A/N: Thank you all for the faves and follows! I hope you enjoy this part. Maggie was a lot of fun to write and create. Let me know what you all think! Thanks!

Chapter 25: Playing House

"I represent to you all the sins which you never had the courage to commit."
Oscar Wilde

Fighting with Five was definitely an experience. One that left me covered in dirt and bruises. I didn't manage to hit him unless it was blocking an attack. It left me sore, but a little grateful in a weird way. If I could figure out a way to fight Five, it was possible to fight anything. I had managed to hit Jane, which I thought was impossible. I just had to keep trying.

I was in the basement doing laundry. We had accumulated a wide variety of clothes since Jane had been sent to do shopping. It was mainly things we could work out in. However, the increase in training and people meant an increase in laundry and since no one wanted to venture into the basement while the vampires slept, it fell to me.

I heard the door open at the top of the stairs as I started to fold clothes. I looked up, surprised at the intrusion. Sam walked down the stairs and stopped at the bottom. I watched as he glanced over at the areas where Eric and Spike were sleeping.

"Hey," he said softly. "Cas just called. There's another one at Bobby's."

"Okay."

"Dean took the Impala, went to grab Kelly. I told him we'd meet at Bobby's and I let Jane know we were leaving." He looked like he was watching for a reaction.

"Okay," I said again. "Let me just finish this, otherwise it'll never get done."

He sat down on the steps and I turned back to folding. I tried to speed it up. The process of laundry was tedious and I usually hated doing it. The only comfort of the silence was that I knew Spike would wake up if I needed him to. I wasn't alone.

"Are you okay?"

I looked over at Sam, surprised at being drawn out of my own mind. "Yeah, I...I just don't like doing laundry. I don't like the silence," I admitted. "At least, not when I'm not looking for it. If that makes sense."

"Yeah," he said. "I get it."

I sighed before I just grabbed the rest of the clothes in the dryer and tossed them into the basket. "Come on. Someone else can do this." I grabbed the basket but he stood up and took it from me.

"I got it," he said. He motioned for me to go first up the stairs. "Have you slept at all?"

"A bit?" I had tried, but sleep wasn't easy. Not when I knew Lucifer or nightmares were waiting for me.

"Michelle…"

"I know," I said. I motioned towards the kitchen table as we walked in. "You can leave that there. Hopefully, someone will take care of it."

"Is that a problem? Have they not been stepping up?" Sam asked as he put it down. He touched the base of my back as we headed out. I was grateful that I had showered before I started laundry if I was going to be in a car with him.

He opened the passenger door for me of the beaten-up car we were using. I smiled in thanks and climbed in. He struggled as he tried to get in the driver's side and I tried not to laugh. He finally got the seat to move back and he sent me a dark look.

"Sorry," I said, not really feeling it at all. "You had to expect that though."

"You're not that short," he said.

"No, but Kelly is and she drove last." Despite the fact that Dean had a tendency to drive Kelly to and from work when they were around, she did drive more than I did. He sent me another unimpressed look. I grinned back at him.

He started the car and turned on the music. It was set to a pop station.

"You can change it," I said. "If you want."

"It's fine," he smiled at me. "Honestly, I can use the break." He reached over and put his hand on my leg.

"You say that now," I said. I reached over and turned up the volume. The opening sounds of Toxic started playing. I whistled along.

"Are you serious?" he asked, glancing over at me.

"Baby can't you see, I'm calling. A guy like you should wear a warning…" I sang along. He started laughing at me. I grinned back, ignoring the feeling in my stomach. I tended to fall asleep in cars when I wasn't driving and the only way I knew to stay awake was to blast music and sing. I doubted Sam would be laughing if he knew the real reason I was playing it up.

"With the taste of your lips, I'm on a ride…" I sang. We weren't on a highway so I rolled down the window and let the wind blow in. I looked over at Sam. "Not going to sing with me?"

He grabbed my hand and brought it to his lips. He kissed the back of it before he dropped them to the side. He didn't let go. "I don't know the words."

"We have got to expand your horizons."

oOo

We managed to get there before Dean and Kelly.

We got out of the car and I headed towards the house. Sam grabbed my hand.

