Chapter Ten

Mice and Men

December 13, 2009

Azrial landed outside Bobby Singer's house moments before Crowley appeared at her side. She shot the demon a look before moving confidently toward the door despite her mind being a million miles away. What the hell had she been thinking yesterday? Oh, that's right. She hadn't. Azrial sighed trying to shove the thoughts aside. She needed to focus. Now wasn't the time to think about what happened yesterday, but it was hard to forget the feeling of Crowley's hands on her body or the fact that the demon had refused to give an inch of control back one he'd gotten it. The fact she enjoyed that Crowley hadn't given an inch was something she didn't want to contemplate currently.

Azrial shook her head with an aggravated sigh as she knocked against the door with far more force than needed.

"Something wrong, darling?"

Crowley's voice ghosted against her neck as he leaned closer to her than strictly necessary, and she glared back at him for a moment.

"Don't start," she muttered.

"Really? That eager to start another fight?"

Azrial growled at the quiet amusement rolling off the demon. She'd wring his damn neck when they were alone if he continued to tease her. Still, Azrial did enjoy what had transpired between them, and a traitorous part of her brain was plotting ways for it to happen again. It was the only reason she'd conceded to Crowley's command before they left the safe house. Why did her soft spot have to go to Crowley of all beings? It was asking for trouble, but she'd known that for decades now.

The door swinging open had Azrial refocusing on her surroundings, and she gave a polite nod to Bobby Singer who raised an eyebrow at the two of them. The hunter looked between them for a moment, and to her surprise smirked at them.

"Ya know, fucking away your problems isn't actually a thing, right?"

Azrial's eyes widened for a moment at the hunter's blunt words before she narrowed them on the man. She'd planned on being relatively polite, but that went straight to hell after being called out.

"How would you know, Singer? Seems it's been a while since a woman has given you the time of day."

Azrial snapped back, but to his credit, the hunter simply rolled his eyes before stepping aside and waving them in.

"Don't get snippy, Princess. Nothin' you say will get to me. I've heard it all before."

Azrial huffed and brushed past the hunter, but couldn't help being mildly impressed with his response. It took a ballsy, and maybe slightly suicidal, man to stand up to a being who can kill you with the snap of their fingers. Bobby was either that confident in their deal, or he just had zero fucks to give about who she and Crowley were.

Azrial almost hoped it was the latter, just because it would be a nice change of pace.

The door shut behind them and they followed Bobby into the same room they were in last night to see Sam, Dean and Castiel still asleep on the furniture. Azrial raised her eyebrow at her brother's sleeping form. She was half tempted to leave at that point but remained quiet as Bobby shook each of their shoulders to wake them up. Azrial watched as Castiel's eyes snapped open but as soon as he saw who had touched him, relaxed. It seemed he'd found a place to belong.

Azrial was happy for him, but couldn't help the feeling of guilt that crept into her mind as Castiel's eyes shot to look at her warily.

"Glad you're all up. Where's Anderson? All of us need to talk."

She kept her voice neutral and ignored the soft huff from Crowley at the inclusion of the exorcist. Azrial knew it would put them in a better standing to allow the man to be there rather than fight it, but it didn't mean the demon was happy about it. Hell, she wasn't overly thrilled about including him either. Azrial had a feeling last night had been an act, but she couldn't be sure and hoped that things didn't get out of hand again.

"In the kitchen, getting breakfast. It would be the best place for us all to sit down."

Azrial raised an eyebrow at the clear prompting from Bobby, but shrugged showing she didn't care where they talked. She chanced a glance at Crowley who was looking around the room curiously. His eyes were running over the plethora of books in the makeshift living room slash office area. Crowley was a firm believer in the mantra 'knowledge is power' and it made him into somewhat of a book hoarder. As everyone made their way into the kitchen she tapped Crowley's arm as she passed by him. The demon hummed and turned away from the books and turned toward the kitchen as well.

