A/N: As you can see... I am not dead.

Adam awoke to the familiar sound of three singing archangels, and to the all-too welcome sight of his favorite one sitting beside him. It had been a long time since he'd actually woken up to Michael - too long for Adam's comfort, at least, and he found himself simply savoring the moment for a while before he finally twisted and pushed himself to sit up, wincing slightly. He had been propped up against the wall when he'd fallen asleep, but he had either fallen into a laying position or Michael had simply moved him into a more comfortable one. Regardless, he was thankful either way, because he knew he would have been much more sore than this had he actually woken up with his head against the wall instead. Michael turned his head to look over at him when the demon moved, offering his best friend that familiar, warm smile. "Morning."

"Morning." The demon's lips twitched slightly, allowing a small smile despite himself, as he sat up completely and leaned forward, hunching over slightly with his arms crossed in his lap. He was still tired, but he would adjust rather quickly. He was just glad to be back with his body-buddy, to be completely honest. Finally, everything was starting to feel right again. Adam flicked his gaze up, narrowing his eyes faintly toward the singing archangels in the memory, while Michael shifted slightly to lean back beside him and brought his knees up to his chest, crossing his arms over them wordlessly. "So…" Adam began after a moment, glancing over at Michael once again. "You explain everything to Luce?"

"Yes, I did." Michael paused, just for a second. "He didn't say much about it, though."

Adam grunted slightly, understanding. When it came to the Cage or anything Cage-related, Lucifer hardly had anything to say about it aside from their plans of shoving God through and slamming the door behind him without looking back. Adam certainly couldn't blame him for that. Michael hummed softly in agreement, leaning his head back, and the demon continued to flick his gaze around the memory curiously. At least until Michael spoke up, his voice soft and careful. Not quite hesitant, Adam wouldn't say, but something akin to it. "I need to tell you something…" The demon glanced over at him again, watching the archangel twist his mouth slightly, uncertain, before he continued cautiously, "but I'm not sure how."

Adam arched an eyebrow at him, turning slightly to face the archangel with an odd look on his face. Michael seemed slightly frustrated with his own inability to put whatever he needed to say into words, a faint frown written across the archangel's face as he stared at his hands. But he turned back to Adam quickly enough, when the demon silently suggested looking through Michael's head himself to see whatever it was Adam needed to hear. "It's a lot," he warned. "And I do mean a lot to take in. It would be easier just to…" The archangel closed his eyes and breathed out softly through his teeth, and the demon furrowed his eyebrows back at him.

"Okay, well, don't… strain yourself or anything," Adam finally spoke up again, giving the archangel an odd look as Michael just leaned his head back again, twisting his mouth slightly. The demon ran his tongue over his lips before he spoke up again, "scale of one to ten, how-"

He didn't even need to finish the question. "Eleven."

Adam made a face at that, hissing in a breath through his teeth and nodding slowly. So it was that bad, huh… Well, there was only one thing to do in that case. "Alright, well," the demon began slowly, pursing his lips with a frown. "Just, go ahead and rip the band-aid off, buddy. That's what you gotta do when it's that bad; just get it over with and deal with the aftermath." He glanced up at his best friend, and Michael let out a soft sigh but nodded regardless, clearing his throat and shifting back a little. He put his legs down, choosing to cross them Indian-style instead, and crossed his arms over his lap, somewhat mirroring Adam's position. He was clearly still struggling, but Adam waited patiently, simply keeping his gaze trained on the archangel.

Finally, Michael began, "Lucifer…"

Oh, jeez. This was definitely nothing good, if Michael was starting it with Lucifer's name. Adam watched the archangel's lips tug upwards at the thought, as Michael ducked his head and chuckled slightly, a mixture of amusement and agreement stirring in his chest as he nodded. "Yeah, it's bad," his best friend agreed softly, tilting his head back up with a sigh. "Lucifer… made a deal with… with the Empty. I've told you about Castiel's deal?" Adam simply nodded, his expression slowly beginning to darken at the implications, and Michael continued on, "Luci made a deal to… turn himself in to the Empty, in Castiel's place."

