Not much to say other than thank you all so much for reading, favoriting, following, and reviewing! It means the world to me that you enjoy this story as much as I do.
Disclaimer: In no way do I have any rights to Supernatural or any of the characters you are familiar with. I only own Amriel and any OCs that pop up along the way.
Chapter Forty Seven: It's A Trap
Cas burst into the bunker after driving 11 hours straight from New Mexico. He was seething; angrier than he had felt in years, possibly longer. How had he not realized that something was wrong- that Amriel wasn't herself?
"Whoa there, Cas, what's going on?" Dean asked as the angel stormed through the place, noticing that he wasn't quite sure what to do or where to go. "Did you see Lucifer?"
"Did I see him?" Castiel gave a hollow laugh. "Lucifer showed up at my motel room! He mocked me for not realizing that he had possessed Amriel!"
The angel finally collapsed into a chair at the table, slumping down and resting his head in his hands.
"How could I have been so stupid?" he asked, hoping the Winchesters could answer the questions he had been asking himself for the past 12 hours. "Why didn't I see it? He tried to put distance between us to hide it, but there were little things I should have seen."
"Cas, this isn't your fault," Sam told him, a small frown on his face as he spoke. "We all interacted with him. We all should have noticed something wasn't right."
"Of course this is my fault, Sam," Castiel snapped at the younger Winchester. "Amriel said yes to Lucifer because she knew that if I had been in her position, I would have done it myself. She did it to protect me!"
"Look, it doesn't matter whose fault it is," Dean interjected. "We gotta figure out how to get her back."
"What are we supposed to do? His wings are functional. He can time travel. He touched my soul," Sam said with a grimace, and Castiel's eyes widened.
"If Amriel thinks there's a chance Lucifer can kill Amara, she won't expel him. Even if she wanted to, I'm not sure if she's strong enough," Cas said before a thought crossed his mind. "But maybe if I'm there it could help…"
"And just why would your mere presence do to help her kick Lucy out?" Dean asked with a roll of his eyes as he turned a chair around and sat down on it, leaning against the back.
"I- uh. We didn't really have a chance to tell either of you this, because it isn't something we wanted to share until we figured it out more, but…" Cas trailed off as he tried to figure out an easy way to tell the brothers about what he and Amriel had done.
"Well? We're waiting, Cas. Any day now," Dean pressed, waving his hand in a sweeping motion, gesturing for him to get a move on.
"Elle and I completed a ritual that combined our graces the night we got married," he finally explained. "So I have half of hers, and she has half of mine. We can usually locate each other or feel each other's emotions or presence with ease, but Lucifer seems to have figured out how to block me from this."
"Wait, you did what?" Sam asked, curiosity all over his face. "I didn't even know angels could do that?!"
"It isn't very common, but there are stories of several pairs of angels doing it in the past," Cas told him simply. "But maybe if all of our grace is in close proximity, we can overpower Lucifer and she can expel him."
"So wait, you two have extra powers?" Dean clarified, "That would've been great to know while we've been looking for a way to kill Amara."
"We don't know the full extent of our combined grace," Cas told him, trying to remain patient with the brothers. "It's new to us, and we're learning as we go."
"It's worth a shot," Dean finally nodded. "Now we just gotta find Lucifer."
Sam and Dean had left the bunker to go to the funeral of a wrestler they used to watch as kids, leaving Cas to try and track down Lucifer.
The angel had been scouring the internet and newspapers for hours, looking for any sign of where Lucifer could be, but so far he hadn't found anything.
Cas had been growing restless and stood up from the table, glaring down at the papers angrily.
"Come on, where are you!" he growled, quickly sliding his hands over the table and sending them everywhere.
He watched the useless papers float to the ground before he turned and headed to the kitchen, anger rising with every step he took.
"How did he deceive me? I should have known!" Cas continued to berate himself, pulling a bottle of bourbon out of a cabinet and opening it.
He took a long swig, not even feeling the way the alcohol burned as it ran down his throat. He was alone and useless, with nothing else to do aside from drink and stew in his anger.
"I'm so sorry I can't help you," Cas mumbled aloud as he leaned against the counter and continued to drink.
