Author's note: Thanks so much to CassxDeano, Nicolene B, Maknatuna, Maddy Love Castiel, QuietCrash, AnninaSA, Treeni, Crazy as a Cheshire Cat, CherylB1964, Nyx Ro, The Third Biker Scholar, ViolateHim, random yet lovable, LadyGrelka, keacdragon, XxZessxX and angelgobad05 for last chapter's reviews!
Special thanks to Treeni for beta-reading. All hail to the sass-queen!
36
"Are you stirring sugar into your hot chocolate?" Sam asked, raising his eyebrow at Gabriel as the former archangel dumped what had to be the third spoonful of sugar into his mug. Of course, Gabriel was a sweet tooth second to none, but this was quite ridiculous even for the former archangel.
"Yes," Gabriel retorted with a shrug, before he dumped another spoonful of sugar into his mug demonstratively. He could have as much sugar as he wanted. The former archangel joined Sam for parts of the taller man's workout routines often enough to be allowed all the calories he wanted. Not to mention the other calorie burning activities they got up to.
"Let me rephrase that, why are you stirring sugar into your hot chocolate?" Sam tried again as he stroked Gabriel's back gently. The younger Winchester wasn't particularly worried about his partner's eating habits -even if he couldn't fully approve of them- in general, but it seemed like there was something more behind Gabriel's sudden craving for sugar on top of sugar.
"No particular reason, I just like it sweet," Gabriel insisted even as he leaned into Sam's touch. It wasn't exactly a lie either. Gabriel liked sugar, enough so that he had been genuinely happy about the bag of sugar Dean gifted to him the previous Christmas. Of course, everything sweet was also comfort food, especially when it came to the former archangel.
Gabriel mentally kicked himself just a second later for even trying to keep something from Sam. His partner could look right through him anyway and even if he couldn't, there was somebody who genuinely cared about Gabriel's physical and mental wellbeing. The former archangel abandoned his mission to stir the sugary sludge that had been perfectly fine hot chocolate at one point and leaned back against Sam's chest fully instead. "Maybe I'm a little nervous. I mean, a couple months ago the world would've ended with a meeting like this."
Gabriel was reasonably sure that there was something they could do to thwart Raphael and Crowley's plans. They had a way to summon Crowley and if the former archangel had to beat some sense into the slimy demon himself, he would do it!
Michael and Lucifer both were on good paths individually, but only their father knew how they would do when they came face to face with each other. Gabriel had seen enough of his brothers fighting for a hundred lifetimes and then some. To see them go back to their old ways after they only just learned a couple of important moral lessons would be incredibly painful. For the first time in -nearly literally- forever Gabriel had hope that his older brothers could get along.
"It's going to be okay," Sam promised in a soothing tone as he wrapped his arms around his partner, "I mean, even if the meeting goes badly they both have a support network to go back to."
Gabriel sighed. Sam had a point. Even if Michael and Lucifer couldn't get along, the people who had shown them the error of their ways were still there. Maybe they would walk away from this hating each other, but they would still be reformed people. "I just want them to get along, is that too much to ask for?"
"Yes," Dean deadpanned, before he smirked and nodded toward the other side of the room, "But on the positive side, they're both human and I'm pretty sure Jody has a taser."
Jody saw Dean nodding toward her, but the sheriff had her own problems to deal with and couldn't pay much thought to what the oldest Winchester might have said. The ice-pack Bobby had given to her did a bang up job relieving the residual headache from being knocked out, but Jody still needed to find a way to get out of her next day shift. Technically, she could have used one of the sick days she hardly ever needed, but this was where every duteous bone in her body told her to draw the line. Aiding hunters even if Jody had to bend the rules or break the law for it was one thing, but weaseling her way out of duty by feigning sickness was another completely.
"Yes Randy, the world might end if we don't switch shifts," Jody stated in a snarky enough tone that it made her deputy reconsider his next words. The sheriff didn't have to wait long to get the response she had wanted from the start. "Sunday then. Fine."
It wasn't like Jody minded doing a Sunday shift or even several. She didn't have any children at home who were looking forward to spending the weekend with their mom and Bobby generally didn't care much about which days of the week she spent mostly at his place. Jody didn't believe that there was much she could do in the upcoming battle, conflict, or whatever it would turn out to be in the end, but she still wanted to be there.
