"So if you were dear old Dad…"
Michael leaned back against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, as he watched Lucifer reach out and wrap his fingers around one of the chains. They were still glowing golden, possibly the after-effects of the Nephilim Grace still settling in. At the moment, they were alone with Gabriel; Amara had retreated somewhere else with Billie for the moment, as Death wanted to 'speak to her privately'. Castiel and Jack had gone to inform Sam that the Cage was ready and it was time to begin planning, and possibly try to wake Dean up since the hunter had yet to appear. Michael didn't know where anyone else was, but it wasn't his biggest concern right then.
He watched his younger brother glare at the chain as if it had insulted him; Adam, in a moment of brief amusement, thought, he's looking at that thing like it just called him a bastard.
Michael had to bite back a smile, shaking his head.
But Lucifer's expression softened suddenly, looking thoughtful instead for quite some time as he stared. Then he narrowed his eyes, raising an eyebrow slightly, and let the chain droop from his fingers until it pooled back onto the table. Once he had dropped it completely, the other archangel leaned forward and braced himself against the table, his hands propped up on either side of the empty metal bowl resting there, and lifted his gaze back to Michael, Adam and Gabriel. "Where would you go?" He prompted, his blue gaze inquiring, intense, focused.
Michael furrowed their eyebrows while he and Adam thought about that, tipping his head back to stare upwards, at the ceiling. The demon had settled so that Michael was more or less in full control, only taking enough to talk as needed, but he was oddly silent. He was thinking about Bela, the archangel had realized quickly. Wondering if she could be a part of this, if she could help them track Chuck down. Michael almost wanted to speak up about that, to ask if there was a possibility, but judging by Adam's hesitance, he didn't think there was. Regardless, he wanted to ask about it solely because he wished there was something he could do regarding the other demon. He could sense exactly how much Adam missed her, despite how hard he was trying not to think about that. And he didn't like that being away from her was causing him pain.
Focus, Adam reprimanded him, and Michael heaved out a quiet sigh as he shook his head. But he turned his attention back to his brothers quickly enough, glancing from Lucifer to Gabriel, who was currently pacing back and forth near the table. "Where's the last place we'd look for him?" Michael finally asked, flicking his gaze back toward Lucifer, who frowned slightly.
The Devil raised his other eyebrow, looking skeptical. "I don't think he'd be stupid enough to…"
Gabriel threw his head to the side, piercing Lucifer with a disbelieving stare. Michael watched, somewhat concerned, as he drew his lips back in a plastic-looking grin, showing his teeth. "We are talking about the same 'Dad', right?" The youngest archangel asked, rolling his eyes. Lucifer shrugged in response, still seeming rather skeptical, and Gabriel fell silent for a moment as he paced. Then he spoke up again, suddenly, as he turned to head back over to them. "Heaven?"
Adam laughed - out loud - and even Michael felt a little amused for a second until the suggestion really started settling in. By that time, Adam had taken enough control to smirk back at Gabriel. "Yeah! God seeking refuge in Heaven," he commented, shaking his head slightly. He didn't seem to be quite belittling the archangel, but he definitely seemed amused by the suggestion, something about it tickling him. "That's something everybody would expect, Gabe." Michael agreed at first, but the sarcasm in Adam's voice threw him off. That wasn't something everyone would expect. That was something none of them would even consider. It'd be too obvious, too stupid of their Father to return to Heaven after so long, to hide from them. The oldest archangel stayed silent for a few moments, as Gabriel's eyebrows drew downwards in thought. He seemed prepared to speak, to argue his case, but Michael opened his mouth first.
"That's why he'd do it." A short pause followed, Adam's unspoken what? echoing through their head. Michael shook it a few times to clear it as his brothers turned back to him. "Think about it. God hiding out in Heaven, where he hasn't been in years upon years, decades, millenia - it's so obvious that it's not even a possibility." He exhaled, long and slow. Adam still seemed a little skeptical on the idea, but gradually warming up to it as Michael spoke, a begrudging kind of agreement. The same sentiment was clear on Lucifer's face, but Gabriel was nodding along with Michael's words, his expression cold. "It's the last place we'd look," Michael finished simply. "Because it really is the last place we'd look."