Days went by and the Winchesters came and went, but Castiel continued in his downward spiral. With still no signs of Lucifer, he had no clue as to what he should be doing. So he drank and watched television. He had gone through seasons of shows, ignoring the concerned glances Sam and Dean sent him whenever they were around. When they were on hunts, he ignored their texts and calls, instead choosing to stare blankly at a screen as he tried to shut out the empty feeling that was quickly consuming him.
"Dude, he's spiraling," Dean said to his brother as he tossed a dish towel next to the sink. "Are we any closer to getting a lead on Lucifer?"
Sam shook his head as he shook his salad, making sure the vinaigrette was evenly dispersed.
"It's been quiet on the Lucifer front. Whatever he's doing, he's making sure he doesn't leave a trail," Sam sighed. "If we don't find anything soon, I'm worried about what Cas is gonna do."
"You and me both, man. He's been watching Jenny Jones for days," Dean said with a look of disdain. "Plus he's been going through all of my booze. He found my secret stash!"
"Oh, you mean the stuff you hid in the library?" the younger Winchester asked, watching his brother shoot him a scathing glare.
"Don't even think about touching my bourbon," Dean warned as his phone began to ring. He quickly answered it when he saw that Crowley was calling. "I thought I told you to lose this number."
Dean put Crowley on speakerphone so he and Sam could listen to him tell them about how he had escaped being imprisoned by Lucifer and gotten his hands on something that could deal with the archangel.
"How do I even know you escaped Lucifer and he's not making you say all this?" Dean asked, shooting Sam a look that showed he wasn't that convinced Crowley was telling the truth.
"Honestly, your cynicism is depressing," Crowley grumbled lowly. "Why would Lucifer force me to discuss the very means of his destruction? I have a weapon that channels divinity. It's powerful enough to destroy a force like the Darkness, or Lucifer. Tell me you haven't been searching for such a thing."
"A Hand of God? Of course we have," Dean told him, his eyes widened slightly at the thought of a potential weapon.
"Thought as much. St. Louis. The old post office on Beekman," Crowley said before hanging up.
"Looks like we gotta hit the road," Dean stuffed his phone into the front pocket of his jeans. "Eat your salad. I'm gonna tell Cas the news."
"M-maybe we shouldn't tell him until we know Crowley's really got something," Sam suggested. "I don't want to get his hopes up and have it turn out to be a bust."
Dean furrowed his brows in thought for a second before nodding, saying that he was right.
They told Cas they would be gone on a quick hunt- a run of the mill salt and burn that wouldn't take more than a day or two, and neither of them were surprised when the angel merely nodded in response, telling them to bring back stronger liquor. He was hearing angel radio and apparently Lucifer was causing trouble up in Heaven.
Crowley had managed to get his hands on the Horn of Joshua and was willing to give it to the Winchesters if they helped him exorcise Lucifer from Amriel's vessel and then return him to the cage.
"Even if we could get Lucifer out of Amriel, the cage is damn near impenetrable. It took a spell from the Book of the Damned to spring him, and Rowena hid the book," Sam tried to reason, hoping they could get the horn without much argument.
"And we would need to book and her to even have a shot," Dean added, and Crowley rolled his eyes, asking if he said it would be easy.
"Do you even know where Rowena is?" Sam asked.
"Rotting somewhere, I assume. Lucifer snapped her neck," Crowley answered nonchalantly.
"Hold on, let's just put it in reverse," Dean told the demon. "We will put Lucifer back in the cage after we put Amara back on ice. It has to happen in that order, otherwise there's no Lucifer, there's no cage, there's no nothing."
"He's spent years marinating in hate against us! He has to go," Crowley argued, and Sam admitted that they might need him.
"He's been down this road with Amara before. He may be the only one powerful enough to use the Horn against her," Dean tried to convince Crowley, who obviously wasn't having it.
"He had me cleaning the floors with my tongue! He called me puppy! He made me beg," Crowley seethed, thinking back to the archangel in a blonde vessel he didn't exactly hate making him act like a dog.
"Okay, come on. Is this what this is about?" Your stupid ego?" Dean asked, "The fact that he dissed you in front of a bunch of stupid demons? You're smarter than this!"
"Dean's right," Sam nodded in agreement. "Priority is to put the horn in Lucifer's hands and set him loose on Amara."
"After we exorcise Lucifer out of Amriel and put him in a new vessel," Dean amended the plan.
