A/N: Thank you all so much for reading! I hope you enjoy this chapter as well! Let me know what you think!

Chapter 28: Conversations and Decisions

"What has come between us
there's something in ourselves
lines upon our faces
saying no more time for rest"
- What Has Come Between Us by Styx

I passed out once I finished throwing up. The reality of the situation hit hard. Demons had found us. The panic set in once my stomach stopped churning and the lack of oxygen as I freaked out about it resulted in the world spinning, blacking out and dropping.

I woke up when I was suddenly sprayed with water. I waved at them to stop, coughing as I spat it out. My head was pounding and I had what was the worst taste possible in my mouth. I was still lying on the grass. I groaned as I pushed myself up. Kelly was standing to the side, holding a hose. She was spraying the grass.

"You need a shower. Bout time you got up. Can't sleep through all the cleaning." She sprayed me again quickly. "I was serious about the shower."

"Argh, stop!" I forced myself up to a sitting position. "What happened?" My whole body felt heavy, like I had been swimming against a current. I was a terrible swimmer.

"Well, after Remy blew this dude into chunks, we exorcised the one inside. Said he had been sent. A message to the boys because...of course, it was. Not enough we have hunters who want us dead for something that's not our fault, but now demons."

"I would like to point out that I already had a demon after me." I rubbed a hand over my face before I pushed my hair back. "There really needs to be a way to kill them. Like, beyond the one knife."

"Yeah, seems pretty stupid to only make one demon-killing knife. Why didn't they make more?"

I thought about it. "There has to be a way to make more."

"If it was easy, wouldn't they have already done so?"

"Yeah, but if a knife can be made, something else could be too, right?" I forced myself to stand. "Alright, that's a later thought. What happened to the bodies?"

"Jane took them with Remy. It was kind of incredible actually. You missed it. Jane carried like...two bodies on one shoulder and one in her other arm. The last one was still alive. We're...she's inside. I figure we can see if Eric can hypnotize her, make her forget she was ever here."

"Oh, okay. Good idea."

I didn't move for a moment. What Kelly said finally registered. The demons had come because of the boys. It wasn't surprising. It just...we had enough problems. I knew that the people who got close to the brothers were in danger, it had been repeated over and over in the show, but it had never occurred to me that we would be included in that. I didn't think we counted.

"What are we going to do?"

Kelly looked over at me. "Bout what?" I waved to the area around us, trying to convey that I meant everything. She turned off the water. "I don't know. I mean, I'm trying not to really think about it. We got lucky again...but I don't think we should tell the boys."

"What? Why?"

"Come on, Mish, they're already trying to figure out how to save the world. You think telling them that demons came here because of them is going to make them feel better? Or keep saying no?"

I didn't think about that. "Yeah, yeah, okay." As much as I wanted to get home, I didn't want this world to end. "You need help?"

She sighed and turned the water back on. "No, it's fine. I got this. Go shower and change. You fell right into your own puke."

"Oh, ew!" I looked down. I didn't even notice that. "Okay, I'm out." I headed inside. Everyone avoided me and I did not blame them one bit. I went straight to the shower.

oOo

I spent longer than I usually did in the shower, scrubbing myself down. My skin was red when I stepped out. The panic rose as usual, but I managed to shove it down enough until I felt clean.

I got dressed quickly. I was about to leave the room when I heard a ringing. I paused before I started searching for it. It sounded like my phone. I found it wedged between the bed and the wall. It took a couple of seconds for me to pull it out. It stopped ringing. I opened it to see who it had been. It started ringing again.

I answered. "Hello?"

"Michelle..." there was a relieved sigh. "You answered."

"Yeah, what's up Sam?" I sat down on the bed. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm, uh, I'm good. Just wanted to talk to you, hear your voice."

I felt myself smile slightly. "Well, you got me," I said before wincing. He had a tendency to fluster me, even when he wasn't physically around.

"How, uh, how're you doing?" That felt like a loaded question.

"Um, okay?" I took a deep breath and tried to organize my thoughts. We agreed not to tell them why the demons attacked, but we still had to tell them. "Actually, something happened."

"What?"

"Well...before I tell you, I just want you to know that everyone's okay. We dealt with it."

"Michelle, what happened?" he sounded a little more serious.

"Demons showed up." There was a pause before he finally replied.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, actually. We, uh...we managed to trap them all. They showed up when we were training. We led some of them inside, Jane threw one through the window into a trap and um, Remy exploded one."

"What?"

"Yeah, it was totally gross."

"I bet." I frowned when he didn't continue.

"Sam, I just told you that demons attacked us. Kind of expected more of a reaction."

"You handled it. Michelle, that's awesome." I heard the smile in his voice.

"Yeah," I nodded even though he couldn't see me. "It is." He sounded proud and I stopped myself from telling him about throwing up and having a panic attack that was bad enough to make me pass out. I changed the subject. "Where are you guys?"

"Um, out in Minnesota. Not far actually. Michelle, I have to ask you something." He said the latter quickly, as though he was trying to get it out before he could stop himself.

Familiar anxiety bubbled in my stomach. I hated when people asked that. "Okay."

