Free to be You and Me
Sam sighed as his eyes opened, a smile on his face. It had been so long since he'd had a good night's sleep. He'd been in Michelle's house about two weeks so far and every night he'd had such a good rest. He didn't know if it was the fact that it was because he didn't have to worry about demons sneaking into a motel room and trying to slit his throat as he dreamed, or that he'd taken to sleeping with Michelle's pillow clenched to his chest and that faint lingering smell of her wafted over to him as he slept so that he could almost fool himself into thinking she was in his arms again.
When he'd first made it back to her house he'd given himself a little tour of his own. He'd gone and looked at each room in the house. So far it was all fairly normal actually. The first floor was a basic foyer, living room, dining room, kitchen, with a door to the basement, and a bathroom. The second floor had a family room, a study which he assumed was her parents as he found a certificate for anthropology on the wall and a plaque of honor for one Miles J. Davidson, a fairly large room with bookshelves stocked with thousands of books filled with lore about different monsters, a bathroom, and a storage room. The third floor were reserved for the bedrooms, he'd found the master bedroom, a linen closet, a guest room, and a bathroom, as well as a small pull down ladder for the attic. He'd also found a room he could only assume was Michelle's. Well, it had to be, given that her name was on the door.
He'd been very interested to see what Michelle's room had looked like. Her name was engraved in the door, along with a few protective runes he'd seen on all the other doors that could very easily be passed off as just decorative designs to others less supernatural savvy. Her room was a light silver with teal accents. She had an average, twin sized bed, iron frame, there were a few family pictures hung up on the wall, a bookshelf of her own, full of more contemporary monster themed books, Dracula, Frankenstein, among others. There was also a Bible in there too, a few versions actually. She had a window, a desk, a dresser and a closet. There were also a few mementos scattered around of her previous hunts.
He'd seen a lock of werewolf hair, a vampire tooth, a bottle of dirt from her first ghost hunt. There were even a few pictures in frames of her and her parents in Europe, standing before some monuments, the Coliseum, the Eiffel tower, Big Ben. He'd picked up a few of them to look at and found that they had a false back to them, and each frame held a secret picture behind it of the family after whatever hunt they had in that area. Often they looked pretty beat up, but they were smiling nonetheless. It had gotten him thinking that...maybe...raising a child as a Hunter wouldn't be so bad, it just depended on how it was done.
He looked over at the clock on the bedside table and saw that he'd have to get up soon for work. He'd taken a deadbeat job as a busboy in a local bar. There wasn't much fresh food in the house, which made sense as Hunters tended to move around a lot, so he'd had to get a job for milk and eggs and other things. Michelle had called a few times to check in and told him to just use the secondary debit card she kept, stuck under the shelf of the china cabinet they'd seen when she'd first recovered, but he'd refused. He felt like he was already taking advantage, staying in her house for free.
According to her, her parents had created an agreement with the bank, the bills were automatically taken out of her family's accounts. Most of the electrics were still plugged in when she would leave to hunt, like the refrigerator, the freezers, and the water, which would go on to help the garden. Basically, whatever he used, the microwave, the shower, whatever, was already being paid for.
He smiled, thinking about Michelle. She called him every few days to check up, make sure her family's precautions were still working. Yes, they were. No sign of demons or anything whatsoever.
There was just one problem…
He stepped out the door to head to work, walking, as it was just down the road and around a corner. As soon as he stepped off the property…
"Hey baby," a voice said.
He stopped short, turning around to see his dead girlfriend Jessica standing behind him
"I missed you," she continued.
He swallowed hard, he really felt like he was going insane, "Jessica," he took a breath, shaking his head, this was the first time he'd spoken to her in the last few times he'd seen her, "You're not real."
"I am," she insisted, "I'm here."
He shook his head slowly, "I…I'm sorry."
He didn't know what to say to her. As torn up as he had been over her death, he'd healed. His many talks with Dean about Michelle when he'd first been attracted to her had helped him realize, he really was trying to fool himself with Jess. He'd basically gone after a woman who reminded him of his mother when Dean and his dad would talk about her. A blonde, beautiful, caring woman, who he really knew little about, who knew little about him as well.
It had been a farce. He'd admitted it. He'd been trying so hard to be normal that he'd gone through the motions. Met a girl, basically the first girl he'd met at college, courted her, and convinced himself he loved her.
But with Michelle…she was so different than Jessica it was almost funny. She was a brunette, Hunter, who could kick his ass from here to next Tuesday. She was crazy and brilliant and dedicated and brave and she scared him from time to time. Seriously, he'd feared for his life a few times when she would PMS. But he wouldn't have her any other way. She was honest and she knew him, just like he knew her.
"I know," Jess said, cutting into his thoughts. She stepped forward, about to take his hand, but he stepped back, "What are you doing, Sam?"
"What do you mean?" he frowned.
"Running away. Haven't we been down this road before?"
"No. It's different now."
"Really?"
"Last time I wanted to be normal. This time I know I'm a freak."
"Which is all a big ball of semantics. You know that."
"No," he shook his head.
"Even at Stanford you knew. You knew there was something dark inside of you. Deep down, maybe, but you knew. Maybe that's what got me killed."
"No!"
"I was dead from the moment we said hello."
"No."
"Maybe that's why it's better for you to get away," she shrugged, "Save her like you couldn't save me."
"What?" he breathed.
"I know about Michelle, Sam," his eyes widened, "You're running from her, just like you ran from me. The only difference is you didn't kill her…yet."
"No," he swallowed.
"Don't you get it?" Jess glared, "You can't run from yourself. Why are you running now?"
"Why are you here Jess?"
"Would you believe I'm actually trying to protect you? Protect Michelle?"
"From what?" he frowned.
"You. Sooner or later the past is going to catch up to you, like it always does. You know what happens then?" Sam looked down, "People die. Baby, the people closest to you die. Michelle will die."
"Don't worry because I won't make that mistake again," Sam glared at her forcefully, he would be damned if he let Michelle die because of him.
"Same song, different verse. Things are never gonna change with you. Ever."
Sam looked down and then up, Jess was gone.
He really was going insane.
~8~
Michelle sighed as she sat in the Impala. Dean was looking for yet another hunt. It wouldn't be so bad, she loved hunting, but he was driving her insane. He wouldn't even talk about Sam. He wouldn't even call him. He just ignored her every time she brought him up or spoke to him on the phone. She knew Sam needed time, but this wouldn't do at all. The brothers needed each other, it was pretty clear from how bad things got before, when they had been separated.
She jumped as someone knocked on the window. She looked over to see Dean standing there, dressed in a suit, motioning for her to get out and join him. She sighed and rolled her eyes as she got out of the car. He didn't say a word, just nodded towards the hospital behind him.
