"Mick, it's me. Is everything alright there?" Meg asked as soon as the phone connected.
"Cherie, of course everything is under control here. This is me you're talking to. I will admit we did not come out of the fight unruffled. But we've putting things in order now. Did you and your beau get away?" Mickey answered, jovially. A good fight always put Mickey in a good mood.
"We're okay. We stopped for the night. I wanted to make sure you were okay."
"That tip you gave us about the cleaning fluid might have just saved our bacon. It is much appreciated."
"You wouldn't have need the tip if they hadn't come looking for us. I'm sorry I brought all that down on you." Suddenly her voice broke like a glass dropped on a tile floor, sobs overwhelmed her and there was nothing she could do to stop the deluge.
"Chere!? Are you okay? What's happening?" Mickey asked, concerned.
"It's okay. I'm okay." She sniffled into the phone, grateful she'd had the good sense to pull in behind the convenience before she made the call. She could see the motel where they were staying from her rear view window. Hell in all honesty she hadn't made it more than a couple miles down the road before she realized exactly what she was doing and turned around.
She'd been sitting there staring at the motel room door for hours now.
"Okay, you are going to give ole Mickey a heart attack. Tell me what's wrong? Is it your beau? Did something happen to Castiel?"
"Cas is fine. I'm the problem," she cried.
"Oh, now, I know that can't be true." Mickey answered, his voice still smooth as ever only now laced with more than a touch of alarm.
"You don't understand. I was horrible. I ran away from him like he was holding me captive. I just took off." Meg babbled.
"Why? Why would you do that? Did he hurt you?"
Meg chuckled at the thought. "Really?"
"I didn't ask if he hit you, Chere. I know full well that you are plenty capable of taking care of yourself. I asked if he hurt you."
She shook her head quickly. "No, it wasn't anything like that. In fact, he said everything right. He just said it so fast and he looked so happy and it was all just too much. I had to get out of there."
Mickey chuckled. "Now, that is something Mickey can understand. Wasn't too long ago I was sitting right where your beau is now. Probably thinking the exact same thing I was thinking that night you left. 'What the hell just happened?'"
"Yeah, I know. I get it. It's a pattern. But I don't need a therapist right now. I need a friend. I have no idea what to do."
"I think maybe what you need is a little of both and you just happen to be in luck because Ole Mickey is a grand master at both of those things. My advice is easy. I watched you while you were here. I saw you watching him. I saw him watching you. There is something there, Ma Petit. But I'm pretty sure that isn't news to you. What might be is this. I've seen a lot of folks come and go. I watch people, or demons. It's a hobby of mine. I can tell you just about everything you want to know about someone just by watching them for a little while. Here's what I can tell you from watching the two of you for a little while. What the two of you have isn't just something. It's something special. It's the kind of special that only comes around for the lucky ones once. Don't mess this up, Chere. You will regret it."
"But, you don't understand," Meg started, but Mickey cut her off.
"I do understand. Here's where the friend part comes in. I know how scared you are. You run the minute things get complicated. I get all of that. But I can promise you that as deeply as you are in this, so is here. He's right there with you. In all the way."
"That isn't it."
Mickey laughed out loud. "Then, I'm sorry, Ma Petit. I just don't understand the problem."
"The problem is I'm pregnant."
"How is that even possible?!" Mickey exclaimed in shocked disbelief.
"It's possible because I'm an idiot. I didn't even think about being careful. It never occurred to me."
Mickey laughed again. "That's because the last time this was an issue for you was before the Civil War. I think you can give yourself a pass on that one."
Meg slammed her hands against the steering wheel in frustration. "But you see I didn't get a pass. What I got was pregnant. Mickey, I can't do this. I have no idea what the hell I'm doing."
"Mickey sorry, Chere. You know I didn't mean to upset you. I can't even imagine what you must be feeling right now. Does this mean you don't plan on trying to get your inner evil back?"