Adam stared at him for a moment in silence, every muscle in his body pulling taut with absolute fury as he stared back at Michael. It didn't take long for him to register exactly what that meant - Lucifer was going to die in Castiel's place, and, sure, he could choose to see that as an amazing, grand gesture from their resident Devil, or he could choose to see it as the most ridiculous thing that Lucifer had ever done in his entire fucking life, which was most certainly saying something when he thought through most of the things Lucifer had told them after they'd realized he'd been alive, back at the school. So, what, did this mean he was just going to die? For Castiel's sake? Again, a sweet gesture, but what the hell, man? What about him?

What about them?

"He feels like we don't need him," Michael spoke up again quietly, and at this point, Adam seriously wanted to bash Lucifer's head into a wall. "That everyone, and Jack, especially, would be better off with Castiel instead of him. At least- that's what he said his motivation was. I spoke to him, but…" The archangel shut his eyes, and Adam breathed in through his teeth, working to stifle the fury, and looked back up at Michael as he spoke. "He's scared, Adam. He's really scared - of a lot of things, right now. Of dying, but… he's also scared of having to stay alive, of changing. He doesn't wanna do it, but he doesn't wanna stop it either, you know?"

The rest of Adam's fury faltered, staring at Michael for a moment. The idea of the Devil being scared of changing… well, it wasn't one that Adam could say surprised him, and it was definitely a sentiment he could relate to. But he had changed, and, hell, Lucifer was changing.

"I know," Michael agreed quietly, then let his breath out slowly and cleared his throat, blinking his eyes open again. "So, uh, apparently this whole deal is supposed to be happening after-"

"Oh, no- no, it's not happening," Adam interrupted immediately, and Michael flicked his gaze over to the demon instantly, eyebrows raising slightly - not in surprise, but in intrigue - as Adam crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back, bracing himself up against the wall. "Fuckin' dumbass doesn't get to just weasel his way out of the situation because he's scared of a little change. Hell, and he called me a coward for being scared of getting close to people," the demon grumbled, narrowing his eyes faintly and flicking his gaze back up to Michael. "Yeah, no, that's not happening. He doesn't just get a 'get outta life' free card now, after all of this."

He watched Michael's lips twitch slightly as the archangel nodded, just as firmly. "Yeah. Yeah." Michael looked up at him, a small, hesitant smile tugging at his lips, but determination still flickered through his eyes, as strong as it had been since the moment the archangel had woken up. "Damn right." Michael paused, breathing in through his teeth. "I'm not… letting this happen."

"Yeah, neither am I," Adam growled. "I'm gonna punch the fucker, I swear."

Michael actually laughed at that, prompting Adam to shoot him a look. What, the archangel didn't think he'd do it? Oh, Adam would totally do it. He'd do it right fucking now, actually. "No, no, no, I know you would, trust me," Michael assured him, though he was still laughing slightly as he looked up at the demon. "Lucifer knows it, too. He actually, uh, asked me to give him a heads up after I told you, just so he knew what to expect. I mean… it's not like anybody expected you not to beat his ass after you found out," he admitted, eyebrows furrowing faintly.

"So basically, what I'm hearing is-" Adam paused, just for a second, before speaking up again a little slower than before, "I have your permission to kick his ass."

"N-" Michael blinked at him, looking somewhat bewildered now. "No, that wasn't what I-"

"Oh- okay- I don't really care, I'm still kicking his ass." Adam rolled his shoulders back and offered the archangel a slightly cocky looking smirk, while Michael only continued to stare in mild bewilderment for a second more before he finally dissolved into laughter, and Adam immediately took that as a win. But, he did have other concerns aside from just pummeling Lucifer, which could certainly wait for now, so he turned his full attention back to Michael and raised a hand slightly to stop the singing from the memory so that he could focus. "But enough about me kicking Lucifer's ass." He studied the archangel for a moment. "Are you okay, man?"

Michael's smile faltered and disappeared, and while Adam ached to see it again, he knew this was something they needed to talk about now. The archangel breathed out softly, nodding in agreement, and leaned back slightly, running his fingers through his hair for a moment. "I don't know… honestly, I'm just- trying to focus on Lucifer right now. I'm… scared for him, and… worried, but I think- I think for the most part, I'm okay. I just… I just need to think, I guess."

