AN: Sorry for the late update, guys! Hope you're not mad XD
Like I've stated on my profile - I'll most likely be writing out several chapters in advance before I start posting again. Having everything pre-written was working better for me in the long run, so I'm probably going to end up reverting back to that. So if updates do start slowing a little, that's why XD I'll still be as active as ever, though, and working to finish the story. It's not done yet, believe me, and I'm excited to continue.
I'm somewhat active now on Tumblr too (as I've stated on my profile, you can find me there by the same name - lucigooseythelightbringer - if you're interested in following.) I'll be posting little updates on the story from time to time, as well as... little things that may not make much sense but are funny anyway XD So like I said, if you're interested, you can contact me there too. I'll try getting in updates every Monday-Wednesday-Friday, and see if that schedule works out better for me.
Anywho! Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy the chapter! :)
So, Michael was relieved to see when he returned, nobody was watching porn.
He was a little surprised to note that Dean had fallen asleep. Somewhat hesitant, he had risen up to take control, only to realize he was the only one who had; Dean was absent, dormant, snoozing away in his own head. A part of Michael wondered how the human could be so comfortable to fall asleep with Chuck nearby - the rest of him wondered how he could be comfortable to fall asleep with Michael in his head. But, the archangel didn't do anything other than take a quick look around. Dean had positioned them on the couch, beside Castiel and Lucifer, who were both still out. Chuck had his head forward, chin touching his chest, just as unconscious, with Gabriel pacing back and forth behind his chair. And Sam, on the other side of the room, was simply typing away on his phone, a faint frown on his face.
Satisfied nothing bad had happened while he was gone, Michael retreated again. He didn't want to take control for too long, running the risk of Dean waking up to the archangel controlling him - he still wanted to keep him as comfortable as possible, and he also knew the hunter deserved his rest. So, he promptly retreated into his memories, bringing up the most recent one of him and Adam in the park. A lot of his anxiety had been calmed and stifled, and he found himself a lot more relaxed than he had been before he'd fallen asleep. Wrapping his arms around himself, he put the memory on loop and simply stared, watching and listening as it played out.
He smiled softly to himself, tilting his head to the side. Yes, he was a lot more relaxed. A lot more… well, content. Everything seemed to be going well - but Michael was still a little scared to hope for too much, or - heaven forbid - jinx it. So he kept these thoughts, these hopes, to himself, bubbling them away in just a little corner of his mind. Just enough so that he could still feel the effects, so he could still smile, so he could still relax and fantasize that maybe, one day, someday soon, eventually, things would go back to the normal he had gotten used to. It wasn't the normal he'd been raised into, the normal he'd known - but after so long with Adam, it was the only kind of normal he could ever begin to get comfortable with. Nothing else would ever be enough. Nothing else would ever feel the same. Maybe it wasn't healthy, but…
Well, Michael liked to think they weren't entirely codependent. After all, they were doing fairly well for their first time being split up since everything that had happened. Adam was functioning, working out a plan, and Michael was… slowly but surely learning how to survive. Still, with this, there was still that feeling, the itch, the missing piece of the puzzle. It wasn't codependence. It was just one person who had gotten split in two. But they could survive this way for now, holding onto the hope that they would be whole again, because that's where they belonged.
This was Michael's destiny, his purpose, his fate. With that in mind, the archangel was confident that one way or another, they'd end up together again - because they were meant to be. But not because God had planned it - because that's how they ended up. They were their own self-fulfilling prophecy. Michael smiled a little bit at the thought.
He shook himself out of his thoughts to continue watching, smile softening.
For a while, he began to lose himself in the memory. It was odd, watching him and Adam interact from a completely different perspective. Somehow, it seemed even sweeter; The glances, the touches, the smiles. He rubbed his arm absently, just staring - but he turned his head slightly when the memory suddenly shifted - hell, just about everything shifted. Something was off - off, but not wrong. Just different. The archangel looked around, bewildered and just a little bit nervous, though he relaxed rather quickly at another realization; Dean had woken up.
Michael debated on saying something to the hunter, but he decided against it for the time being. The oldest Winchester took his time shaking himself from the grogginess, exhaustion still clinging to him as the hunter took everything in again, just trying to get his bearings. And, so, the archangel let him, turning his attention back to the memory while he waited.