When Azrial turned to join them, her eyes locked with Bobby's and he simply raised an eyebrow at her. She frowned and realized the hunter must have caught her interaction with Crowley. She brushed past him and ignored the questioning look in favor of dealing with the issue at hand. Everyone but Crowley was seated around the kitchen table. The demon was leaning against the counter and Azrial found herself resisting the urge to go stand by him. Instead, she stood at the end of the table just as Bobby sat down. Bobby sitting was the cue for all eyes to turn toward her expectantly and Azrial sighed as a feeling of nostalgia rushed over her for a moment.

It had been a long time since she was in this position.

"Lucifer will be making his move in around 48 hours."

Azrial kept her voice calm, knowing what was going to happen the moment she revealed the plan. Her ears were already preemptively ringing from the screaming match that was about to occur.

"So we need a plan." Dean paused, sipping his coffee before smirking cockily at her, "You're the big bad archangel; what do we do?"

"We don't do anything. None of you are coming."

A soft cough from Crowley was the only sound for several moments, and their eyes met. Azrial felt as if a cold hand wrap around her heart as she remembered her promise. Damn it. She hadn't wanted him near this either. She wanted him safe.

"Well, Crowley is going. The rest of you are staying here."

Her amended statement, uttered with more than a touch of reluctance, was greeted by a cacophony of sound. Azrial winced as everyone seated at the table yelled to be heard over each other, even Castiel who was at times slipping toward the angelic tongue in his anger.

Azrial was about to try and break up the yelling when a sharp whistle had everyone covering their ears. Her eyes snapped to Crowley who was rubbing his temple as he lowered his other hand from his mouth.

"Will you idiots shut up and let her talk? Or at least yell one at a bloody time."

The hunters chose the latter, and Dean immediately turned toward her with a glare.

"Who the hell do you think you are, lady? This is our fight and we're damn well going to be a part of it. You don't get to bench us!"

Azrial stared at the eldest Winchester for several moments, utterly surprised at the balls on him. Then she made the mistake of looking at his soul rather than his face, and the pain of everything happening came full circle.

Dean Winchester's soul, powerful and strong and so so bright, was an exact mirror of Michael's grace.

It actually made what she was about to say easier, even if her words came out more emotional than they normally would have.

"I am your only hope of surviving. You have no chance of beating Lucifer, or did you forget why you ended up at my doorstep?"

Dean bristled, and Azrial made sure to close herself off from the souls of the people in the room. She didn't need to know if Sam Winchester looked like Lucifer, and she certainly didn't need to know any more about Rowen or Bobby. You'd think after decades of living with Crowley and never looking past his vessel out of respect for his privacy she'd know better than to tempt fate, Azrial thought bitterly.

"We can still fight him! You're supposed to help not take over!"

Azrial narrowed her eyes on Dean and snapped back, "Would you like the list of reasons why you're wrong alphabetically or numerically, Winchester?"

"Numerically, you self righteous feather duster."

Dean hissed the comment and Azrial gave a sharp laugh that seemed to startle the humans in the room as she quickly countered.

"Number one, you bratty little human," she paused enjoying the scowl that Dean leveled on her more than she probably should, "You're Michael's perfect vessel. Lucifer will splatter your pretty little face all over the concrete out of principle alone."

Azrial wasn't blind to the pained look that passed over Sam's face, or the way Bobby's fists clenched on the table at the reminder. She needed these idiots to realize this wasn't worth it. If it meant hurting their feelings, so fucking be it. Azrial pressed on as she glared at Dean who looked surprised at the verbal lashing.

"Remember, Lucifer doesn't want to fight Michael. Not really. He just wants to destroy humanity. With you out of the way that becomes a lot easier. Secondly,"

"Oi, you don't need to be-"

Azrial snapped her fingers and Dean's eyes widened as he realized he couldn't speak. His glare intensified as she continued her rant.

"Secondly, you're human. Kinda makes number one all the more satisfying for my dear old brother. Third, if he doesn't kill you he'll play with your mind. Lucifer is a master manipulator and when he puts his mind to it even a Saint will crumble under his influence. Lucifer's just lazy, and believe me you don't want him to stop being lazy."