"Yeah. Well, I'm here for you, halo." Adam fell silent for a moment, puffing his cheeks out slightly, then leaned over a little to nudge his shoulder against Michael's. The archangel's smile returned almost immediately at the contact, and before the demon really had a chance to react, Michael had reached out to wrap an arm around him, lightly pulling him into a small side-hug. Adam huffed a little, mostly just to save face, but he'd definitely be lying if he said the affectionate wasn't welcomed after so long. He shifted slightly, bringing one hand up to clasp over Michael's shoulder in response, and he let his eyes drift shut for a moment, relaxing.

"Are you okay?" Michael asked after a moment, leaning back again.

"Yeah. I think so," Adam replied honestly, mouth twisting slightly. "You know, I mean, I'm pissed, but, I guess I also kinda understand where the guy's coming from, somewhat. Doesn't make me wanna punch him any less, but I still get it." He fell silent for a moment, blinking his eyes open again, as Michael nodded slightly with a soft sigh. "Guess it just goes to show," he commented. "We get a win, we also get a loss. Not that I'm gonna let this loss actually go through, but at this rate, I'll kill Lucifer myself before the Empty can," he added, rolling his eyes with a sigh.

Michael chuckled, low and amused, as he leaned his head sideways against Adam's for a moment, offering a slight shrug in response. "That kinda defeats the purpose, but okay."

"Shut up, Michael." Adam's lips twitched slightly, and he closed his eyes again, content to stay where he was for a few moments longer. But, they both knew they'd have to cut the moment short, because they both had work to do; Adam, for one, completely intended to talk to Lucifer now - he was still going to try to get a punch in if he could, though - and they still had everything with the Cage to deal with, too. But Adam's concern for the most part was the Devil, anyway. "So you said the deal's s'posed to be going on… when?"

"After we…" Michael paused for a second, as if trying to remember something, then went on slowly, "hashtag-put-God-in-the-hole." At this, Adam couldn't help but laugh, somewhat startled despite himself, and Michael snickered slightly as the demon blinked his eyes open yet again.

Yeah, no matter what, he would never not laugh at that. It was funny. He definitely had to credit Lucifer for that, it was both clever and hilarious. Hearing it from Michael made it ten times better. His best friend laughed a little at that, while Adam just grinned and leaned back slightly, closing his eyes for a moment and focusing on going through the entire conversation between Lucifer and Michael himself. Not because he didn't trust that Michael had told him everything, but just so he could hear exactly what Lucifer had said for himself so that he could properly talk to the Devil. He did frown a little at the 'you don't need me', part, but by the end of it he wasn't as dead-set on punching the poor guy as he was on just giving him a good fucking talking-to.

"Man…" Adam sighed, leaning his head back for a moment. "Knew something was up," he mumbled, twisting his mouth slightly and frowning. "... I get it, you know. Not wanting to…"

"Change," Michael finished for him, a little quieter. "Yeah, I know. So do I." The archangel ducked his head for a moment, closing his eyes, and the demon spared him a glance. He half expected his best friend to be somewhat exhausted - I mean, this was exhausting - but he only looked contemplative, eyebrows furrowed in concentration and his arms crossed in his lap. He was thinking, mind racing with a thousand thoughts a second, and Adam let each one breeze past, holding onto them for only a second before moving on to the next. He knew what he was doing, of course - thinking about how to, somehow, cancel Lucifer's deal out. It was just one more thing to focus on, to fix, but Adam was pretty confident. Hell, if they were about to fucking fight God, they could get Lucifer out of this deal, too. It was just a matter of time, and planning. Maybe they didn't have all the time in the world, but maybe the little bit they did was enough.

Beside him, Michael chuckled at the thought, warmth flaring up in the archangel's chest, and Adam cracked a grin despite himself. "Such an optimist, horns," his best friend sighed, eventually heaving himself to his feet and stretching his arms up over his head. Adam watched for a moment, amused, as Michael turned back to him and offered a hand to help him up.

"Yeah, I know, halo. It's weird, isn't it?" Adam took his hand, allowing Michael to pull him to his feet with a smile. "Not too long ago, it wouldn't have been like this."

"But you changed."

