no way any angel would follow my order to not kill her over God's. I only delayed them a little, making them wait till I knew the truth..."
"Shit," was Dean's reaction.
"Don't worry," Anna smiled, "I'm gonna get it back."
"What?" Sam looked up at her.
"My Grace."
"You can do that?" Dean asked her.
She smiled more, "If I can find it."
"So, what, you're just gonna take some divine bong hit, and, shazam, you're Roma Downey?" Dean raised an eyebrow.
"Something like that," Anna laughed.
"Alright. I like this plan. So where's this Grace of yours?"
"Lost track," Anna shrugged, "I was falling about 10,000 miles per hour at the time."
"You mean falling, like, literally?" Sam looked shocked.
"Yes," Michelle answered, "Hence the term Fallen Angel, one who Fell from Heaven…"
Sam nodded in thought, "Like a comet maybe, or a meteor?"
"What are you thinking Sam?" Michelle asked, seeing the wheels spinning in his head.
"Give me a minute to look at something," he said, getting up and walking to Bobby's office.
"Well, looks like my job here is done," Pamela said, getting up.
"I'll walk you out," Dean offered, but Pamela shook her head.
"Actually…could Michelle walk me out?" Michelle shrugged and got up, walking over to Pamela and walking off with her. When they got out of the house Pamela suddenly turned on her and hugged her, "I'm glad to have you back sugar."
"Thanks," Michelle smiled a bit, pulling back.
Pamela stood a moment her hands on Michelle's upper arms, staring at the girl, "You've got a hard road ahead of you. Not quite as bad as where you've been, but still…it'll be hard."
Michelle nodded, breathing in, "I know."
Pamela smiled, patting the girl's arm, and turning to walk down the stairs of the porch.
"Pamela!" she called, going over to her. The woman stopped and turned around, smiling at her, "I want to give you something…"
~8~
Michelle walked back into the room, having gotten Pamela to her ride, to see Sam surrounded by old books and magazines, doing research, so she went around back to find Dean or Anna, praying she didn't run into Ruby.
She saw Anna sitting outside in Bobby's salvage yard, watching the sunset, leaning against a piece of scrap metal.
"Hey," Michelle said, walking up to her, but not getting too close, Anna seemed to sense that and frowned, "Sorry."
"It's no problem. I understand. Dean mentioned you've read the Bible a few times…"
"Way more than that," Michelle laughed.
"You must feel uncomfortable being here with a Fallen angel," Anna replied sympathetically, shaking her head and looking back at the sun, "I used to never understand why anyone would rip their Grace out just to be human, but then…you start to see all the miracles humans pulled off for themselves and just…you get curious."
"Curiosity killed the cat."
"Don't I know it."
They were silent for a moment, both just looking out at the sunset.
"Thank you," Michelle said after a while, "For not telling them why the angels really have to listen to me."
"No problem," Anna waved her off, "I remember your birth from just before I Fell. So I guess…I just felt compelled to protect you, even if it was subconsciously."
Michelle frowned at the mention of her birth and sighed, it was not one of her favorite conversations, "Well thanks anyway," she repeated, seeing Dean walk out of the house and head in their direction, "I think I'll check on Sam, make sure he's not burying himself under Bobby's books."
Anna nodded, watching her go as Dean walked up.
~8~
"Union, Kentucky," Sam said as he gathered Dean, Anna, Michelle, and Ruby into Bobby's study to tell them what he'd found, "Found some accounts of a local miracle."
"Union, Kentucky?" Michelle asked, as though not believing he'd said that.
"Yeah?" Sam eyed her, "Why?"
"Uh, nothing," she looked away.
Sam watched her for a moment before continuing onto his research, "In '85, there was an empty field outside of town. Six months later, there was a full-grown oak. They say it looks a century old at least."
"Anna, what do you think?" Dean looked at the angel.
"The Grace," she nodded, "Where it hit, it could have done something like that, easy."