"Is it weird between us?" he asked it softly and there was something to his tone that almost made me want to laugh. I could practically picture the expression on his face.

"A little," I admitted. I wouldn't tell him why we got attacked, but I could at least explain this. It was easier over the phone. "It's just...I cried on you, after freaking out when we were making out...after just talking about the last guy I slept with. It was a bit of a mess." That described me pretty well actually. Except I was more of a mess than just a bit. "I'm sorry." Thinking about that night just brought it all back.

"No, no, it's fine. It's okay, Michelle. I just, I don't want it to be weird with us."

"Sorry," I apologized again.

"Just talk to me, okay? Don't shut me out."

"I'm trying." It felt like a cop-out to say that but I didn't know what else to say. I warned him before that I couldn't promise anything. I remembered Bobby berating him. I knew the look on his face when I recoiled from him without meaning to.

"I know." He sighed again and I could picture him running a hand through his hair.

"I got your message," a new voice said on his end, as though they had just walked in. It sounded like Castiel. "It was long, your message. And I find the sound of your voice grating."

I bit my lip, trying not to laugh. I heard Sam move before he spoke.

"What's wrong with you? Are you...drunk?"

Could angels even get drunk, I wondered. I continued to listen since he didn't hang up. Sam must have moved closer because Castiel's voice was louder.

"No!...yes."

"What the hell happened to you?"

"I found a liquor store," Castiel answered.

There was a beat of silence before Sam asked, "and?"

"And I drank it. Why'd you call me?"

Sam seemed to remember I was on the phone. "Michelle? I got to go. I'll call you later."

"Okay," I said, smiling at the image of Castiel drinking an entire liquor store before the realization of it hit. He was taking the lack of God hard. "Your voice isn't grating," I said quickly.

"Good," he replied. "Bye Michelle."

"Bye," I hung up before I pushed myself up off the bed. I had to find Kelly, if only to tell her what I had just heard.

oOo

I stretched before I started running. There was still a lingering feeling of anxiety that was coursing through me, despite training. Demons arriving seemed to trigger something in Jane. She seemed to ramp up in intensity while training. She pushed the sessions longer. It felt great, but I had barely slept, opting to spend most of my night talking with the vampires about what they had missed and playing cards. Spike was disappointed he missed it until Eric reminded him that he would have been trapped with the demons.
"Could have had fun then," Spike replied. That resulted in an argument over the proper way to torture someone. It was a little much, but it made me wonder if Spike could be exorcised since he could be caught in a trap.

My feet pounded against the ground as I ran. There was something about the feeling of it, of moving quickly. It felt like I could escape everything, like if I just went fast enough, I'd find myself home. It had yet to happen.

When I finally stopped and walked up to the house, Five was sitting on the porch steps.

"Kelly's on the way," he said. "Get ready. She said she's stopping only long enough for you to get in the car."

"What? Why?"

"She was pissed. I'm not an idiot. I know when not to poke an angry bear." He raised his eyebrows at me. I bit my tongue, stopping the snarky response I wanted to say. I brushed past him as I headed inside. I needed to shower.

oOo

The car came almost screeching down the drive. I thought she was going to hit me but she stopped in time. I opened the passenger door.

"What the hell is going on?"

"Get in!" She snapped.

I climbed in quickly. Kelly was rarely in this type of mood but it was never a good thing when she was. She was on the warpath. She drove off before I even had my seatbelt on.

"I'm going to kill him!" She said, mainly to herself. It didn't seem like she expected an answer. "I'm going to fucking kill him."

I hesitated in asking, "who?"

"Dean!" she snapped. "That asshole shows up at my work, tells me he pictures us together when he thinks of being happy and then bails. He's acting like he's going to die, so if he's going to say yes, I'm going to kill him."

That sounded...intense. I wasn't sure what exactly happened, but I knew from experience it was best to stay on her good side when she was like this. "Well, the angels will resurrect him."

"Good," she said. "I can kill him twice for being this god damn stupid."

"Okay," I nodded. I wasn't going to argue. "You know where he is?"

"Nope, but Cas and Sam are on his trail. We're meeting them at Bobby's."

I was glad I warned Jane before Kelly showed up. This sounded like it might take longer than a day. Kelly didn't say much for the rest of the drive. Her knuckles were white as she gripped the steering wheel and I was really surprised that we didn't end up pulled over. She was pushing the speed limit.

"Do you have a plan?" I asked as we got close. "Like...what if he said yes?"

"I will track him down, drag Michael from his vessel and kill him myself."

"...can you do that?" I asked, thinking of the possibility. I wasn't sure if there was a way to get an angel out of a body. Was it possible to kill an archangel?

"...no."

I stared at her for a moment. I wasn't sure if it was feasible, but I wouldn't let her go through it alone. "We'll need to research," I finally said. "I mean, all things are possible, right? We're here, aren't we? If something like the demon knife or the colt can be made, something else could too, right?"

"Something to force an angel out?"