They walked in and Dean led her towards a doctor, "Hi, Detective Bill Buckner," Dean greeted as he held out his Pennsylvania State police ID.
"Detective Carla Fisk," Michelle held up hers as well.
"Yes," the doctor nodded, "How can I help you, Detectives?"
"We're here about those patients, the exsanguinated ones," Dean replied.
Michelle sighed as the doctor led them away. This would be just another hunt for a vampire.
~8~
They headed back to the motel room that night after having offed the vampire they'd been hunting. Dean had nearly gotten bitten but Michelle fired a dart of dead man's blood at the vampire which sent him into convulsions till Dean beheaded it. He'd, of course, gotten splattered with blood as he seemed prone to do. He'd looked up at Michelle, smirking, but she just nodded to the side, where he saw the blood had also splattered the Impala…smirk gone.
They'd washed the car before heading back, no need to draw attention with a blood soaked car in a parking lot.
Dean was over by the sink, washing off the last bit of blood as Michelle sat on the couch with a book in her lap, her journal open, jotting down notes. He looked up at the mirror, only to see Castiel standing behind him.
"God!" Dean shouted, spinning around, but jumping back to lean against the sink, "Don't do that!" he looked over to see Michelle smirking, but not having looked up at all.
"Hey Cas," Michelle called.
"And you!" he pointed at her, "How many times have I told you to warn me when he does that!?"
"And miss your reaction?" Michelle glanced over at him.
Dean rolled his eyes as Castiel turned to him, "Hello Dean."
"Cas…" Dean began, eyeing the angel, who was only inches away from him, "We've talked about this. Personal space?"
Castiel looked at him, confused, before glancing over at Michelle, who laughed and made a motion for him to step back.
"My apologies," Castiel nodded, moving back one step.
Dean grabbed his jacket and walked over to the bed, sitting down on it, "How'd you find us? I thought we were flying below the angel radar," he rubbed his ribs to get his point across.
"You are. Bobby told me where you were."
"You do know you can just ask me, right Cas?" Michelle called, turning on the couch to face them over the back of it, "You have my number."
He pulled out his cell phone, "It says it died."
Michelle rolled her eyes, getting up and taking the phone from him. She rummaged through her bag a moment before pulling out a phone charger and plugging it in.
"Where's Sam?" Castiel asked a moment later, seeing that there was only one bed in the room.
Dean sighed. Michelle had insisted that they only get a room with one bed and a couch as she didn't want to be alone in the bed, having gotten so used to being with Sam, and also threatening his ability to produce children in the future if he dare suggest they share a bed. He'd caved and gone for a room with a couch and bed as she asked.
"Me and Sam are taking separate vacations for a while," Dean answered, putting on his jacket, "So…"
Castiel turned to Michelle, "You agreed with this?"
"Not a chance in hell," she replied, glaring, "But it's between them apparently, so I have no say in it."
Dean rolled his eyes, he'd heard this resentment many times before. But he couldn't understand it. Of course they valued her opinion, and of course it involved her. As far as he was concerned she was a part of the family already, if not as Sam's future wife, not that it seemed like that would happen, then his adopted little sister. He felt like she couldn't see the enormity of Sam's mistake or how off the reservation he'd gone recently since she just kept bringing up how Sam should have stayed, and he felt like he had to protect her from Sam. He never thought he'd ever have to do that but Sam proved he'd be willing to kill Michelle in the past, he wasn't about to let it happen in the future.
Michelle was also pissed. She knew her powers. She knew Dean and she knew Sam. Of course she knew how bad things were, how bad they'd gotten because of Sam. But, in the days they'd spent without Sam, it had given her time to think, to evaluate everything. She knew what Sam was like when not on demon blood, and that was the Sam he was now, just a more broken version, laid down with guilt. Dean just didn't understand her powers and how they worked. Sam was clean, as in never-going-back clean. And now he was suffering with the guilt of everything, alone. Without the support of the two people he needed most. Sure, she might not trust him completely, yet, but how was he going to prove it, how as he going to earn their trust and repair the relationships he'd broken, if he wasn't there to do it?
"You find God yet?" Dean cut in, trying to change the topic, "More importantly, can I have my damn necklace back, please?"
"No, I haven't found him," Castiel replied, "That's why I'm here. I need your help."
"Cas I've told you before," Michelle cut in, "If God doesn't want to be found, the necklace isn't going to do anything. This is God we're talking about, he can do anything."
"What do you need our help with?" Dean asked, confused, "God hunt? Not interested."
"It's not God," Castiel cut in, "It's someone else."
"Who?" Michelle frowned, having a feeling she wasn't going to like where this was going.
"Archangel. The one who killed me."
"'Scuse me?" Dean asked.
"Which one?" Michelle swallowed hard.
"His name is Raphael," Castiel told her, smiling reassuringly at her.
She let out a breath of relief, archangels she could handle. There was only one she was actually afraid of and it wasn't Raphael.
"You were wasted by a teenage mutant ninja angel?" Dean frowned, shaking his head, glancing at Michelle oddly a moment. He knew that expression, she was actually afraid of something, an archangel.
He'd asked her once, about Lucifer being an angel, what that whole story was about. According to her there were only four main archangels, Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and Lucifer, the most powerful. Lucifer had been in Hell, Gabriel was apparently MIA, and she was clearly relieved it was Raphael who had been guarding Chuck...which begged the quesiton...why was she so afraid of Michael?
"I've heard whispers that he's walking the Earth," Castiel replied, looking more at Michelle, who seemed to have a better understanding of the situation.
She nodded, "This is a rare opportunity."
"For what?" Dean looked between the two of them before settling on Castiel, "Revenge?"
"Information," Castiel answered.
Dean just shook his head and got up, walking over to the sink to pick up his knife and a washcloth, making quick work of cleaning the knife, "So, what, you think you can find this dude and he's just gonna spill God's address?"
"Yes, because we are gonna trap him and interrogate him."
Dean turned around sharply, "What do you mean interrogate? You mean like with Alastair? With Michelle…"
"Cas…" Michelle cut in, shaking her head frantically, "I can't…not again. Please don't make me…"
"No," Castiel said quickly, "Not ever. Never again. I swear," he swallowed hard, "That was a mistake I will forever regret."
Michelle let out a breath and nodded.
"You're serious about this," Dean looked back at Castiel. Castiel turned to look at Dean, who walked back over to him, "So, what, you're Athos, Michelle's Aramis, I'm Porthos and we're just going to hold hands and sail off this cliff together?"
Castiel just looked at him, confused, before glancing at Michelle, who was looking at Dean, vaguely impressed, "It's a roundabout way of calling us the three musketeers," she explained to Castiel, who nodded as though he understood what she was saying.
"Give me one good reason why we should do this," Dean continued.
"Because you're Michael's Shield," he looked at Michelle, before looking at Dean, "And Michael's vessel and no angel will dare harm you."
