AUTHOR'S NOTE:
The first part of this chapter is very angel-centric, and it should answer a lot of questions, but there are still some that are raised.
There's also a lot of friendship between Grace and the boys in this, and a cute Father/Daughter moment between Grace and Bobby.
WARNINGS: Language, Controversial Topics, Dark Themes, Sex, Violence, Blood
ENJOY!
****
"I assume you're an angel because you just showed up for no good reason without calling first." Grace said and then she raised her eyebrows. "But aren't…never mind."
Grace just nodded, having answered her own questioned—Sam and Dean were shielded from the angels because it was all tattooed on their ribs, but she was only shielded when she wore her pendant…and she'd removed it before they went to the warehouse. It was courtesy of Lucifer, actually. She ran her fingers through her hair as Zachariah looked right at her, and then she looked him in the eye.
Dean made a movement to step closer to Grace protectively, but Sam reached out and held him back, shaking his head. Obviously Zachariah had come for Grace and not for Sam or Dean, and Sam wanted to know why—he wanted to know what was going on. It was weird enough that Lucifer had come to Grace of all people for a vessel…what was her story? Did Zachariah know it?
"I always wondered about you." Zachariah said, looking Grace up and down. "Gotta say, I don't understand the hype."
Dean snapped his fingers. "Hey! She's not a piece of meat! What do you want, Zachariah?"
"Dean…stop talking." Zachariah told him, his eyes on Grace the whole time. "You have a role to play, Grace."
"I really think I do." Grace admitted nodding. "It's just not to let Lucifer in."
Zachariah nodded at her. "I'm not here to tell you any differently."
"Then why are you here?" Dean asked him.
Grace looked over at Dean and smiled softly, shaking her head at him because she wanted to handle this on her own. She understood already that Zachariah was for real—he wanted the Apocalypse to happen, but it was obvious he didn't want Lucifer to win. He just wanted to see Lucifer's other choice, and it was all beginning to settle in for Grace finally—she was finally beginning to understand what Lucifer meant.
"This was all because of your mother." Zachariah explained to Grace, shaking his head. "What happened to her was an accident."
Grace nodded slowly. "Luce seems to think it was all part of a plan."
"He just wants you to say 'yes'." Zachariah said, shaking his head. "Your mother was supposed to raise you, but you got the next best thing—your aunt prepared you."
"Even though Dad didn't want her to." Grace remembered, nodding slowly and biting her lip. "So why are you here, Zachariah?"
Zachariah nodded at her and took a breath. "I need to know what he said to you, Grace."
Grace wasn't sure what it was that she really wanted to do, but she knew she needed answers and Zachariah seemed to have them. So she started from the beginning—from walking into the house, to the cookie, to thinking of Jeremy, to finding her aunt, dead on the floor. She glanced at Dean who just gave her a supportive nod, and she bit her trembling lip and took a deep breath, explaining everything that happened between her and Lucifer.
Grace choked and then felt the tears sliding down her cheeks as she glanced at her aunt again. "What are you?"
"Lucifer." He told her softly. "Surely you've heard of me."
Grace took a deep breath. "You mean…the Devil?! What…what are you doing here?"
Lucifer smiled at her. "I'm here because I need you Grace—I need your help."
Grace turned her eyes from her aunt's cold, dead body and swallowed, wishing Jeremy would come to her rescue. If there was one thing that Jeremy was good at, it was knowing when his cousin was in trouble—Grace loved that connection between them. Her eyes met Lucifer's and she found herself wanting to know everything…she found herself wanting to understand why he was there, and why he needed her.
"Why me?" Grace asked him.
He took a step towards her and smiled when she didn't even flinch. "This has been set in motion since your mother was born, Grace. She denied her duty, and an even more important duty was passed to you…I need you to be my vessel, Grace. I can help you to take all of your pain away, and then when I finally get to Sam—my true vessel—I will give you everything you could ever want…you just have to say 'yes', Grace."
"I'm not sure that I understand." She told him softly. "Vessels…my aunt made sure I knew about them, but…my mother was one? I'm one? Why would I help you? Why would I help the Devil?"
"Because I understand what it's like to be betrayed by my family, Grace." Lucifer explained to her. "I understand what it's like to have so much pain inside that you can't handle it all on your own…I know what its like to be betrayed by your own father."
Grace wished he wasn't making so much sense to her—wished that she wasn't feeling so bad for him—but he was…and so was she. She shook her head though, because even though he had killed the demon that had killed her aunt, Grace wasn't going to be any part of this. Her mother had told her to stay away from the Devil, and she was going to make sure that she did just that…she needed to know more about herself…she needed to find her father and learn more about her mother.
"I can't." Grace told him.
He smiled and nodded. "We'll be in touch, Grace…I'll never lie to you…I'll always support you."
"So as you can see…he's kind of desperate right now." Grace explained, nodding slowly and wiping away some tears. "You both said this was all because of my mother…why exactly?"