"What, really?" Sam asked, staring at his brother curiously.
"Yes, really. We're not gonna send Lucifer into battle inside Blondie! What if she doesn't make it? Do you know how devastated Cas would be?" Dean snapped back.
"Dean, it's a strong vessel. It's held Amriel for over a year, and she's been through a lot. I'm sure it can hold Lucifer," Sam tried to reason, but Dean shook his head.
"It? It's not an it, Sam. It's Amriel!" Dean glared.
"And Amriel wanted to do this. I didn't even think you liked her that much, Dean!" Sam's voice continued to rise, and Crowley watched the brothers bicker back and forth.
"It doesn't matter if I like her or not, which I do, just so you know. Cas loves her, Sam. You think he's pathetic and mopey now with her possessed? Imagine him if she's dead," Dean hissed at his brother, who opened his mouth to reply only to close it after a few moments.
Sam took a deep breath and finally said, "Amriel wanted to do this. She did it to protect Cas. This is always how we screw ourselves! We make the heart choice instead of the smart choice."
Crowley repressed a snort of laughter as Dean rolled his eyes.
"Oh, okay. Thank you, Dr. Phil. But Amriel is family. She's your guardian angel! You of all people should want to protect her, especially after all the times she's saved your ass."
"Yes, and her choice deserves to be respected! It's what she would want!" Sam yelled, doing everything he could to keep himself from getting up in his brother's face.
"Even if it kills her?" Dean asked, and Crowley finally decided to intervene.
"Well, it's killing me. I would rather stick white-hot skewers in my eyes than listen to you two children bicker any longer! I gave you the terms of my deal. If Lucifer's not back in the cage, the horn stays hidden."
Castiel was well on his way to being drunk when he got a text from Dean that contained an address he was supposed to meet them at.
"We have a way to get Lucifer out of Amriel. Get here ASAP."
The angel heaved a sigh and lifted himself off of the mattress, made his way to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. He had to sober up as fast as he could in order to drive.
Cas met Sam, Dean, Rowena, and Crowley at a church, stumbling into the atrium after he practically ran from the car.
"Look who finally decided to show up," Dean announced, shooting the angel a nod.
"I-I came as soon as I stopped seeing double," Cas told him honestly, earning a look of concern from the brothers and even Crowley.
Rowena was going to put Lucifer on ice, despite the fact that the Winchesters thought they should be using him to take out Amara.
The witch began the spell and Dean read from a parchment. Thunder crashed and Cas glanced around, hoping that Lucifer would show up so he could see if his theory about his and Amriel's graces would work.
Lucifer appeared, standing on the painted warding, and Dean called out to Sam, who lit a match and dropped it onto the ring of holy oil, causing it to ignite around Lucifer.
"I'm sorry, your prayer implied that I'd be…. Joining the team, but I'm just not feeling warm and fuzzy here," Lucifer smirked as he noticed the horn. "Oh wow. There it is, powered up by Dad himself. Well, that bad boy plus me… That ought to take her out all right! Let's get to it. Douse these flames."
Lucifer snapped his fingers and when he realized they weren't going to put out the fire, he frowned, "Or don't?"
Cas stared at Lucifer, feeling nothing but anger consuming him. Somewhere to his right, Dean cut his hand and pressed it against a spell etched into the wall. Lucifer began to shake, and Cas could feel Amriel trying to come forward, trying to fight.
"Come on, Amriel! Show yourself, please!" Cas cried out, moving closer to the ring of fire, feeling his grace reaching for hers.
"Cas?" she finally asked, breathing heavily as she focused her gaze on nothing but him.
"Elle," he answered softly, a small smile on his lips.
"What are you doing? What- what's going on?" Amriel asked, finally looking around to see that the Winchesters, Crowley, and his mother were all there too.
"Amriel, listen to me," Dean interrupted, taking over for Cas, "We don't have a lot of time, okay? You have got to-"
The blonde began to writhe and shake, and Castiel watched in horror as Lucifer took over again.
"Amriel!" Dean yelled, trying to get her to come back, "Amriel, show yourself!"
Cas felt a pain in his chest and his hand immediately went to cover it, wondering why it felt like the heartburn he had experienced as a human.
