Hey guys!
Sorry for the wait, school has been crazy! This chapter is a bit on the short side, but it's full of action. I apologize for the errors, and...
Enjoy!
P.S: There is some mild sexual content.
Chapter Twenty:
Freedom
"Michael and Lucifer are free," Castiel frowned.
"I see," Ashton looked down.
She placed a hand on her growing baby bump. Her little girl was growing fast. Ashton estimated that she had five months left before her due date. She prayed that Michael and Lucifer would be locked away by that time.
"You should expect a large disturbance soon."
"What do you mean?" Ashton frowned.
"Michael will want to enter Heaven," Cas explained, "But we are locking him out. He will try to force himself inside. So there will be quakes and loud noises."
"Great," she rubbed her temples.
"Do not worry. We will protect you and your child."
"Thanks Cas," she gave him a small smile before he left.
Ashton sat on her bed and stared at the floor. That was when the quakes and bangs started to rumble through Heaven. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to ignore the panicked thoughts going through her head. Finally she gave up and left her room. She was walking down a corridor when she saw two angels talking. They both seemed extremely tense. They noticed her presence and stopped their conversation. They both sent her glare before they disappeared with the sounds of wings.
Ashton returned to her room. She knew that the angels probably didn't like her; she was a human girl, and pregnant with a cambion child. She was an intruder in their eyes, but somehow she couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something more. She shook her head and went to her bed.
For two weeks Michael tried to get into Heaven. For two weeks Ashton could hear the constant banging, like a drum, and the non-stop vibrations, like the bass at a concert. It nearly drove her insane. She barely slept because of it, and all she wanted to do was leave, but Cas told her to stay put. She trusted Castiel, but she also knew that if Michael broke through, Cas wasn't strong enough to protect her.
She was in the middle of lunch when suddenly everything went quiet. No booms, bangs, quakes, or shakes. It was completely still. Ashton felt relief wash over her, but suddenly panic gripped at her throat. Michael would not give up so easily. The only reason he would stop his attack is of he broke through, but there was no sign that he did. She tried to calm herself down.
"He probably ran out of energy, Ashton," she sighed, "Just calm down."
"You underestimate me."
Ashton jumped out of her seat and turned to see the source of the voice. There was a slim boy standing with his arms crossed. He didn't look all that menacing, but Ashton remembered when the boys talked about their half brother Adam. They mentioned that he was thin, and not overly intimidating.
"So you must be Michael," Ashton forced herself to stand with confidence, "How'd you break through Heaven's defenses?"
"I didn't," he grinned.
"But-"
"Some of my brothers let me in."
Ashton remembered the two angels that glared at her, "I see."
"So you're the one carrying the cambion?" he looked her over.
"I am."
"Ashton, Michael is in Heaven!" she heard Castiel's voice yell as he appeared in her room.
"You're a little late Cas," Ashton gave the angel a tense smile.
Michael narrowed his eyes on Castiel, "The last time I saw you brother, you threw holy fire at me and called me an ass-butt."
"Ass-butt, really?" Ashton raised a brow.
"Never mind that," Castiel cleared his throat, "You need to get out of here."
"How?"
"I'll distract him and you-"
"How am I supposed to go anywhere without you?" Ashton frowned as Castiel stood in-between her and Michael.
"Your powers."
"So I can teleport?"
"Test it out," Cas focused on Michael, "And hurry."
"Okay, okay."
Ashton closed her eyes and imagined the bunker. In her mind she told herself she wanted to be there. She had to go there, and when she opened her eyes, she was there. Dean, Sam, Hope, and Brey were staring at her.
"Ashton?" Sam was the first to speak.
"What are you doing here?" Dean frowned, "I thought the angels were protecting you."
"Some of them let Michael into Heaven, so I had to r-" she paused, "Uh, disappear."
"How?" Brey asked.
"Cambion powers I guess," she shrugged.
"You've gotten so big," Hope's eyes went wet with tears.
Ashton smiled and hugged her friend, "I missed you guys."
She felt Hope's arms wrap around her, but it didn't relax Ashton.
"Someone should call Crowley," Ashton said and pulled away from Hope.
Sam took out his phone and dialled Crowley, "She's here."
There was a loud knock at the entrance of the bunker. Dean was the one that let Crowley in, but the demon was not happy to see Ashton.
"What happened?!"
"A couple of angels let Michael into Heaven."
"Bastards," Crowley growled, "They were supposed to protect you!"
"You can't expect all of them to side with us," Ashton sighed, "Michael is their brother."
"I don't care!" he clenched his jaw.
There was a tense silence.
"I missed you," Ashton gave Crowley a small, sheepish smile.
"I missed you too," he gave a sigh, "I'm sorry."
"It's all right," Ashton chuckled.
Crowley showed his love in different ways. Being over-protective, and/or angry is one of those ways.
"So we know what Michael is up to," Sam interrupted, "But what about Lucifer?"
"He hasn't visited Hell," Crowley scratched his beard, "But apparently he's been reeking havoc in Las Vegas."
"As long as he's out of our hair," Ashton sighed.
"It won't last long," Brey was the logical voice of reason, "He'll have his fun and then get down to business."
"Heaven's no longer safe," Hope crossed her arms, "Would the bunker be able to keep Ashton safe?"
"Nothing can get in and out without us inviting them in," Sam said.
"Except Ashton apparently," Dean scoffed with his arms crossed.
Ashton gave a sheepish grin and shrug.
"She should be safe as long as Michael and Lucifer don't know the location of the bunker," Sam added.