His eyes tracked Adam as the demon stood and made his way to the jungle gym; The memory-him immediately stood to follow, the conversation continuing on as Adam began his ascent. The demon was barely halfway up by the time the memory shifted again - and then, suddenly, Dean was there. Admittedly, Michael practically jumped out of his skin, staggering backwards and away from the hunter, while Dean held his hands up in front of him and looked around, obviously just as disoriented. The archangel could only stare, wide-eyed, startled.
"Uh…" Dean took another quick look around, blinking, before turning his bewildered gaze back to Michael. They were both slowly beginning to recover - the hunter somehow faster than the archangel - and with this, came a strange sense of confusion on both ends. Michael just took in a deep breath and put a hand over his chest, fingers trembling just the slightest bit as he fought to recover from the brief scare; Dean stared at him, obviously baffled. "... sorry. Wow."
Michael only shook his head, speechless with shock, and Dean turned away again with one last, confused glance toward the archangel, taking in his surroundings carefully. His gaze came to rest on the figures in the memory - by this point, Michael had already gone to join Adam on the jungle gym - and the oldest Winchester's confusion seemed to intensify tenfold, just for a second. Now was as good a time as any for Michael to start explaining, and he would get right on that the moment he could catch the breath he didn't really need, and the moment his heart stopped pounding like a jackhammer and his spine stopped tingling like someone had just stabbed him in the back with an icicle. He swallowed, hard, and cleared his throat.
"I- sorry…" The archangel mumbled, not really sure what he was apologizing for. Probably because he felt bad that Dean had apologized… especially considering the hunter hadn't meant to scare him, so it couldn't possibly have been his fault. It could have been for a myriad of things, honestly, half the time Michael didn't even know what he was apologizing for anyway, he was just sorry, all the time - but right then, he needed to say it, because he didn't know what else to say. Dean shot him a bewildered look in response, shaking his head.
"Yeah. Okay."
Michael hesitated, wanting to say more, but he didn't get the chance to before Dean had turned away yet again, eyes trailing to the jungle gym as he wandered a few steps forward, watching the memory play out. After a moment, the archangel shifted his focus back to the memory, as well, wrapping his arms around himself once again and even venturing forward a little bit to stand beside Dean, shifting his weight to one side and tilting his head faintly as he stared. A small smile tugged at his lips, watching Adam turn to pull him into a hug, every part of him aching to feel the demon's arms wrapped around him again, to be as close as he had been just moments before he had woken up.
Dean's eyes flickered toward him, not saying a word. Something in his expression had softened, though, something akin to understanding. But it faded when Adam's words reached their ears, and Michael's own smile vanished at the reminder, immediately on the alert.
Don't forget to tell them about Bela, the demon had reminded him - and Michael had definitely almost forgotten, getting far too caught up in the rest of the memory. Dean stared for a moment, eyebrows furrowing, seemingly piecing the puzzle together, as if he didn't quite understand - before he sucked in a sharp breath, realizing it at once, and whirled around to face Michael so fast that the archangel flinched - visibly - in surprise. But he didn't move back, surprising even himself with the lack of retreat, and he swallowed down the instinctive rush of apologies. He hadn't done anything wrong, he hadn't made any mistakes. He had to learn to stop saying he was sorry when there was nothing to be sorry about.
"You talked to him?" Dean demanded, studying Michael's expression carefully, taking in every flicker of emotion that crossed his face; There was no wariness, though, no caution or suspicion or distrust. He clearly expected Michael to be honest with him - and that's what he intended.
"We connected - in a dream," the archangel explained, slowly tugging his arms from around himself and raising a hand to rub the back of his neck. Dean furrowed his eyebrows, but said nothing, and so Michael continued, "I suppose it's because of our connection - our souls were just so entangled that we likely brought a piece of one another with us when…" He trailed off, realizing he might be getting a bit off topic, and also not really wanting to finish that sentence in the first place. "He wanted me to ask you and Sam about a woman - a demon he met, named Bela. He said she'd helped him escape from my Father in exchange for him leading her to you."