"So grace ground zero, it's not destruction. It's…"
"Pure creation," Michelle answered.
~8~
They were off as soon as they could, Dean driving, Sam beside him with Anna, Michelle, and Ruby crammed in the backseat. Dean couldn't help but laugh as he looked into the rearview mirror at them.
"What?" Ruby demanded.
"Nothing," he laughed more, "It's just…an Angel, a Hunter, and a Demon riding in the backseat. It's like the setup to a bad joke...or a Penthouse Forum letter."
"Dude..." Sam pointed to the rearview mirror, "...reality...porn."
"You call this reality?" Dean raised an eyebrow, but Michelle somehow managed to lean forwards and smack him upside the head, ending the conversation.
~8~
The next day they were standing outside a field in Union, Kentucky, a beautiful scene, the area teeming with life, a large oak tree only a few feet away.
"It's beautiful," Dean admitted.
"It's where the Grace touched down," Anna smiled excitedly, "I can feel it."
Michelle just frowned, "Something's…off…"
"It's probably just the Grace."
"You ready to do this?" Dean asked her.
"Not really," she sighed, walking over to the tree and placing her hand on it, eyes closed.
"Anna, what are we even looking for?" Sam questioned after a moment.
Anna opened her eyes, frowning, and stepped back, "It doesn't matter. It's not here. Not anymore. Someone took it."
"I knew it!" Michelle half-shouted, "Something was off!"
"What are you talking about?" Ruby asked her, rolling her eyes.
"I was here," Michelle turned to face them, "This is where I…" she trailed, swallowing, "This was where I put my body, when my soul went to Hell."
"What?" Dean demanded.
"My parents passed through here a while ago and this spot...it just stuck with me," she looked at the tree, "So I decided, if my soul was being tortured, I might as well make my body comfortable, but just a few months ago I could swear the Grace was here."
~8~
They found a barn to camp in that night, scrambling to prepare themselves for whatever might be coming. Now that Michelle knew the truth, there was nothing to stop the angels.
"We still have the hex bags," Dean commented, "I say we head back to the panic room."
"What, forever?" Ruby demanded.
"I'm just thinking out loud!"
"Oh, you call that thinking?"
"Hey!" Sam cut in, "Hey, hey, hey. Stop it."
"Anna's Grace is gone," Ruby rounded on him, "You understand? She can't angel up. She can't protect us. We can't fight Heaven and Hell. One side, maybe, but not both. Not at once."
"Um...guys?" Anna called over, "The angels are talking again."
"What are they saying?" Sam asked.
"It's weird...like a recording..." she frowned, "A loop. It says, 'Give us Anna by midnight, or...'"
"Or what?" Michelle's eyes narrowed, knowing she wouldn't like the answer.
"'Or we shall hurl Dean Winchester back to damnation.'"
"They wouldn't dare," Michelle stated firmly, determination in her eyes as she turned to Dean, "They're bluffing."
Dean was about to ask her how she knew, but then he recalled something Castiel had said, something about how he'd rather go to Hell himself rather than disappoint Michelle, and, clearly, Michelle didn't want him in Hell, so he figured, for now, he was safe…unless an archangel or God or someone wanted him put back there. But then again, if he went back, then Michelle would be dragged back and he'd just be cast out again, but he'd rather go to Hell than Michelle.
"Anna…" Sam turned to her, "Do you know of any weapon that works on an angel? To kill them?"
"Nothing we could get to," she shook her head, thinking about a sword all angels had, the only thing that could truly kill an angel and not just their occupied vessel, like a fire made of holy oil could, "Not right now."
"Ok, wait, wait," Dean cut in, "I say we call Bobby. We get him back from hedonism..."
"Dean, what's he gonna tell us that we don't already know?" Sam countered.
"I don't know, but we got to think of something!" Dean glanced at Michelle to see her seeming to think the same thing he was.
If Dean was sent back, she would be sent in his place.