"And if they find the bunker?" Ashton frowned.
"They might be able to destroy it from the outside," Sam ran his hand through his hair.
There was a knock at the door of the bunker. Ashton felt the ends of all her nerves prickle with electricity. Crowley and the boys went to the front door of the bunker, while Ashton waited in the library. After five minutes the boys and Crowley returned with Castiel. To everyone's shock, Castiel did not have a single injury.
"What happened?" Ashton asked.
"We had a short fight, but he mostly was trying to persuade me in joining his cause," Castiel explained, "It seems that some of the angels have joined Michael."
"How much is some?" Brey asked.
"Only twenty percent," Cas gave a half smile.
"That's still a lot!" Hope exclaimed.
"So it's not just Lucifer and Michael we're fighting now, it's twenty percent of the angels as well?" Ashton frowned.
Castiel nodded.
Suddenly someone's phone started to ring. Everyone checked his or her cellphones and Crowley was the one that had to answer his.
"What do you want?"
"Do whatever you have to to keep them in line."
"Keep me updated."
Crowley hung up and looked around the group, "More bad news."
"What is it?" Ashton asked.
"Lucifer has been recruiting demons while in Las Vegas."
"How many?" Brey asked.
"Not sure," Crowley sighed and rubbed his forehead.
"This is going to be an all-out war," Brey crossed his arms.
"We're running out of time," Ashton clenched her hands, "Chuck needs to finish the cage before shit hits the fan!"
"He said he'd update us on Christmas," Sam explained, "He should be done before a war starts."
"He better be."
"On a different note," Crowley cleared his throat, "Where are we hiding Ashton?"
"I think the bunker would probably be the best place," Sam shrugged.
"No."
"No?" Crowley frowned.
"If they find the location of the bunker," Ashton explained, "They'll destroy it and everyone inside."
"It's warded, they can't f-"
"I won't risk it," Ashton cut in, "I won't put my friends in danger!"
There was a long silence.
"I can move around and ward myself against them," Ashton's voice was calm, "I'll be fine on my own."
"No you won't," Crowley looked at her, "I'm staying by your side."
"You have Hell to look after," Ashton narrowed her eyes on him.
"It's already dealt with."
"You're kidding right?" she frowned, "Lucifer is recruiting your demons and you think this is a good time to hand off your duties to someone else?!"
"You are more important than Hell," he appeared unmoving, "It's my duty to protect you."
Ashton shook her head, "Fine, I'm not going to start a fight over this."
"Good."
"I think," Hope cleared her throat, "We should all meet here at Christmas, so we can update on the situation with Chuck."
"I agree," Ashton smiled.
Everyone nodded.
"We should get going," Crowley looked at Ashton, "I know somewhere we can hide for a while."
Ash nodded, "Just give me a minute."
She walked up to Hope and gave her a strong hug and whispered, "Take care of yourself."
"I will," Hope whispered back and gave a tight squeeze.
Ashton gave Brey a short hug, "You take care of her."
"I know," he nodded.
She then gave the boys each a hug and knowing smile before she stood in front of Castiel.
"Thank you for everything," she gave him a big hug and a smile before she returned to Crowley's side.
They exited the bunker and he placed a hand on her shoulder. Within seconds they teleported into a dark room.
"Crowley, where are we?" Ashton asked.
"Scotland," Crowley chuckled and snapped his fingers, "But this is our home away from home."
Suddenly the room was filled with lights. Ashton blinked against the brightness as she tried to get a sense of the space. It looked like an old, rustic cabin, complete with old furniture and quilt blankets. She walked around the cabin in disbelief.
"I thought you were more of a contemporary type," she chuckled.
"I enjoy vintage," he scoffed.
"Vintage whiskey," she sent him a look.
She suddenly stopped at the fireplace mantel. She looked at a framed picture of her and Crowley. She looked over her shoulder at him for a moment, and returned her attention to the picture. Hope had taken the picture at the celebration they had after they destroyed the vampire nest, the night her and Crowley announced the pregnancy.
In the picture Ashton was making a silly face at Hope, and she thought Crowley was doing the same, but she was mistaken. Crowley wasn't even looking at the camera. He was staring at Ashton with a smile full of laughter.
"What is this place?" she blinked away tears.
"I made this place as a get away," Crowley said as he approached her, "It's completely warded."
She felt his arms wrap around her from behind as he rested his chin on her shoulder, "Do you like it?"
"I love it," Ashton placed her hands over his and leaned back against him, "It's perfect."
"I know we haven't seen each other in a long time," his breath was warm against her neck, "But I wanted you to finally see it."
A shiver climbed up Ashton's spine at the feeling of his breath tickling her sensitive neck. He gently planted a kiss on the nape and caused her to let out a soft sigh. She could feel his lips curl into a grin. He repeatedly kissed her shoulder, neck, and up to her ear. He gave a soft nibble as his hands started to glide up and down her curves. The baby weight she gained gave her a little extra curve.
Without a single word spoken, the two appeared in the bedroom. They slowly started to undress each other until they were completely revealed. They moved into the bed and kissed each other passionately. There was no rush. They took their time, enjoying each other to the fullest. They spent an hour in pure bliss, before they finally climaxed together and fell asleep in each other's arms.
They had been at the cabin for a couple of weeks, when suddenly there was a knock at their door. Ashton had gone completely tense as she fried eggs. She stared at the door like a deer in the headlights, full of terror. Crowley walked up to the door and looked through the peephole. He let out an aggravated growl.
"Who is it?" Ashton asked after gulping down her dear.
"My mother."