"I don't know if he's dumb enough for that, halo," Adam admitted. Michael twisted his mouth sharply at that, unable to bite back a wry smile. The demon was right and wrong, the archangel suspected. On one hand, yes, his Father could hide himself pretty well if he really wanted to. But on the other hand, he was weak, vulnerable. He had to know who he was up against. He had to know the same tricks wouldn't work. He had to be thinking of something new.
"That's what he'd be counting on," Gabriel sighed. He shook his head slightly as Michael and Adam looked back up at him, frowning. "You severely underestimate our Father, Adam."
Adam scoffed at that, but Lucifer spoke up again before he could retort. "Don't you think he's a little too weak to make a trip to Heaven?" Gabriel turned, and Michael and Adam glanced over after a moment. Lucifer didn't look up at them, eyes fixed on the table. "Pretty sure conjuring up that-" He swept his gaze - and a hand - in the direction of the sword still lying on the table; Michael couldn't help but stare for a moment, even long after Lucifer dropped his hand, and Adam was quick to narrow their eyes into a glare toward the weapon before the Devil tore their attention away from it once again, shaking his head and leaning on the table, "-drained him."
"Maybe…" Michael trailed off as he thought that over, head reeling. Lucifer was right, he was weak. Too weak to leave the universe, but not too weak to leave Earth. He'd proven that by coming to Hell, after all - and, sure, it took a little more firepower to get into Heaven, but Chuck was God. The fact that he had enough power to send angels away, to conjure up weapons, to fight against them - hell, to fight against Amara, even in such a weakened state. No, Michael didn't think he was too weak to get into Heaven. "But he wasn't too weak to get into Hell."
Lucifer still didn't look up, but he paused. Michael exchanged a glance with Gabriel, then took a moment to focus on Adam. The demon was in silent agreement, a strong rush of support still pulsing from him, but he also didn't seem entirely sure. Michael could tell he agreed with Lucifer on this one, but, after a moment, the demon nodded their head slightly. Alright, you've got a point. After a pause, Adam shrugged. Better to rule out everything than miss something, too. Michael agreed silently, as the demon rose back up to take control again, lifting their head. "Fine," he caved. Gabriel glanced up, arching an eyebrow. Lucifer merely furrowed his own, still not looking up at them. Adam shrugged, leaning back. "So who's leading the search party?" He asked, uncrossing his arms to shove his hand in his pockets. "I mean, we've gotta be sure."
Silence followed for a moment; Gabriel looked a little hesitant, suddenly. An odd look flitted across his face, an expression Michael recognized, one he'd seen written there when he, Adam and his brother were walking through Hell together. Uneasiness, maybe a little bit of fear, but not entirely for the same reasons. Because, the archangel knew, he wasn't afraid of facing Chuck. He was, however, afraid of facing Heaven. And, honestly, it was a sentiment Michael realized rather quickly that he related to. His 'dreams' were still fresh in his mind, remembering walking the halls of Heaven without a second thought. The idea of returning now just seemed… odd. Even though he wouldn't quite be returning, something about it felt wrong. He couldn't explain it.
Lucifer broke the silence with a shrug. "All of us?"
Michael hesitated. Adam drew them back slightly after a moment, resting their head back against the wall and shaking it as he looked up at the Devil. "Not a chance, Luce."
"You can't avoid it forever, Michael," Lucifer replied pointedly, and Michael stifled a sigh at that. Of course his brother knew who really had a problem with it. Adam begrudgingly awarded him points for that - which actually got a brief smile out of the archangel - but it faded again quickly.