"Oh, no," Dean groaned, and, judging by that reaction, Michael definitely had a feeling that this 'Bela' wasn't good news by any means. The oldest Winchester sighed, scrubbing his hands down his face, and shook his head a little bit. "Bela Talbot…" The hunter grimaced, shifting a little on his feet and turning away from Michael again, looking around the park somewhat absently now. "Crap. What else did he say?"
"That you have history with her," Michael told him, eyebrows furrowing. "And that she's likely angry and out for revenge, since you apparently let her get taken to Hell?"
Dean gave him an incredulous look, and Michael had to physically bite back his apology this time. "You're kidding," the hunter uttered, disbelief lacing his words like venom. "Man- no. That's not how it went down - not really. She didn't ask for help. By the time I'd figured it out, it was too late. You know what she did? She was a friggin' pain in the ass. Crazy bitch…" The oldest Winchester seethed, and Michael's eyebrows raised slightly, his mind flashing back to the beginning of the conversation. Adam had uttered those same two words, if he wasn't mistaken, with the same expression of frustration on his face. Only the demon had also looked amused.
"Adam doesn't believe her - well, not really," Michael added, recalling how his friend had basically said he wanted to give Bela the benefit of the doubt, but he just needed to be sure of her intentions. "At least, he doesn't trust her. He wants to, though. He's just not sure if she can be trusted around you and Sam," he explained, as Dean's eyebrows furrowed. "Potentially, she could be… dangerous, I suppose. Adam said she does feel genuinely betrayed."
"She literally-" Dean cut off, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Michael gave him a helpless, sympathetic glance, mouth twisting slightly as the oldest Winchester rubbed a hand down his face again, then over his mouth, seemingly trying to think of something to say. "Okay, so- what's he doing?" The hunter finally asked, "is he leading her to us, or…?"
"Well- no," Michael replied, slightly puzzled by that. "Like I said, he doesn't know if he can trust her. He's actually leading her away until he can figure out whether she intends to harm you." At this, Dean looked visibly shocked, just for a good few seconds, before those stony walls he had built up had risen up again once more. Michael frowned, but he didn't say anything; It wasn't his business to pry when it came to Dean Winchester; He wasn't his body-buddy. He may be his true vessel, but he wasn't his true vessel, and he wasn't the one he was supposed to look after. It simply wasn't his business, and that was that. "He wanted me to talk to you about her," the archangel did speak up again, looking down now. "To see if you can tell us something that she might have left out in her stories. He wants to be able to trust her."
"Don't really see why…" Dean muttered. Michael bit his lip, and while he didn't say anything else, he didn't try to stop Adam's frustrated-but-affectionate expression from popping into his head, the bitter amusement with which he spoke of the demon, the way he had blushed when Michael had started teasing the fact that he might like her, the fact that he had slept with her - but the archangel shut down those thoughts quickly. Dean didn't say anything, but the realization flickered across his face instantly, as well as some understanding - and he also seemed, unsurprisingly and yet surprisingly at the same time, impressed. "Oh… huh."
"Yeah…" Michael offered a slightly nervous laugh and closed his eyes for a moment when the memory froze, looping it back to the beginning once again. "I've never seen him this way before. It's not just that he doesn't… you know, that he doesn't trust her. He- he wants to, but he's still being careful and trying to save her at the same time." A small smile began to appear on the archangel's face, glancing away for a moment. "It's… it's actually really sweet of him."
Dean studied him for a moment, then turned his head to the side, simply watching the memory play out for a while. After a few seconds, Michael managed to force his own gaze up, as well, wrapping his arms around himself once more and furrowing his eyebrows faintly, smile softening even further as he watched. And, after a while, Dean finally heaved out a sigh and shook his head - though he didn't seem angry, or even remotely exasperated. If anything, he seemed slightly amused. "Yeah, he's definitely a Winchester, then," he muttered.
Michael couldn't help but crack a grin, looking back down at his feet. He was definitely pleased by that comment - hell, maybe even more so than Adam would have been, had he been there to hear it. That was all he wanted, after all, for the demon to be a part of whatever Sam and Dean were. For him to be with his family, and to be happy, because he'd spent so long being so angry. But even then, the more he thought about it, the more he realized Adam hadn't been angry lately. No explosive rages, no excessive fury. Like he had left the burden of his own rage behind, and coming into something new; Like he was finally recovering. And that was a beautiful thing. Because if anybody deserved to be able to do that, it was Adam Milligan.