"So did you," Adam countered, and Michael laughed, eyes sparkling brighter than Adam had seen them in years. His agreement was unspoken, but unmistakable; they had both changed so much, it was hard to believe they were the same people they had been not so long ago at all. But they were - deep down, they were the same people. Just different. "Well, whatever happens, we'll figure it out," the demon continued, narrowing his eyes. "I, personally, refuse to lose Luce again under any circumstances, the Empty be damned."

"Hear, hear," Michael agreed, offering a lopsided smile, and Adam snickered, pulling his hand away to run his fingers through his hair instead, smoothing it down. "So you're not going to punch him, then?" The archangel asked suddenly, and Adam quirked an eyebrow. "I just need to know," his best friend added quickly, "so I can warn him, since I kind of promised I would."

"Eh, we'll see how it goes." Adam fell silent for a moment, lips twitching, then closed his eyes and allowed himself to rise up to take control. Michael went with him at once, pushing himself up beside the demon, and once again, Adam couldn't help but marvel over how easy it was for them to simply click into place again, like they'd never been apart. And somehow, they felt even closer than before, like an even better fit. Adam wasn't particularly surprised, but it was a pleasant feeling, to know he and Michael were still two halves of a whole. He didn't think it would ever change, no matter what happened in the future, whether they were split again. Though, with that said, Adam was definitely not going to consider that a possibility anymore.

Michael let out a brief hum of agreement, heaving them up out of the chair he had sat them in. Adam took a look around, simply readjusting to his surroundings again. They were alone in the room - Michael made a face at the realization, Lucifer must have left after I came to check on you - while Adam just shrugged it off and stretched their arms over their head, letting out a content sigh. "Looks like the chains are holding up nicely, though," Michael noted suddenly.

Adam glanced down at the table, the chains and Nephilim Grace only holding his interest for a few seconds before he shrugged and looked away again, letting his gaze flick around the room. "Hey, is Dean good?" He asked, staring toward the doorway. "He kinda knocked out earlier."

"He was still unconscious as far as I'm aware," Michael replied uncertainly, concern churning in the archangel's chest now. "But he should be okay. Just… exhausted- physically."

"Mm." Adam made a face, thinking. He knew Dean would be fine - it wasn't like Michael had damaged his body or anything, he'd been completely fine physically before and after they had left. Still, he figured having both an archangel and a demon in his body must have definitely taken a toll on him - that along with the fact that he sincerely doubted his brother had been getting enough sleep prior to that in the first place - so he wasn't surprised that Dean had passed out. That said, he was a little surprised that he was still out, and slightly concerned, despite himself - but, Michael's reassurance was enough to console him for the time being. Besides, Dean deserved the rest.

"Okay," the demon sighed after a moment. "Let's find Luce."

Michael huffed out a chuckle and shut their eyes with a hum, and Adam fell silent, letting the archangel search for his brother. Neither of them sensed anything - which led to the realization that the Devil must have gone off to the Empty. He and Billie hadn't completely done away with the warding they'd been using to hide Lucifer from Chuck, apparently, but at this point, Adam and Michael at least knew what to search for; and they still weren't finding it. And they realized quickly enough that Castiel, Jack and Amara seemed to be MIA as well, so it was safe to assume they had all retreated to the Empty. Adam wasn't sure why, remembering how Lucifer had said that there was no real point in doing so until the chains were finished.

Adam turned his gaze back to the chains, a little more interested now. There wasn't much Grace left in the bowl; It continued swirling in circles, occasionally rising up and wrapping around the chains - they were glowing even brighter than they had been the last time Adam had seen them.

Michael seemed pleased; excitement and satisfaction curled in their chest, and Adam took a moment to let himself bask in it as well, cracking a grin. Then, after a moment, the archangel turned them away and took a deep, steady breath in, letting it out in a quiet sigh. "Alright…" He trailed off, while Adam lifted their hands to crack their knuckles, humming softly. He knew what they needed to do, and he knew they were both dreading it. "I suppose it's Empty time."

"How fun," Adam mumbled dryly. He clicked his teeth together, remembering the last time they'd been together in the Empty. They'd been forced to separate. Still together, but still apart, too. And he'd just gotten Michael back - he wasn't sure how keen he was on losing the archangel again. But, Michael assured him, silently, internally, he wasn't going to lose him. They'd still be side by side, and they'd end up in the same body one way or another. It would be like meeting up in their head. Especially now that they seemed to be able to contact each other, in a way, through their shared connection even when they weren't sharing the same vessel. With that consolation, Adam finally allowed himself to relax just a bit, rolling their shoulders back with a sigh. "Okay," he grunted, closing their eyes and ducking their head. "Get us outta here, halo."