He leaned their head back, running their tongue over their lips slowly as he thought it over. He remembered the hatred he'd felt, the strong sense of loathing for his former home that he couldn't shake. He felt that now - an odd sense of disgust at the idea of returning. But even then, it'd only be temporary, he attempted to console himself. Just long enough to be able to open up a rift to the Empty, long enough to be able to drag Chuck through, long enough to close it behind him and end this once and for all. Michael made a face - or maybe it was Adam, neither of them could tell - but they both knew what they had to do. Neither of them liked it.
"Maybe…" Gabriel huffed out a quiet sigh. Michael turned their head briefly to look over, and Adam arched an eyebrow. "... maybe just you, Jack and Cassie, Luci," Gabriel finally continued. Lucifer raised his head at this, disbelief sparkling through his eyes, and finally looked up at them - or, really, just looked up at Gabriel. The youngest archangel shrugged. "I mean, to check."
Lucifer shot him an incredulous look, pushing himself up and away from the table. "So if Daddy Dearest is in Heaven, you'd rather send me, Jack and Cas to face him alone?" He demanded.
"No, we're not ready to fight," Gabriel argued. Michael paused and glanced between them for a moment, uneasiness settling in the pit of his stomach. He could practically feel the tension between them rising - but Adam shot his concerns down quickly, seeming amused as he silently assured the archangel that it wasn't really the kind of tension anyone needed to worry about. Michael watched them carefully, but he had to agree despite himself. It wasn't like they were about to start throwing punches - but something about seeing them argue regardless unsettled the archangel. But Adam's quiet reassurances, lost in their head, helped to put some of his uneasiness at bay for the moment. "You wouldn't be facing anybody. You'd come right back."
Lucifer's frustration wavered after a moment, and while Gabriel paused at the sudden flash of vulnerability that crossed the Devil's face, a mixture of uncertainty and concern, Michael and Adam weren't too surprised by the flicker of emotion. Michael really wanted to step forward to try and console him, but he stayed where he was. However, his mind was made up rather quickly when Lucifer shook his head at Gabriel and replied, "and what if we can't?"
After a moment, Michael ducked his head with a sigh. Adam sighed, as well, uncrossing their arms and crossing them again, this time behind their head instead. Are you sure about this? The demon asked him simply after a moment, and Michael steadily allowed the conversation with Lucifer and Gabriel to fade away. Instead, he found himself face to face with Adam in their shared mind. His best friend looked concerned, pacing back and forth with his arms crossed behind his head. Michael shifted where he stood for a moment before leaning himself backwards in the darkness, tilting his head back to stare upwards as he considered that, genuinely, for a moment. Returning to Heaven - no, he wasn't sure about it, but Lucifer was right. It was too dangerous to just send a select few. Not only could Chuck resist and fight them before they were ready, catch them off guard - but it could also alert him, cause him to run.
"He's right. It's too dangerous," the archangel finally replied. He lifted his head to look back at Adam again. The demon shrugged at him, looking around the darkness briefly as he came to a stop, before he turned around to look back up at Michael. His blue eyes were narrowed, silent and calculating, and Michael couldn't help a faint smile in his direction, both to try to reassure him and both simply because he'd missed this. He'd missed being here, like this, with Adam. Judging by the faint smile he received in response, he wasn't the only one. "Besides…" Michael shrugged and stepped forward, sighing. "It's just Heaven, right? I can't be that bad, can it?"
"Tch. Yeah. Here's hoping, anyway." Adam rolled his eyes; Michael watched him for a moment, thinking. The demon had mixed feelings about Heaven, he could tell. It wasn't quite disgust or loathing, like Michael felt toward his old home, but something close to indifference. But there was something else there beneath the surface, connected to whatever memories Adam might have held for the place. He couldn't help but cringe a little, remembering way back when Michael had asked him to be his vessel, trapping him in Heaven, in a room he couldn't escape, until he said yes. When he'd promised to return the human to his mother. That seemed so far away now, so… odd now. It didn't even seem to be a thought in Adam's mind until Michael brought it up, but even then - even with the way Adam's expression shifted, the way his chest twisted at the thought of his mother, it didn't even seem to be his greatest concern. In fact, after a moment, something else seemed to occur to him. He frowned, then shot his gaze back up to Michael, a puzzled look on his face. "Only one problem. Can I even get into Heaven?"