Dean gave him a look, "Oh, so we're your bullet shield."
"Technically I'm your bullet shield," Michelle called, "I am the Shield after all."
"What exactly is that?" Dean rounded on her.
"Basically, I'm supposed to keep you alive and in one piece till Michael decides to jump your bones," Michelle sighed, before scoffing, "I protect the vessel."
Dean frowned, he could already tell that Michelle wasn't a fan of being dragged into all this angel stuff either. But compared to him, her job sucked more. At least he could have had the power of an angel on his side, she was expected to jump in front of all dangers for him, alone, unarmed. At least that was her take on what Castiel had told her some time after they met Chuck. Apparently he was the prophet who had written about her being important in the upcoming Apocalypse, as the Michael Shield.
"I need your help because you are the only ones who'll help me," Castiel replied, "Please."
"Alright," Michelle stood up, "Let's do it."
"Wait, wait, wait," Dean cut in, "You're in?"
"And so are you by default."
"How do you figure?"
"I'm going to help Castiel," she said slowly, as though explaining it to a child, "And either you help me help him, or I'll make sure you're as junkless as Michael."
Dean swallowed hard, turning to Castiel, "Where is he?"
"Maine," he answered, "Let's go."
Castiel reached out to touch Dean's forehead with two fingers when Dean leaned away quickly, "Whoa!" the Hunter called.
Castiel dropped his arm, "What?"
"Last time you zapped me someplace I didn't poop for a week," Dean grumbled, "We're driving," he picked up his keys and headed towards the door.
Michelle laughed and stepped over to Castiel, "It's probably better if we do drive," he gave her a look, "You've been cut off right?" he nodded, "Save as much of your powers as you can," she patted him on the shoulder, "Let us help you."
She linked arms with him and led him out of the room and towards the Impala where Dean was already waiting.
~8~
"Hey Keith," Lindsey, a woman who worked at the bar, called to Sam. He turned at the use of his alias to see her throwing darts, nailing pretty close to the target, "You play?"
"That depends," he answered, looking up from where he was cleaning a table, "What are we playing for?"
"World peace."
"Oh, is that all?" he laughed.
"Can I ask you something?" she moved to retrieve her darts.
"Shoot."
"You finished that crossword puzzle in the kitchen?"
"Uh, I guess…" he trailed, confused, "Why?"
"The New York Times Saturday crossword?"
He looked down, "Was it?"
"Uh huh," she nodded, turning to face him, "You blow into town last week, you don't talk to anybody, you're obviously highly educated. You're like this..."
"Riddle wrapped inside an enigma wrapped inside a taco?" he tried, recalling with a smile how Michelle had once called him the same thing during the six months after the Mystery Spot thing.
Lindsey laughed, "Here's what we play for. When I win, you buy me dinner and tell me your life story."
He smirked, taking three darts, "Sounds fair," he aimed and threw all three darts at the target, nailing it in the center.
"Very mysterioso," Lindsey grinned.
"That?" he laughed, nodding at the target, "That's nothing, Michelle can do five darts blindfolded and facing backwards."
"Michelle?" Lindsey raised an eyebrow, still smiling, honestly just happy he seemed to be talking more about his past. She could tell he was running from something, something he'd done, and she knew from experience there was only one way to work past it…to talk it out and confront it.
"Uh…yeah," he rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's a really nice name," Lindsey commented, but Sam's attention had been pulled to the TV. It was showing different clips of hailstorms and trees on fire to a live reporter standing with the firemen trying to help.
"…the town of Tully," the reporter began, "Tonight, John. Locals say that what started as a torrential hailstorm late this afternoon suddenly turned to massive lightning strikes that triggered the fires now consuming more than twenty acres here along the Route 17 corridor. County officials are advising all Tully residents to prepare for what could become mandatory evacuations."
The bartender shut the TV off suddenly, "Damn. Is it me or does it seem like it's the end of the world?"
Sam looked away, turning his back to clean another table, his face the epitome of guilt.
~8~
Dean, Castiel, and Michelle stepped out of the Impala in Waterville Maine, dressed in their suits, Castiel in his typical tan coat.
"And we're here why?" Dean asked.
"A deputy sheriff laid eyes on the archangel," Castiel replied.
Michelle let out a whistle, and he could still see?
"And he still has eyes?" Dean asked, seeming to think the same thing as her, "Alright, what's the plan?"
"We'll..." Castiel began, startled to see Dean waiting on his orders, "Tell the officer that he witnessed an angel of the Lord, and the officer will tell us where the angel is."
Michelle laughed.
"Seriously?" Dean raised an eyebrow, "You're going to walk in there and tell him the truth?"
"Why not?" Castiel frowned.
"We're talking about humans Cas," Michelle smiled at him, he was so lost when it came to them.
"Yes," Castiel nodded, not following.
"We're not as inclined to tell the truth. And most are less inclined to believe the truth because of that."
He just seemed more confused.
Dean rolled his eyes and pulled out a fake ID for Castiel, slipping it into his coat and adjusting his tie, "When humans want something really, really bad, we lie," Dean summed up.
"Why?" Castiel frowned.
"Because that's how you become President."
Michelle just shook her head and took Castiel's arm, leading him behind Dean, "Because sometimes we need to protect those around us," Michelle commented, "And the less they know about what's actually happening, the better. They may try and do something that just gets you killed, or gets someone else killed, or gets them killed..."
Dean slowed down just a bit before glancing back at her, a puzzled expression on his face. The way she said it…he shook his head and headed into the sheriff's department, "Deputy Framingham?" he asked as they walked in.
The deputy turned around as he and Michelle held up their FBI IDs.
"Hi," Dean greeted, smiling, "Alonzo Mosely, FBI. These are my partners, Jaclyn Walsh," he nodded at Michelle, who nodded a greeting, "And Eddie Moscone."
Castiel stood there.
"Also FBI," Dean tried again.
Castiel still just stood there.
Michelle gently elbowed him in the side. He started, looking down at her as she subtly glanced at his pocket and back. He turned back to the deputy, pulling out his FBI ID and holding it up…upside down.
Dean reached out and turned it around, sticking it back in his hand.
"He's new," Michelle informed the deputy, "Mind if we ask you a few questions?"
Castiel looked down at the ID, curious as to what it said and interested in how easy it was to change his identity and have someone else believe it.
"Yeah, sure," the deputy replied, eyeing Castiel, "Talk here, though," he pointed to his right ear as he led them into his office, "Hearing's all blown to hell in this one."
"That happen recently?" Dean asked.
"Yeah. Gas station. Why you're here, isn't it?"
"Yes, it is," Michelle nodded as they sat down.
"You mind just, uh, running us through what happened?" Dean asked.