Michael moved them swiftly, and the demon retreated a little to let him work as he sat them down in one of the chairs, leaning them back with a hum. He let their head fall back, folding their hands in their lap, and shut their eyes again himself. "Here we go," he warned. Adam sighed.

At first, it was somewhat the same as it had been the first time. The rumbling in their mind. But it wasn't the same; it wasn't like it was ripping them apart, but rather, ripping them out together. At first, Adam was startled - they both were, if the confused grunt Michael offered was any indication. But neither of them spoke, and Michael, albeit cautious, continued what he was doing. Continuing to pull them out, still together, still one - and he didn't understand until he remembered what it had been like, leaving Dean's body with Michael. How their souls had twirled and twisted and fused, until they weren't two anymore - they were one. They shared the same Grace, the same soul. They weren't just two different beings anymore. They were one. They were everything - different and the same. Still almost themselves and yet completely new.

And so that's how they ended up in the Empty, the same as they'd been together in the bunker. Not two different people; one entity, one shared body, one shared soul. Michael was the first to open their eyes, looking around cautiously. Adam was quick to bring himself to the front of their mind, taking control along with the archangel and breathing in shakily as he did so, eyes wide.

"Damn," they breathed, as one, but there was nothing but excitement lacing the word, excitement fizzling in their chest, excitement rendering them breathless, nearly speechless.

"Look at that," Michael murmured after a moment. He lifted one of their hands slightly, then dropped it again, tilting their head back slightly and rolling their shoulders back. Adam was quicker to settle after a moment, more or less content to let him take the wheel for the time being. After all this time, being alone, moving and walking and talking on his own, he'd be lying if he said it didn't feel nice having Michael back to take over for a little while. Just being able to settle in the passenger seat while the archangel drove. His best friend huffed out a laugh at that. "Actually, this does remind me, I wanted to show you our wings. Maybe later we can…"

"Go out for a fly?" Adam finished, rolling their eyes. "Oooo-kay, but I'm just gonna tell you now that climbing a jungle gym isn't the same as being in the air with nothing to hold onto."

"You'll have me to hold onto," Michael protested as he started walking.

Adam found it hard not to laugh at that, but he quieted slightly upon realizing the archangel was actually half-serious. The demon struggled for a moment, reigning in his surprise and amusement all at once, before huffing out a quiet snort through their nose that caused Michael's head to jerk back slightly in surprise. He laughed again, then settled once more, thinking. "Technically I can't exactly 'hold onto' you since, we're, you know, the same person, and also holding onto you wouldn't exactly stop us from plummeting out of the sky," he commented dryly. Michael hummed, tilting their head as if to say 'fair point', but Adam shrugged after a moment. "But, hell, why not? I guess by now we've done way scarier things than fly around a little. Not like it'd be the first time, and… definitely not the last. Guess I oughta get used to it pretty soon."

Michael let out a little hum, sounding pleased. "I think you're going to like flying once you see our wings anyway. They're beautiful- and no peeking, it's supposed to be a surprise," he chided, and Adam huffed out a quiet grunt in response, but he stopped rummaging through Michael's memories in favor of bringing himself back up to the front of their mind again, settling in beside him contentedly and raising a hand to brush their hair back. "And I won't drop us," the archangel continued to promise, nodding their head slightly as if to punctuate his sentence.

"Fine," Adam conceded, rolling their eyes despite himself. He paused a little, looking ahead, upon seeing the cage come into view - and he was actually pleasantly surprised by what he saw, the progress they'd made. Like the chains back in the bunker, some of the bars were wrapped in a mixture of golden Nephilim Grace and blue archangel Grace, illuminating some of the sigils that were carved into the side of the Cage. Not only that, but there seemed to be some new sigils engraved on it, and the Cage itself looked… different. Adam couldn't help but stare as they drew closer, because aside from the shape, he didn't even recognize it at first. The dark, somewhat rusted gold color had been replaced with a glittering silver, and the sigils - even the ones illuminated by the Nephilim Grace - burned blue. It wasn't the same Cage Adam had been trapped in for years. It wasn't the same Cage he used to pace around in, fight with Lucifer in.

