Sara stood in the downstairs floor of the power plant, listening to the arguing of Sam, Dean, and the others upstairs. Claire and Alex were a few feet away from Sara, talking quietly with Jody on the phone. Dean had wanted to send them home to Jody, but the girls refused, and Sam suggested they could be of help another way. Now they just had to wait until everyone was ready.
Sara swallowed, feeling uneasy, and closed her eyes. She pictured to words she'd memorized from the spellbook she'd found in the bunker that night.
"Ignis," she said quietly, staring down at her open palm. "Ignis. Ignis. Ignis. Why won't you work?!"
"You're not pronouncing it right, dear," came Rowena's voice, and Sara was startled, dropping her hand.
"Don't pronounce the hard 'g'," Rowena continued. She opened her own hand. "Ignis." Flames leapt to life in her palm, and Sara stared in awe, eyes wide. Rowena smirked with pride her handiwork. "Surgere." Sara stepped back quickly as the flames rose higher and wilder into the air, the flames dancing in an array of colors. The display of power was beautiful, but she felt a sense of frustration at being unable to do it herself.
Rowena closed her hand and the flames died. "You'll catch on, darlin'," she assured Sara, rubbing her granddaughter's shoulder gently. "You've got amazing potential in you, I sense it."
"That's not how I'd describe it," Sara sighed, crossing her arms and walking a few feet away. Rowena frowned.
"Now, don't say such things," she cooed, following after and wrapping an arm around her. She glanced down at Sara. "Do you know what I see when I look at you?"
Sara shrugged weakly, miserably irked at herself.
"I see a stunning, talented young woman," Rowena continued, lifting Sara's chin with her finger. "Who is going to do truly astonishing things once she tells herself she can. I should know, she's my granddaughter after all," she added teasingly, tapping Sara's nose. Sara couldn't help but smile at such comfortable, praising words. She knew Sam had warned her against falling for Rowena's charm, but she was very good at making the girl feel at ease with herself.
"Keep your head up, you'll get the hang of it," Rowena squeezed her shoulder, kissing Sara's temple. "I'll help you along the way."
"Because you're so loyal, eh, Red?"
Rowena pursed her lips, and Sara bristled at the voice that was suddenly so close behind them.
"Lucifer," she smiled sweetly, turning to look at him. "I hope you're here to apologize for giving my Sara such terrible nightmares?"
"How do you know about those?" Sara glanced at her, frowning.
"I can tell," Rowena replied, not taking her eyes away from Lucifer. "He wormed his way into my mine as well."
"Yours were a lot more fun," Lucifer smirked, hands shoved in his pockets leisurely. "Sara's are all self-loathing and fear, blah blah. Boring. You, though, you're as selfish and power hungry as they come. Makes for more interesting dreams."
"Be gone, Lucifer, before I turn you into something more befitting of your disposition." She arched one, perfect eyebrow. "A cockroach, perhaps?"
Lucifer's smile widened, but his eyes showed annoyance at her nonchalance. He slowly stepped forward, but Rowena held her ground, holding her head high. Lucifer leaned in close.
"One day, Red," he said quietly, brushing his hand against her hair. "I'm going to snap that pretty little neck again. But this time I'll make sure you stay dead." He glanced at Sara, who held her ground as well.
Lucifer smirked as he pulled away. "And your little dog, too," he added, pulling his eyes away from Sara and returning upstairs.
Sara released the breath she'd been holding, running her hand through her hair nervously.
"Don't let him ruffle your feathers," Rowena told her. "If things go my way, he'll be gone very, very soon."
"What does that mean?" Sara frowned.
"Rowena!" Sam called from upstairs.
"Don't have a worry, hen," Rowena reminded Sara with a dazzling smile. She squeezed Sara's hand, and started up the stairs, passing Crowley as he descended.
"Mother," he said coldly.
"Fergus," she sniffed haughtily before continuing up the stairs.
Crowley glared over his shoulder as he joined his daughter.
"Is that your name?" Claire snickered, joining them as she shoved her cellphone into her pocket. "Fergus?"
"Don't," Crowley warned.
"Aye, laddie," Claire replied, sitting on an old crate. Alex crossed her arms, leaning against it.
"So I guess you came down here to try and convince us to leave?" Sara suggested with a sigh. "Because I'm not going. I'm not leaving you or the others behind. Gavin is at the bunker right now to monitor any strange activity that comes of all this, and if you send us back there I'll have him drive us right back here."