The deputy sighed, "A call came in. Disturbance out at the Pump and Go on Route 4."
"What kind of disturbance?" Michelle asked.
"Would not have believed my eyes if I hadn't seen it myself. We're talking a riot. Full scale."
"How many?" Dean frowned.
"30, 40, in all-out, kill-or-be-killed combat."
"Any idea what set them off?" Michelle frowned as well.
"It's angels and demons, probably," Castiel cut in.
Dean and Michelle stiffened, trying their very best to refrain from face palming.
The deputy just looked over at Castiel, who stared back.
"They're skirmishing all over the globe," Castiel continued.
"Come again?" the deputy shook his head, before turning back to Dean, "What did he say?"
"Nothing," Dean began, "Nothing."
At the same time as Castiel repeated, "Demons. Demons."
Michelle elbowed Castiel once more and he stopped.
"He means demons, you know, drink, adultery," she cut in, "The seven deadly sins. We all have our demons."
The deputy looked at Castiel once more before shaking his head, the man was probably from a religious family, it would explain it, "I guess."
Dean gave Castiel a firm look, "Anyway…" he turned back to the deputy, "What happened next?"
"Freaking explosion, that's what. They said it was one of those underground gas tanks, but, uh, I don't think so."
"Why not?" Michelle asked.
"Wasn't your usual fireball. It was, um…"
"Pure white?" Castiel guessed, though sounding more like a statement than anything.
"Yeah," the deputy nodded slowly, "Gas station was leveled. Everyone was...it was just horrible. And I see this one guy, kneeling, real focused-like, not a damn scratch on him."
"You know him?" Michelle asked.
"Donnie Finneman. Mechanic there."
"Let me guess, he just, uh, vanished into thin air?" Dean nearly laughed.
"Uh, no, Kolchak. He's down at Saint Pete's."
Castiel turned to Michelle, "Saint Pete's."
Michelle nodded at him before turning back to the deputy, "Thank you."
~8~
They were able to find Donnie quite quickly at St. Peter's hospital. He was in they psych ward, sitting in a wheelchair, catatonic, as they stood observing him from the hallway window.
"I take it that's not Raphael anymore," Dean ventured.
"Just an empty vessel," Michelle answered for the angel.
"So is this what I'm looking at if Michael jumps in my bones?" Dean asked tensely, not at all liking what he was seeing.
"No, not at all," Castiel replied, Dean nearly smiled, when Castiel continued, "Michael is much more powerful. It'll be far worse for you."
Dean looked away a moment when…
"Ow!" Castiel shouted.
Dean looked over to see Castiel rubbing the back of his head from where Michelle had clearly smacked him.
He couldn't help it.
He laughed.
~8~
Sam was sitting in the study of Michelle's house, looking things up on the computer. It was open to a calligraphic page of the Revelations in Latin. He sighed, wishing Michelle was there, she would probably have it translated in no time…or have it memorized in English. He'd managed to highlight a section to magnify and picked up his phone, scrolling down to Dean…before scrolling up to Bobby. He didn't want to bother Dean or Michelle, besides given that time of night, they might be on a hunt.
"Sam?" Bobby asked as he answered on the other end.
"Hey Bobby," Sam greeted, "How you doing?"
"Well I ain't running any marathons, but I'll live," Bobby replied, earning a laugh from Sam, "Where are you?"
"Michelle's. I found a town up the road showing some Revelation omens."
"What omens?"
"Alright, listen to this," he said, squinting at the computer, "'And upon his rising there shall be hail and fire mixed with blood.'"
"Well ain't that delightful," Bobby groaned.
"Yeah. But we already got hailstorms and fire so I'm guessing blood can't be too far behind."
"Ok…"
"What?"
"There a reason you're calling?"
"Dean didn't tell you?"
"He told me. Just thought you woulda been calling Michelle up before me. Girl's a walking Bible you know."
Sam smiled at that, "I know, but they're probably on a hunt right now, I don't want to bother them…I just thought you might want to find out who else is in the area and put a man on this."
"Ok, let me see if I can think of the best Hunter who might be in the immediate vicinity…oh, that'd be you."
"I can't, Bobby, I'm sitting this one out," Sam sighed.
Bobby sighed as well, "Don't know why you're calling me about it. You do know there's a phone book of Hunters there right?"
"What?" Sam frowned.
"Yeah," Bobby laughed, "Michelle's parents kept a log of all the Hunters they ever came across or heard of, got their numbers and everything. Wouldn't be surprised if your names are in there too."
"Huh…" Sam trailed in thought, "I guess I should give it a look?"
"Call me back with some familiar names and I'll let you know if any of them are close by last I heard," Bobby agreed.
"Ok. Thanks Bobby."
"Yeah, yeah," Bobby sighed before hanging up.
Same flipped his phone closed and sat back in the chair only a moment before getting up in search of this phone book.
~8~
Dean was walking through the empty cabin they were squatting in, paging through his father's journal, while Michelle sat at a small wooden table by a window and leafed through her own book, jotting down notes. He turned and sat the journal down on the table across from her, about to turn back to the kitchen, when Castiel appeared behind him, holding a ceramic jar.
"Where've you been?" Dean asked.
"Jerusalem," Castiel replied.
"How was it?" Michelle looked up.
"Arid," Castiel smiled a bit as he set the jar on the table.
Michelle reached out and began to look inside it.
"What's that?" Dean asked.
"It's oil," Michelle replied.
"It's very special," Castiel agreed, sitting down, "Very rare."
"Ok, so we trap Raphael with a nice vinaigrette?" Dean frowned, incredulous.
"No."
Michelle rolled her eyes, "It's Holy Oil Dean," he looked at her, "It's probably the only thing that can hold an angel at bay."
Dean nodded slowly, turning to Castiel, "So this ritual of yours, when does it got to go down?"
"Sunrise," Castiel and Michelle said at the same time.
Dean blinked, shaking his head at the two of them, he'd almost forgotten that Michelle was like a walking encyclopedia when it came to angels, "Tell me something. You keep saying we're gonna trap this guy. Isn't that kinda like trapping a hurricane with a butterfly net? An oily butterfly net?"
"No, it's harder," Castiel deadpanned.
"Do we have any chance of surviving this?"
"We do," Michelle replied solemnly, knowing that the first thing Raphael would do, would be to try and off Castiel.
"So odds are he's a dead man tomorrow?" Dean asked her, glancing at Cas.
"Yes," Castiel nodded.
"Well…" Dean nodded, "Last night on Earth. What are your plans?"
"I just thought I'd sit here quietly," Castiel replied.
Michelle snorted, it was such a Cas like think to say.
"Come on, anything? Booze, women?"
Castiel looked at Dean before looking away, very uncomfortable. Michelle couldn't help but smirk as she shut her book and leaned back in her chair to watch. This was going to be good, it wasn't often she got to see Castiel squirm.
