Chapter 29

"Okay, Lucifer's a sour puss and won't come to fight without a vessel he trusts," Gabriel began at our planning meeting the next day. "He knows we hold all the cards, so we need to figure out how we're going to get him to come and meet us so Michael and I can attack him."

Lucifer was running, which was good because it meant we were winning, but terrible because it meant we had no idea how we'd kill him.

"We could always set a trap for him," Liam suggested fingering something in his hands. "He's looking for me, right? Then why don't we make him think he's found me. Get some demons to spread the word that you guys tried to kill me to stop him. If you can make it sound like I killed a couple of you. Then, once Lucifer believes he has the upper hand, you take me to the middle of nowhere, and I call Lucifer down saying I'm going to say yes. I do that, he comes, and then Gabriel and Michael jump him."

I waited for someone to point out that the plan was insane, but all of us gathered in the chilly room said nothing. "Don't be ridiculous!" I finally called out. "You're not actually considering setting a trap for Lucifer, right? He'll know it's all a lie! He won't come, or worse he will come, grab Liam, and we'll lose everything!"

"I don't like it much more than you, Megan, but…" Dean began, but I wasn't going to let him continue. He didn't care as much as me, because Liam wasn't his brother. If it was Sam's ass on the chomping block Dean would be the first one to say nay.

"Lucifer will know it's a trap! Something will go wrong. No, I won't let you guys do this!"

Michael moved closer and placed a steady hand on my shoulder, "What if I knew a way that we could guarantee Lucifer knew it wasn't a trap."

"As if that's possible," I scoffed pulling my shoulder from his grip. "So long as the story the demons are passing along is a lie Lucifer will know. He is deception, a bit of trickery won't fool him."

"That's my point," Michael interrupted voice steely as you'd expect from an absolute archangel. "You're right, Meg, he'll know it's a lie if it is, but what if it wasn't a lie."

Now I wasn't the only one looking at Michael as if he was mad, "You want Liam to actually attack and kill us?"

"Why not?" Michael shrugged clearly forgetting he was in a room full of armed people. (When he angel blades came out he quickly remembered. "Look, all I'm saying is that even if Liam did kill you, you wouldn't have to stay dead. You forget that I'm in charge of Heaven; I can just bring you right back. We did it before after the hunters killed you."

It sounded insane, but Michael actually had some logic to his argument. Humans were easy to bring back for an Archangel. If Liam killed Sam and Dean, Lucifer would know. He'd think things were going our way, and he wouldn't be suspicious of Liam's call.

"But I don't want to…"Liam futilely murmured. "I'm not a killer."

"And they won't stay dead," I reminded my brother softly as I pulled his hand in mine. "Michael will bring them back as soon as we defeat Lucifer. Plus, it's not murder if they agree…think of it as assisted temporary suicide." Wow I couldn't believe I was saying that.

Dean sighed, "You don't have to do this, Liam. But if you're okay with it, and Michael is sure he can bring us back…"

"I'm sure," the archangel nodded clearly pleased that Dean would put his life in Michael's hands. (I'm sure Michael was thinking that maybe that meant Dean would let Mike and I date if he'd let Mike bring him back to life. Michael, of course, would be incorrect in that assumption.)

"Sammy?" Dean asked turning to his brother with a crazy gleam. "You okay with this?"

"Trip to Heaven, why not?" my Uncle laughed as if they did this every day. (Really, it wasn't every day, but pretty close.)

"You're going to have to beat the rest of us up as well," a concerned Castiel interjected looking fondly over to his brother. I'd suggest using a angel-banishing sigil to cast Michael, Gabriel and I back into Heaven. I'll stay there with Sam while Michael brings back Dean to use as his sword against Lucifer."

Liam nodded, content with what he had to do, but there was one factor I didn't like. "What about me? Am I just supposed to sit here?"

"You can't die," Michael answered running his hand through my tangled blonde curls. (A girl really doesn't have time to condition during the Apocalypse.) "Nephilin…no one knows where they go upon death, but I've never heard of one in Purgatory, Heaven, Hell, or Limbo. If Liam kills you there's no guarantee you'll come back."

I couldn't just sit here though while the world went to shit! "Then leave Dean dead! Use me as your vessel…you'd be more powerful anyways."

"No way," the room chorused in unison.

"I'm not letting him possess you again," Dean answered with a tough glare. "You can sit here with your mother…pretend to be injured or something."

"Why do you always try to control my life!" I yelled, but Michael grabbed my arm.

"Meg, even if you said yes I wouldn't accept it. Dean is right; we'll be plenty powerful as-is. Lucifer will not survive."

"But will you" I asked my voice cracking. "If you die Mike then everyone else is stuck dead…there's no one else who has the power to bring everyone back."

"If I die then Lucifer wins," Michael reiterated touching my cheek softly. "No one will want to come back."

"I'll be stuck here alone."

"I won't die," Michael promised. "Everything will be okay, Meg, you'll see."

I didn't believe him, but apparently my voice counted for nothing. Of everyone in the room, Gabriel's eyes held the most sympathy for me, as I stalked away not wanting to watch my brother have to kill my family.

It was going to be a long, lonely night.