Enter Michael, stage right.

(In which you have the first installment with my obsession with the Archangel Michael.)

So this Michael is different from Season 13/14 Michael partly because this isn't psycho!Michael from an alternate universe but sort-of-good!Michael from the original (which makes me wonder if alternate!Lucifer was the good one) who we've only ever seen for a grand total of about 15 minutes and because I actually wrote this in November when stuck on my other Michael fic, which I'm gonna start posting when this is done, before I actually watched seasons 12 and 13, which I binged over Christmas after finally getting time to catch up. I will be watching season 14 on the 27th though and ignoring that as well afterwards.

Also this Michael always wants to be written in present tense for some godforsaken reason so a few things may have slipped through the net.

This is set after 5.06 I believe Children are Our Future, the one with Jesse the baby Antichrist.

Michael POV

22nd September 2009

"That was very honourable of you." Sam jumped in shock, drawing his gun and spinning around in the same move, his quick pacing forgotten. Michael smiled sadly at him ignoring the gun in his hands and taking in Sam's radiant soul now he had his attention.

It was dulled by self-hatred, scared by experience and encased by a cage of faded demonic power. It outshone the lower choirs of angels in its beauty and power and the knowledge that after the attempt at demonic corruption he had rebuilt himself.

"How did you find us?" Sam demanded, voice steady and soul quivering.

"I have not." Michael told him honestly. "This is a dream, the only real things here are us and because of your warding's there is still a… wall between us disallowing me to follow your conscious." Sam's stance didn't change but his soul stopped quivering.

"Right." He intoned. "And who are you?"

"I am Michael." Michael took a moment to enjoy Sam's surprise before the gun disappeared and he slumped, losing the defensive pose and glaring at him through narrowed eyes.

"Michael?" Sam repeated.

"Michael." He confirmed. "I apologise for the delay in coming in person, I understand you've had a few difficulties with my, ah, representatives, but I've been busy recently." Sam raised an eyebrow. "I am very entangled with the running of Heaven." He expanded. "With the apocalypse starting there is a very sudden and very imminent chance that I may die, and I need to ensure that Heaven will continue running."

"Okay and what are you doing in my dreams, now?" Sam asked.

"Like I said it was very honourable of you, to try to help the boy even though he is destined for evil because he is young enough to change." Sam blinked at him and he took a step forward, brushing further against his soul. "But then I suppose that is why you are Righteous."

"What?" Sam stared at him, Michael frowned.

"Was this not explained to you?" He tilted his head. "It would explain a lot." He mused. "The first Seal of the apocalypse is broken by a Righteous Man shedding blood in Hell who is of my line. While the Seal is being broken they become my True Vessel as it ensures that not only their body, but soul is strong enough to hold me." He took a final step, reached out and cupped Sam's cheek whilst sending pulses of calming presence to his soul. "Do not despair," he told deaf ears, "it was not your fault. No one can hold out against Hell when they are determined to break you, and Hell wants nothing more than to break you. It was an oversight on my part that allowed you to enter Hell in the first place and for that I am truly sorry." Sam's pulse, both real and imaginary, picked up as he shook his head, pupils wide.

"I – that can't – Dean's the Righteous Man! He's the one who didn't deserve to go to Hell. I'm Lucifer's Vessel, I have demon blood in me, I dunk it willingly. I'm evil and unclean and –" Michael pulled Sam down so that his head was on his shoulder and wrapped his shaking soul in his grace as the stress from the last year broke him apart. He was careful to ensure that the dream remained strong around them, however, Sam's senses were lacking and direct grace on soul contact without context would only serve to drive him towards insanity as he tried to reason with the unreasonable.

"Oh Sam." He breathed. "Do not compare your suffering to your brothers. You break in different ways and the demons were lucky to find yours first, the shorter time means nothing when you broke because you care. The demon blood in your system is sabotage. It means I will be weakened when we first consummate in order to help heal the scars it has left and is leaving on your soul. It was not your fault and I will help as soon as I can although I am willing to wait seeing as I am sure this is a shock to you. It does not make you evil and to be unclean would need a more metaphysical substance than blood. As to our brothers? Dean deserved Hell no more than you did but he chose it and my Father deemed Free Will important in this world, and it is our actions that define who we are. Being my brother's Vessel does not make him, or you if you were, evil. It just makes him more susceptible to it. True Vessels are not made at birth but through the strengthening of the soul, otherwise anyone would be a Vessel since human bloodlines are so diluted after so long."

Sam nodded, and Michael could feel his mind whirling as it sorted through the information he had given, slower than normal due to his emotionally drained state, then he focused on a memory and withdrew from him, heart guarded.

"Zachariah told us that Dean was your Vessel." He said, gauging his reaction. "And he was very clear you needed his consent fast. That was why they pulled him from Hell after he broke." It was Michael's turn to stare at him.

"The order to rescue Dean from Hell was given once it became clear that Lucifer would not do so, we decided that it must mean that Lucifer wished for his Vessel to be readily at hand when he was released, and I make it a habit of mine to make Lucifer's life as inconvenient as possible." He explained.

"And Lilith being the Final Seal?" Sam demanded. "Why did we need to be there?"

"You didn't." Michael frowned at him. "Lilith need only to die, she could have easily done that herself, although I suppose she thought it would be poetic if you were there."

"That isn't what Zachariah said." Sam snapped, and the dream tilted as if Sam was figuring out what inside it was real.

"I think we have already established that somehow Zachariah has received bad information." Michael pushed slightly to stabilise the dream. "It would be easier to assume that he has given you bad information. It explains why there was a bad relationship between you." Sam gave a short bitter laugh.

"Bad information." He snorted, "and the torture for consent had nothing to do with the 'bad relationship between us'."

"You cannot torture somebody for consent." Michael reached out instinctively for Sam's soul, and flinches when he flinches back, although he is understanding. "That is not consent." He stared at Sam desperately for a minute. "I will never hurt you, I want you to be happy, you have been hurt too much." They stand in silence for a moment before Michael breaks it, unwilling to let his True Vessel believe himself abandoned and lesser.

"Show me your memories of what Zachariah has done and of Lilith's death. I shall ensure judgement is given if all is not right." Surprise flickered across Sam's eyes. "And I shall unlock your memories of your death, to show you how strong you are and why you are my True Vessel." He ignored Sam's flinch this time and determinedly walked towards him to hold his cheek, and soul, again. "You are worthy of so much more than you believe, let me show it to you."

Sam opened and closed his mouth for a minute. The uncertainty heavy on his soul.

"Okay," he croaked finally, "okay." Michael smiled and does not hesitate as he leaned forward and placed a kiss upon his cheek. He used the moment afterwards to pull the memories from Sam's conscious and take a copy with him keeping his promise and waking him up fully rested.

His grace glowed with the contact with his soulmates soul and he smiled to himself in delight.

Then he watched the memories.

Then he raged.