~8~
Dean was standing against the Impala that night, just staring up at the sky.
"Hey," Michelle said, coming to lean next to him.
"Hey," he remarked, glancing at her. They stood in silence for a few minutes before Dean noticed Michelle staring off into space with a sad, almost defeated, look on her face, "You ok?"
She nodded, but he nudged her getting her to look up and see he clearly didn't believe her. She sighed, "When I was in the pit…" she began, pausing a moment, but forcing herself to continue, she'd promised that she would talk to Dean first if she ever felt the need to speak of it, "You know how I said they showed me images of what would have happened to you, how they would have broken you?" he nodded, not trusting himself to talk, "They didn't just show me you…they…"
"They showed you Sam too," he finished for her.
She nodded, "They showed me him…with Ruby…" she swallowed hard, "Being intimate."
Dean let out a whistle and shook his head.
"I KNEW it was true, that what they were showing me was real but...I convinced myself it was fake," she admitted, "It had to be fake, he would never…I thought he lov…" she cut herself off, letting out a shuddering breath, "And I come back and…it's real. Everything they showed me was real."
Dean reached over and pulled her into a one-armed hug as her voice broke. He could feel tears appearing in his own eyes as he listened to her continue speaking brokenly, "What did I go through for him? I…everything I did and he just…what was the point of keeping strong…why suffer all that, if it meant nothing? If it was a mistake?"
"Hey, hey, hey," Dean cut in, pulling away, turning her to face him, his hands on her shoulder, making her look at him, "It didn't mean nothing, it meant everything, especially to me. I've…I've never had anyone do what you did for me. I know Sam would," he said, seeing her about to argue, "But I never thought I would earn that sort of sacrifice from anyone outside my family. And then you come along, like the sister I never had, and you…you made Sam and me happy. You made hunting fun, you actually made driving eight plus hours a day bearable. What you did…God Michelle, I can't imagine what I did to deserve that."
"You didn't deserve to go to Hell," she replied simply, wiping her eyes, "And Sam needed his brother."
"He needed you too. He still needs you. He'll always need you, no matter how pissed he gets at something or at me, he's never mad at you…no," he cut in again, "Not even now, especially not now that he knows where you've been. And between you and me, he wasn't even pissed when he didn't know, he was pissed at himself for forgiving you so quickly. He…he loves you. No matter what's going on now, or how deep that bitch Ruby has her claws into him, that will never change. You've always been able to get through to the both of us, we'd do anything for you, and Sam loves you more than anything. Never, ever doubt that."
Michelle stared at Dean a moment, never having heard him talk that long about feelings before, but saw nothing but complete honesty in his eyes. He truly believed everything he was saying, and it was...comforting.
She took a breath, nodding, "Thanks."
He smirked at her, "No problem."
"Are you ok?" a voice said behind them, they turned to see Anna standing there, eyes wide with concern.
Michelle smiled, "I'm fine," she looked between the two, "I think I'm going to get some sleep though. Good night."
"Good night," Dean and Anna called as Michelle walked off.
She stepped into the barn to see Sam sleeping over an open book and smiled softly, recalling her talk with Dean. She walked over to where an old blanket was placed and pulled it off, draping it over Sam as he slept. Before walking off to another area of the stable and making a small spot for herself, lying down to sleep as well.
~8~
Dean was standing in the barn, thinking about his last conversation with Anna, she had told him she didn't think she deserved to be saved, but he'd argued with her. She'd also made him aware that she knew he felt guilty for what happened to Michelle, how she'd taken his spot in Hell, and told him not blame himself, he'd had no hand in her decision at all. After that, one thing had led to another, and soon they had done the dirty in the Impala…which brought up the problem of, how did he get to the stable? And why was it daylight?
"Look at that," a voice said behind him, he turned around to see Uriel standing there, "It's so cute when monkeys wear clothes."
"I'm dreaming, aren't I?" Dean asked him, already knowing the answer.