"Sure," I shrugged, "why not? If demons can be forced out, angels should be too." There had to be a way. I sat back and tried to think about it. I would need information. Lots of information. I managed to study English lit and ancient Greece and Rome. I had spent hours researching fairy tales from around the world. I could do the same here. There had to be a way.

oOo

The Impala was near the back door of Bobby's when we got there. Kelly started swearing under her breath as she parked next to it.

I walked quickly behind her as she stormed in. Sam came rushing quickly into the hall at the sound.

"Where is he?" she headed up to Sam. "I said, where is he?"

"In the basement," Sam said before reaching out to her. "Kelly, wait! He's not...he's not thinking straight, okay? Whatever he said, he didn't mean it."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm going to knock some sense into him." Kelly shrugged him off and headed downstairs. I looked at Sam. He ran a hand through his hair as he sighed.

"I'd leave her to it," I said. "She can be pretty scary."

"Yeah, I see that."

I reached over and touched his arm. Sam looked down at me. He looked exhausted. "You okay?" His jaw clenched and something shifted in his face. "Sam?" I reached over, wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him before I could stop myself. He looked like he needed it. His arms went around me, almost hesitant before they suddenly tightened. I was pulled against him. I pushed myself up on my toes and held him tighter. He buried his face in my neck and I felt him breathe in deeply. I waited, holding him back before his grip finally loosened. He let go and pulled back slowly.

His hands stayed on my waist. "I didn't expect you to come."

My hands drifted across his shoulders before they settled on his forearms. "Why wouldn't I?" I looked up at him. "What happened? Last we spoke, Castiel drank a liquor store. How did it go from that to...this?"

"It was the whore," he said. I made a face, instantly thinking back to the number of times Maggie called Kelly that. "That last hunt. She could only be killed by a servant of Heaven. Cas said none of us qualified but Dean killed her. I think...I think she got into his head. The way she was talking about what happened after this was all over if they got their fight."

"And he believed that?" I shook my head. It should have been apparent that anyone connected to this apocalypse would lie, especially if they were on any particular side. The only ones that didn't were trying to save us. "Okay," I sighed. The hallway was empty. It was likely they heard us and realized Sam didn't need rescuing. I let go of Sam and headed towards the library. He grabbed my hand but followed. "You have books on angels and exorcisms, right?"

He blinked at me before his brow furrowed in confusion. "What? Um, yeah, but why?"

"Because I want to look for something." I didn't explain what I was looking for. I had a feeling he would tell me it was pointless. I needed to see for myself though.

"Is this about the demons?"

"What about demons?" I looked up at Bobby who was sitting by the desk. Giles was walking in behind him, a cup of tea in his hand. There was someone else sitting on the makeshift bed. I stopped. He was vaguely familiar but no one said there was another vessel.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Adam," the man said. "You must be Michelle," he glanced down at my hand which was still being held by Sam. "The devil's gatekeeper." He didn't sound impressed.

"How do you know that?" I asked.

"The angels told me. They told me everything."

"Oh, okay," my eyes widened as I looked at Sam. "Adam?"

He sighed. "Our brother."

"Oh!" I frowned, confused. "Weren't you dead?"

I saw his fists tighten and I winced as I realized how it came out. "Sorry, just...wasn't expecting you."

"Clearly. The angels brought me back to be Michael's vessel, to defeat the devil and save the world."

"Because he doesn't have enough of them lying around?" I shook my head. Wasn't it enough they had vessels appearing? Why were they resurrecting the dead?

"What were you saying?" Bobby asked, cutting through the potential for more awkward conversation. "'Bout the demons."

"They attacked the house," I said. Sam's grip tightened for a moment. "We managed to trap them all and exorcise them...well, all but one. That one exploded."

"An' just how many were there?" Bobby asked.

I thought back to it. "Five?"

"What?" I looked back up at Sam. "You didn't tell me that."

"You didn't ask," I pointed out. "Besides, it was fine. No one got hurt…except for the demons."

"You had demons attack you?" Adam asked incredulously. I ignored him.

"You said one exploded?" Giles asked from his place in one of the chairs. "How on earth did that happen?"

"Well, they showed up as we were training with Jane and Remy. Remy's power...is basically making things explode. Usually, he just uses cards. I guess this time he didn't have any on him or his staff since it was hand-to-hand combat. It had him pinned, so…" I let go of Sam and made an explosion motion with my hands. "Anyways, I was just asking Sam about seeing the books you had on Angels and exorcisms."

"Why?" Bobby asked.

I shrugged. "Curiosity?"

"You think you're going to find something to stop this? Stop Michael and Lucifer?" Bobby looked skeptical. "After we haven't?"

"No," I shook my head. "That's not what I'm looking for."

"Then what are you looking for?"

"Well, if demons can be exorcised, why can't angels? We already got demons visiting us. I want to be prepared. For everything." It was the easiest way to explain.

"Angels can't be exorcised," Bobby said. "The only way is to kill them."

"Why would you want to kill an angel?" Adam asked.

"Because they suck," I replied before turning to Bobby. "Then it won't hurt letting me look, will it?" I stared down at him. He stared back. It felt like whoever broke first would lose. I was determined not to.

"Knock yourself out," he finally said. "We already got enough happening, why not add you to the chaos."

[tbc]