Dean stared at him, then looked back toward the memory. But he only watched it unravel again for a few seconds before he'd turned away once more, crossing his arms. "So, what's his plan?"
Michael blinked and paused for a second, a little uncertain. "As far as I know… just figuring out her intentions," he responded, frowning. "I mean, knowing Adam, he'll… cross that bridge when he gets to it. Right now he's just focused on getting her as far away from you and Sam as possible and figuring out whether or not she's working for or with my Father." His frown deepened slightly. "We think he has something to do with it. His rescue was far too easy, even for my liking…" He trailed off, shaking his head. He still couldn't decide whether it was better that Adam was with Bela than with Chuck - both situations were potentially dangerous.
"Smart kid," Dean muttered appreciatively, and Michael's lips twitched slightly, a fond look crossing his face. Yes, Adam definitely was smart. He was being so careful; Even though he wanted to trust her, he was relying more on facts, working to figure out how to proceed before anything else, keeping the danger away from his brothers until he could find a way to fix it. "Not a bad plan, either," Dean commented, though he was frowning now. "But if she is working with Chuck, what's he gonna do about it?"
"I'm not sure," Michael admitted, smile twisting into a frown. He knew Adam better than anyone else could, but he was genuinely at a loss here, simply considering the fact that the demon seemed to genuinely like Bela - but he wasn't much of a talk-out-his-problems person, either. Still, despite that… "He might attempt to reason with her," the archangel muttered, "depending on whether or not she's aware of my Father's manipulations."
Dean nodded a little, clicking his teeth together. "We could try and get some information out of Chuck," the hunter commented. "But at the same time, his word isn't exactly reliable."
"By any means," Michael agreed with a soft, despondent sigh, furrowing his eyebrows. "Regardless, it'd be good to try. That's what I was thinking, anyway." He fell silent for a few moments, looking back up at the hunter. "So you implied… she may be exaggerating quite a bit in what she's told Adam," the archangel recalled somewhat uncertainly.
"That's one way to put it," Dean admitted, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I mean, yeah - the whole getting-dragged-down-to-Hell thing is true. But she didn't ask for help. Hell, she stole from us, she lied to us, she friggin' shot Sam," the hunter huffed a little, and Michael's eyebrows raised slightly at that, not sure whether he was surprised by that or not, considering what he'd heard of Bela already. "She could've come to us for help. She had every opportunity," the oldest Winchester sighed, glancing away. "By the time she did, it was too late. We couldn't have done anything even if we wanted to. It wasn't our fault." Dean's mouth twisted.
Michael stared at him for a moment, silent. Of course he believed the hunter, without a doubt - but still, despite what Dean was saying, there was still a flicker of guilt, or something akin to it, at least, sparkling in his eyes. The archangel agreed, to be honest, it couldn't possibly be their fault if they hadn't known until it was too late, but he understood that to some extent, Dean felt somewhat bad about it, in some way. And he also understood that Bela felt that she had been betrayed. From what Adam had told him, she was genuinely hurt, and angry with them.
"It wouldn't have been your fault, anyway," the archangel murmured, not sure why he felt the need to console the hunter. "It's my Father who made the big decisions back then. You couldn't be held responsible if he was manipulating things."
Dean didn't reply, but his shoulders eased back a little bit, and his furrowed eyebrows seemed to relax, ever so slightly, from the way they were creased together across his forehead. The hunter ran his tongue over his lips and nodded, short and simple, before he turned his head a little to the side and looked back over toward the memory, watching for only a few seconds before he turned his attention back to Michael. "I'm gonna tell Sam," he told him simply, and Michael nodded a little in response. He'd intended to tell them together, but then, things never really turned out the way he intended anyway. He didn't really mind this, though. "You comin'?"