"Yes, I know," Crowley sighed. "Which is why I've only come to tell you to be careful and stay bloody well away from Amara. I'm sure Squirrel will be down any moment to fill you in on the specifics of the . . . plan, for lack of a better word." He paused, glancing at Claire and Alex. "I'd hoped to speak to you alone for a moment, Sara."
Claire rolled her eyes, sliding off the crate. "You're too subtle. C'mon Alex."
"Girls," Crowley said over his shoulder, and Alex and Claire turned to look at him, frowning.
"Be careful out there," he continued.
Claire grinned. "Yes, sir, your highness." She mock bowed, before leading Alex away.
"I knew you had a soft spot for them," Sara grinned, watching her sisters.
"Don't let them know." He paused. "Sam told me that you found out about your mother's death, mostly on your own. Clever girl."
Sara shifted, hugging her arms to herself uncomfortably. "That's it?" she questioned him. "That's all you can say?" She sighed. "You should have told me."
"I would have, eventually. To be completely honest I'm more than a bit concerned about your current mental state, and didn't think more stress would bode well for your future."
Sara glared. "Claire's right, Dad, you're far too subtle. Tell me how you really feel."
"Oh, that sarcasm," he snapped with an eyeroll. "You've known your grandmother less than a day and you already are starting to sound like her." He huffed. "Darling, I could write a book on things that you should know but don't. But I won't, because none of it pertains to what's going on in the present. Prove to me that you can follow orders and stay strong, and I'll tell you everything."
Sara hesitated. "Promise?"
"I give my word. And that's worth a lot." He looked up towards the staircase. "They're getting ready," he continued as Dean called for them. "Let's get this over with."
The girls and Crowley went upstairs, where everyone – even God and Lucifer – was looking grim. Dean turned to Sara, pressing a Walkman into her hand. "Keep contact with us through this," he told her. "Let us know if anything goes wrong, and what's happening out there. If anything real crazy starts happening, call Gavin and get the hell outta here."
"Camille and Roland will be with you," Crowley added. "They'll be leading the demons strike against Amara."
"You got all that?" Dean asked, and the girls nodded nervously. "Good. Here's the plan."
"This is a stupid idea."
Alex was seriously considering taking shots every time Claire said that. Maybe it'd get her just drunk enough to agree with her foster sister.
"Shh," Sara hushed them. "It's starting."
The three – along with Camille and Roland – stood on a rooftop beside the abandoned power plant. They knew the basics of the plan, but of course weren't allowed inside at the insistence of their elders.
"Sara, we're gonna lose contact shortly," Dean said through the Walkman. "Once Amara is inside, get down and stay down until one of us comes to get you guys."
"Be careful," Sara replied.
"It's starting," Roland said, catching the crackle of power in the air. He glanced at Camille, who nodded. Roland disappeared, and Camille joined the girls.
The girls and Camille shifted into crouching positions, peeking over the edge of the rooftop as Rowena exited the powerplant. Sara's heart was racing as a woman appeared out of thin air.
The girls were surprised, not expecting the Darkness to be so – well, this. She was beautiful, but intimidating. Sara could definitely see the appeal Dean must feel for her. Sara frowned, though, as Rowena and Amara continued talking.
Rowena stepped back, thrusting her arms out and shouting. "Attenuare!"
The girls were taken aback at the little effect the magic had on the Darkness, as she continued forward, ignoring the glowing flames and power. She slowed a bit, though, as the effects of the spell began to work their literal magic.
"It's working," Alex whispered. "The witches must be pulling their weight."
"Not enough," Camille added, pointing.
"Enough," Amara had snapped, with a wave of her hand. The spell exploded outward, knocking Rowena onto the ground and causing the girls to duck for cover.
Sara lifted the Walkman to her face. "Rowena's down," she reported. "The spell ricocheted. I think you'd better have Lucifer signal the angels."
"Got it. Get down."
Sara glanced up to the sky as thunder began to rumble, and Camille pulled her, Alex and Claire behind the shelter of some piled junk on top of the roof. The thunder grew louder, lightning flashing and bathing them in quick flashes of light.
Amara seemed to be enjoying the battle as she stretched her arms out. The girls covered their ears to fight the sound of her screaming and the thunder as an unnaturally bright, strong flash of lightning struck Amara.
"She's getting weaker," Claire acknowledged.
"Camille, now," Sara said with a glance at the demon.
Camille gave a nod, squeezing the girl's arm, before smoking out of her meatsuit and joining the black mass of demons that dove towards Amara. Sara felt her heart nearly stop as her father exited the building. He glanced in her direction, and Sara swallowed. Crowley winked, and smoked out, joining the battle.