"Is it mean that I just saddled one of my deputies with what might be the world's last shift?" Jody mused with a crooked smile. None of them really knew what exactly would happen if Raphael and Crowley opened Purgatory, but it clearly couldn't be good. Apparently, there could in fact be more than one threat of apocalyptical proportions in a year.
"What he doesn't know, can't hurt him," Bobby retorted with a shrug.
"Besides the world is still going to be there," Balthazar pointed out unhelpfully, "Humanity might not be."
Even humanity would likely still be there the day after the next. The eradication of an entire species usually took some time, especially if their planet didn't go with them.
"I have asked Michael and Lucifer to appear in different parts of the house. It seemed wise to make sure they do not face each other immediately," Castiel suddenly explained to keep Balthazar from saying anything more. As much as he appreciated -and needed- Balthazar's help, sometimes his brother's antics were grating on the trench coat clad seraph's nerves. Maybe it was time to teach Balthazar a little lesson. "I will await Lucifer. Will you go and greet Michael, brother?"
"Aye, aye," Balthazar stated with a mock salute, before something dawned on him. Of course, he didn't look forward to facing Lucifer -powerless or not- but Michael, or rather the angel who would clearly be with him, was the bigger threat. Not that Balthazar couldn't take a punch, but why should he if it could be avoided? "Wait a second..."
Sam, Dean and Gabriel had turned their attention toward Castiel and Balthazar the moment Castiel first mentioned Michael and Lucifer. The oldest Winchester couldn't be completely sure, but he thought his angelic friend looked like he had just been caught red-handed.
"Did you just try to set me up?" Balthazar asked, masking his real surprise with laying on the fake surprise as thick as he could, "How could you do that to your most loyal and beloved brother?"
Sam couldn't help thinking that Castiel and Dean were clearly spending too much time together when his older brother and the seraph simultaneously gave the same unimpressed look at Balthazar's antics.
"I think you just answered your own question, feathers," Bobby remarked with a slight smirk.
Michael, Lucifer and their respective angelic guardians arrived within seconds of each other. As Castiel requested Samandriel brought Lucifer to Bobby's kitchen, while Otheos dropped Michael in the living room. Of course, they were both then led to the study while their guardians returned to guard the respective families the former archangels left behind, but giving them a minute to acclimate themselves before they faced each other seemed like a good idea.
The moment Michael's eyes fell on Lucifer, he basically froze. Michael couldn't say what he expected, but Lucifer looked... human. So did Gabriel of course, but with Gabriel it seemed like a given that he would find a way to accept and adapt to being human. He had always figured Gabriel was blending in with the humans when he was M.I.A. after all. Lucifer on the other hand...
"It's good to see you," Michael finally stated seriously, before he remembered the second part of Hope's advice and forced a nervous smile on his face. It was the best he could do under the circumstances and it wasn't clear if Lucifer would appreciate it anyway.
"Of course, I'm only here for a second and..." Lucifer started to rant, before what Michael actually said hit him, "What?"
Lucifer frowned deeply. It wasn't just about what Michael said. His older brother also looked different and it wasn't only due to his new vessel -or body really. The whole way Michael held himself seemed different. He was tense for sure, but it only spoke of nervousness and not a stance of being ready to argue a moot point.
"It's good to see you, brother," Michael repeated with a more sincere smile. Surprise wasn't the best case scenario, but it was far from the worst. If Lucifer was surprised, he might actually consider what Michael said, which would be more than could be said for the last couple of times they had spoken.
Lucifer narrowed his eyes at his brother as he tried to find any trace of deception. The former devil was reluctant to accept that he couldn't see any. It seemed too good to be true, if he allowed himself the thought. Lucifer's whole posture became a little more relaxed as he inclined his head toward his older brother and said, "Likewise."
"A damn near chick flick moment's not what I expected," Dean snorted. The oldest Winchester couldn't -and didn't want to- hide that he was pleased by this surprising turn of events though. It sure made their lives easier that the two former archangels could get along.