Michael managed a small, hesitant smile in response. It surprised him, slightly, the question - and it made him just a little bit anxious, wondering whether or not the hunter did want him to take control along with him. Dean quirked an eyebrow slightly, though he said nothing. He wasn't going to influence Michael's decision, he wasn't going to say what he wanted the archangel to do; he realized a little too late that he wanted Michael to decide for himself. And, so, somewhat hesitantly, he did. "Of course." He glanced up, past the hunter. "Just, um…"
Dean shot a glance over his shoulder, back toward the memory, and a flicker of understanding crossed his face. He nodded slightly at Michael in response, and the archangel could have sworn he saw a faint, barely-noticeable smile on his face as Dean turned away.
And then he was gone.
Michael only sighed softly to himself and looked back at the memory, just watching for a moment. He couldn't stay cooped up inside his own head forever, much as he wished he could. Adam had been right, though, they needed his help with the Cage, and the sooner he got to that, the better. So he'd be spending most of his time in the Empty… with Amara… and the Shadow… and… jeez, he wasn't looking forward to that. Of course he wouldn't spend all his time there, as he also had to figure out how much his Father knew about Bela, and get the information to Adam somehow. It was a lot, most definitely, but Michael felt oddly relaxed. Like maybe they had some kind of chance now. At least knowing Adam was okay had helped to calm his nerves quite a bit, and to get him focused on the bigger picture.
He smiled a little to himself, then closed his eyes for a moment before slowly bringing himself up to take control along with Dean. He was careful, trying not to startle the hunter, but Dean didn't seem focused on him anyway. The oldest Winchester was watching his brother, on his feet now with a bottle of whiskey in his hands, trading glances between Sam and the bottle while he scanned the label. The younger of the two was hunched over his laptop now, the phone pressed to his ear. "-yeah. Yeah, just call me when you can. Stay safe. Alright."
"Who was that?" Dean questioned casually as he finally opened the bottle, lifting it to his lips and taking a small sip. Sam looked up, ready to answer, but he paused for a second when he saw Dean drinking from a whole bottle of whiskey; the younger hunter recovered fast enough, though, with nothing more than a shake of his head as he put his phone down.
"Ketch," he informed his older brother, arching his eyebrows. "I was just, uh… catching him up." His expression shifted a little after he had spoken, moments before Dean had even lowered the bottle, before the grin appeared on his face. Sam seemed to know what was coming; Michael, despite being in the hunter's head, was a little slower on the uptake.
"Don't you mean…" Dean paused. "... Ketch-ing him up?"
Michael blinked, bewildered, while Sam just hung his head and pressed a hand over his face, rubbing it down slowly and letting out a long, heavy sigh. Gabriel, on the other hand, started laughing slightly, even pausing in his pacing and letting himself fall back against the wall behind him. Dean burst out laughing not too long after, though he made more of an attempt to stifle it. As for Michael… yeah, he still didn't understand a thing.
"Come on," the hunter chortled, grinning somewhat encouragingly at his brother, while Sam only shot him an exasperated look in response. "It's funny. I'm hilarious."
"It was," Gabriel agreed, still snickering. Michael looked over at him for a moment, unable to help a small smile. He was happy to see his younger brother back in good spirits, at least.
"It's so hard to talk to you," Sam mumbled. "Both of you." He shook his head again, inciting another burst of laughter from Dean, who tilted his head back to swallow another few mouthfuls of the whiskey. Michael paused a little at the taste, somewhat thoughtful. Adam would probably like whiskey, he noted. It was very strong, and somewhat bitter, at least to the archangel. And he knew the demon liked those kinds of things, for whatever reason…
The archangel shook his head a little bit, then turned his focus to Chuck. His father was still unconscious, now just with a new stream of blood running down his lip; Judging by the same crimson stains on Gabriel's knuckles, his brother had put likely had to put their Father to sleep again. Michael would definitely have to keep an eye on that; He couldn't speak to Chuck if he wasn't conscious, and he had to get to the bottom of this Bela thing. Dean perked up a bit at the thought, immediately turning his attention back to his brother.
"Right. Bela's back," the oldest Winchester informed the younger hunter, and Sam visibly paused, his eyes flicking back up to his brother's face at once. "Yeah. And she's with Adam - some kind of rescue. They're pretty sure it's staged. She's looking for us. And she's a demon, so that's just great." Dean shook his head a little bit, honestly seeming resigned to it by now, and Michael couldn't help but frown slightly. They must be used to people trying to kill them. Demons, at least, Michael was certain they were… "You have no idea."
