The doors opened and the two archangels walked past them, their stride in sync like it used to be. If Ariel closed her eyes, it was almost like being back in time to when it all made sense. Ariel and Michael bowed in unison before the table in the centre of the room, the doors closing behind them of their own accord. This room, the study of their Father, held the breath of every bit of knowledge ever learned by the humans over time, and some that was yet to reach them. For all of its grandeur, it was not a large room. The tomes and volumes on the walls radiated with the power that Father had imbued them with. None of them, however, radiated power like their Father, who stood in the middle of the room poring over an old map.
"Come in, come in." Father never liked to stand on ceremony, and he waved them over to the table where he was standing. However, some things just needed to be observed. Looking to each other, the brother and sister walked as one before standing side by side with their Father.
"Ariel." Father put the map down on the table and turned fully to face her. Just being in the sight of him was enough to warm her heart, but also make the old wounds that she had thought were buried come to the surface. Without a word, he embraced her just as she collapsed, letting her cry on his shoulder. "I know, daughter. I know." Having much practice in consoling his children, he let her collapse in a chair and sob, her face in her hands.
"Why, Father? Why so long?" That one little insignificant word made their Father break out in tears of silver. He rubbed one of his thumbs underneath her eyes, cleaning away the silvery residue.
"Because, Ariel, you needed the service to help you get past, however much you could. However, I did save you, did I not?" Michael was so confused as he switched his gaze from sister to Father, with neither of them offering him an explanation.
"Yes." She dropped her head to stare down at her feet, the sobs racking her system. "Yes, you did. I never lost faith that you would. But..."
"Shush..." Father gathered her into an embrace; with one smooth caress of his weathered hand over her back, she was sedated. Father formed a bed for her on the ground and just let her lie there for the time being.
"What's going on, Father?" Michael knelt by his sister. "I don't understand!" Doubt never crept into his heart, but righteous anger was beginning to make his brilliantly white wing turn greyer and greyer by the second as he was helpless to save his sister from whatever she was battling on the inside of her.
"Michael, your sister went through that length of service in order to forgive herself, to live with herself and what she had committed. Apparently, she could not do it, no matter how hard she tried. However, she has accepted that fact, which I fear is as far as she will get at this junction."
"Forgive herself of what?" Michael's eyes were going from the kind hazel of normalcy to a black that almost matched his wings. His eyes had gone black only once before: when he stood by and let Kushiel descend on the world as the Angel of Death and smite all of the firstborns of Egypt.
The Father and his right hand locked eyes for a moment. Father looked at him, a growing wrath in his eyes. "That, Michael, is something that you must ask your sister. It is not my place to explain it to you. But it shall be, in time." The Father's face was clear now of the wrath, his voice strong. "Michael, my trusted son. I have one final mission for your sister to complete, before she can finally be at peace before the prophecy is fulfilled."
"I understand, Father. I will do what you ask, as I have always done." He stood straight, but his eyes wandered down to his sister's body, her tormented face calm, for now at least. "The time is coming soon, is it not? The time for the final seal..."
"Michael, when you've been doing this for as long as I have, you learn to be prepared for everything." Only a cocked eyebrow revealed anything on their Father's face."Time can only tell you so much. Believe me, he and I have had many good conversations over the years. But you must have faith in me"
Michael calmed down. Of course, Father was just being realistic. Nodding his head, he let the anger leech from his body. "What is the mission, Father?"
"It concerns Dean Winchester. Ariel needs to talk to him. He's being stubborn with Castiel and Uriel, and he, too, will not forgive himself. Ariel needs to guide him, and herself, on that path. Once that is done, then your sister can rejoin you here in the Citadel. And Dean will finally be able to fulfill his destiny." No more words were to be spoken. Father simply knelt by Ariel and touched his fingers against her third eye. She began to stir, but she did not wake. "Take her back to her room. Tomorrow, you will both leave."
"Both of us?"
"Of course, Michael. Castiel and Uriel will bicker about who to escort her back to the earth plane. So I choose you. Castiel will be with Dean, and so will Uriel. When she is safely in front of Dean Winchester, then you may return, or you may stay and listen to her tale. I leave that choice up to you."
Michael knew that the conversation was over. Bowing his head, he used his mind to jettison Ariel back to her room. With a thought, he too disappeared back to his quarters.