"Were we supposed to hit each other?" Michael asked with a deep frown. It seemed cruel to ask them both to appear when they fully expected the meeting to turn into a fist fight. Then again, the former archangel had to admit that given his and Lucifer's track record the humans had reasons to believe things would go to hell in a hand basket.
"Not supposed to, but..." Gabriel explained a little awkwardly, before he remembered something that made his tone more heated as he spoke on. "You sure did when we met!"
"You hit him?" both Michael and Lucifer asked at the same time.
"It was his fault I nearly died," Lucifer stated with a light shrug. Of course, Lucifer's vessel hadn't been in the best condition to begin with, but without the forced fall the worst that could have happened to him was bursting out of his temporary vessel and being forced find another before he got Sam to say yes. Not that Lucifer wanted to think of any of that. It was over and done with. Lucifer's interest in Sam only went as far as to notice that the younger Winchester had taken a protective step in front of Gabriel at the mention of punches. "To be fair, Castiel did his part too, but what's the point in getting healed if I just turn around and break a couple bones on his chin?"
"Understandable," Michael admitted, nodding to himself, "I on the other hand need to apologize. I've come to the conclusion that it was really more our father's doing that I nearly drowned. Not that I could hit him, even if I wanted to."
"Did you just... Did I just hear that right?" Lucifer asked. The former devil's jaw was close to dropping, but he managed to only stare at his older brother in open disbelief. All things considered, it was the more dignified alternative. Not giving any kind of reaction was impossible when Michael of all people admitted that God was at fault for anything.
"Yes, yes, he's less of a tight-ass, you are more of a goody two shoes. It's a miracle!" Balthazar snarked. A couple of months ago a meeting between Michael and Lucifer that didn't end in bloodshed would have been the solution to all their problems. Not that it would have been possible back then. As things are, a peaceful meeting was only the foundation that made starting to work on their problem possible.
"Raphael and Crowley are trying to open Purgatory," Castiel stated while the surprise over Balthazar's little outburst still lasted and before anybody could snark back. Besides, the blue-eyed seraph hadn't told Michael and Lucifer why he needed their expertise exactly beforehand.
"Why the hell would they do that? I mean Crowley maybe, but Raphael should know better," Lucifer huffed. Crowley was just a stupid demon who didn't know better, king of hell or not. Raphael on the other hand, had been an archangel and knew exactly what opening Purgatory entailed. It had been hard enough to seal those things up in the first place. "There are things in Purgatory not even I in my worst phase would've wanted to deal with!"
"I'm afraid Raphael might think she can use the power of the souls in Purgatory to get back into Heaven," Michael explained in a troubled tone. Raphael came to Michael for help. Maybe if he had been able to provide it. Of course, it was doubtful if Crowley would have allowed it to begin with. Not to mention that Raphael had to be really determined if she considered opening Purgatory a viable option. Michael couldn't have given Raphael an alternative if he wanted to. "Raphael has lost her sense for boundaries and her own limitations a long time ago."
"Fair enough. They'll try to open Purgatory, suck up the souls, break into heaven and will free the Leviathan while they're at it," Lucifer summed up quickly, before he added, "But more importantly, why are you calling our brother a sister?"
"Raphael is in a female vessel, it seemed right to use the appropriate pronouns," Michael explained with a slight shrug. Calling Raphael 'it' would be considered offensive for sure. There were other languages that would have more appropriate pronouns for their situation, but switching to Malay or Estonian would have inconvenienced the humans present. Not to mention Michael wasn't exactly sure if he was still fluent in those languages, not to mention Lucifer and Gabriel.
"We can ask Raph for his or her preferred pronouns when we find them," Gabriel shrugged. Of course, the question 'Hey Raph, do you want us to refer to you as he or she?' would be followed with something like 'Give up on your plans or we'll have to kick your sorry ass'. Under the circumstances, it would be understandable if Raphael didn't fully appreciate their attempt to be considerate and gender sensitive.
"I hope y'all have some ideas of how to get the king of hell to sing like a little birdy," Bobby stated with a grim smile. The old hunter had a couple ideas of his own. Eleanor's death would not be for nothing!
Dean nodded. It was about time they got this show on the road. "Time to summon the son of a bitch!"