"Whoo! She's, uh, got to what? You boys," Lucifer laughed, "You almost had me there for a minute! But these mail-order spells, they're just not what they're cracked up to be, are they?"
"Amriel, expel him!" Cas tried to reach her, focusing every ounce of his energy to try and get through to her, "You need to kick Lucifer out! Are you hearing me?"
"Honestly, I think she's happy with this little arrangement," Lucifer told the lesser angel with a malicious grin. "I mean, she did invite me in and all, Cas. And I'm not even her husband!"
"Elle!" Cas tried again, ignoring the taunts Lucifer threw at him, feeling desperation coursing through his entire being as he continued to call her name.
"Elle!" Lucifer mocked, "Get over it, Castiel. She's gone. Hand over the weapon or we can just wait for this warding to fail and I'll take it."
The spell-work faded and the warding began to fail, and Cas heard Crowley mutter bloody hell under his breath.
The demon smoked out of his meat suit and entered Lucifer, despite Castiel's plea to stop as Dean, Sam, and Rowena watched in astonishment.
Crowley found Amriel in a bedroom in the bunker, planted in front of a television.
"Amriel?" the demon asked, watching the angel turn to him with a surprised look on her face.
"Crowley. What are you doing here?"
"Is this your bedroom?" he asked, looking around the small room to see a full-size mattress, a desk with a chair, and a wardrobe. Postcards were littered everywhere from destinations Crowley recognized as popular landmarks and smaller highway attractions. One read Greetings From The World's Largest Ball of Yarn.
"Sorta. This is where Lucifer keeps me to pass the time. It has great reception and it reminds me of him," Amriel smiled sadly, staring down at her hands that were clasped and resting in her lap as she refused to say Castiel's name. She didn't deserve to, after what she had done to him. For him.
"What's wrong with you? What has Lucifer done to you?" Crowley asked, drawing the angel's attention back to him.
"He really just leaves me alone," she shrugged. "I'm just waiting here, you know, for the battle with Amara."
"He's really got his hooks in you. Snap out of it! Do you know what's happening out there?" Crowley narrowly restrained himself from reaching out and shaking her. "Castiel and the Winchesters have trapped the abomination so that you can expel him so they can put him back in the cage."
"Well that doesn't sound like a good idea," she mumbled, wanting nothing more than for him to leave her alone.
"In your current state, you're in no position to judge," Crowley snapped at her.
"Wait, that was.. That was him I saw a minute ago, wasn't it?" Amriel asked, and Crowley stared down at her curiously.
"Him? Do you mean Cas?" he asked, wondering why she wouldn't refer to him by his name.
"Yeah. He wants me to expel Lucifer?" she asked him, realizing that she had felt him reaching out to her through their shared grace earlier.
"Yes! He does," Crowley nodded, hoping this was getting through to her.
"Well… He might have a more objective view of things. Maybe I should," she said absently, staring at Crowley with a thoughtful look on her face.
"Let's do it now before it's too late. Castiel has been a disaster without you," Crowley told her, and Lucifer burst into the room.
"It already is," he said, followed by a heavy sigh. "Really, Crowley? You want to put me back in the cage? Well, I'm not going anywhere, and neither are you."
Lucifer picked Crowley up and tossed him onto the desk, barely missing the TV.
"Stop! You're gonna break something, come on!" Amriel groaned as Crowley yelped when Lucifer smashed a glass over his head.
"You wanted my throne!" Lucifer seethed, punching Crowley in the face. "You plotted to replace me!"
"Please, stop it! My postcards-" the blonde trailed off as she watched dozens of them scatter to the floor, crumpling under their feet. Her eyes welled up with tears and she buried her face in her hands, wishing that she was with Cas as a chant echoed through her mind. "Just leave me alone!"
Everything went quiet, and Amriel finally looked up to find that both Crowley and Lucifer were gone.
She sighed, standing from the bed she had been sitting on and knelt on the floor, carefully picking up each postcard that had fallen in the fight and smoothing them out as best she could. A photograph had also fallen, and Amriel flipped it over only to feel her heart clench in her chest as she remembered the day it had been taken.
Cas and Amriel were seated side by side in a booth at a diner at 3 a.m. after driving for hours on end. They had stopped to share a dessert after debating what the best kind was during their ride, and continued the debate as they ordered a few things off of the menu.