"It's the only way we could chat...since you're hiding like cowards."
"Don't normally see you off leash. Where's your boss?"
"Castiel?" Uriel raised an eyebrow, "Oh, he, uh...he's not here. See, he has this…weakness. He likes you. Time's up, boy. We want the girl."
"Wouldn't try that if I were you," Dean smirked, "See, she got her Grace back. Full blown angel now."
"That would be a neat trick, considering..." he pulled out a necklace, a glowing cylinder on a chain, "...I have her Grace right here. We can't let Hell get their hooks into her."
"Well, then why don't you just give her back her angel juice?"
"She committed a serious crime."
"What?" he scoffed, "Thinking for herself?"
"This is our business, not yours. She's not even human...not technically."
"Yeah, well, I guess I just like being a pain in the pooper…" he paused a moment, a thoughtful look on his face before he laughed to himself for calling Uriel what Michelle had once called Bela.
"No. There's more. You cut yourself a slice of...angel food cake. Didn't you? Huh? You did."
"What do you care?" Dean glared, "You're junkless down there, right? Like a ken doll?"
"Well, it's your last chance," Uriel threatened, "Give us the girl, or…"
"Or what?" Michelle suddenly appeared out of nowhere to stand before the angel, blocking him from Dean, "You'll toss him back in the hole? I won't stand for that and you will do no such thing Uriel. Understood?"
"This is a whole lot bigger than you think it is," Uriel glared at her, "The plans we have for him…"
"You have no idea what I think and what I know of your plans," Michelle cut in, "Now get out of here, before I force you out."
Uriel stared at her, trying to get her to back down, but there was no having that. Moments later he was gone and Michelle turned to Dean, "You should wake up now."
Dean's eyes snapped open as he looked down to see he'd fallen asleep in the Impala, Anna resting on his chest.
~8~
Sam, Michelle, Dean, and Anna were standing in the barn the next day, waiting for Ruby, who was supposed to have been there already. Where she'd gone, Michelle didn't know.
"I don't know, man," Sam remarked, pacing, "Where's Ruby?"
"Hey, she's your Hell-buddy," Dean took a swig of booze.
"Little early for that, isn't it?" Anna raised an eyebrow at him.
"It's 2:00 a.m. somewhere," he shrugged.
"You ok?" Michelle asked.
Dean looked up at her, the sight of her reminding him of his dream last night. It seemed like Michelle was a source of protection even in his dreams, he remembered how she'd told off Uriel the night before, or at least a dream version of her had, and was comforted. He wasn't going anywhere any time soon.
"Yeah," he smiled at her, putting the booze down, "I'm fine."
Anna stiffened and looked at the doors, "They're here."
The doors blasted open and Castiel and Uriel entered.
Castiel glanced at Michelle, "You know the truth now," which they knew meant their time was truly up. He turned to Anna, "Hello, Anna. It's good to see you."
Sam looked around, stunned that they found them, "How? How did you find us?" he looked over at Dean, who looked just as confused. He turned to see Michelle looking around the barn at the hex bags, making sure they were all intact...and he noticed something on the wall of the barn, a sign for a fair in Union, Kentucky and a sign for the farm the barn was located in.
Dean shook his head, "The dream…" he looked at Anna and Sam, "He found us from the signs in the barn, in my dream."
Anna turned and kissed Dean goodbye, "You did the best you could," she then turned to face the angels, "Ok. No more tricks. No more running. I'm ready."
"I'm sorry," Castiel said.
"No, you're not. Not really. You don't know the feeling."
"Still, we have a history. It's just…"
"Orders are orders. I know. Just make it quick."
Just then, a small group of demons walked through the door. Michelle tensed, taking a few steps back, as she saw Alastair at the head of the group. Sam quickly reached out and grabbed her hand, moving to stand a little before her, putting himself between her and the demon.
"Don't you touch a hair on that poor girl's head," Alastair said.