"You have been with women before," Dean looked at Cas, startled, "Right? Or an angel, at least?"
Castiel rubbed the back of his neck.
"You mean to tell me you've never been up there doing a little cloud-seeding?" Dean asked, stunned.
"I've never had occasion, ok?" Castiel defended.
"Alright," Dean smirked, grabbing his jacket, "Let me tell you something. There are two things I know for certain. One, Bert and Ernie are gay. Two, you are not gonna die a virgin. Not on my watch. Let's go."
Dean headed towards the door, opening it and waiting for Castiel to walk through. Cas stood there and stared at him, before looking at Michelle for help, she could only shake her head and smile.
He slumped forward and walked out the door.
~8~
Sam was taking a tray of empty glasses and trash away from a section of the bar when suddenly someone called out.
"Hey Sam!"
Having gotten used to his alias, Sam made no move to reply.
"Sam!" they called again.
"Sam?" Lindsey asked, "What happened to Keith?"
And then he realized the man was calling him. He put down his tray and looked over, "Wait, what?"
Lindsey pointed to a man who was standing a few feet away. Sam instantly recognized him as Tim, and his two friends, Reggie and Steve.
"He called you Sam," Lindsey said after a moment.
"Yeah," Sam nodded slowly, trying to come up with a reason for that, "Uh. Sam's my middle name."
Lindsey laughed, "Keith Sam? Man, I'm sorry."
"Well, actually, it's Samuel, so it's not quite as dumb as it sounds," Tim grinned.
"Are you guys friends?" Lindsey asked, eyeing the butch-looking men.
"Hunting buddies," Steve replied, "With his dad. Samuel here is quite the Hunter himself."
"Wow," Lindsey smirked, looking at Sam, "You killed deer and things?"
"Yeah, and things," Tim laughed at the little joke.
"Um," Sam swallowed, "Why don't I get you guys some drinks?"
The three Hunters nodded and moved to sit at a table while Sam went to get them their drinks, setting them down before the men before taking the last seat across from them.
"Sorry," Tim took a swig of the beer, "Didn't mean to bust you back there."
"It's alright," Sam waved him off, "So what's up?"
"Bobby called," was all Tim said.
Sam nodded. He'd managed to find the phonebook and he'd been quite impressed. He had no idea that there were so many Hunters out there. There must have been two or three hundred names in there. He'd jotted down a few he seemed to recall and called up Bobby, who'd made his own list from Sam's, saying he'd get back to him.
"And?" Sam shook his head when they said nothing else.
"You were right," Tim nodded, "Major demon block party going on."
"But why? What are they up to?"
"Don't know yet," Steve shrugged.
"Bobby told us you were off limits," Reggie cut in, "That true?"
"Yeah," Sam sighed, "That's right."
"That's fine in theory and all, but we could really use all hands on deck here," Tim frowned.
"I know you could," Sam swallowed, "But I can't. I'm sorry."
"Why not?" Steve asked.
"It's personal."
"Look, man, what baggage is so heavy it can't be stowed away for the freaking Apocalypse?" Tim fixed him with a look.
"Like I said…"
"Yeah," Reggie rolled his eyes, "You're sorry. Heard it the first time."
"Suit yourself," Tim shrugged with a grin, "More for us then, right?"
"Good luck," Sam smiled.
"But hey. Beers are on you when we get back."
"Yeah," Sam laughed, "You bet."
The Hunters got up and shook Sam's hand before heading out, Sam watching them go as Lindsey came up next to him, "So your parents were drunk when they named you and you shoot Bambi?"
"It's a long story," he breathed.
"That is it," Lindsey turned to mock glare at him, "Enough with the kung fu wandering the Earth thing. I'm gonna buy you dinner and we're gonna talk."
"Lindsey, I can't…"
"No," Lindsey cut him off, "The only way to avoid bloodshed is to say yes."
~8~
Michelle was fighting hard to keep her laughter contained as she sat in a brothel/bar with Dean and Castiel that night. Dean was drinking his beer causally while Castiel sat there, looking terrified.
"Hey," Dean cut in, "Relax."
"This is a den of iniquity," Castiel looked around, "I should not be here," he turned to Michelle, "Neither should you. We should go."
Michelle laughed, "There is no way I'm missing this."
"Dude, you full-on rebelled against Heaven," Dean argued, "Iniquity is one of the perks," he grinned widely as a hooker approached them, dressed in a slinky white ensemble, "Showtime."
"Hi," the hooker grinned, "What's your name?"
Castiel tried his hardest not to look at her, trying to look at anything else in the bar.
"Cas," Michelle answered, startling Castiel into looking over.
"Et tu?" he asked
"His name is Cas," Michelle just smirked.
This was so awesome!
"What's your name?" Dean asked the hooker.
"Chastity," she smiled.
"Chastity," Dean nodded, grinning widely as Castiel downed his beer, "Wow. Is that kismet or what, buddy? Well, he likes you, you like him, so dayenu."
Chastity walked over and tugged Castiel to his feet, "Come on, baby."
Dean caught Castiel's arm on his way past, "Hey, listen. Take this…" he handed him a handful of money, "If she asks for a credit card, no. Now just stick to the basics, ok? Do not order off the menu. Go get her, tiger," Castiel just stood there, "Don't make me push you."
"Don't make me order you," Michelle added jokingly as Castiel remained standing there.
Castiel grimaced and took the money, turning to follow Chastity.
As soon as he was around the corner both Dean and Michelle burst out laughing.
"How long you think he'll last?" Dean asked her as he took a swig of his beer.
Michelle just held up her hand, lowering a finger as she counted down. When she got to her index finger she pointed at the corner just as someone screamed.
"Oh Cas," Dean shook his head as they both got up and went after him.
"Get out of my face!" Chastity was shouting at Castiel as they stood outside a room, Cas looking a bit disheveled as she threw things at him, "Leave me alone! Bastard! Screw you, jerk! I'll kill you!" she turned and stormed past Dean and Michelle, "Screw you too! God! Oh! Jerk!"
Dean walked over to Castiel, not quite expecting such a violent reaction from the woman, he'd thought Cas would just make a socially awkward comment, "The hell did you do?"
"I don't know," Castiel frowned, "I just looked her in the eyes and told her it wasn't her fault that her father, Gene, ran off. It was because he hated his job at the post office."
"Oh, no, man," Dean shook his head, Michelle couldn't help but laugh.
"What?" Castiel tilted his head to the side.
"This whole industry runs on absent fathers. It's...it's the natural order."
"We should go," Michelle cut in suddenly, seeing two bouncers enter the hall, "Come on."
She grabbed Castiel's arm and pulled him down the hall, through a door at the end, and outside with Dean, who hadn't stopped laughing since he saw the bouncers.
