It took a few weeks to come over Jo and Ellen's deaths. If we ever would really do it. But we continued with the usual hunting monsters and shit.
An old hunter friend of ours asked us to come and help him with a monster on a mental hospital. So it would be less suspicious to show up, Sam and Dean were posing as mentally ill patients who were sent by Dr. Babar while I was signing up as a nurse. And that went awfully quick. Just a few papers and done.
It turned out to be a Wraith, which sucked the brains dry of her victims.
And the same Wraith had come in, only to seen Dean take off his pants and shake his junk while Sam and I were in the same room. I felt quite scarred after that.
And I was quite sure I wouldn't get a paycheck either.
Another case was a ghost. But the weird thing was that Sam was acting weird, like too weird. He chose cheeseburger instead of salad and didn't know how to shoot.
We late found out that it was some teenager who was using magic he shouldn't use. His friend paid for that, getting killed by a demon who was working for my brother.
"Anna visited your dreams?" I asked surprised.
Dean nodded slowly. Shit, I hadn't seen her in months and a lot of years since I had been an angel.
"Okay, just, tell me everything. Details, the whole everything."
Dean shifted on himself uncomfortably before he started to talk.
"Well, first, my dream was pretty normal. Chicks dressed as angels and devils, dancing—"
"Okay! Skip to the Anna part!" I quickly said before I gagged on the inside.
First Sam telling me about his demon sex, and now Dean talking about demon/angel strippers.
"Fine. Uh, well, Anna told me she had escaped some prison Upstairs. She said Cas had turned her in", he told.
"… Abster, something wrong?" Sam asked worriedly as I started to pale.
No, not the Dungeons. Oh my god, poor Anna… Oh, Cas, how could you? And how did she escape? That was like, impossible.
"It's just, I know a thing or two about the Dungeons, seen their inhabitants getting tortured", I said slowly and thought about Gadreel and Abner.
"Anyway… What did she tell you?"
"She wants us to meet her at 225 Industrial, as fast as we can", Dean told.
I nodded slowly, it didn't feel good. Heaven's Dungeon, there was very few ways escaping that thing. Perhaps they let her out in exchange for her allegiance or something. I really didn't want to think like that, but it was the only option.
"Right, I'll call Cas and he'll zap us there", I told them and started to call Cas.
"Cas, we're at Motel Moosely near Lincoln city", I told him before he even had time to talk.
"I'm here", he told as his wings faded.
Usually when I saw him, I would hug him or kiss him. But not now. Not since I knew about Anna.
"Cas, what the hell? You turned in Anna? To the Dungeons?" I said horrified.
He looked down in shame before he looked up again.
"I made a mistake", he told carefully.
"You know how it is there, Cas. You've been there yourself", I whispered.
"Wait, so when Cas had been gone, he'd been there?" Sam wondered.
I nodded.
"I saw it in a dream."
"Now, we've talked enough of prisons, I think. Just zap us to the warehouse", Dean told Cas.
"No, I won't. Anna may be working for Heaven now, we can't just let you come then. I will go", Cas confirmed.
"I'll go with you", I quickly said.
"No, Abigail, you're still the Weapon, with or without memories", Cas protested.
"Cas… I know her. Please", I pleaded as I touched his hand gently.
He looked at me with his deep blue eyes before he nodded slowly.
"Fine. Take my hand", he ordered, which I did.
I first saw nothing but his wings, until we were standing in the warehouse. Behind Anna.
"Hello, Anna", Cas greeted her.
"I'd say the Winchesters don't trust me", Anna said before she slowly turned, to see me.
I remembered her as a fledgling, trying to fly for the first time. Anna, being on her first mission. So much had happened.
"Hi, Anna", I said.
"Abigail. But why… Oh my god", she whispered as I removed whatever had hid my half angelic presence, something in that way.
"Jophiel?"
I smiled sadly.
"Good to see you again, Anael."
"But… how?"
"It's a long story and we're not here to talk about the past", I said and ended the subject.
"Why can't you trust me?" Anna wondered and probably referred the question to Cas.
" If you're out of prison, it's because they let you out. And they sent you here to do their dirty work", Cas stated.
"And what makes you so sure?"
"Because I've experienced… Heaven's persuasion", he said after a second.
"You mean when you gave me to them", she accused.
And I could totally understand her for that. They had been working together for ages. Then Cas had betrayed her… I could put myself in her position even though that never happened.
"That was a mistake."
"Whatever they sent you to do, Anna—" I started.
"They didn't send me. I escaped", she protested.
"No one escapes", Cas stated.
"All these centuries, and you're underestimating me now?"