"What?" Sam asked, a little confused by the last part; It took him a second to realize that Dean wasn't talking to him, and he paused again, then shook his head. "Okay, I'm sorry, back up- Adam's with Bela? What, is she, like… holding him hostage or something?" He pressed.
"No," Michael chose that moment to speak up, much to Dean's relief, because the hunter didn't remember all the details. "No, Adam's alright. He's leading her away until he can figure out whether her intentions are good or bad. He believes she may be working for my Father - most likely under some form of manipulation," the archangel added with a frown, and Sam furrowed his eyebrows slightly at this, looking mildly contemplative, but he fell silent now as he thought.
"And Bela's, apparently, out for our heads," Dean cut in, frowning. "So that's fun."
Sam gave him a weary look, looking just as resigned, and opened his mouth to say something; Only to pause and jump, startled, when Castiel and Lucifer suddenly bolted upright, both of them gasping. Michael, admittedly, jumped quite a bit himself, and Dean was most likely startled quite a bit as well, not that the hunter would admit it. He was much like Adam in that aspect. The archangel watched his brothers, concerned, as Castiel doubled over, a hand over his chest, just catching his breath. Lucifer, who had recovered much faster, simply pushed himself up off the couch and frowned, an odd look on his face, an emotion Michael couldn't read.
"Welcome back," Gabriel piped up, and Lucifer's head whirled toward him at once, then to Chuck, eyebrows furrowing slightly for a moment as the Devil pushed himself to stand.
"Are you two alright?" Michael asked with a frown, and Lucifer and Castiel both glanced up, equal amounts of exhaustion written across their faces. The Devil's was masked a little quicker than Castiel's, but they both reigned in their weariness rather quickly, as Castiel pushed himself to stand alongside his older brother, shaking his head slightly as if to clear it. Lucifer, still seeming rather disoriented, only continued to stare at his oldest brother for a long, long time before he finally managed to respond. "Yeah." It was a short and simple answer, and Michael didn't believe it for a second; He didn't understand. Lucifer had been alright just before they'd gone - what could have happened in the Empty that would put his younger brother on edge like this? But, Michael didn't question him, only frowned slightly before he turned to Castiel.
"Fine," Castiel muttered at once, the second Michael's gaze rested on him. And he actually did seem fine - a little tense, but he looked like he was still recovering from the transition from the Empty, not the odd way Lucifer was acting. The angel shook himself again, rather harshly this time, before he turned his gaze back to them. "Jack wanted me to tell you that he misses you," he told them quietly, and Michael retreated at once, knowing he was talking to Dean now, as well as Sam, and both of them seemed to falter quite a bit. "And that he's sorry."
Neither hunter responded; Sam looked down at his laptop, although unfocused, and Dean only stared for a while before clearing his throat, finally managing to bring himself to speak. "Any idea when he's gonna be able to come back, or…?"
"Soon," Lucifer promised, albeit vaguely, and the Winchesters and Castiel turned their gazes back to the Devil at once. Michael only furrowed his eyebrows, watching. "He's only staying behind to work on the Cage now. Billie's finishing up my old vessel, and then we're all good." He paused for a moment, turning his head toward Chuck. "We have to find Adam."
"About that…" Michael started, taking control again to explain.
"I'll fill him in. I gotta talk to him anyway," Gabriel interrupted, and Michael paused for a second, but he nodded at his younger brother. The youngest archangel eased around their Father, brushing past Lucifer on his way to the kitchen, and Lucifer shot a confused look after him, then simply shrugged at Michael before following. Dean watched them go, silent. Michael frowned.
"He's not… doing too well," Castiel noted quietly, once the archangels were safely in the kitchen and talking amongst themselves. Michael paused, looking back over at him, and his frown deepened even further, eyebrows furrowing slightly in a mixture of concern and confusion.
"What d'you mean?"
Before Castiel could respond, the front door opened; Dean was on the defense at once, but Sam waved him off just as quickly, just as two familiar figures walked in. Rowena was grinning ear to ear, while Crowley looked like he was trying not to smile, rolling his eyes at his mother.
