Chapter 21

"Hey Meg," Michael called grabbing my wrist before I could disappear into my room. "Can we… talk?"

Smiling, I nodded nervously, "Yeah, sure, come right in make yourself at home. I didn't even realize you were back from Heaven. How do things look up there?"

"They could be worse," Michael sighed. "But not by much. I thought I knew how bad it was up there but you can't even imagine. They've been losing Heavens!"

Mike must have seen the confusion lining my eyebrows, because He explained, "I don't know what your parents have told you, but Heaven's not one central place. It's kind of like…. A house made up of a billion rooms. At the beginning of time God made a room for everyone and we angels were in charge of making sure nothing went wrong. But then I left and Metatron cast everyone out and even when they returned to Heaven there wasn't much attention to the humans there. Some of the rooms now can't be found… mostly uninhabited ones of people who haven't been born never mind died yet. Still, there were a few cases of people dying and then not having anywhere to go so I started looking and… It's over a third of the Heavens missing. It's like the fallen angels took down their charges' Heavens too."

"You said most were uninhabited," I pointed out while the chill rolled down my spine. "What happened to the people in those that weren't?"

Michael only shook his head, "We have no idea. Maybe they're back on earth as ghosts, or maybe the falling angels brought them down to Hell… they could even have been reincarnated for all we know! It's a disaster."

"Hey," I told him sliding so close I was almost on his lap. "You'll figure it out. If these people are in Hell we'll free them. It will be okay."

Michael's smile didn't seem to believe me, but he kissed me softly on the forehead, "You should get some sleep; you look ready to drop on your feet."

I was ready to drop. I hadn't been this tired in a very long time, but I couldn't sleep. Only in dreams could Lucifer really find me, and I'd seen enough of him today. The minute I fell asleep he could torture me with his promises and deception and I almost felt like he could make it so I wouldn't wake up at all.

"Hey, what's bugging you?" my boyfriend asked sliding under the covers next to me.

He was the archangel Michael and he was preparing to lead an army of Heavenly host. Michael didn't need to listen to my issues. But Mike would want you to tell him because he loves you. "I'm scared Mike. I'm scared that I'll shut my eyes and he'll be there."

A low growl emitted from the man's throat as he thought about Lucifer finding me in my dreams, "He knows you won't say yes or tell him where you are. He's only doing this to get to me. Lucifer knows I love you, and in his eyes that's a weakness. Maybe my only weakness."

"Then he's a fool," I mumbled leaning my head against Mike's chest. "To love isn't to destroy. Love is what stemmed all of creation."

"You don't hate my Father. I hate Him, your family hates Him, so why don't you?"

Michael would never understand, but I could still try to explain, "He did the right thing. I know it might not seem like it, but He did. Every being, including angels, deserves the chance to make his or her own choices. If God just stopped Lucifer, or anyone for that matter, every time they did something wrong, then there's no free will. It's like telling a kid they can have the blue truck or the red truck when there's only a red truck and they're getting that whether or not they say blue. When there's no options left in life we're just zombies, and I'm glad not to be a zombie. Plus… He helped last time without taking away anyone's choices. He gave my family the information they needed to survive. He cleaned Sam of demon blood. He brought Cas back who knows how many times. God's always been helping us and we didn't even know it. That's why I love Him."

"And you really think He cares?" Michael might be the third oldest being in the universe, but he sounded like every other teen with daddy issues. "I mean him helping you landed me in the Cage."

Now it was my turn to give the lingering kiss, "And you came out the Cage a better man. Or better angel guess but whatever. If you hadn't fallen I'd never have been born. Plus, you did choose to grab on to Lucifer, or Uncle Sam whatever I don't even know."

"But He told me it was the right thing to do! All along He said I had to fight my brother, I had to kill him!"

"Did He say you had to do it? Did He even say you should do it? Or did He just say you would do it?"

Michael at first seemed ready to fight, but he realized the truth in my words. All the angels assumed God wanted them to fight Lucifer, but all that was ever prophesized was that the two brothers would fight again. God was their father and I refused to believe that any father would want to see his boys kill each other.

"Get some sleep," Michael whispered as he rose and tucked me in. "And if you see Lucifer again you tell him his brother says 'fuck off'."

"Will do," I told the angel with a giggle. As terrified as I still was of sleeping, I found my eyes shutting just as the angel flicked out the lights.

"Meg, Meggy, wake up."

"Fuck off Lucifer. I'm not going to say yes and I'm not telling you where I am so there is literally no point," I told the angel-mirage with a snarl.

With a little click of his tongue, Lucifer spoke, "Ah but we already know where you are Meg."

"That's not possible," I acknowledges shaking my head a bit too fast. "I've had Enochian on my ribs since the day I was born. You can't find me."

Lucifer almost looked like he pitied me when he spoke, "The thing about Enochian runes are they only protect you from angels if they're perfect. With kids… kids are difficult, girl's especially. Your ribs grow and expand as you go from little babies to an adorable little busty thing like you. The figures carved into the ribs don't stay perfectly aligned. They help to some degree, most angels would never be able to find you, but I am not most angels." A sickening claw tightened around my wrist and a hand covered my scream, "Hello Megan."