"What do you want, Anna? If you're not working for them, then what do you want to do in this crap?" I questioned.
"I want to help", she stated, making me raise my eyebrows.
Why would she want to help us? She was probably pissed at Cas for that, and well…
"You want to help?" Cas asked skeptically.
"Yes."
"Then what are doing with that knife?" he questioned.
Oh, the not perks with not being full on angel. Not noticing and seeing hidden stuff.
Anna slowly unsheathed a big knife and looked at us.
"I'm not allowed to defend myself?"
"Against whom? That blade doesn't work against angels. It's not like this one", Cas told before I glanced down at the angel blade he was holding in his hand.
I actually had an angel blade myself from the angel Cas had killed a few months ago, but I preferred my own blade, which was somewhere on Earth, after I had for some reason thrown it away randomly from Heaven down to Earth. What the heck had been wrong with me?
"There's something you're not telling us. Something you don't want us to know. I may not have my Grace completely, but I'm not an idiot", I said.
Anna looked at me sadly before she looked at Cas.
"Sam Winchester has to die. I'm sorry but we have no choice. He's Lucifer's vessel", Anna said.
I widened my eyes and felt something in my chest pull itself inside itself. She wouldn't kill Sam, not on my watch. I wouldn't let that happen. If it came down to Sam and Anna, I would choose Sam.
"Don't you dare touch my brother", I threatened, but felt bad for even having to threat her at all.
"I'm sorry", she said sadly before she looked back at Cas.
"He's not the only one", Cas protested.
"What, that guy Nick? He's burning away as we speak. No. Sam is the only vessel that matters. You know what that means? If Lucifer can't take Sam, his whole plan short-circuits. No fight with Michael, no Croatoan virus. The Horsemen go back to their day jobs."
"Even if you managed to kill Sam, Lucifer will just bring him back, over and over again", I told her, and meant it.
"Not after I scatter his cells across the universe. They'll never find him. Not all of him", Anna said, making me close my eyes for a moment.
"We'll find another way", Cas said.
"How's that going? How's the Colt working out? Or the search for God? Is anything working? If you want to stop the Devil, this is how."
"The answer's still no. Because Sam is my friend", Cas said.
For about a year ago, Cas wouldn't have hesitated in killing Sam. But now, times were different. People changed. And I was happy for that change.
"You've changed", Anna remarked.
"Maybe too late, but I have. Anna, we've been through much together, but you come near Sam Winchester and I'll kill you", Cas told her, before she disappeared.
With the help of Cas, we found out that Anna had traveled back in time to kill our parents to prevent us to get born. And Sam and Dean would then cease to exist. So we had no choice. We had to kill Anna.
"Shit!" I exclaimed and quickly ran over the street, onto the pavement until the drivers stopped complaining at us.
When was the last time I had been time traveling? Forty? Fifty years ago?
"Did we make it?" Sam asked me.
"Yep."
"Is it some new angel power you have? Dean asked.
I shook my head and grinned.
" Nope, it's more because of that little beauty", I told and pointed at a sign where it said the year, 1978.
I suddenly spotted Cas, who was bleeding through his nose and looking quite beaten up.
The traveling must have taken hard on him, I thought as I rushed to his side.
"Are you okay?" I asked him worriedly and gestured to Sam and Dean to help me raise him.
"I'm fine. I'm much better than I expected", Cas mumbled before he coughed blood and passed out.
Oh, shit. I put my hand on his chest and concentrated, trying to find a sign of Grace or just his being. Which I found. But the Grace, it was flickering sometimes. Not much, but, noticeable.
"He'll be fine. He just needs to rest, for a couple of days", I told to my brothers.
"But I think checking him in somewhere would be a good thing to start with."
"This is just weird, kind of", I said and went out from the car we stole, and looked at our car in the past, the Impala.
She looked so… Baby.
"Sam. Sam. Wait, wait, wait, wait", Dean said and stopped Sam from taking another step to our parents' door.
"Dean, Anna could be here any second", Sam protested.
"So, what? What are you going to tell them? That we're their kids and are trying to save them from an angel who has gone rogue. Yeah, will work", I stated sarcastically.
"Well, then tell her demons are after 'em. I mean, she thinks Dean's a hunter, right?" Sam added.
"Yeah, a hunter who disappeared right when her dad died. She's gonna love me", Dean muttered.
"Just follow my lead."
We did as we were told and stood beside Dean while he pressed the doorbell.
The door opened, and out came… Mom. But younger than she was in the picture. And she first looked 'normal', which changed when she saw Dean. Then her face went from calm to stunned and extremely shocked. But, could I blame her? No.