"Hey, hold on." He leaned down, his other hand cupped my cheek as he kissed me. My mouth moved against his slowly before I pulled back.

"We," I ran my teeth over my bottom lip. "We should go in. Get the new one. We both know how much it sucks being locked in that room."

Sam sighed. "Yeah. Yeah, you're right. Let's go." He kept a hold of my hand as we went inside.

"Hey Bobby," I greeted as we got in. Bobby looked us over before he focused on our hands. He raised his eyebrows at Sam. I tried to pull my hand back. Sam tightened his grip. I didn't realize that Bobby didn't know, that this was the first time we had been here together since we started this.

"Heh, yeah, it's uh, it's been a crazy couple of weeks," Sam said. "Where's...where's Dean?"

"Not here yet. New one's in the basement though." Bobby said. He was still looking at Sam. "Can I talk to you for a minute? Alone."

"That's my cue," I said. Sam let me go and I was grateful to escape to the basement. The silence as I went down the stairs was a little ominous. The last two times had people talking, or in Logan's case, yelling. I also wasn't used to doing this alone. There had always been someone with me.

I opened the view slot and looked in. There was a woman kneeling on the floor, facing the door. She had red hair, a paler shade than Jane's and it wasn't nearly as wild. Instead, it looked like it was pin-straight and tired back into a bun. I had no idea who she was.

"Hello?" I called out.

She looked up at the door. "Who's there?"

"My name's Michelle, who are you?"

Her face twisted and whatever curiosity was there vanished into disgust. "Foul, corrupted thing!" she spat. "Have you stolen me for the devil? To prevent the righteous from taking their place?"

My eyes widened. I closed the view slot without another word. I had no idea how to answer that. She somehow knew me by name, at least enough to insult me. At least, it seemed like it. I turned and headed back upstairs. I wasn't quite sure how to react to what had just happened. I needed Kelly.

"I'm happy for you boys, I am," Bobby's voice drifted down the hall as I got to the top of the stairs. "But it's the damn apocalypse and you're playing house!"

I stopped. I hadn't thought of that. Kelly had convinced me that it was a good idea, that we needed to take a chance because we could...but were we making a mistake? If it was taking attention away from solving this, from saving the world and...and helping us get home, maybe it was a bad idea. I tried to make my footsteps heavier as I walked down the hall and headed for the library so they'd hear me. I wasn't meant to hear his words, but they rang in my head nonetheless, along with the greeting I got from whoever was in the room.

I swallowed the lump growing in my throat as I got to the door. "Hey, um...I don't know what to do about that," I motioned behind me, towards the basement. Both of them frowned at me.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Well, I was trying to see if I knew her and once I gave my name...she called me foul and corrupted. So I figured letting her out on my own was a bad idea."

"What?" Sam strode forward. "Who is she?"

"I don't know," I shrugged. "Someone rude. She didn't exactly give her name." I looked over the two of them before I paused. "Wait. Where's Giles?"

"Upstairs. He's having a rough go of it," Bobby said. "Lack of information or plan ain't helping." Guilt crept up my throat again at his words.

"Come on," Sam reached for me and I stepped back automatically. "I'll help you downstairs."

"Okay. Maybe she'll like you better." I looked up at him and he looked confused. "Maybe she's sexist," I shrugged, "or maybe she prefers them tall." I forced a smile and turned back to the basement. Sam followed.

oOo

She did not like Sam any better. In fact, it sounded like she liked him even less.

"Devil's favoured!" she spat at the floor. Sam looked like he regretted opening the door. I scrunched up my nose. That was rude. What type of person spits on someone's floor? "Hellspawn and demon lover! I have seen the truth of you. You will bring this world to ruin and all will fall because of you."

"Well, this is fun," I muttered. "Listen, we're trying to help you."

"I do not need your assistance. What moral ground do you come from, offering help? You are the devil's chosen, guardian to his vessels. You are helping to lead this world into the pit. I would not accept your help if I lay dying on the earth and you alone could save me."

My eyes widened. I looked over at Sam. He seemed as stunned as I was. "Well, she's descriptive, if nothing else," I murmured to him.

"Who's this?" We all turned to see Dean and Kelly coming down the stairs.

"Our number one fan," I said, trying to be sarcastic. "Dean, Kels, meet our newest arrival."