"What's so funny?" Castiel asked, frowning at Dean.
"Oh, nothing," Dean gasped for breath, "Woo. It's been a long time since I've laughed that hard. It's been more than a long time. Years."
His face slowly fell as he realized that fact. Michelle reached out and put a hand on his arm, offering him a small, reassuring smile which he slowly returned.
"Come on," Dean nodded towards the parking lot, "Better get ready for the ritual."
~8~
Sam was sitting at a small table Lindsey had set up after the bar had closed, eating.
"So..." Lindsey began, "You gonna tell me who those guys back there really were? And don't say hunting buddies."
Sam sighed, "We used to be in the same business together."
"What business?" Lindsey eyed him suspiciously.
"How's your salad?" he tried to change the subject, but also indicated it wasn't the best topic.
"Witness protection, right?" she tried to lighten the mood, "From Mafia?"
"I'm not Mafia," he said seriously.
"Ok, I get it," she nodded, backing off, "Don't mean to pry, my bad."
Sam sighed again, "I used to be in business with my brother. Truth is, I was pretty good at the job. But...I made some mistakes, I did some stuff I'm not so proud of, and people got hurt. A lot of people."
"Michelle?" Lindsey guessed.
"Yeah," he nodded, staring at the salad before him in thought, "I really screwed up with her."
"Tell me about her."
"She was probably the best thing to happen to me and I blew it."
Lindsey raised an eyebrow, "Not a whole lot of telling me about her."
He looked up at her, "She was a friend of the family who sort of worked with us. Her family had a similar business and her parents were dead, left it to her, she joined up with us. We…we got close, all of us."
"You and Michelle…and your brother?" Lindsey frowned.
"NO!" Sam shouted, his eyes wide, "No, no way, Michelle and Dean could never…they're just…no. They sort of look at each other like siblings."
"Your brother's name is Dean?" Lindsey smiled, happy to have gleamed some more information.
"…yeah…" Sam trailed, startled that it had slipped out.
"So…you and Michelle, no Dean and Michelle?" she tried after a few moments of silence.
"We sort of formed a team. I was the brains, you know research and all, Dean was the brawn, the front man, Michelle…she was like a bridge between the two of us. She was as up-to-date as me but as gung-ho as Dean to get working," he smiled, "Maybe that's why things just worked out. It was never awkward, and she just sort of…"
"Fit?"
"Yeah," Sam nodded, his smile fading, "But I screwed it up. Got into some bad stuff. They tried to stop me, to warn me away, get through to me, but I didn't listen. I…really hurt them both and…" he let out a frustrated breath.
"What was your poison?"
"Sorry?"
"Come on," she rolled her eyes. For all his sugar coating, he was surprisingly bad at covering up, "You were hooked on something, I know the look," she pulled out a medallion from her pocket, "Three years sober."
Sam's eyes widened as he looked around, "You work in a bar."
"So do you," she countered, putting the medallion back, "Look, Keith. I don't know you and I'm the last person to be giving advice, but I do know that no one has ever done anything so bad that they can't be forgiven, that they can't change," Sam looked down in thought, "And besides…" he looked up, "The way you talk about that girl…she's probably already forgiven you and is just waiting for you to grow some balls and go back."
Sam laughed at that…it sounded exactly like Michelle.
~8~
Dean watched a nurse walk down the hallway of the hospital before slipping into a room. He looked over, nodding at Michelle, who shut the shades as he shut the door behind him. He tuned to look around and was not surprised to see Castiel already there pouring the oil in a circle about Donnie's wheelchair.
"When the oil burns," Michelle explained to Dean, "No angel can touch or pass through the flames, or his host dies, no resurrection possible. Not a good thing if they're the last of the bloodline."
"Ok," he nodded, following along, "So we trap him in a steel cage of holy fire, but one question. How the hell do we get him here?"
"Very simple," Castiel stood, handing Michelle the remaining oil, "There's, well, almost an open phone line between a vessel and his angel. One just has to know how to dial," he looked over at Michelle, who nodded. He leaned down to Donnie's ear and chanted in Enochian before whispering, "I'm here, Raphael. Come and get me, you little bastard."
He stepped out of the oil circle and over to Dean and Michelle's side.
"Just out of curiosity, what is the average customer wait time to speak to an archangel?" Dean asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Be ready," was all Castiel said as he lit a match Michelle handed him and threw it onto the oil, watching as it burst into flames.
~8~
"Well that's a day I'll never get back," Dean complained as they walked up to the abandoned cabin. They had waited all day but Raphael never showed.
"Dean, wait!" Michelle called as they entered the house.
There was a blinding ray of white light filling the room, fading moments later to reveal Donnie already in the cabin, lightning in the shape of wings behind him, he was Raphael now.
"Castiel," Raphael greeted.
"Raphael," Castiel returned as he, Dean, and Michelle walked closer.
"And I thought you were supposed to be impressive," Dean scoffed, "All you do is black out the room."
"And the Eastern Seaboard," Raphael smirked as lightning flashed outside, "It is a testament to my unending mercy that I do not smite you here and now."
"As if you could," Michelle rolled her eyes
"Excuse me?" Raphael glared at her.
"Michael's Sword and Shield here," she reminded him, "You smite us, Michael will kill you."
"Be that as it may," he smirked, glancing at Castiel, "My brother here is unprotected."
"Then maybe you're afraid God will bring Cas back to life again and smite you and your candy-ass skirt," Dean cut in, "By the way, hi, I'm Dean and that's…"
"I know who you are. And now, thanks to him, I know where you are."
"As Michelle said," Castiel glared at the angel, taking just a step closer to stand before Michelle, "You won't kill them. You wouldn't dare."
"Then I will take him to Michael."
"Well then," Dean rolled his eyes, "Sounds terrifying. It does. But, uh, hate to tell you, I'm not going anywhere with you."
He went to grab a beer as Raphael smirked, "Surely you remember Zachariah giving you stomach cancer?"
"A bit," Dean smirked as well, "But you see, Michelle here doesn't take kindly to people trying to force me and Sam to do things…got him against a wall with a knife at his throat before I even hit the floor."
"Yes," Raphael nodded slowly, "But I am an archangel, she cannot stop me so easily and he doesn't have anything close to my imagination."
"Well, then there are two things you didn't imagine," Dean threw his beer out.
"And what's that?" Zachariah glared.
"I'm still a shield," Michelle reminded him, "All I have to do is stand in front of him and you're as powerless as Zachy boy."
"And we knew you were coming, you stupid son of a bitch," Dean glared, clicking his lighter on and dropping it into the holy oil circle Michelle had set up before their watch of Raphael in the hospital.
"Don't look at me, it was his idea," Michelle pointed to Dean as Raphael glared at her.
"It was his idea," he pointed to Castiel.