"I don't get it. Brownies are clearly superior," Amriel argued, picking up a piece with her fork and taking a bite. "They're warm, and gooey, and surprisingly delicious. Plus you get ice cream."
"Cheesecake is much better," Cas shook his head, draping his arm over her shoulders and pulling her closer. "There are far more options. Have you ever tried pumpkin cheesecake?"
"I can't say I have," Amriel shrugged, turning a bit and holding out a bite of her brownie for him to try, a grin on her face as she watched his eyes light up as soon as he tasted it.
"Okay, I'll admit it, brownies are good," he conceded. "Not as good as cheesecake, though."
A cough from someone nearby brought them out of their debate, and Amriel looked to see a teenage girl from the next booth over standing at their table, an instant camera in her hands.
"I- I'm sorry to bother you, but I couldn't help notice you guys. The way you look at each other is the way my parents used to- never mind," the brunette shook her head quickly. "Anyways. I took this and wanted you to have it."
She handed Amriel a square photo with a white border, the bottom a little thicker than the sides and top, where the words Stars in their eyes and the date were written. The photo was of Amriel feeding Cas, smiles on both of their faces and glimmers of love in their expressions, and the blonde immediately grinned.
"Thank you so much, this is amazing," Amriel told the girl, who merely shrugged and said it wasn't a problem.
"Just don't let those stars fade," she told them before going back to her table.
Amriel continued to stare at the photo, now completely overwhelmed by the emotions she had been trying to lock away. She felt a familiar wetness on her face and her free hand flew to her cheek, not surprised when her fingers became wet with tears.
"I'm so sorry, Cas," she mumbled to herself, hoping that he would forgive her for what she had done.
Crowley gasped once he was back in his meat suit and quickly reacquainted himself with the body before sending a glare in Lucifer's direction.
"Useless. Lucifer's hold on her is too strong. She thinks she's doing the right thing," Crowley hissed, and Rowena yelled, drawing their attention to the circle of fire that had gone out.
The demon vanished and Rowena hid after that, and Lucifer went on to throw the defeat in the Winchesters' faces. He told them that he could've been their warrior, if only they hadn't tried to trick him and lie.
He forced Cas and the brothers to sit, choking them with an outstretched hand, miming the action without actually having to lay a delicate finger on them.
Lucifer frowned as he watched them all gasping for breath, feeling Amriel's shared grace fighting him every second he choked her other half, trying to get him to stop, but he ignored it and merely smirked, knowing that she was no match for him.
An explosion rocked the church and a hole appeared in one of the walls, causing Lucifer to turn around. Amara walked in through the hole, an annoyed look on her face.
"Oh, Lucifer… Dear nephew, my, how you've changed. I was tracking her," Amara gestured to Rowena, "when she left my side, and surprisingly she led me to you all."
"You were safely sealed away. You're gonna wish you stayed there," Lucifer growled, holding up the Horn of Joshua. It glowed red as he absorbed the power, and he threw a beam of white light at Amara.
When the light died down, Amara was still standing, like nothing had happened. She lifted a hand and drew Lucifer towards her, forcing him to drop the horn. Amara set her hand on Lucifer's cheek, ignoring the small audience she had watching.
"I think you and I need to have a nice, long chat," Amara told the archangel.
"Elle?" Castiel called out, his voice hoarse and dry from being choked relentlessly.
Amara turned to look at the angel, a small frown causing a crease on her forehead as she waved a hand and freed them from Lucifer's grasp.
"You'll see her soon enough, Castiel," Amara told him softly before taking a hold of Lucifer and disappearing in a flash of blinding light.
"No!" Cas yelled, hoisting himself off the ground and staggering over to where Amara had just been standing, hoping to find any sort of clue as to where she had taken Lucifer.
"Come on, man. There's nothing we can do right now. We gotta get back to the bunker and regroup," Dean finally said, setting a hand on his friend's shoulder, trying to be as comforting as he could be at a time like this.
"Dean… She was right there. She broke through-" Cas trailed off, his shoulders sagging as he stared at the ground. "She didn't want to expel him."
"We'll figure out another way," Sam offered, "Maybe there's some lore in the bunker. Let's get going."
"You two go on ahead. I'll meet you there," Cas told them, a sullen look on his face as the brothers nodded hesitantly.
