The Fate That Binds Us

So this is the third part of my trilogy. The first story is Our Solemn Hour, and the second is In Darkness We Dwell. You need to read these stories before reading this one!

Anna had desperately wanted to save Castiel. He was her little brother, and the two of them had always been close. When he had been captured by the Host, Anna felt as though she owed it to him to help him. After all, she was the one planting the seed of doubt in his ear. If the Host decided to eliminate Castiel for her influence, then the red headed angel would never be able to forgive herself. But they would not kill the angel charged with the care of the Righteous Man, would they?

What was she to do? She was all alone; no other angel would help her. Then she remembered that she was not truly alone. Dean would help her. The eldest Winchester sibling cared about Castiel, and the hunter would not let his friend die. If there was anyone who could help Cas, it would be Dean.

So she appeared in the back seat of the Impala; the same place she and Dean made love. It seemed like a lifetime ago when she first met the Winchesters. Both brothers were surprised to see her, but they did not treat her any different. In fact, it made Anna feel all warm and tingly when Dean eyed her and complimented her looks. If things were not so dire at the moment, Anna would love another romp with Dean. He was the first person in all of existence to actually see her, and maybe Dean had similar feelings toward her.

She told them her suspicions; Castiel was more than likely dead already. But the two hunters reassured her that they were on the case, and they were going to find Cas. Anna had almost forgotten what it felt like to hope. Dean never ceased to amaze her; he was truly something special. Even as an angel once more, he still made her feel whole.

It seemed like the Winchesters were full of miracles because Castiel was back. Anna did not see her brother, but she learned from Dean what happened. It was their little secret that Anna would visit his dreams now and again. They were two lonely souls who made themselves whole through each other. Anna knew she was going to have to visit her brother soon to make sure he was ok.

~*SPN*~

Anna could feel Dean's anguish, and she did not know how to help him. So many of the seals were broken, and there were only a couple left. Yes, she knew about Sam Winchester drinking demon blood from the angels. There was a darkness growing within the younger Winchester, and both Anna and Dean had no idea how to help him,

It was why she was so infuriated with Castiel. Her brother let Sam out to go back to the demon that was destroying the hunter's soul. Castiel should have known better. It was why she went to go see him. His eyes were so full of regret, but Anna would not realize until too late that it was her not Sam. Her own brother laid out a trap for her, and Anna had blindly walked in it. She made sure to look into Castiel's eyes as she was handled by two of their other siblings. She hoped that Cas would never forget the look of betrayal she had on her face.

There was no way to fight off the angels that grabbed hold of the red head's arms. It was hard to sense, but there could be more angels lurking. Biting back the tears as well as the inside of her cheek, Anna was flown back to Heaven.

The first angel to greet Anna was Zachariah. He was standing before the main building in the Silver City. Anna did her best to meet his gaze without fear in her own eyes. It was difficult, but she believed she managed. "Welcome back Anna," he mockingly greeted, "we have been waiting for you. There are a few things we need to talk about."

Thus, she was led into the angelic stronghold. There was no point in putting up a fight; there was no chance she could win… especially since there could be an archangel close by.

Demons must have learned from angels the art of torture. Her brothers and sisters were relentless in their punishment toward her. Zachariah had managed to even break one of her wings, believing she would never able to fly and escape now. Her angelic brethren also had the gall to comment that Anna was getting off easy for her crimes; her punishment should have been death. The escape of death was something Anna had longed for. Would her torture ever end?

Slowly, less and less angels came to "visit" her. Zachariah was one of the angels to stop coming by. Even in her weakened state, Anna could sense something serious on the horizon. When she could no longer sense Michael in Heaven, no one came by again to hurt her; she was all alone again. The archangel had to be on Earth; most likely getting ready to fight Lucifer. This might be Anna's only chance. Her right wing was still heavily damaged and broken, and she broke her left arm to break free of her shackles. Heaven was surprisingly unguarded, and Anna escaped from the Silver City. The garden would be too dangerous to hide from her siblings, so she searched for the part of Heaven her human parents were residing.

It was so great to see them once again, even though they could not see her. As Anna wiped the tears from her eyes, she needed to plan her escape. How could she fly out of Heaven undetected? Could she even fly?

It was a little while later when Anna realized she was no longer alone. Standing in the doorway of the living room of Anna's childhood home was the angel Joshua. The red headed angel immediately went on the defensive. What did the Gardener want with her? "Joshua?" she questioned.

Joshua's smiled warmly and moved out of the doorway and closer to his sister. He could sense her unease and mistrust, and he raised his arms out in surrender. "I'm not here to hurt you Anna," he promised her.

Anna held her injured wing close to her body. She knew she was trapped. "Then what are you doing here?" she wondered.

Slowly, Joshua continued to close the gap between the two of them. "Michael has just been killed, and it is time to get you out of here," he began to explain.

Listening to his words, Anna slowly got to her feet. Michael was dead; she could not believe it. Did Lucifer actually kill his big brother? "Then why come see me? Who will lead the Host now?" she continued to question.

"Heaven has a new leader in the form of Gabriel," he answered, "and I'm here to get you out of Heaven." There was hardly any distance left between the two angels.

Still, Anna was so confused. She had no idea that Gabriel was even alive. He was the archangel that trained her and who she used to report to. Would Gabriel want her dead like Michael? "Why would you risk yourself to help me?" she asked the burning question.

Joshua grasped her hand and held it in his own. "Because I know you have a destiny," he spoke, "the two of you are bonded. If he ever were to accept his destiny, then he will need you at his side."