"Hi, Mary", Dean greeted.
"You can't be here", she told.
"I'm sorry if this is a bad time", Dean started.
"You don't understand. I'm not— I don't do that anymore. I have a normal life now. You have to go."
Mom was about to close the door. But all of sudden, I got desperate and ignored what Dean had said about him doing the talking.
"Please, Mo— Mary. It's important", I said.
Dad then popped to Mom's side and opened the door wider. And gosh, he looked really different if I compared him from when he died and him then. If someone would smash up Mom and Dad as young and mix little more Mom, there you got me.
"Sorry, sweetie, they're just…"
"Mary's cousins", I said and smiled.
"Yeah, we couldn't stop through town without swinging by and saying 'hey', now, could we?" Dean added and smiled.
This, was just, weird.
"Dean", Dean introduced himself for Dad and extended his hand, which Dad took and shook.
"You look familiar", Dad told and smiled slightly confused.
"Really? Yeah, you do, too, actually, you know? We must have met sometime. Small towns, right? Got to love 'em", Dean replied.
"I'm John", Dad greeted me.
I took his hand and put on a small smile.
"Abigail."
"John."
"This is Sam", Dean told after Sam had stared at our folks for a second before he grasped his hand and shook it too.
"Sam. Uh, Mary's father was a Sam."
"Uh, it's a— it's a family name", Dean lied while Sam looked like he had seen a ghost (not literally, we saw them a lot.)
"You okay, pal? You look a little spooked", Dad noticed and sounded slightly concerned.
"Oh. Oh, yeah. Just a...long trip", Sam mumbled and dropped Dad's hand.
He wasn't lying about that, not technically at least.
"Well, Sam, Abigail and Dean were just on their way out", Mom told Dad and smiled with 'fake' written all over it.
"What? They just got here. Real happy to meet folks from Mary's side. Please come on in for a beer", Dad insisted, making Dean smirk.
"Twist my arm."
"I really like the car you've got. An Impala, right?" I said and took a sip from the beer Dad had given me.
"Uh, yeah. Bought it a couple years back. Didn't know you liked cars, Abigail", Dad said.
I shrugged.
"Nah, not really. It's just that the car seems a bit.. special."
"Are you sure you're okay, Sam?" Dad asked Sam, who was staring at Mom, who looked extremely uncomfortable.
When I thought about it, I was pretty sure I had seen Mom and Dad before my birth, since Michael (Raphael and I too, but mostly Michael) had been so obsessed in getting those two together. Bloodlines and all that.
"W—oh. Yeah, yeah. Um, I'm just, um—You are so beautiful", Sam stuttered, making Dad look at him weirdly.
Oh, Sam, perfect timing, I thought.
"What my brother means is that she looks beautiful, in the family kind of way. Not the other way", I said and smiled and stomping on Sam's foot slightly.
"Yeah, right", Sam agreed.
"We haven't seen Mary in—in quite some time, and—See, she's the spitting image of our mom. I mean, it's—it's—" Dean said.
"Eerie", I added.
Nailed it.
"So, how are you guys related?" Dad asked while Mom looked like she wanted to kill us with a kitchen knife.
"Oh, you know. Cousins, very much removed", I lied.
"Oh. So you knew Mary's parents?"
"Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Mary's dad was, uh, pretty much like a grandpa to us", Dean said.
Wow, we were really good at lying and telling the truth.
"Oh. That was tragic—that heart attack", Dad said and took Mom's hand.
She smiled gently at him before she cast a glare sideway at Dean. Right, the Azazel part.
"Yes, it was", Dean said.
Three Winchesters in the family to make a deal with Azazel to bring/bring kind of back a family member. And three of us then going to Hell.
"So, uh, what are you guys doing in town, anyway?" Dad asked after a second of awkward silence.
"Oh, you know. Just some business", I said and took a new swig.
"Oh, yeah? What line of work?"
"Plumping."
"Scrap metal."
"A lot."
"Oh, gosh. It's almost seven. I hate to be rude, but I got to get dinner ready", Mom told and rose, and actually did save us there.
"Maybe they could stay", Dad suggested, making me smile on the inside, but still feel sad.
I didn't remember Dad being like this. Maybe he changed a lot after Mom's death, more than I could imagine.
"I'm sure they have to leave", she responded coldly.
And again, someone saved us from replying since the phone rang. Gotta love the Fates, not really.
"Uh, look, please stay. You know, it would mean a lot to me. I haven't met much of Mary's side of the family", Dad told us before he left to answer.
"You have to leave. Now", Mom ordered before we rose.