Her heart hurt. That was what made Ariel stir from her comatose state. Her heart was so thoroughly bruised over past events, both long ago and incredibly recent. Her mind fled to its safe haven in order to hide from the pain. That was why she was down among the humans for so long? Then her mission was not yet complete. Surely Father had something else in store for her. Turning her head slowly until she felt the fabric of her blanket on her cheek, she opened her eyes.
Composure. She just needed to regain her composure. Breathing always helped. So her inhalations brought in peace, and her exhalations took out the sorrow that carved at her heart. A few minutes like this, and she was back to normal. That part of herself was locked away, and it would be re-opened when she chose it so, and not before. But she was always there. Standing up on once-more steady feet, she gazed around her room. This was good while it lasted. Ariel smiled to herself as she began to revert back into a human form, an amalgamation of all of her previous vessels. Looking into the water's surface, Ariel nodded with approval.
Out of all of her forms, she enjoyed the serenity that was brought on when she took an Irish form. Mid-back length deerskin-coloured hair that was the texture of satin was held off her face with a wooden comb before falling down into an even horsetail. Her skin reverted back into a pale white, and the illumination that was part of being in the Citadel faded until it was completed gone. Her eyes were still hazel, but the contour of the eye was changed to be just a little more almond-shaped. Her face was like a porcelain doll: smooth and without imperfections. Around her neck was a simple necklace that held a pendant of chakra-coloured stones. Her form was clad in skin-tight jeans that stopped at her waist, leather sandals that laced around her ankles, two layered wife-beater shirts (one black, one white) that just stopped below the waist of her jeans, and a black leather jacket. Around her wrist was a set of bracelets, again echoing the chakra colors around her neck. She was ready once more: now all she needed to do was to wait for her escort.
It turns out that she did not need to wait very long. Michael entered her room, decking out in loose jeans, a white muscle shirt that easily shown off his angel physique, and a black leather jacket like hers. He, too, was bearing white skin, brown hair, and hazel eyes. How interesting it was when they chose similar forms for when they entered the Earth plane together. Michael said nothing, but just grabbed her hands like Castiel had done before. Both of them looked down through the floor into the earth plane, letting their Graces transport them into the world below.
"Dean." That voice, that stupid voice, woke him up from the best sleep that he had had in a long time. Dean sleepily turned to look at the clock: it read 5:18 in the morning. What kind of a person would wake another up at this hour? Then again, Castiel was not a person, per say.
"Come on, man. Come back later, all right?" Dean flipped back into bed, only to have the covers yanked off him. "Jesus! Dammit, assholes! It's freezing in here!" Dean, angry that his sleep had probably now been permanently stopped, turned on his back to see both Castiel and Uriel standing at the foot of his bed, Uriel holding the sheets.
"Dean. Come with us." Castiel, wearing that ridiculous holy tax accountant suit, was still. Uriel was trying not to laugh at the sight of Dean shivering in the February early morning.
"What? Why?" Dean curled out of bed and pulled on a shirt. He went to wake up Sammy, but Castiel stayed his hand. "No, Dean. Sam stays here. It's just you that we need."
"All right." Shrugging into his favourite jacket, he followed the angels out of the dinky motel room, across the street, and up the stairs to the local library. The door was locked, of course. Dean went to reach for his lock-pick set, but Uriel stopped him.
"Mud-monkey, stop being so anxious." He waved a hand over the nod and let the door open on its own. "Follow us."
"Uriel!" A voice came from behind his little group, a female voice. Letting the hormones inside of him run wild, he turned around and expected to see another stiff angel chick. He got something much different.
Two people- they had to be angels- stood on a street that was empty moments ago. He was wearing jeans, a white shirt, and a leather jacket: nothing special. It was the girl that caught his attention. She was downright hot: skin-tight jeans, a tight white shirt that revealed much over top a black shirt, and a leather jacket that covered her lithe torso. There was a dazzling smile on her face as she began to walk toward him.
"Hello, Dean." She shook his hand. That alone made Dean's mind twist. "I see you've already been acquainted with Castiel and Uriel. Meet my brother, Michael."
"Michael? As in angel Michael? As in guy who stuffed Lucifer in a hole the last time 'round?" The female nodded her head, the smile on her face dimmed a little by something... hurt? "All right. I'll bite. Who are you?"
"My name is Ariel. And we need to talk."