Michael visibly relaxed, letting out a soft, somewhat relieved sigh, and Dean calmed down almost immediately. "Hello, boys," Crowley drawled, finally allowing a smirk to settle across his lips as he sauntered over to them, hands in his pockets, all-too confident. He paused, however, looking over at Chuck, and he quirked an eyebrow, almost amused. "You've upgraded," he commented idly, "went from taking down demons to taking down God, have you? Big shots."
Despite himself, Michael laughed. He didn't really mean to, it kind of just slipped out, but he had to admit, the demon was kind of funny. Dean, on the other hand, merely rolled his eyes. "Go big or go home, right?" He responded, crossing his arms over his chest.
"That's the spirit," Rowena called, busying herself with clearing off Chuck's desk to make room for the giant spellbook Michael recognized from before, which she flipped open and began scanning through. Sam closed his laptop and put it aside, standing up and walking over to her at once to read along with her. Rowena merely grinned. "Nevertheless, you are the Winchesters. God or not, he doesn't stand a chance, correct?"
"Yeah. Definitely." Sam snorted, not seeming too confident in his own response.
"I never liked him anyway," Crowley hummed, still staring Chuck down. "Far too cocky." He paused, turning around to face Rowena again. "Weren't you and him a thing at one point? … You always did have horrible taste in men."
"Please, Fergus," Rowena sighed, brushing her hair out of her face. "Charles and I were never a thing, you know this. It was simply something that could have been, but never was… It just wasn't meant to be…" She trailed off, her eyes lingering on Chuck for a moment, and Michael's eyebrows rose slightly in surprise when he finally realized what they were saying. Rowena and his Father? That was a new one. To be honest, the witch could do a lot better than Chuck…
Dean snickered. "Yeah, no kidding."
Rowena spared him a look, clearly thinking he was talking to her. "Regardless," she emphasized, glancing back toward Crowley. "Not a thing. Just a could-have-been."
"Right, my mistake." Crowley rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to Sam and Dean, glancing between them for a good few seconds before he focused on Dean and Michael in particular. After looking the oldest Winchester up and down for a good few seconds, he pursed his lips and leaned back, head tilting. "So, Michael. What happened to your demon?"
Rowena looked up again, eyes flicking from Crowley to Dean and back again, before coming to rest on the older hunter. Her eyebrows shot up, a mixture of stunned and bewildered. "Pardon?" She uttered, staring Dean down now. "Oh, don't tell me you let the archangel in again… have you not learned your lesson with that?" She demanded, looking miffed. "Honestly?"
"It's a long story…" Michael mumbled, somewhat uncomfortable. Yeah, it still stung.
"Alright, hey." Dean held his hands up, giving Rowena a warning look. "Obviously, it's fine. Let's try and remember this isn't the same Michael, huh? D'you see him causing any trouble, 'cause I sure as hell don't. Either way, I think we've got bigger fish to fry." He jerked his head toward Chuck, as if to emphasize his point, "and this is only temporary until we find Adam. Or, at least until he wants to be found." The hunter huffed a little, shaking his head. "So relax."
"I still think you're a dumbass," Crowley told him bluntly, while Rowena raised her eyebrows in agreement and looked back down at the book, shaking her head slightly in exasperation. Michael, on the other hand, had mixed feelings about what the hunter had said; It seemed like Dean was finally beginning to trust him, finally beginning to understand he really was different from his alternate universe counterpart, and that… was honestly a really great feeling. It took away some of the sting, at least, and that was even better. The archangel relaxed, sighing.
"Eh, he's a Winchester, it's in his blood," Gabriel chuckled as he ducked out of the kitchen; Michael turned to watch, eyes flicking straight to Lucifer, who followed their younger brother out with a slightly amused expression on his face. "Oh- hello, Rowena."
"Gabriel," Rowena purred, a smile tugging at her lips now.
Crowley glanced between them, paused, then let out a low mumble of "give me a break" and headed straight for the kitchen, most likely to get some kind of alcohol. Michael looked down at the whiskey bottle in Dean's hand, paused, then simply brought it up to his lips, himself, to take a couple sips. For the first time, he thought, it was definitely unfortunate that alcohol had no effect on him. This was bound to be a long… well, however long it would be until they got Adam back, that was for certain.