Wonder it would feel weird for her if we told her the truth? Probably would.
"Okay, just listen—"
"No, you listen. Last time I saw you, a demon killed my parents. Now you waltz in here like you're family? Whatever you want— no. Leave me alone", Mom snapped.
"Please, listen. You are in danger, both of you", I told.
"What are you talking about?" Mom whispered.
"Something's coming for you", Dean filled in.
"A demon?"
I shifted on myself a bit uncomfortable before I answered.
"Sort of. It's kind of complicated. It's an, an, an…"
"An angel", Sam blurted out making me glare at him.
"What? There's no such thing", Mom said and laughed quietly.
Bad move, Sam. Bad move.
"Not really. They exist, they're strong, and some of them are annoying as hell", I explained.
"But not everyone."
Sam and Dean rolled their eyes at my little joke before we went serious again. Maybe a bad time with jokes.
"Why would an angel want to kill us?" Mom asked us skeptically.
"It's complicated. Like really complicated. Please, Mary. Trust us. We have to get John and you out of here, quickly", I said.
"Okay. But what do I tell John?"
"Just tell him— John?" Dean wondered.
And he was gone.
"I've got two blades here, one is Cas' and the other was Dumah's", I told.
"Sam, draw the sigil while Dean, Mary and I distract her."
And that was kind of the whole plan, to save Dad at least.
When we came in, the first thing we saw was Anna flinging Dad over a car. Mom and I went some feet behind Dean while he tried to stab Anna, which was easier said than done. Instead, Anna grabbed Dean's wrist and neck while he tried to pry her off.
"I wish I could say it's good to see you, Anna", he gasped while she looked at him sadly.
"You too, Dean", she replied before she flung him away.
"Take the blade", I ordered Mom while I stood with mine ready in hand.
"I'm sorry for this, Anael", I said and meant it, before I slashed at her chest.
She parried it with her arm and took a swing at me, which I ducked for. Her pink wings were shown before she was gone.
"Where is she?" Mom said before I could see Anna appeared behind her and grabbed her striking arm.
"I'm sorry", she said and flung her onto the car.
I slowly went behind Anna, getting closer and closer, until I swung the blade. And I should probably have hit her heart, if not for her turning and tossing me into the wall, which hurt a lot.
Stupid non Graceful angel-me, I muttered in my head angrily as I tried to get my hands in the blade, when a a white light appeared and made me fly, again.
"This is not my day", I muttered and grabbed the blade.
"Monsters. Monsters?" Dad said skeptically in the car, while Dean, Sam and I were sitting in the backseat, with me in the middle, as usual.
"Yes", Mom said, and said it probably the fifteenth time now.
"Monsters are real", Dad repeated, again.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know how—"
"And you fight them? All of you?" Dad questioned.
"Yeah", I confirmed and nodded, while feeling extremely uncomfortable.
Seriously, it felt weird as hell, talking to Dad about monsters when it had been him who had raised us to hunt them.
"How long?"
"All my life. John, just try to understand—"
"She didn't exactly have a choice—" Dean began.
"Shut up, all of you! Look, not another word, or so help me, I will turn this car around!" Dad snapped, making all of us fall in an even more awkward silence than more.
"Wow. Awkward family road trip", Dean muttered.
I snorted quietly.
"You don't say."
We stopped at some decent-looking house. But when we came in and lit the place, man, that place hadn't been inhabited for years.
"Place has been in the family for years", Mom informed and flipped a rug, revealing a devil's trap.
"Devil's trap. Pure iron fixtures, of course. Um, there should be salt and holy water in the pantry, knives, guns."
"That won't do anything good against an angel, only annoy them, a lot. It's not much that can kill one", I told her and had to tilt my head a bit to meet her eyes.
So I was the shortest in the family, lovely.
"Great", she replied and laughed bitterly.
"She said not much, not nothing. We packed", Dean said and dumped the duffel bag and started to skirmish through it.
"If we put this up and she comes close, we beam her right off the starship", Dean told Mom and showed her the angel sigil.
I picked up the holy oil and showed it for them. Seemed like Dad was the loner here.
"This is holy oil. Traps the angels, lethal for them. Someone who wants to see how it works?" I wondered.
Mom nodded and followed me to another room, while I took off the cork from the jar.
"You okay?" I asked and looked at her thoughtfully.
Mom shrugged slowly.
"I don't know. I'm worried about John, how he's taking all this", she said slowly.
I nodded and started to pour the oil in a circle as I explained.
"Make a circle out from the oil and if an angel steps in the ring, light it so the it burns and bam, you've got an angel's trap. Except the angels dies if it passes through the flames", I said and stepped out from my little oil circle I had made.