The woman raced forward and flung herself at the bottom of the stairs. She looked like she was bowing. "You are him!"

Dean looked panicked and his eyes darted between us as if demanding help. Kelly looked as if she was about to start laughing.

"What? Who?" Dean asked.

"Michael! You are the true vessel, the sword of our saviour Michael against the fallen Morning Star." She glared back at Sam and me.

"Woah, chill lady." Dean looked over at us again before he turned back to the woman who was still bowing. "Who the hell are you?"

"I am Magdalene, daughter of Quintus and child of the great Roma."

"How come you answer him but not us?" I couldn't help but ask. Every time we asked she just snapped and insulted Sam and me.

"I do not respond to the snakes' children," she snapped. "I am on the side of God. The angels, they told me of you, all of you. I am a vessel of Michael, but you, you are the true one. I will guide you to the light."

"Wait, hold on," Kelly stepped down, coming towards Magdalene. "None of us are saying yes. We want to save the world, not destroy it."

"I will not listen to the words of a whore."

"Hey!" Dean and I both snapped. I moved forward but Sam grabbed my arm to hold me in place.

"The angel Zachariah has told me you are failing in your purpose. I will succeed."

"Yeah?" Kelly smiled and put a hand on Dean's arm as she stepped closer. "Zach is an asshole and you're going to learn real quick that if you want to survive in this world, that's going to depend on us. The angels don't give a shit about you. They don't care about any of us."

"Lies." The woman snapped. "Lies from a whore, corrupted by sin."

"At least I'm having a good time," Kelly looked over at me. "You alright?"

"Well, Sam's favoured by the devil, I'm the devil's chosen and apparently we're both children of a snake...oh, and my best friend is a whore, so it's been interesting."

"The garden was corrupted by the likes of you and your kind," the woman sneered.

"Good," I snapped. "The garden was an empty place and a stupid decision and Eve should not have been punished for wanting more, for wanting knowledge. God was in the wrong for that, not her."

She looked surprised that I knew enough theology to argue against her. "What do you know of the garden? Who are you to argue against God?"

"For fucks sake," Kelly groaned. "Not everyone is as religious as you."

"I will not bandy words with a whore and the devil's harlot."

Kelly moved fast and before any of us could react, Magdalene was on the floor knocked out. Kelly stood there shaking her hand out. I raised my eyebrows as we all looked at her. She shrugged. "What?"

I tried not to laugh at Dean's expression as he stared down at her. I looked down at the body crumpled at the bottom of the stairs. There was the feeling of regret settling in the base of my stomach. We were supposed to be protecting her. I tried to shove it aside and looked up at Kelly. "We should pack her up and take her home. I'd rather listen to Logan than deal with the same circular argument with her. Maybe the others will distract her."

"If they don't kill her," Kelly muttered. "Alright. Can one of you grab her?" She motioned to the boys.

oOo

Kelly and I drove back together. We left the boys at Bobby's to figure out what was next. We also both agreed that space between them and Magdalene was a good idea. She did not stop in her attempt to convince us that Dean needed to say yes once she woke up. She also yelled at us for stealing her from her duty. It was giving me a headache. Halfway home she finally switched to telling us about her world and how it was far better from ours. She seemed to think that the one we were in now was where we came from...or at least belonged.

"The great Roma was built on foundations of blood. We were saved by our Lord Jesus Christ and again by our messiah, Peter the third. He dragged our faith into the light and the pagans and heretics burned."

Something about what she was saying triggered a memory. "Tell me more," I said and I caught the look Kelly sent me. She did not like that idea.

"Our messiah came before what many believed would be the end. The empire was falling and he lifted us back into greatness. We defeated those that would subdue us."

"Weren't you the ones subduing others?" Kelly asked. "Didn't Rome, like...invade everywhere? Like Britain?"

"We led them into the light," she stressed. "As I will do for you. As Dean Winchester will do for all of us."

"Listen, Maggie, outside of telling people to say no to angels, we believe in letting people fend for themselves. Don't push your beliefs, and I swear to God, if you harass the kids, I will throw you out. Got it?"

"That is not my name."