"How dare you come in this room...you pussing sore?" Uriel spat at the demon.
"Name calling," Alastair shook his head, "That hurt my feelings...you sanctimonious, fanatical prick."
"Turn around and walk away now," Castiel ordered, his jaw tensing in preparation for battle.
"Sure. Just give us the girl. We'll make sure she gets punished good and proper."
"You know who we are and what we will do. I won't say it again. Leave now...or we lay you to waste."
"Think I'll take my chances," Alastair smirked, before the angels and demons began to fight, Sam and Dean pulling Michelle to the side, to shelter. Castiel tried to exorcize Alastair, his hand on the man's face, but with no result, "Sorry, kiddo. Why don't you go run to daddy?"
Uriel managed to exorcize a demon off to the side, the demon screaming as it happened. While Castiel was distracted by this, Alastair, in a twist, began to exorcize Castiel.
"Potestas inferna, me confirma," Alastair chanted, "Potestas inferna, me confirma. Potestas inferma, me confirma! Potes…"
Suddenly Michelle ran forward and whacked Alastair over the head with a crowbar she'd scooped up, not about to let him harm Castiel, distracting him enough for the angel to get away.
"Michelle, Michelle, Michelle," Alastair tsked, turning to attack her, making her drop the crowbar and back up, but just before he could do so, a bright light lit up the room.
Anna had seen her Grace hanging from Uriel's neck and grabbed it, smashing it on the floor, releasing her Grace back to her.
"Shut your eyes," Anna ordered them as the Grace took over, "Shut your eyes! Shut your eyes!"
A bright light shone from within Anna, disintegrating Alastair, leaving behind Ruby's knife, as Sam, Michelle, and Dean covered their eyes.
"Well, what are you guys waiting for?" Dean glared at the angels when they opened their eyes to see Anna was gone, "Go get Anna…unless, of course, you're scared."
"This isn't over," Uriel threatened.
"Oh, it looks over to me, junkless," Dean spat back as the angels disappeared.
Sam got up, looking around the room at Michelle, Dean, and Ruby, "You ok?"
Michelle nodded as Ruby glared, "Not so much."
"What took you so long to get here?" Dean asked her.
"Sorry I'm late with the demon delivery," she rolled her eyes, "I was only being tortured."
"I got to hand it to you, Sammy," Dean smiled, "Bringing them all together all at once, angels and demons. It was a damn good plan."
"Yeah, well, when you got Godzilla and Mothra on your ass, best to get out of their way and let them fight," he remarked.
"Wait…" Michelle called out to them, "You planned this?"
The boys turned to see Michelle standing before them with her hands on her hips, eyebrows raised, very angry.
"Uh…yeah…" Sam replied slowly, very embarrassed that they'd forgotten to tell her about the plan.
She nodded before walking over to them, looking between the two brothers, before kneeing them both in a very sensitive area.
"If you're planning on bringing that fucking bastard anywhere near me again, you warn me next time," she was glaring now, very, very angry.
"O…k…" Dean managed to groan out from his position on the floor next to his brother, writhing in pain.
~8~
Dean, Sam, and Michelle were sitting at the side of the road later on that day, just reminiscing about their plan and how it had gone down.
"I can't believe we made it out of there," Dean remarked, shaking his head.
"Again," Michelle smiled at the brothers.
There was silence for a moment before Sam spoke up, "Michelle…Dean and I…" he glanced at his brother, "We…we heard Alastair in the church, about how much 'fun' he had with you in the pit."