"So, you can start make some circles while I will put some sigils on the walls, okay?"
So, that's what I did. I cut my arm and started to smear the blood onto the wall. I really hoped I was the one to activate, the sigils had started to affect me more and more, making me fly farer, which hurt more.
"Okay. You said you'd explain everything when we had a minute. We have a minute. Why does an angel want me dead?" Mom asked me after awhile.
"Well, some of them are douchebags, on high level", I told her and excluded Cas from the douchebags.
Mom laughed slightly.
"Not good enough. I didn't even know they existed, and now I'm a target?"
"It's complicated. Like extremely complicated."
"Fine. All ears", Mom said and rose.
She is really stubborn as young, I thought and thought of my brothers, and a bit like myself.
"Mary, trust us. Trust me", I begged her.
"I've been trusting you all day", Mom protested.
"If you think that angels are real is hard to believe, this will be even more harder to believe", I told her.
"All right, then. I'm walking out the door", she snorted and turned.
Had no choice then.
"I'm your daughter", I said.
"What?" she said and stopped.
I took a step closer, careful to not touch the oil. Preferred to not be a crisp.
"I'm your daughter. Sam, Dean and I are from 2010, we got zapped back here by an angel, not the one who attacked, a much friendlier one. I'm an angel myself. I became human the year 1982, the year before I was born as human. My other name, my 'real' name is Jophiel, the Archangel", I continued.
"You can't expect me to believe that", Mom said and shook her head.
"Our names are Dean, Sam and Abigail Winchester. We're named after your parents and Abigail was named after your best friend Josephine Wilson. When I would get sick, you would make me tomato-rice soup, because that's what your mom made you. And instead of a lullaby, you would sing 'Hey Jude', 'cause that's your favorite Beatles song", Dean spoke and appeared in the room standing behind me.
Mom shook her head, like she tried to clear out everything, while crying.
"I...I don't believe it. No", she whispered.
"I'm sorry, but it is the truth", I said and wiped away from water from my eyes.
"I raised my kids to be hunters?"
I shook my head.
"How could I do that to you?" she said horrified.
"You didn't do it. Because you're dead", I explained and kept my voice low.
Mom's eyes widened, probably and shock and in slight fear.
"What? What happened?"
"Yellow-eyed demon. He killed you, and— John became a hunter to get revenge. He raised us in this life. Listen to me. A demon comes into Abby and Sam's nursery exactly six months after they're born. November 2nd, 1983. Remember that date. And whatever you do, do not go in there. You wake up that morning and you take Sam and Abby and you run", Dean informed her.
"That's not good enough, Dean", Sam spoke.
I turned and saw him stand at the doorway.
Please don't say what I think you'll say, I begged in my head.
"Wherever she goes, the demon's gonna find her. Find me", he continued.
"Well, then what?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.
"She can leave Dad. That's what. You got to leave John", Sam said.
"What?"
"No", I stated and shook my head.
"When this is all over, walk away, and never look back."
"You two will never be born", I whispered.
Dean nodded.
"I know, but he's right."
"I— I can't. You're saying that you're my children, and now you're saying—"
"You have no other choice. There's a big difference between dying and never being born. And trust me, we're okay with it, I promise you that", Dean reassured her, making my press my lips together in frustration.
"Well, I'm not", both Mom and I said.
If they got unborn, I would still remember them, forever. An angel never lost their memory of something (not really), even if it hadn't even happened in that timeline. And I would forever carry the grief.
"Listen, you think you can have that normal life that you want so bad, but you can't. I'm sorry. It's all gonna go rotten. You are gonna die, and your children will be cursed", Sam told her.
" There—there has to be a way", Mom opposed.
"No, this is the way. Leave John."
"I can't."
"This is bigger than us. There are so many more lives at stake—"
"You don't understand. I can't. It's too late. I'm...I'm pregnant", she slowly told us, making us all stare at her.
Already? But, what was the month? She didn't seem to be big, not at all.
Dad suddenly came in, looking stressed
"Hey, we got a problem. Those blood things, the sigils—they're gone", he told us, making me frown.
"What?" I asked.
"I drew one on the back of the door. I turned around. And when I looked back again, it was a smudge", he explained.
Dean went to check while Mom kneeled down to touch the floor— no oil.
"There's no more holy oil", she said.
And then all suddenly, some annoying angel started to blabber in Enochian, making my parents and brother cringe.
"Seriously!" I shouted up in the ceiling while the windows broke around us.
"Page! Sal Voch Feh!" I yelled in Enochian.
Quiet! Obey!