It wasn't the Cage he remembered, and his initial reaction was an odd sense of disappointment, an odd feeling of homesickness curling in the pit of his stomach that he did his best to stifle.

He felt Michael's Grace buzz around his soul, a soft, comforting hum. No words were needed.

Billie lifted her head as they approached, lightly twirling her scythe. She glanced them over briefly, pressing her lips into a thin line and lowering her chin; Adam could feel it as Michael, just for a second, debated on bringing up Lucifer's deal to her - only for the archangel to silence himself at the last moment, and to quickly tug Adam back a little when the demon started to rise up to take just enough control to do so himself. No, no… Lucifer wanted to tell everyone himself.

Adam bit back a rush of irritation. Lucifer clearly doesn't need to be making his own decisions.

Michael didn't seem to entirely disagree.

"Welcome back, Adam," Billie finally spoke, pushing herself away from the Cage to approach them. Adam peered up at her for a moment, narrowing his eyes faintly in response, but Michael was quick to compose them again, schooling their expression into something a little more polite. Adam bit back a sigh at that, offering nothing more than a nod in Billie's direction before he looked past her again, back to the Cage. This time, he allowed his gaze to trail past her to where Lucifer was seated inside, with Castiel, Amara, and Jack. The Nephilim himself seemed to be kneeling, hunched over what looked like the same kind of bowl was sitting in the bunker, filled with Nephilim Grace, and Lucifer, while he was sitting cross-legged instead, was also leaning forward a bit, hunched over a bowl of his own. They understood immediately.

Shuffling past Billie, they also understood where the silver came from. Amara had her fingers wrapped loosely around the holes in the Cage, and her hand was pulsing the same silvery color the Cage was consumed in. Michael was reluctant to step inside the Cage with them, but he seemed to relax quickly when Lucifer looked up to meet their gaze. A brief pause followed - Adam narrowed his eyes - before the Devil offered an admittedly nervous looking smile to them. He didn't sit up, though, keeping himself angled just right so the Grace pouring from his neck continued to spill into the bowl in front of him. Adam stared at him, then looked toward Jack, watching his own Grace spill out. Michael frowned slightly, concern flushing through their chest. Then, just as suddenly, an idea popped into their shared mind - a quick, fleeting thought - one Adam wasn't entirely sure how he should feel about. But Michael seemed rather determined about it, and a quick, silent debate followed before Adam gave in and let the archangel continue forward until he reached Lucifer, lowering them to the floor beside him. "My turn. Move over."

Lucifer shot him a bewildered look, but he lifted his hand to his throat to heal the thin cut anyway, cutting off the flow of archangel Grace. Adam offered one last concern - a silent are you sure about this? - and Michael's positive, reassuring reply was enough to set him at ease for the time being. The archangel accepted the long, thin angel blade from Castiel when it was (somewhat reluctantly) offered to them, lifting it to slash a quick, careful cut across their throat. It stung, just for a second, but the Grace that started pouring out of the wound was quick to numb the pain. It took Adam a moment to relax completely, and he only did so once he was sure Michael could really handle this; he seemed to be able to, not seeming deterred by the Grace pouring out of them, not even seeming drained. He was back at full power, he could do these things again - it would just take Adam a bit to come to terms with that, considering how worried used to be when it came to Michael using his powers, since the littlest thing would drain him.

"We're almost done here, I think," Jack offered. "Billie said this is just a precaution for the most part." He paused to check and make sure his Grace was still spilling into the bowl before he went on, while Adam flicked their gaze over to him as they listened, "once the chains finish…"

"We're ready," Castiel muttered as Jack trailed off. "We just have to find Chuck."

"Do we actually have a plan for getting him in here?" Adam asked after a moment, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully. "Is the Empty just going to like, suck him in or something?" He remembered the oozing, black portal that had formed in Hell, and he couldn't repress a shudder in time. Michael was quick to come to his comfort, even though it wasn't quite needed - he wasn't scared of it, just a little grossed out for the most part. He didn't know what the hell the Empty was made of, and at that point he was afraid to ask. He didn't think he'd like the answer.