Blinking back at his best friend, Michael - who had ruled over Heaven for the longest time, commanded armies of angels, - Michael, the Prince of Heaven, found that he didn't quite have an answer to that. This was something he felt like he should know, but the truth was, he didn't. He'd been in Hell for years. He didn't know what had changed, what was the same. Back then, humans could pass through Heaven if they were brought by an outside source. Their souls passed through as easily as angels did. But demons… entry to Heaven, to a demon, was strictly forbidden from the moment Lucifer had created them, the moment Lilith had been twisted into one. Nobody had ever tried to break those rules; Lucifer had long been cast out of Heaven and nobody else dared to defy their Father, nor Michael when Chuck left. The truth was, he didn't know, solely because it had never been attempted. Not as far as he was aware of, at least.
He remembered something Adam had said to Dean, something he'd heard when he was looking through the demon's memories. If he goes back to Heaven, demon or not, man, I…
He hadn't thought much of it before - neither had Adam, it seemed - but something twisted deep in his gut at the idea. But it wasn't because he didn't know if Adam coming with him to Heaven was possible or not, it was because that was hardly an option anymore, if it ever had been. He didn't think it would sit right with him, that he'd be comfortable with that. But it did raise the sticky question of whether or not it was possible, whether they could do what needed to be done.
"Hey, space case, you still with us?"
Michael flinched slightly despite himself at the sound of Lucifer's voice, snapped out of his thoughts - and the shared space in their mind. He lifted his head at once, jerking back sharply despite himself, but he relaxed rather quickly upon realizing where they were and what was happening. Right. The bunker. Planning. Lucifer and Gabriel. Michael relaxed, yes, very quickly, but not quick enough to prevent a biting glare from Adam in Lucifer's direction. He tried his best to console the demon, all the while nodding to his brothers apologetically. "Sorry… sorry."
Gabriel didn't bother to hide his concern, nor the glance he shared with Lucifer. The archangel himself merely shrugged, but even he looked a little perplexed - maybe even a little worried - as he glanced over at them, but neither of them said anything. Adam, however, broke the silence with a grunt, crossing their arms over their chest. "So we've got a wee bit of a problem, I think."
"Story of our lives!" Lucifer snorted, and Michael suppressed a grimace. The words had the opposite effect on Gabriel, who actually seemed briefly amused, but his eyebrows raised toward the demon and the archangel curiously as he turned toward them. "What is it now?"
"I'm a demon."
"Yes," Lucifer replied slowly, "we're aware of this."
"Bite me," Adam deadpanned. Michael couldn't keep back a smile in time, and Lucifer sneered back in response, but his blue eyes were alight with humor. "Then you're also aware that a demon entering Heaven itself probably isn't a good idea." He paused to let those words sink in, and Michael bobbed their head lightly in agreement. Then Adam added, with a slight huff, "or even if it's possible, for that matter. So that might throw a wrench into the whole search party and fighting God in Heaven thing." With that, Adam sank back and settled against the wall while Michael crossed one leg over the other and adjusted them slightly to support their weight again.
The way Lucifer's shoulders sagged and the frustration that flashed across his face was enough confirmation that just waltzing Adam into Heaven wasn't going to be an easy feat. Or any of the other demons for that matter; Crowley, for one, and since Jesse was half-demon, Michael doubted that getting him into Heaven wouldn't go by too smoothly either. And he still didn't know if humans could enter anymore… "Yeah, but…" Lucifer trailed off for a moment, his expression shifting, contorting in nothing but absolute frustration. Michael couldn't help but stare for a moment; he hadn't really expected Lucifer to quite… stall the plan, but he also hadn't really expected for him to be this eager about it with the deal hanging over his head. He didn't know whether to be proud or worried - but honestly, he felt both emotions in equal measure. "You're… I mean, you've got Michael too. All that archangel Grace buzzing around in there." The Devil shook his head and glanced up at them again. "That should cancel out all the demon stuff, right? Enough for you to be able to…" But his expression fell again before he even finished.