"Am I going to stay a human?" Meg shifted in her seat. "Actually, to tell you the truth, Cas and I were juts talking about that earlier." She remembered the conversation and the look in his eyes when he told her he wanted to grow old with her and the tears were back with a vengeance.
Mickey was making shhing noises into the phone and telling her the same things Cas had said earlier when he was trying to quiet her. And that made her sob even harder.
"Mickey, I can't do this," she whined between onslaughts. "All I do is cry and puke and we have things to do, important things like saving the world from the Leviathans. I don't have time for this crap right now."
"Mon Amour, I don't think the universe cares. It works on its own time table. Besides, I believe in you. I know you. You can save the universe from the Leviathans while upchucking and brawling your eyes out. That doesn't even sound that hard for you."
She sniffled and took a deep breath. "Alright. So what do you suggested I do now? I literally ran out of our motel room while his back was turned like he was some cult leader and I'd finally broken free. I even hot wired the damn car because I left my purse in the room. I'm completely humiliated."
Mickey howled with laughter. "Oh, my sweet, sweet Petite, I guess you're only course of action is to go back to him and beg his forgiveness for your temporary break with sanity. Considering the source, I can't see how he could not forgive you."
They said there goodbyes and Meg hung up before starting the car and putting it into drive. She glanced into her rear view before easing the car backwards. Then she stomped the breaks as a figured moved into view just beyond her bumper. She jumped in surprise and spun around to find two more figures coming towards the front of the car. A moment later, her car door opened and a very familiar face poked inside.
"Hello, Luv. It has been a long time." Crowley said with a malicious smile.
Meg felt a rash of goosebumps cover her skin as a cool sweet broke out across her forehead. She leaned forward slowly, doing her best to make the movement look as natural as possible while she used her right hand to feel under the seat for the Angel blade she kept stashed there.
"Listen, Crowley, as you can see, I'm just a plain old human now. I'm no threat to you now." She said, trying to stall for a bit of time.
"Threat?" He laughed uproariously. "You think I consider you a threat?"
"Why else would you try so hard to find me and kill me?" Her fingers touched the swords hilt and she closed them around it deliberately.
"You, My Dear, are nothing more than a loss end I've been meaning to snag for some time now. Unfortunately, I'm still not going to get my happy ending. I'm not here to kill you, Luv. But I am here to nab you." He reached into the car and grabbed a handful of her hair, then used that to drag her from her seat. She brought the blade along with her, taking a quick, purposeful jab at him just as she pivoted on her foot.
Crowley caught the flash of steel a moment before she was able to land the blow and dodged out of the way. She attempted again, stabbing towards him with all her strength even though she knew it was a futile effort. His crony had her well in hand before she even got close, twisting her arm until she had no choice but to drop the blade. Her heart sank as she heard it hit the pavement with a clang.
Crowley pulled her upright with his fist full of hair. "Now, now, none of that. I'm not going to hurt you. In fact you can consider yourself under my protection. No one will lay a finger on you."
Meg shrank back from him as far as he would allow her to go. " Why would you do that?"
"Because, I've recently discovered that our little Treetopper is not only alive but still has his fizzle." He pulled her in against him, still holding her by the hair. "I've heard the two of you are just thick as thieves lately. So I'm thinking as long as I have you I can control that fizzle."
And with a snap of his fingers they were gone.
It was four in the morning when Cas called Dean. His voice was squeaky, shaking, he'd waited longer to call than he meant to. He hadn't been able to imagine a scenario where she wouldn't come back. He still expected her to walk through the door any second.
"Cas?" Sam's groggy voice cracked at him through the phone.
"Sam, Tell Dean, she didn't come back." He said through gritted teeth even as the darkness started to pour in around him.
"Who? Cas, who didn't come back?" Sam asked, suddenly very awake.
"Tell him, Sam. Just tell him she didn't come back."
That was as much as he could manage before the only thing that existed for him were inky black mouths full of sharp teeth that nipped at his skin and chipped away at his soul with their vicious words.