"Pretty much," Lucifer sighed, sinking backwards against the inside of the Cage and lifting his eyes to the ceiling. Adam glanced over at him, watching the Devil pull one knee up to his chest and stretch the other leg out, a position he used to sit in all the time during the years they were trapped. It just brought back another surprising rush of nostalgia, one he, once again, stifled. "I mean, I guess it's sort of supposed to be like that. The plan is mostly for us to weaken him enough for the Empty to be able to draw him in, and then he… it… they'll take care of the rest. How we're supposed to weaken him, I'm not entirely sure." A briefly irritated look crossed his face for a moment. "Doesn't help that we can't really injure him without hurting Sam in the process. Billie thinks Amara needs to get close enough to heal Chuck directly, but that would…"

"Strengthen him," Michael finished knowingly. Adam twisted their mouth sharply, a scowl tugging at their lips, and the archangel made no attempt to stifle the demon's anger - nor his own.

"Strengthen him so that we can weaken him again," Castiel commented, shaking his head.

Lucifer grunted. "Yeah, makes a hell of a lot of sense, doesn't it?"

"And if I do heal him, he'll have enough power to leave," Amara added, turning to face them without letting go of her grip on the Cage. She looked just as frustrated as Lucifer, just as angry as Michael and Adam were feeling. The demon couldn't help but feel a glimmer of respect for her for the first time, watching the fire rage in her eyes for a moment. "But I do have an idea. My brother is all-powerful out there - in here, however, he holds little to no control. In here, he's on equal ground with the rest of us. If we weaken him enough to lure him here, follow through with the original plan without knocking him out right away, I heal the wound connecting him and Sam, the Empty finishes him off before he can take advantage, and we trap him once and for all."

Everyone was silent for a moment, contemplating that. It was Billie who spoke first, leaning against the entrance to the Cage and watching them with a calm, curious expression. "I like it."

Jack nodded slowly, excitement flickering through his eyes. "Me too."

Lucifer and Castiel murmured some form of agreement, and Michael, for the first time that Adam had seen, seemed rather proud of his Aunt rather than fearful of her. The archangel seemed about to say something, grappling for words while Adam just watched, amused, but he didn't have the chance to speak up yet. Billie suddenly glanced over her shoulder, and shuffled aside.

Michael and Adam looked up in time to see Gabriel enter, surprisingly - oddly - breathless despite not needing to breathe, and rather excited. "The chains are done. They're ready." Everyone reacted rather quickly then; Lucifer was the first to leap to his feet, and Adam clasped a hand over their throat while Michael's fingers glowed to heal the cut at once. Jack healed himself just as quickly, scrambling to stand along with his father, and Castiel took the angel blade back from Michael as he pushed himself to stand and turned to face Gabriel, wide-eyed.

Amara pulled her hand away from the Cage, solemn. "Then we're ready."

"It's time," Jack breathed.

"Hashtag-put-God-in-the-hole," Lucifer murmured. "Now we just need to find the bastard."

Castiel shook his head. "Not yet. We need a plan of attack first."

"Then let's get one," Gabriel insisted urgently, "we're ready."

Adam stared down for a moment, his gaze fixed firmly on the bottom of the Cage. Michael was lost in thought, mind racing rapidly, and Adam followed along with him just as quickly - while also mostly lost in thoughts of his own. It was time. They were ready. Ready to fight Chuck. We have to find him first, Michael reminded him silently, and Adam only managed a quick nod as the others began to file out of the Cage, mumbling to one another as they made plans, tried to think, theorizing on where Chuck might be and how they might be able to find him again.

The demon narrowed his eyes after a moment, and Michael finally lifted their head, watching the others go, disappearing from the Empty one by one. "We're ready," the archangel mumbled.

Adam lowered their chin, heaving out a quiet sigh in response. He'd expected to feel more excitement from this, but all he felt was a grim kind of satisfaction, the realization that this might be ending sooner than they'd planned. But this also meant they had to speed things along concerning what they were going to do about Lucifer - something Michael himself seemed particularly focused on - and the window for that seemed to be closing rapidly by the second.

"No," Michael exhaled sharply, closing his eyes. "There's still time. I won't let that happen."

Adam only nodded. He believed him.

For now, it was time to plan.

They were ready.

It's time.