Dean's lips pursed and she snapped her fingers once more giving him back his ability to speak.

"Lastly, you're a hunter, not a soldier, Winchester. You wouldn't obey me, and I can't risk that. Not with my life on the line," she added as an afterthought.

Not with Crowley's life on the line, Azrial thought as she finished her rant. She'd be fine, she knew that in her gut, but Crowley could be killed before she had the chance to intercede. If Azrial could get away with it, she'd be locking his ass in a Devil's Trap and still be going alone. The bastard was far too cunning for that though, and she had a feeling he'd be keeping a sharp eye out for such actions. Crowley knew her far too well to think he'd won that promise so easily.

"That doesn't explain why I can't go, sister."

Castiel's voice was strong, and there wasn't a waver in it as he spoke to her. Azrial almost smiled at the realization that he felt confident enough to speak to her as an equal, but she shoved it down to focus on everything his statement implied.

"There is no need for you to go, Castiel. You should stay and watch over your charges."

Castiel scoffed and stood up staring her down. He was using his vessel height to his advantage, and Azrial raised an eyebrow at the action.

"My job is to protect them. They can defend themselves easily, but Lucifer is a threat to their lives. My place in all this is fighting Lucifer so Sam and Dean can go back to their lives."

"What good could you possibly do, Castiel? Your powers are weak. I can feel that. Father only knows when the last time you truly fought was on top of that."

"I hunt-"

"You know what I mean."

Azrial snapped the statement, not wanting to explain to humans the difference between the two. Castiel didn't back down though. His eyes became colder and he said softly, "Then test me. I refuse to remain on the sidelines like this. I will protect my family. They're all I have left."

Azrial swallowed thickly at that and shoved away the guilt that flowed through her at Castiel's words. She'd done the same, hadn't she? She had shoved her family away and sided with Crowley. There was no need to feel guilty about Castiel making the same choice. Not right now. Maybe later, when she was alone and could actually think about it, but for now it was a hindrance.

"Fine. If you're truly up to my standards, you may come."

Castiel's eyes flashed with satisfaction, and he sat down at her words. So he wasn't going to fight for the Winchester's inclusion? Interesting.

"If Cas is going then I'm going! You can't just pick and choose."

"No."

Azrial said the word, but she was surprised that it was echoed by Crowley and Castiel with the same amount of heat. Dean looked startled but kept his eyes narrowed on her, "And why the hell not?"

Azrial turned back toward Dean with a scowl, and hissed, "Castiel's reasoning was sound, and even then he needs to prove to me that he can still fight. You're grasping at straws, Dean."

Dean opened his mouth to respond, but Sam spoke up first.

"We were raised to be soldiers thanks to our Dad. Dean in particular. Your last point isn't really valid."

Sam kept his voice respectfu,l but there was still a harsh edge to his words. Azrial raised an eyebrow at his words and dropped some of the hostility from her voice as she answered.

"Is that so? Would your brother obey me? Hell, would he obey Crowley if it came down to it? In a situation like this, a human's sense may not be enough. If Crowley or I sense something is off, we can't afford to be arguing with you. We need instant obedience."

Sam frowned at her words and remained silent. Bobby broke in at that point and Azrial wished she could just put them all to sleep for the next 48 hours instead of having this conversation,

"You shouldn't count us out of the fight just 'cause we're human, Princess. If you give us the tools we can and will fight."

Azrial scowled at the nickname and opened her mouth to respond but it proved unnecessary.

"You ungrateful idiots just don't get it, do you?"

Crowley's voice was laced with annoyance and aggravation as he spat the question. Azrial remained silent wondering where the demon was going with his question.

"How are we ungrateful?"

Bobby snapped the question, and Crowley scowled as he pushed himself up from his leaning position to get closer to the table. His eyes dragged over them all coldly as he spoke.

"We're giving you morons an out, and you still want to throw your lives away in an act of meaningless bravery. It makes me wonder why I even bothered introducing you to Azrial if you were going to run off and get your fool arses killed anyway."