"Where is he?" Castiel asked, not following the game as he glared at his brother.
"God?" Raphael laughed, "Didn't you hear? He's dead, Castiel. Dead."
~8~
Sam was wiping down a table, when the door chimed open and someone came in, "Bar's closed!" he called, looking up, only to see Tim standing there, "Hey."
"Something you want to tell me, Sam?" Tim glared at him.
"What?" he frowned, "No."
"You sure about that?"
"I…I don't know…jeez," his eyes widened as he saw the sorry state Tim was in, "Are you ok? Where are Reggie and Steve?"
"Oh, Steve's good, he's, uh, his guts are lying roadside outside the five and dime," Tim mocked.
"I'm sorry," Sam frowned.
"Sorry don't cut it, Sam," Tim spat.
"What do you want me to say?" he shook his head, confused.
"The truth," Tim glared, but Sam said nothing, "Ok, fine. Let me give you some of my own, then. We go into town, we catch ourselves a demon, we get jumped by ten more. Steve bought it."
"I'm sorry."
"Saying it twice don't make it so, Sam. You see, this demon, he, uh, he told us things. Crazy things, things about you, Sam."
"Demons lie."
"Yeah," he nodded mockingly, "I'm gonna ask you, one last time, the truth. Now."
The door chimed and Reggie walked in, hauling Lindsey after him.
"Lindsey!" Sam shouted as Reggie held a knife to her neck.
"What's going on?" she cried.
~8~
"But there's no other explanation," Raphael continued, "He's gone for good."
"You're lying," Castiel glared.
"Am I?" he raised an eyebrow, "Do you remember the 20th century? Think the 21st is going any better? Do you think God would have let any of that happen if he were alive?"
"Doesn't mean he's dead," Michelle countered.
"Yeah, who invented the Chinese basket trick?" Dean smirked.
"Careful," Raphael glared, "That's my father you're talking about, boy."
"And you've truly 'honored thy father,' haven't you?" Michelle raised an eyebrow.
Dean laughed, "Yeah, 'cause he'd be so proud to know his sons started the frigging Apocalypse."
"He ran off and disappeared," Raphael countered, "He left no instructions and a world to run."
"Daddy ran away and disappeared," Dean nodded, "He didn't happen to work for the post office, did he?"
"This is funny to you?" he glared, "You're living in a Godless Universe!"
"I wouldn't quite say that," Michelle quipped.
"So what, you and the other kids just decided to throw an Apocalypse while he was gone?" Dean shot back.
"We're tired," Raphael sighed, "We just want it to be over. We just want...paradise."
"Whatever happened to 'patience is a virtue?'" Michelle replied.
"God dies and makes you the boss and you decide you can do whatever you want?" Dean glared.
"Yes," Raphael said, "And whatever we want, we get."
The windows suddenly burst in, shattering glass around them.
~8~
"Just take it easy, ok?" Sam said, holding up his hands, his eyes fixed on Lindsey, "Put the knife down," Reggie slowly put the knife down, but didn't give up on Lindsey, "It's true. What the demons said, it's all true."
"Keep going," Tim glared.
"Why? You gonna hate me any less? Am I gonna hate myself any less? What do you want?"
"I want to hear you say it!"
"I did it. It's my fault the Apocalypse is happening."
~8~
"If God is dead, why have I returned?" Castiel asked, "Who brought me back?"
"Did it ever occur to you that maybe Lucifer raised you?" Raphael countered.
"No," Castiel breathed, shaking his head, stunned, he hadn't considered that. It couldn't be...
"Think about it," Raphael smirked, "He needs all the rebellious angels he can find. You know it adds up."
"Wasn't him," Michelle stated as though she were commenting on the weather.
"And how would you know?" Raphael turned to her.
"You really don't get it do you?" Michelle stepped forward, ignoring Dean and Castiel as they reached for her, "God isn't dead. He can't be."
"Obviously he is."
Michelle let out a scoffing laugh, "If God was dead, the world would die. As in, gone in the blink of an eye, everyone dead, everything destroyed. Our world, and everything in it, is connected to Him, He goes we all go," she stared at the angel, "And you know it."
"Then where is he?" he challenged her.
She shook her head slowly, "You still don't get it..." she smiled, "When daddy's away the children will play, only this daddy has a nanny cam."
"What?" Raphael frowned.
"Ever consider that this is a test to see who the good children are?" she asked, taking a small amount of pleasure in how Raphael's eyes widened at the suggestion, "And right now, I've gotta say, it looks like only Castiel is."
"He rebelled!"
"And you've done so much better?" Michelle tilted her head, eyeing him, "What's the lesser evil? Disobeying your father to do what you know is right? Or disobeying your father because you're pissy and annoyed? Face it," she glared at him, "In the eyes of God, you rebelled too. You decided to start the Apocalypse!"
Raphael was silent.
She leaned forward, her face illuminated by the flames, "How do you think he'll react when he comes back?"
She stepped back, turning to Dean and Castiel, winking at them before walking towards the door.
Dean let out a low whistle, "I said it once I'll say it again, marry me?"
Michelle just shook her head, "Let's go."
Castiel and Dean turned and headed for the door as Raphael called out, "Castiel, I'm warning you. Do not leave me here. I will find you."
"Maybe one day," Castiel said, smirking at the angel who had just been put in his place by a human, "But today, you're my little bitch," he walked toward the door, pausing as Michelle held up a hand. It took him a moment before he realized why she'd done it and high-fived her before walking out.
"What he said," Dean grinned, heading out as well.
Michelle gave Raphael one last hard look before she too left him standing there, trapped.
~8~
Tim held up a test tube of red liquid.
Sam's eyes widened as he stared at it, "What is that?" he asked, fearing the answer.
"What do you think it is?" Tim glared, "It's go juice, Sammy boy."
"Get that away from me," Sam shouted, shaking his head and stepping back.
"Away from you? This is for you. Hell if that demon wasn't right as rain. Down the hatch, son."
"You're insane," he took another step back.
"Here's what's gonna happen," Tim glared, "You're gonna drink this, Hulk out, and you're gonna waste every one of the demon scum that killed my best friend," he turned and nodded at Lindsey, who was being handcuffed to the bar by Reggie, "Or she dies."
"You wouldn't do that," Sam tried to reason.
"It's funny how watching your best friend die changes that," Tim replied as he and Reggie advanced on Sam, who retreated, "Come on, you know you want it, Sam. Just reach out and take it."
Reggie charged at Sam, who tossed him effortlessly into the pool table. Tim ran as well, managing to grab a hold of him till Reggie could get up and help restrain him.
Tim began to uncork the tube as Sam struggled more, "Don't!" he shouted, nearly begging, "Please. No!" Tim leaned forward, about to pour it into his mouth, "I can't do that to Michelle!"