He always left her with more questions than answers. "Who?" she asked. But she never got her answer because he transported her back to Earth.

~*SPN*~

Anna was a survivor. She survived when she fell all the way to getting her grace back. But in her weakened condition, Anna did not know how much more she had; she was so tired. As she was wandering for a safe place to hole up in, Anna became surrounded by a group of demons. There were five of them in all. This is it… Anna thought… this is how she was going to die.

"Look at what we have here, a pretty, broken, little angel," the obvious leader commented, "we owe your kind some pain for all you've done to our throne."

As Anna held her head high in defiance, the howl of a Hellhound could be heard. Then the great beast was running toward them and attacking the leader.

As the Hellhound was pulling the demonic essence from its human host, a demon with red eyes appeared. "Unless you want to join him, I suggest you leave," the demon, Crowley, threatened the other demons.

One by one, the other demons vanished, leaving Anna alone with Crowley. She stared at him with obvious mistrust in her hazel eyes. "Did you want the glory of killing me yourself?" she demanded.

Crowley's eyes returned to his vessel's usual shade of brown. "No, I'm a business man, and I have come to offer you a deal," he responded.

Anna was still weary of the demon before her. "What kind of deal?" she insisted for clarification.

Turning to the side, Crowley began to pace. "I know exactly who you are Anna, and I know how badly Heaven wants you dead," he began.

The angel was reminded of the last conversation she had with Joshua. "Heaven has a new leader with Gabriel, and things are different there," she countered.

Dark eyes glanced at the angel's form. He added, "Unfortunately for you, things haven't changed that much. Gabriel is already hunting for you."

She did her best to hold in her hatred for this whole situation. "So what do you want then? Nothing is ever free," she studied him for answers.

He turned back to face her. "I will protect you from Gabriel's forces, which should give you plenty of time to heal. And in return, you help me with taking the throne of Hell," he offered.

Anna could not believe she was agreeing to this demon's deal. But if she were to survive, then she was going to need some help. Besides, she was not going to inform Crowley of her greatest secret, her greatest aid. It was something only between her and HIM.

~*SPN*~

Anna was still in shock that she had been with the demon Crowley for over nine years. Time seemed to fly by for the angel. Anna and Crowley had grown close as the years passed. Their relationship was not romantic or sexual in nature, but the closeness was built on their need for another as well as the time that passed. With each passing month, Anna began to believe in Crowley. He should be king; he was the best suited for the job. Dean was meant to be human, and he deserved his human life back.

It took over a year or two, but Anna was now fully healed from her wounds. Once when she was fully healed, Anna began to help the demon in his quest to restore Dean's humanity. It was she who was the one who brought Crowley and Bobby together. Of course Singer was willing to work with them. He heard about Anna from Dean and knew how close they became, and Crowley had helped Sam and Bobby in the past. He was alright for a demon. Besides, it was a cause Bobby Singer could get behind.

It was Bobby who found the ritual to pull Lucifer's grace from Dean. Crowley was near giddy when he learned this. Anna should be happy, but she could not shake the sense that something was terribly wrong.

A couple of days later when Anna was alone, she was approached. She knew right away the other woman was a demon. The demon possessed a woman of similar build (but maybe a hair taller) with red hair and a dangerous aura. "The angel once known as Anna Milton," the demoness spoke, "my fellow Knights will be happy to know I've found you."

Anna knew then the demon before her was a Knight of Hell, and the angel also knew she was going to have to tread carefully. She responded, "You know who I am, but I'm afraid I don't have that same luxury."

Black demonic eyes were revealed as the demon grinned wickedly. "They call me Abaddon, and I have been looking for you."

The angel summoned her angel blade and prepared for a fight. Abaddon had a nasty reputation, and Anna was not going to play any games.

Abaddon looked at the angel's weapon briefly before returning her gaze to the angel's eyes. "Relax," Abaddon responded, "I'm here to talk, not to fight."

Anna was hesitant about her next action. "What do you want to talk about?" she wondered. This was all so very strange.

The female demon shifted closer to the angel. "You need to know that Crowley can't be trusted. He is a threat to Dean."

This demon had to be mistaken. Crowley was working with her to save the aforementioned Winchester. "No," the angel muttered, "you are mistaken."

Abaddon continued to invade the angel's personal space. "The only way Dean is off the throne is through death," the demon explained, "it's one of the reasons he sought you."

Anna's eyes widened. Did Hell and Dean believe she wanted him dead? "Me, why me?" the angel continued to evade.

However, the demon knew she was getting through to the other woman. "We all know about the bond you share with our king. We respect it; Crowley will use it to weaken and cripple Dean," Abaddon continued.

Hazel eyes full of emotion looked at the demoness. "What do you want me to do?" she wondered.

The demon gripped Anna's shoulder. "Stay out of my way," Abaddon answered, "I will deal with Crowley and anyone else who gets in the way." With those words spoken, the demon vanished.

Anna hurried back to Crowley. She needed to know which demon was telling the truth. "Crowley!" the angel yelled. When Crowley appeared, her tirade continued, "Is it true this spell you want to use will kill Dean if you transfer his powers?"

Who had been talking to the angel? "Of course not," he lied, "Who told you such a thing?"

Anna's eyes were opened now, and she could see the demon for what he truly was. "I swear if it's the last thing I do, I will stop you," she vowed. Crowley had now made an enemy in the angel. She would never betray Dean.