And actually, the angel listened. The voice started to fade and the others took away their hands from their ears, when I heard the sound of wings, and a man in his late twenties appeared. And since I could feel the angelic power radiate from him, I was pretty sure he was one.
"Tell me your name", I demanded and used my 'angel' tone, which was a bit bossy.
"I'm Uriel", he said, making me groan.
But whatever would happen in some minutes or seconds, could be the reason why Uriel hadn't liked us before even meeting us in our time.
"Oh, come on", Dean grumbled.
"Go", Sam said and pushed them back, when we noticed Anna standing behind us.
"Well, here we go", I muttered and lashed at Uriel while my brothers went for Anna.
I aimed for the ribcage, but Uriel took a grip of my hand and kind of twisted it into a weird angle, while he was crushing the bones in my fingers to mush. White pain jolted though my body, which made me see both white and red while I could hear my scream tore itself out from my throat.
Still in agony, I tried to kick away him while switching the blade onto my left arm, which was my weak one, but it would work.
Uriel seemed to notice what I was doing and threw me away from him and moved over to punch Dean, who had tried to attack from behind.
Suddenly, Anna jammed a metal pipe into Sam's body, which made him bleed through his mouth and fall down on the floor dead.
"No!" I choked out and crawled over to him, still feeling my fingers twitch and do whatever they were doing.
"Sammy", I whispered and stroke his head before I tried to stop Anna from touching Mom.
"I'm really sorry", she apologized and was about to end my mother's life, when suddenly—
"Anna", Dad spoke, his voice much deeper.
I looked up and dropped my jaw as I felt a huge, enormous explosion of celestial power radiate from him. No, it couldn't be…
"Michael", Anna and I whispered, she sounded terrified while I sounded shocked.
Last time I had seen him, he had been looking at me, betrayed, because of what I had been doing. Doing one of the worst crimes in Heaven, falling on purpose.
Michael put a hand on Anna's shoulder, making her gasp.
In that moment, I knew what was happening, he was burning her from inside out. And his fire, oh well, that could even smoke an angelic being.
There was a reason why he was the Archangel of Fire.
I didn't want to see my sister burn to death, but I couldn't not watch. It was too… capturing. Fire erupted from her eyes and mouth while she screamed, until there was only ashes left of her.
I closed my eyes and felt a tear slip down my face. Even though she had tried to kill my parents and killed Sam, I still saw her almost as a little sister, the young angel with pink wings, learning how to fly.
"Michael. I didn't know", Uriel said slowly and sounded terrified.
If angels could pee, then his pants would have been wet by now.
I glanced at Dean, who seemed to be okay. If Michael wouldn't resurrect my twin, I would kick his ass.
"Goodbye, Uriel", he said simply and snapped away him.
"What did you do to John?" Mom asked wearily and stared at Michael with fear in her eyes.
"John is fine", Michael stated simply.
"Who—what are you?" Mom questioned, her voice taking a dangerous tone.
I rose slowly as Michael pressed his hand on her forehead and put her to sleep.
"Well, I'd say this conversation is long overdue, wouldn't you?" Michael said and turned to Dean.
"Fix him", Dean and I ordered.
Michael looked at me amused before he turned to Dean again.
"First...we talk. Then I fix your darling little Sammy", he told us.
"How'd you get in my dad, anyway?" Dean wondered.
"I told him I could save his wife, and he said yes", Michael explained, like it was obvious.
"I guess they oversold me being your one and only vessel", Dean muttered.
"You're my true vessel but not my only one", Michael stated.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"The bloodline, your bloodline. Ours", I said.
"Isn't that right, Michael? Because we are related to Cain and Abel on John's side."
"Awesome. Six degrees of Heaven Bacon. What do you want with me?" Dean demanded.
"You really don't know the answer to that?"
"Well, you know I ain't gonna say yes, so why are you here? What do you want with me?!" Dean snapped.
"I just want you to understand what you and I have to do", Michael stated.
"Oh, I get it. You got beef with your brother. Well, get some therapy, pal. Don't take it out on my planet!" Dean snapped.
Michael smiled humorlessly, like he enjoyed seeing the little ant snap at him.
"You're wrong. Lucifer defied our father, and he betrayed me. Betrayed us", he added and looked at me.
"But still… I don't want this any more than you would want to kill Sam. You know, my brother, I practically raised him. I took care of him in a way most people could never understand, and I still love him. But I am going to kill him because it is right and I have to", Michael said.
I shook my head. Hearing him say it like that made me feel sick. For Dad's sake, didn't he have a mind of his own?
"All because Dad says so?" I said.