Michael couldn't help but soften, while Adam shook their head slightly. But even the demon seemed a little more sympathetic, if not equally as frustrated as Lucifer was, despite his initial doubts regarding the fact that Chuck was in Heaven. "I don't know if it works like that, Luci."
"I know," Lucifer muttered. "It doesn't." He paused, lifting his gaze to the ceiling. "Dammit." Michael puffed their cheeks out and Adam shrugged, rolling their head to the side briefly. The archangel let their gaze flick toward Gabriel, but it didn't linger for too long. His youngest brother simply looked thoughtful, somewhat turned away from them now with his eyes on the ceiling. Michael watched him until Lucifer continued, "so that's out. Demons can't get in. And if he…"
It took a few seconds for the realization to hit. Michael swiveled their head around to fix his brother with a wide-eyed stare, and Adam offered only a split-second pause before their eyes narrowed. Lucifer, meanwhile, sank his weight forward against the table, propping himself up against it once again. Anger flashed through his eyes, sparking a deep red before it settled once again into the faded blue they usually were, but the fury didn't fade from his expression just yet. "That fucker. He knows only a few of us can get to him there," he seethed. Michael gritted their teeth slightly, and Adam narrowed their eyes slightly. "Humans can't get into Heaven, either."
Michael shook their head in disbelief, feeling his own frustration surge up tenfold in response to that. "He found the perfect hiding place." His hands twitched slightly, curling into fists briefly. Suddenly, he really wanted to punch his Father again. He had no doubt it'd be very satisfying.
A moment of silence passed; Michael stewed in his frustration and anger for a bit, letting it cloud his mind for a while. It felt good, just letting himself silently rage - something Adam took a mild amount of amusement from - but the demon seemed to realize something after a moment. Michael was quick to follow only because the thought flashed through their mind a good few seconds before Adam opened his mouth to speak, slow and almost… cautious. "But I went to Heaven," he recalled, narrowing his eyes faintly as he looked back up at Lucifer, who frowned. "When Michael needed a vessel. That's where Michael took me until I agreed to let him in."
Once again, Michael couldn't help but cringe at the memories. He'd been so uptight then, so stuck up and ridiculously vain. Adam had called him out on it right from the start; it had taken years for Michael to realize exactly how right he was, how proud he had been. He felt guilty, disgusted with his past self for his actions - though he had to wonder how much was really his fault, and how much was in his Father's control at the time. Either way, it was embarrassing.
Lucifer shook his head slightly, still frustrated. "Rules have changed since then, pal," he grunted in response. After a moment, the other archangel sank down into a chair and crossed his arms over the table. "Can't get in unless you're dead. It doesn't work like that anymore. Not since…" He trailed off, and Michael thought at first that it was simply for dramatic effect, but the expression on Lucifer's face was revealing enough; he didn't know when it had changed either. His brother had escaped the Cage, yes, but not soon enough. He saw the aftermath of the changes, just like Michael and Adam were seeing now - but none of them really knew why these changes had occurred. The archangel furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, staring at his brother. Everything was changing - everything had changed. And suddenly a lot of Lucifer's behavior made sense, his self-sacrificing, his everything. All of this was so much bigger than them, or at least that's how it felt. It was easy to feel small, and worthless, and lost in comparison to everything, the grand shift the world was taking, the ever-changing universe.
"Maybe it can," Gabriel said suddenly, and Michael glanced up, once again torn from his thoughts. Adam was a little slower to focus, his thoughts still glued to Lucifer even when he did turn their head to look toward the youngest archangel. Lucifer was the last to raise his head, shooting an odd look in Gabriel's direction - to which he merely grinned in response. "Rowena."