Crowley's words seemed to cut Bobby the deepest, and the hunter remained silent after that. No one spoke for several moments, and when someone did, Azrial was surprised that it was Rowen. The exorcist had remained silent up until now, but his voice brooked no room for argument.

"They're right, you know?"

Rowen's question was clearly rhetorical, but it startled the hunters. Azrial shot Crowley a questioning look, but the demon's eyes were narrowed on Rowen. She couldn't blame him. Of all the people to agree with them, Rowen seemed the least likely. Dean shot a betrayed look at the exorcist whose eyes hardened slightly.

"There's no honor in dying on a suicide run you're no longer needed for, Dean."

Azrial watched the younger hunter struggle with the blunt statement, and still couldn't believe the turn of events. Still, hearing it from a friend seemed to have had a profound effect on the humans so Azrial leveled a curious gaze on Rowen.

"I'm impressed. After last night, I never expected you to side with us."

Rowen gave a roguish smile, and Azrial simply raised an eyebrow, prompting the exorcist to laugh.

"I'm not always an asshole, and I know when to back down from a fight. Bobby has a point though. If things go south on your end we need a way to defend ourselves."

Azrial frowned slightly at the unspoken ultimatum. She had to hand it to the man; Rowen had found a middle ground that would silence most of them but it came at a price.

"You already have demon-killing weapons."

"We do. What we need is a way to defend against angels."

Azrial remained silent at that comment and mulled over Rowen's words. Dean took the silence as a chance to air his displeasure at the situation.

"This is bullshit! Are we really going to let these three handle it?"

When silence greeted his question Dean turned his eyes on Castiel, and the angel seemed to shrink away slightly at the piercing gaze. Azrial snorted at the interaction but remained silent as Dean plowed on.

"Cas, you know this isn't our way. We're family, we stick together."

Castiel's eyes became turbulent, and Azrial could see the conflict brewing behind his gaze. She wondered how often Dean got what he wanted from her brother, but who was she to judge? Crowley managed to get his way more often than not as well.

"Dean, they all have a point. Dying for the sake of dying? It isn't like us."

Sam's voice was calm, but Dean turned on his brother, temper still high, "That isn't the point! We-!"

"The Princess has a point."

Bobby's firm voice shut Dean up, and Azrial scowled at the hunter. She was going to turn him into a mute if he kept up with that nickname.

"We don't stand a chance. We never did, Dean. We asked for a miracle and for once we freakin' got one. Let it go."

Bobby's words seemed to be sinking in but Dean wasn't ready to give up just yet, "But Cas-"

"Castiel can handle himself, Dean. You know that. Let the three of them deal with this."

Bobby's final statement brooked no room for argument and Dean fell silent. He still looked pissed, but Azrial could deal with that. Her eyes darted to Castiel, whose eyes shone with guilt as Dean stopped arguing. With a sigh, she turned to her brother.

"Why don't you prove Singer's faith in you, Castiel? You're still not cleared to go, and this would be a good way to put your friends' minds' at ease."

Castiel steeled himself and nodded at her offhand statement. Azrial shrugged her jacket off and sighed as she realized she was still wearing the shirt from last night. Bobby sent her a knowing look, and she shot him a warning look. Why did she have to deal with a perceptive human? Oh, right, the world was ending.

"Will this be as messy as the last time you trained?"

Crowley sounded far too amused, and Azrial rolled her eyes.

"You mean when I wiped the floor with you? No. I expect Castiel to put up a far better fight."

There was a flash annoyance mixed with amusement in the demon's eyes at her snarked comment. In response, she threw her jacket at him.

Crowley caught it with a roll of his eyes as he spoke, "You're so mouthy. Why do I even put up with you?"

"I've got a pretty face."

Azrial said it sweetly as she gently prodded Castiel toward the door. Her brother took a steadying breath, but seemed prepared.

Azrial wasn't entirely sure she was, but it had nothing to do with testing Castiel.