Zachariah nodded and took another breath. "Your mother was a vessel and she knew it, Grace. There was only one angel that ever really talked to her—Thea. She knew your mother would never let her in, and the demons got to her first. Bobby wasn't supposed to kill her, but he didn't know what to do."
"Of course he didn't—it wasn't his life." Grace said, the tears sliding down her cheeks as she blinked to get them to stop. "He didn't understand…and I had to watch him kill my mother…I watched her blood spill out onto his hands, and I watched the tears and the pain on his face but all I could think about was that my father had just killed my mother…what little girl can deal with that?"
"Grace…" Dean said softly, but he just swallowed when she shook her head.
She looked at Zachariah. "You should go now…I'll be in touch when I want to be."
Zachariah wanted to protest but she was giving him a look and he left, Grace immediately trying to brighten up and telling the boys she wanted to sleep. They didn't push her and Sam fell asleep rather quickly, Dean staying up a little longer but eventually sleeping as well. Grace was in pain because of her wound, but she didn't want to be alone…she couldn't sleep…so she got out of the bed and went to the couch, tucking her hair behind her ears and pushing on Dean's shoulder softly.
"Dean?" Grace whispered, smiling a little when his eyes blinked open slowly.
He stretched a little. "What's wrong, Grace?"
"Would you make fun of me if I asked you to come sleep on the bed with me?" Grace asked, blushing feverishly. "I just, uh…I can't sleep…by myself right now…please?"
"Yeah…" Dean said softly, getting up as she smiled at him.
Grace smiled a little. "Yeah you'll make fun of me, or yeah you'll do it?"
Dean just chuckled a little and pointed to her bed, getting under the covers with her and lying down. He knew how embarrassed she was to ask, so he was keeping his hands to himself, but it seemed like his presence was enough, and his breath caught in his throat as he smiled a little when she snuggled against him. Grace smiled awkwardly and decided to make a joke to make the situation less stressful—she knew Dean must be feeling so weird right about then.
"I promise I'm not trying to grope you." Grace told him, smiling a little when he chuckled. "Thank you."
**
Dean faintly smelt Cucumber Melon when he woke up the next morning, realizing as he opened up his eyes that Grace's hair was close to him. He smiled a little and then realized that he had his arm draped over her and he was spooning her. Somehow in the middle of the night, Dean had cuddled up next to her and her body fit into his perfectly and it was starting to mess with his mind. What was he thinking?
"It's sweet you're being protective, but I'm still kind of in a little bit of pain." Grace said suddenly, pulling Dean from his thoughts.
Dean felt a little flustered. "Sorry! Sorry!"
"It's okay—I enjoyed the warmth." Grace told him, turning so she was on her back as Dean pulled back and looked at her, Grace smiling at him softly. "Sorry I'm such a girl."
"Trust me I wouldn't have cuddled you had you not been a girl." Dean replied and looked up quickly when Sam came into the room. "Hey, Sam!"
Sam chuckled at him. "I brought you guys coffee, and I brought Grace some food—you still look a little pale, and I'm worried."
"I lost a lot of blood yesterday, but I'm totally fine." Grace said waving it off.
Sam just nodded as Dean got out of the bed and Grace sat up slowly, cringing a little and shaking her head as Dean came for her slowly. She really didn't want to be babied, even though she knew that her feeling weak and in this much pain was probably a bad sign—she just wanted to get back to Bobby. So she got up and she masked the pain as best as she could, eating, taking come pain killers, and then getting dressed and forcing the boys back out onto the road.
Grace smiled when she opened up the door to Bobby's house, calling out his name and smiling a little more when he wheeled into view. He was much more settled now knowing that Grace was all right, but at the same time his entire demeanor changed once he saw her cringe. She waved it off and went to go to sleep, Sam and Dean heading into the other room to talk about what was going on.
"I think we should get her to a doctor." Sam told Dean. "You're positive the Brachen only got her with a claw, right?"
Bobby's eyes widened. "She got hurt by a Brachen?! She could be poisoned!"
"He didn't get her with a fang, Bobby—she's just suffering from some blood loss." Dean assured him. "I do agree with Sammy though…she looks really pale."
"I'm going to check on her." Bobby explained, wheeling to Grace's room and over to her bed.
Grace smiled a little. "Come to check on the wound? The bandage does need to be changed—Dean cleaned it up and it's not infected, I don't think."
Grace took her shirt off and Bobby reached out to take the bandage off after grabbing his first aid supplies, and he looked the wound over. She was right—Dean had cleaned her wound out thoroughly and she was healing, even though she was in a lot of pain because of how deep the wound had been. Bobby patched her up again and got her some water, watching over her for the next few hours, Sam and Dean sticking around to make sure they didn't need to take her to the hospital.
The worried look on Bobby's face was making Dean shift uncomfortably, and he and Sam went back into the other room and began to talk about Lucifer. Bobby listened in and he took a deep breath—he hadn't realized even half of what was going on with her and he wished he could make this better for her. He felt so incredibly responsible for everything that Grace went through, and so he wheeled back into her room and watched her sleep.