"Yes. From the beginning, he knew this was how it was going to end. You know it too, Jophiel. Isn't that why you fell? To forget it for a couple of years before you will do what you have to do, and choose to fight with me, or Lucifer."
"Yeah, I'll admit that, I did it to avoid everything, even for just two decades and more. And I was happy, unknowing. But now, I'm still happy. I still have a family, someone I love. I got all of it because I defied my Father, our Father. So why can't you and Lucifer back off and we can be family again?" I said.
Michael looked away, like he was thinking.
He then looked back at me, his eyes filled with sadness.
"I'm sorry, sister. But I am a good son", he responded.
It wasn't like I hadn't known the answer. He was Michael, after all. And changing couldn't happen in seconds when you had obeyed Dad's orders for eons.
"Okay, well, trust me, pal. Take it from someone who knows—that is a dead-end street", Dean said, and I knew he was right.
He had been like Michael, just like him, obeying everything Dad had said, until he started to think differently.
"And you think you know better than my father? One unimportant little man. What makes you think you get to choose?" Michael said, making me cringe.
My brothers meeting each other like this wasn't the best way in a family reunion, exactly. After all, my family was messed up.
"Because I got to believe that I can choose what I do with my unimportant little life", Dean replied.
"You're wrong. You know how I know? Think of a million random acts of chance that let John and Mary be born, to meet, to fall in love, to have the two of you. Think of the million random choices that you make, and yet how each and every one of them brings you closer to your destiny. Do you know why that is? Because it's not random. It's not chance. It's a plan that is playing itself out perfectly. Free will's an illusion, Dean. That's why you're going to say yes. Oh, buck up. It could be worse. You know, unlike my brothers, I won't leave you a drooling mess when I'm done wearing you", Michael said, like it was comforting.
"Well, what about our dad?" Dean wondered and hid his emotions behind his 'I don't care' mask.
How many times had I seen it?
"Better than new. In fact, I'm gonna do your mom and your dad a favor."
"What?" Dean wondered.
"Scrub their minds. They won't remember me or you", Michael told.
I nodded slowly, this was the only way. Even though I didn't want Mom to die, it would happen either way.
"You can't do that", Dean protested.
"I'm just giving your mother what she wants. She can go back to her husband, her family—"
"She's gonna walk right into that nursery!"
"Obviously. And you always knew that was going to play out one way or another. You can't fight City Hall", Michael stated and went over to Sam and zapped him back to our time.
I had never realized until that moment how douchy my brother was.
Believing everyone to agree on something just because it was 'right' and Dad said so. And he wasn't that touchy about human feelings. But then again, no angel was if they hadn't been on Earth for a while.
"He's home. Safe and sound. Your turn. I'll see you soon, Dean", Michael said and zapped him back.
I looked at Michael as he turned to zap me back. But he didn't.
"Now that we are alone, Jophiel. Let's talk, you and I."
"Fine, what do you want to talk about? That I fell and became human? At least will fall, in 1982. Or that you want me to fight on your side against Lucifer? Because I have already had this conversation with him, and I can do it again. Just give me a cough drop and we can begin", I told him.
The corners of his mouth went up slightly, almost unnoticeable, but I saw it.
"You know why I want you to side with me. Lucifer defied our Father's orders. He tainted humanity and made them sin. It was his fault Gadreel is imprisoned right now. And because of him in the Dungeons, Father left us. All he has done is wrong. But we can do the right thing, do what Father told us, and stop him, to bring Paradise on Earth", he said, like that was going to convince me.
He needed to do a lot more than that. The majority of what he said had been about our Dad and that it was the right thing to do.
"You know, Lucifer told me something, something about you, Michael. He told me that if I sided with Heaven, you'd punish me after you were done with me, when I am no longer useful. Because I fell. Maybe you let me do it that time, but never thinking about letting me go unpunished. And for some reason I believe him.
I know you, brother. You would slaughter all of us, Lucifer, Raphael, Gabriel and me, if that's what you were told. Because you believe that you will be happy yourself, if you're a good soldier, a good son. But you're wrong. If you kill Lucifer, that won't disappear. You'll cope with it for the rest of your life… and we live forever. Is that something you're willing to live with?" I asked.
Michael looked down, like he believed I couldn't see the sorrow or the agony written all over his face.
And all of sudden, I saw his wings without him flying away or doing something with them. They looked just like I remember them doing. If Lucifer was ice, then Michael was fire.
Every little feather was made of fire, sending out warmth I hadn't noticed before. And the wings didn't fade, like usual, they stayed, like they had always been there.