Tim paused, "Michelle?" Sam's eyes widened, seeing him hesitate, "Davidson?"
"Miles's girl?" Reggie frowned.
Sam nodded frantically.
"She cleaned you out?" Tim asked carefully.
"Yeah," Sam breathed, "She…she nearly died to do it."
Tim and Reggie looked at each other, some sort of understanding seeming to pass between them, as Tim stepped back, tossing the tube away, smashing it against the wall. Sam watched, eyes wide, as Reggie released him as well.
"I doubt there's a Hunter left in the country that don't owe that girl or her parents their lives," Tim said, seeing Sam's questioning look, "We're doing this for her," he pointed at Sam, glaring again, "Don't think that will make up for anything."
Sam nodded slowly, standing, breathing a sigh of relief as Tim and Reggie turned and walked out.
~8~
Dean was driving the Impala with Castiel in the passenger's seat, Michelle sitting in her seat in the back.
"You ok?" Michelle asked, leaning forward to place a hand on Castiel's shoulder, he was silent.
"Look, I'll be the first to tell you that this little crusade of yours is nuts, but I do know a little something about missing fathers," Dean added after a moment.
"What do you mean?" Castiel looked over.
"I mean every time I was looking for my dad when all logic said that he was dead, but I knew in my heart he was still alive. Who cares what some ninja turtle says, Cas, what do you believe?"
"I believe he's out there," Castiel said after a moment.
"He is," Michelle reassured him.
"Go find him," Dean ordered lightly.
"What about you?" Castiel looked between the two.
"What about us?" Dean asked, "I don't know about Mickey here," he glanced back at her to see her frowning slightly but shrugging, by now he'd called her Mickey so often she was actually starting to like the name, "But honestly, I'm good. I can't believe I'm saying that, but I am, I'm really good."
"Even without your brother?" Castiel asked.
"Especially without my brother," Dean sighed, "I mean, I spent so much time worrying about the son of a bitch…" he let out a breath, glancing at Michelle again, "We both have. I mean, I've had more fun with you two in the past 24 hours than I've had with Sam in years," he nodded absently towards Castiel, "And you're not that much fun. It's funny, you know, I've been so chained to my family, but now that I'm alone, hell, I'm happy. I'm…"
"Dean?" Michelle said.
"What?"
"He's gone," she replied.
Dean looked over to see that Castiel had indeed disappeared.
~8~
"Sam!" someone called as he reached the dividing line between Michelle's property and the street, he paused, "Sam!"
He turned around to see Jess standing behind him.
"What?" he asked, in no mood.
"So…" she began, "This is your life now? Think you can just live forever with your head buried in the sand?"
"You were wrong," Sam glared at her, maybe it was Michelle rubbing off on him, but he could just tell this wasn't Jess. Whatever it was, it was using her appearance to get to him, "People can change. There is reason for hope."
"No, Sam," she shook her head, "There isn't."
She reached out to put a hand on his shoulder, but he stepped back, "How can you be so sure?"
"Because you freed me," she said, slowly morphing into a man with a bit of stubble, Sam stumbled back, "That's right. You know who I am."
"Lucifer," Sam stated, glaring.
"You are a hard one to find, Sam," Lucifer replied, looking back at the house, "Harder than most humans. I don't suppose you'd tell me where you are?"
"No chance in hell," he spat, he was not going to give up Michelle's home to the monster before him, "What do you want with me?"
"Thanks to you, I walk the Earth. I want to give you a gift. I want to give you everything."
"I don't want anything from you."
"I'm so sorry, Sam, I…I really am, but Nick here is just an improvisation," Lucifer frowned, "Plan B. He can barely contain me without spontaneously combusting."
"What are you talking about?" Sam frowned.
"Why do you think you were in that chapel? You're the one, Sam. You're my vessel. My true vessel."
"No," he shook his head.
"Yes," he nodded.
"No! That'll never happen."
"I'm sorry, but it will. I will find you. And when I do, you will let me in. I'm sure of it."
"You need my consent," Sam argued.
"Of course," he agreed, "I'm an angel."
"I will kill myself before letting you in," Sam glared at him.
"I'll just bring you back," Lucifer countered, before sighing, "Sam…my heart breaks for you. The weight on your shoulders, what you've done, what you still have to do. It is more than anyone could bear. If there was some other way...but there isn't. I will never lie to you. I will never trick you. But you will say yes to me."
"You're wrong," Sam shook his head.
"I'm not. I think I know you better than you know yourself."
"Why me?"
"Because it had to be you, Sam. It always had to be you."
He shook his head fiercely, "You're wrong. About me, about letting you in, about having no hope."
"Am I?" he asked, mildly curious.
Sam nodded, "'Cause the one thing that gives me hope in the entire world is still alive and trust me, I will send myself to Hell before I lose that."
"And who is that?" Lucifer asked, seeing that the source of his hope was clearly a person.
Sam just smirked and stepped back, crossing the property line.
Lucifer was gone
A/N: Michelle is a liar. She's been lying about quite a few things actually. There are inconsistencies in her stories, what she tells the boys and what is actually true. There's one in this chapter. Can you spot it? It's very subtle so virtual cookie to those who do. If you don't, in a few chapters I'll give a hint :)
As for the whole Sam's bar and being in Michelle's house, idk if they mentioned it in the episode where he ended up after leaving Dean, but let's just pretend, for the sake of this chapter, that it was near Michelle's home :)
Just a note on reviews, she's not exactly immune to everything, demons have kicked her ass in the past with their powers and she WAS affected by the siren, she just figured out a way to see through the venom, wanting more than anything to see the siren for what it was, which seemed to be too ugly to love lol :) And you bring up a lot of good points about Michelle, how the angels listen to her (not the archangels though, I've mentioned that before when they meet Anna, so she can't exactly order them to stop the apocalypse), how she managed to escape Hell a second time (no, she did not escape, she was rescued, but by who, you'll have to wait and see), how she knows a lot about demons and creatures (though she IS a Hunter from a long line, it's been in her family for generations) and things about heaven that seemingly only angels know (well, she's read TONS of Bibles and religious lore, and she's had Castiel on her shoulder since she was a kid, bound to pick up something eh?). All will be explained in this series though, you just have to be patient. There are reasons why Michelle knows what she does, how she commands the angels, and how she left Hell a second time, believe me she did not just magically escape, in fact, the person who saved her was punished severely for it, since Zachariah sent her there for a reason. She's definitely not going to be all powerful but there is a reason why her powers are getting a boost now. I have reasons for everything, it just takes time to get to them. But that's the beauty of subtlety, things will progress slowly, but all will be explained before the end :) Hope that helped quell your fears a bit :)
And thanks to other reviewers for your support. You guys are awesome :) And Changing Channels...well, my last line will make you go OMG! :)