"I don't care," Kelly said. "Don't bother them."

oOo

"Oh good, you kidnapped another one." I looked over at Logan, unamused. "Do you just pick people up off the street or what?"

"Only if we can throw you back out with the trash," Veronica said as she came into the living room. She looked over at us. "Who's this?"

"Hold on, let's call everyone so we don't have to do this again," I said. "You want to do it?" I asked Kelly.

She shook her head and motioned for me to go. "You're louder."

I took a deep breath and yelled. "Everyone! Living room! Now!" There was a thunder of steps as Klaus, Chloe and Derek ran down from upstairs. A flash of blue announced Five, balancing on a shelf. Maggie shrieked as she saw him appear.

"Who's this?" Five asked.

"Oi! Why are you screeching like a banshee?" Spike came in slowly from the kitchen. He was smoking as usual. Eric did not appear.

"We have a new arrival," I said, pointing to where Maggie had fallen on her knees and was praying again. I sighed. "Meet Maggie."

"That is not my name," she snapped. She rose to her feet. "I am Magdalene, daughter of Quintus and child of the great Roma. I am a vessel of the archangel Michael, the glorious, and I will lead the true sword to greatness."

"Right," Kelly said. "Don't listen to her. Maggie comes from a very religious world and as usual, don't say yes. Any questions?"

Spike raised his hand. "Can I eat her?" I was tempted to say yes. Three hours in a car listening to how I was the scum of the earth and how great her world was had skewed any opinion I had of her.

"No," Kelly said. Our eyes met and I knew she felt the same as I did.

"Eat me?" Maggie asked, confused. Spike's face changed and he snarled at her. She screamed. Spike's face changed back and he smirked as he inhaled his cigarette.

"Demon!" she pointed at him. "Devil's abomination!"

"Yeah, yeah," Spike said. "Nothing I haven't heard before."

"Maggie, this is everyone. The rules of the house are simple. Don't say yes. Also, don't go into the basement. The vampires sleep there and they don't like to be disturbed."

"Vampires?"

"Don't worry, they're not real," Logan drawled, blatantly ignoring what Spike just did. "We've been kidnapped by some crazy people."

"Find a room upstairs that has space. The attic should be okay..." I yawned. The lack of sleep was finally catching up.

"Hey," Kelly touched my arm. "You should try and get some sleep. It's been...it's been a day. Let's just leave them. They're all adults."

"Yeah, okay," I was suddenly exhausted. I followed Kelly upstairs and we left the chaos of the others. Thankfully we had yet to share the room with anyone else. If the people kept coming though, something was going to change.

"What the hell is her problem?" Kelly asked once we had gotten ready for bed.

"Who?"

"Maggie! Or Magdalene."

"I don't know." I laid down and tried to get comfortable. It felt weird to lay flat like I was too exposed.

"Well, she's a bitch. Imagine coming from a world where Rome never fell. That's weird."

I stared at Kelly in surprise. "That's where I know her from!"

"What? Who?"

"Maggie!" I looked over at her in the dark. "I read a paper once, sort of a mix between a thesis and a story about what would happen if Rome never fell. I sent it to you."

Kelly's eyes widened as she turned off the light. "Oh yeah, I...totally read that." She paused for a minute before asking, "wait, does that mean we have to worry about people coming from papers?"

"God, I hope not. I read too much." I said as Kelly lay down. We fell into silence as I thought about it. There were too many options if things like a thesis were possibilities. I had read a lot of things, just like Kelly had watched a lot and we talked about it often before she died. That left way too many options.

"We should tell the boys," Kelly whispered. "About the thesis thing."

"Yeah," that was going to be an odd conversation. It wasn't just classic media anymore. I tried not to think about it. Trying to figure out a correlation that had nothing to do with Kelly and I wasn't going to be easy. It hadn't been so far. I wondered if Kelly was running through the same anxiety about it that I was. "Hey," I said softly. "Want to hear something funny?"

Kelly turned her head to look at me. "What?"

"I sang Toxic by Britney Spears and tried to get Sam to sing along with me."

Kelly propped herself up on her elbows and stared at me in the dark. "Why are you two so weird?"

"I was trying not to sleep."

She fell back down and turned away from me. "If you sing now, I'm going to smother you. Good night."