"No, sister, you're wrong. I would never hurt you. Don't you think that, if I would hurt you, I would have done it by now? But I have to kill our brother, you know I have to do it. Isn't that what you and your other brothers are trying to do? Searching for a way to end his life? You're such a hypocrite, Jophiel. Here you stand, talking about me to not kill Lucifer, while you and the Winchesters are doing the same thing. Why? Why are you trying to stop me from doing what you and they are planning to do?"
He was right, I was a hypocrite. But unlike him, I chose to want to stop Lucifer because of that's what I knew was necessary, not because Dad had told me . Because if the angels won, the planet would still be broken. And even if they did bring Paradise, the Earth would be ruled by the angels. And with that, no Free Will. That was what we fought for, wasn't it? Free will.
"Because unlike you, I don't want to roast the planet, which you, Lucifer and I will do, if we fight. No. The answer's no", I whispered.
Michael tilted his head and sighed.
"Very well, then. We'll see each other in the future. And then, you will stand with your brother. The only question is: which one of us?"
Michael stepped closer to me and cupped my cheek with his hand, looking at me wistfully, before a white light appeared, and I was back in 2010.
"I really need a drink", I muttered as Dean and Sam fixed the booze and cups.
"Yeah, yeah, princess. We all need one", Dean replied.
From nowhere, Cas appeared with his wings, except the fact that he and the wings looked exhausted. Especially since he was bleeding through his nose.
I flew up from the bed and tried to steady him while he almost fainted, again.
"Cas. Hey, hey, hey, hey. Easy there. Don't do any hasty moves now", I said and glanced at his huge ebony wings, which still were there.
And they looked extremely physical, like when we had had sex. Wonder if….
"Cas!" Dean exclaimed and helped me with holding up him.
Fortunately, his wings weren't hurt, just tired from the time traveling, again.
"We got you, Cas. Relax", I told him gently.
"You son of a bitch. You made it", Dean said.
"I...I did? I'm very surprised. Wings….", Cas mumbled before he collapsed.
"Hey, hey, whoa. Sam, little help here?" I said.
"On the bed."
We carefully put him to bed, while I knew his wings wouldn't get affected by his weight on them, they had to be able to endure a lot worse.
"Well, I could use that drink now", Dean said.
"Told you", I chided in.
Dean fetched the whisky bottle while I got the cups. As Dean filled it, I stole glances from Cas being unconscious, it was a miracle he had managed to get back to our time.
"Well...this is it", Dean said.
"This is what?" Sam asked and took a sip.
"Team Free Will. One ex-blood junkie, one dropout with six bucks to his name, Miss former Amnesia, and Mr. Comatose over there. It's awesome", Dean said.
"It's not funny", Sam said.
"I'm not laughing", Dean replied.
"They all say we'll say yes", Sam stated.
I nodded and took a small sip.
"Well, my brothers are quite annoying, I'll admit that", I responded.
"What if they're right?"
I shook my head and lifted away the glass from my lips. They couldn't be right, the world couldn't afford that.
"They're not", Dean stated.
"I mean, why, why would we, either of us? But… I've been weak before", Sam reminded us.
"Sam", I said slowly.
"Michael got Dad to say yes", Sam protested.
"Yeah, but Anna was about to kill Mom", I told.
"And if you could save Mom...what would you say?"
I went silent, what would I say?
"I don't know", I admitted.
We were silent for a while, just drinking our drinks. I put away my now empty glass and sat down beside Cas and just stroke his wings softly. Even if he was sleeping/unconscious, the feather shivered and got warmer by my touch.
I smiled at that and caressed Cas' scrubby cheek before I rose again.
"Hey, Abster. Cas said something about wings, and I'm pretty sure he didn't mean us. So, maybe, perhaps, he meant you?" Dean wondered.
I widened my eyes. Me? Wings? Now? What?
"Dunno", I said.
"But I can try."
I moved to the wall and closed my eyes, trying to find the part of me with the wings.
"Son of a bitch", Dean mumbled.
" You don't say", Sam replied.
I was quite sure the wings had popped up as shadows, by now. I opened my eyes and almost let out a cry of joy. My wings, they were there, I could see them. And not only as an astral projection, the real deal. They were back. It seemed like I could also show them now.
"Wow, you never told us your wings were so, night-ly. And six", Dean remarked.
"Yeah, didn't want to brag", I said and smiled.
They looked like the night with the hint of blue and dark dark purple and with small star looking lights moving and shifting. Like I said, night.
"You have no idea how happy I am to have them back", I said and looked at them again, just to be sure they really were there.
My wings, I had missed them since the second I got my memories back. And finally, they were back.