Claire grasped Sara and Alex's hands, holding tightly as the battle raged.
"Come on," Claire muttered. "Come on."
Amara was screaming and fighting in midair among the demons, and with one extreme strike from Crowley, she fell to the ground and landed hard against a car. She laid on the ground, unmoving.
The girls were holding their breath. "Is – is that it?" Alex finally breathed.
Their hearts dropped as Amara staggered to her feet.
"Dean," Sara said into the Walkman, her voice masked by static from the field of power surrounding the premises. "She's coming."
Dean said something, but she didn't hear through the static. The girls watched in mute horror as Amara shoved the doors open, entering the power plant.
Sara stood, running towards the ladder on the side of the building.
"Hey, wait!" Claire said, following.
Alex grimaced, wanting to stay put like Dean had told them, but then again, when was she ever a good listener?
The girls made their way onto the ground, pausing when they heard Amara screaming inside. Sara looked around, her father gone, but felt a pang of relief – if his body was gone, he was still alive. Probably counting in loses in case they'd need another demon strike. She glanced to her left, seeing Rowena unconscious on the ground, and went to her. Sara lowered to her knees beside her grandmother, feeling for a pulse and finding a faint one.
"She's alive," she reported, examining a bloody gash amidst the red curls on Rowena's temple. "Just knocked out.
"What the hell is going on in there?" Alex said in hushed horror at the sound of a scream.
The girls all gasped and dove for the ground, though, as a brilliant flash of golden light exploded from the building, dashing through the sky and disappearing in a matter of seconds, if that.
"What the hell was that?" Claire asked after a stunned moment.
"I think it was a who," Sara grimaced. She could feel his presence evaporating from her surroundings - Lucifer was gone.
The screaming continued from the power plant, but the girls were too distracted as the sun came up, bathing the entirety of their surroundings in an unusual, eerie rosy light.
"Oh, my God," Alex whispered, eyes widened as she watched the sun rise into the air.
"What in the hell?" Claire asked, squinting and shielding her eyes.
Rowena gasped, suddenly sitting up. Sara took her hand, and Rowena looked at her, the attack spell dying from her lips as she realized where she was.
"What happened?" Rowena demanded. "Was the Darkness defeated?"
"I don't think so," Claire said fearfully, pointing into the sky. Rowena frowned, turning to glance at the sky herself. Her own eyes widened.
"Dear God," she whispered.
Sara looked towards the power plant. "It's gone quiet."
"Amara is gone," Rowena struggled to her feet. "But something is very, very wrong."
Claire took off across the empty lot, her sisters calling after her. She reached the double doors, yanking them open and not slowing down until she reached the room where the others were.
She almost wept with relief upon realizing they were all alive. Dean was supporting Lucifer, and Sam was helping Chuck up. They all looked towards her, and Lucifer stood up straighter.
"Claire." When he spoke, though, Claire realized with intense relief that it was no longer Lucifer's carefree, sneering voice – it was the gravely, heavy voice she knew so well, that she'd gone weeks without hearing.
"Cas?" her eyes widened slightly.
There was silence for a moment, before Claire moved from the spot she'd been rooted too, running towards him; he was ready for her, opening his arms and capturing her in an embrace as she threw herself at him, throwing her arms around his shoulders and laying her head against his chest as she really did weep. He held her close, feeling very small and human-like as he comforted the crying teenager.
"Don't – ever – do – that – again!" Claire gasped around her cries, hitting him on the shoulder. "Ever, okay?"
Cas gave a small smile. "Okay."
She continued to hug him, unaware until this moment just how fond she was of the man in her father's body. In a way, it was like Jimmy was still there, and she swore for a moment she could feel his eyes on her from heaven.
"So – did it work?" Claire demanded, turning to look at the others. Crowley had joined them once more, looking tired but otherwise unharmed.
Sam and Dean looked at each other. "N-not exactly," Sam said.
"Where are the others?" Dean demanded.
As if on cue, the doors opened. Alex entered, followed by Sara, who was supporting Rowena.
"Thank God you're all alive," Alex sighed with relief. "We saw a flash of – something disappear out of here and we weren't sure what happened."
"That would have been Lucifer," Castiel frowned.
"Cas?" Sara asked in surprise. "You're you?"
"I'm me," he confirmed.
"I take it things didn't work out the way they were planned?" Sara continued.
"Gee, how'd you guess," Dean grumbled, helping Sam to pull Chuck up.
Rowena cocked an eyebrow. "Have you taken a look outside?"