"And you want to know exactly what that meant?" she asked, looking up at them. When they nodded, she let out a sigh, she was by no means ready to talk about it...but...she honestly doubted she ever would be. And, after everything she'd kept from them, they deserved at least this, "They, uh...they sliced and carved and tore at me in ways that you..." she swallowed, "Until there was nothing left. And then, suddenly, I would be whole again...just like new...just so they could start in all over, and every time, every time, it was different. I never knew what was coming and it always hurt. Alastair knew ways to…" she let out a breath, "He can keep you alive so long, while still inflicting so much pain. He drags it out just so he can hear you scream. No sleep, no food, no rest, no conversation, nothing but hearing your screams and those of others," a tear fell from her eyes as she stared into space, recalling the horror, "And not just physical torture either, they…they toy with you down there. Sometimes they trick you into thinking things or seeing things. Sometimes they give you what you want, family, children, whatever, and then they twist it and…they take it away. And they show you things, they try to make you lose faith, to lose yourself, and then…it just starts again. Over and over and over again."
She let out a shuddering breath, blinking, coming out of her thoughts on Hell, but looking down, "And when you get out…when you're finally free, you doubt yourself, you doubt if it's real. And sometimes, you realize there are things in this world that can hurt you much worse than Hell, and it makes you wonder if…if it was worth it…if there was a point, when all you feel is the hurt and the pain, even when you're free," she closed her eyes a moment, "And all you can do is hope it gets better, hope you can push through it, hope everything you fought for wasn't a mistake."
She looked up at Sam, forcing him to recall the words he had shouted at her in anger so long ago. He looked down, tears falling at her description, the guilt of what he'd done to her, what he'd put her through, nearly crushing him. Dean swallowed hard, half-happy that he didn't remember even a smidge of the pain he'd suffered himself, and half-disgusted at himself that he was thinking that when Michelle would be forced to remember it every moment for the rest of her life.
"But then," Michelle finished, "You realize, it was worth it, and that you'd do it all again if it came to it."
And in that one sentence she had forgiven them for anything they might have done to hurt her when she came back from Hell, just like that.
Sam looked away, he didn't deserve it.
~8~
That night in the motel room, Dean rolled over and woke up. He saw the bed next to him empty and quickly sat up, looking for Sam, fearing he may have snuck out to go find Ruby again. But he didn't have to look far, his brother was sitting on a chair near the couch Michelle was sleeping on, hunched over, with his head in his hands.
"Sammy?" Dean squinted in the darkness, "You ok?"
Sam shook his head, still not looking up, and Dean could just vaguely see him shaking, not crying, but almost there, "How could I?" he asked out loud, mumbled though, "She was in Hell and I…I didn't do anything to…"
"You didn't know," Dean replied, rubbing his eyes, "No one did."
"But I should have known," Sam looked up, clearly upset, "I should have noticed something, investigated more, followed her whenever she left…done something!" he dropped his head again, "She was suffering while I got drunk and screwed a demon! And she forgave me…why?"
"Dude," Dean stared at him as though the answer should be obvious, "She loves you, that's why."
"She can't," he shook his head, "Not after…"
"Yes after all of that," Dean cut in. Just then Michelle began whimpering in her sleep, the telltale signs of a nightmare starting. Before Dean could even blink Sam was at her side, brushing hair from her face and just stroking her hair, calming her just a bit. Dean sighed, seeing how tortured and guilty his brother felt, "If you still love her…"
"I do," Sam answered quickly, looking up, hoping his brother had the answer.
"Then prove it," Dean told him, "Make it up to her, woo her again or whatever crap you two did before. Prove that you deserve her 'cause right now…" he trailed off, sighing, "Right now, if you weren't my brother, I'd say you don't."
Sam frowned at that, looking down a moment in thought, before looking up and nodding then turning his full attention back to Michelle.
Dean could only hope that this was the start of getting his brother away from Ruby and back on the right track in life, back to Michelle.
A/N: And now we know who the HER was that ordered the angels not to harm Dean or Sam. But what's this...what is the REAL reason the angels have to listen to her? What did she give Pamela? I hope, by now, there are hundreds of questions floating around about the mystery that is Michelle...means I've done my job :)
But as for the brothers, now they know about Michelle and what she's done and endured. How will they react once it sinks in? How will the treat her now? I'll just say...she's going to kill them for it.