"I'm so sorry, Gracie." Bobby breathed, wiping his hand down his face. "Honey, I'm so sorry."
He ran his large, worn hand over her forehead and stroked her hair, leaning down and kissing her forehead. Then he parked next to her bed and watched her sleep because he just wanted to be there for whatever changes occurred. Bobby never wanted anything bad to happen to Grace again—he was going to use this time to get to know her, to give her a better life than he had given her before…he owed her that much.
**
Grace woke up in the middle of the night and stretched a little, in less pain than before, but still in pain. She smiled a little at Bobby asleep in his wheelchair, and she kissed him softly as she got up. Honestly she was feeling a lot stronger, and she was incredibly hungry, so she went down to the kitchen and smiled at Sam in there with a sandwich. He smiled back at her and blushed a little, a bite of sandwich still unchewed in his mouth.
"Want me to make you a sandwich?" Sam asked her.
She smiled at him and shook her head. "No, thanks—I can make my own sandwich, but I appreciate the offer."
"You definitely look better than before." Sam told her, glad she looked like she was feeling better.
"Thank you—I told you that it was just the blood loss." Grace said, smiling at him and making herself a sandwich. "So you can't sleep or something?"
Sam shrugged softly. "Or something."
Sam had a feeling that he could trust Grace with anything, and he wanted to open up to her, but he didn't know if he should. He looked at her and took another bite of his sandwich, smiling a little when she smiled at him as she put the meat and the lettuce on her sandwich. When she had it made she sat down next to him and took a large bite, Sam nodding at her and deciding to just get it all off of his chest and over with.
"We have a lot in common…you know…like with Lucifer." Sam told her.
Grace nodded at him. "You're right…we do. You ever wish you were being set on a different path, Sam?"
"All the time." Sam admitted, taking another bite. "I've done so many shitty things and I can't even…Dean doesn't look at me the same way."
"You know, I know you both have things to regret, but you can't let it get in the way of what you have between you as brothers." Grace told him, setting her sandwich down on the plate and turning towards him a little. "Yeah, demon blood—it was a terrible decision on your part but you know that, and that's what matters. In Hell, Dean tortured souls and he enjoyed it…his bad and he knows it was a bad choice. There are just some things that you guys have done that you can't change, but that doesn't mean you guys should throw away the relationship you have."
Sam took a breath. "I just…I can't expect him to ever trust me again."
"Look, Sam," Grace told him, resting her hand on his shoulder, "you and Dean have been through a lot together, and though it might be hard, and though it won't ever be the way that it was before, you guys have a strong relationship…and it's important to keep it."
Sam nodded at her, Dean over-hearing right outside the kitchen and deciding to stay right where he was. He hated that Sam felt like he didn't trust him, and though there were moments when Dean realized that he thought he didn't, Sam was his little brother and Dean liked being around him—he enjoyed his brother's company and he still trusted him with his life. Dean just wasn't vocal about it, and Sam understood that enough not to push him into any 'care and shares'…no matter how badly Sam needed to hear the words from Dean's own mouth.
"Dean just doesn't like to talk about things." Sam said, shrugging as he watched Grace eat a little more.
Grace nodded slowly. "You know, I bet if you just randomly let him know, he'd return the favor. You've both been through a lot…you've both had to make some hard decisions, and I know that the two of you will be okay if you just communicate."
"How did you get so optimistic?" Sam asked, laughing a little.
"If I wasn't optimistic, I'd probably just lay down and die." Grace told him, laughing and shrugging as she took another bite of her sandwich.
Sam smiled at her and nodded, knowing right then and there that Grace was his friend—that Grace cared about him and Dean even though she didn't have to. She was holding onto so much, and she was trying so hard, and Sam was honestly feeling like he was blessed to meet her. He and Dean needed her in their lives right then, and he was glad that he already felt so comfortable around her.
"Thank you, Grace." Sam told her, smiling and eating the last piece of his sandwich.
Grace smiled at him. "You're welcome, Sam."
"Hey," Sam said, pausing and then deciding to just go for it, "do you have a thing for Dean?"
Dean found his ears perking up as he listened, straightening up and shifting a little, Bobby wheeling down the hallway. He'd woken up and Grace was out of bed, so he was looking for her, and Dean was trying to hear what Grace was about to say. Bobby actually wanted to hear the answer too, looking at Dean and smiling a bit at the expectant look on his face—Dean cared about how Grace answered this…he cared a lot.
"I'd be lying if I didn't say I was fond of him." Grace replied smiling. "But before you read into it any, I'm kind of fond of you and Dad too."
Dean honestly couldn't understand why her words were affecting him the way that they were—he was hoping for a different answer. What that answer was, he didn't know, but he jumped a little when he heard Bobby behind him and he just smiled at him. Bobby smiled too, but it was because Bobby understood that look—Dean was becoming completely attached to Grace…but there was no way on God's green earth that he was going to admit it—not in a million years.
Note: I hope that chapter was worth it, guys! I'm really enjoying writing this story, so I hope its still being well-received! Feedback is always appreciated!