"See you soon," Dean finally agreed, as Sam looked around for Rowena, who had made her exit sometime after Amara and Lucifer disappeared.
Once Sam and Dean were gone, Cas sat down in one of the pews and stared up towards Heaven, heaving a sigh before he began to speak.
"Father, if you're out there, I hope you can hear me," he began quietly. "I know I haven't been the most… well behaved angel in the garrison, but I have to ask you for one thing. Please, expel Lucifer from Amriel. Send him back to the cage, or anywhere you want. Just… Just get him out of her vessel. I'll do anything you ask. I… I can't do this alone for much longer."
Castiel quietly stared at the altar, waiting for any sort of response. A few moments passed by in complete silence, and the angel blew out a puff of breath he had been holding in.
"I should have known better. Thanks for nothing, Chuck," Cas grumbled with a roll of his eyes, getting up and making his way out to the car so he could get on the road and join the Winchesters.
Amara threw Lucifer against a wall, holding him in place with little effort as he breathed heavily.
"Okay, okay. Look! I know you have major beef with me," he started pleading, "You probably want to finish me. But you may want to rethink your position, 'cause I could actually be of use to you."
"Oh, really?" Amara asked, cocking an eyebrow out of curiosity.
"You hadn't considered? We both have an axe to grind with God. I know his soft spots, and he can't handle us both," Lucifer told her.
"Do you, for one moment, think that I would actually consider trusting you for anything? I did trust you once, and you and my brother conspired to seal me away for eons!" Amara hissed. "But you're right. You might be of some use to me."
"All right! Good. Now we're talking," Lucifer grinned, starting to approach Amara only to be thrown back against the wall.
"As God's favorite, his first son, you may be the one thing in all of creation that he still cares about. The one thing that could finally make him show himself so that I can confront him and he can acknowledge how he wronged me," Amara grinned now. "And then he can witness the utter destruction of all his creation, before he himself is swept away."
"You're expecting him?" Lucifer asked, and Amara nodded. "Well… I wouldn't wait up. Pretty sure he caught the last train out."
"We'll see, won't we? His favorite son, taking residence in the vessel of one of the two chosen to lead Heaven in his absence? The other one falling apart without her? He's bound to appear sooner rather than later," Amara grinned. "Now, about you taking over my dear Amriel… Are you treating her well in there? Let me take a look."
Amara reached out and set both of her palms on either side of Lucifer's head, closing her eyes and delving into Amriel's mind.
Amara stood in a small room, expecting to see Amriel standing there, waiting around or looking for a way to get out of the predicament she was currently in. Instead, she found the angel seated on the tiled floor, her head buried in her knees that were pulled up to her chest, sobbing.
"Amriel?" she called out, concern flickering over her features briefly as she knelt down beside the blonde. "Little one, are you okay?"
The angel looked up, her gray eyes watery and her cheeks and nose red from crying. Her eyes widened in realization before she jumped up and backed away from Amara, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Wh-what are you doing here?" Amriel finally asked, avoiding eye contact with the Darkness.
"I wanted to check on you, my dear. I currently have Lucifer in my possession, and I want to make sure he's taking care of you while he's using your vessel," Amara explained. "You are important, and I'm going to see that you make it out of this alive and well."
"I thought you wanted to destroy Earth? To break everything that God created," she mumbled in response, watching Amara carefully.
"Yes, but that doesn't mean I want to destroy you. You, Castiel, and I could recreate everything the way we want it to be," Amara offered, a bright smile on her face. "Just imagine it, a world where everything is just the way you want, perfect in every way!"
"I don't think Earth was ever meant to be perfect," Amriel told her in a contemplative voice. "Humans don't always make the best choices. They aren't always the most intelligent. But they try their best, no matter their circumstances, and it's amazing to see what they've done. In my time on Earth, I've grown to admire humanity… I've tried to immerse myself in it and have some myself, despite being taught that humanity was the biggest fault an angel could have. So, I don't think I'd want to blow it all to pieces and start again."
"I thought you'd see things differently. No matter. I have Lucifer and I have to deal with him, no matter what vessel he's in," Amara said with a small frown on her face, and Amriel could tell that she was disappointed. "I'll be seeing you soon."
Amara disappeared and Amriel was alone again, left to wonder just what was going on outside of her mind.