Chapter 17

Then:

The mournful tone to Castiel's voice has me shuffling closer until my knee bumps his. He turns back to me, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.

"I don't remember what I did for Michael to cast me down," I begin quietly, "But whatever it was, I wish I hadn't done it. So that I didn't have to leave you."

Castiel's eyes widen slightly in surprise before he smiles and tentatively places a hand on my shoulder. "Thank you, sister." He then grimaces. "My apologies, I forgot-"

"Actually, Cas," I interrupt him, "I don't really mind."

The answering smile I receive is almost blinding in the darkness.

Now:

The next day dawns cold and gray. It's barely light outside by the time I'm being jostled around.

"C'mon, midget." I'm on my feet even before I'm coherent and for a brief second, I wonder if I'd fallen asleep standing up. It wouldn't be surprising; we'd all only gone to bed at about three in the morning, earning ourselves only three hours of sleep. Then I realize that Dean's got his hands on my shoulders, keeping me upright. "Up and at 'em, we're leaving in an hour."

"Can I wake up first?" I complain, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes as he lets go. I stumble for the doorway and smack into the wall. "Friggin' wall!" I'm pretty sure I can hear Dean and Jo laughing and surprisingly, the low rumble of Castiel's chuckle as well. "Oh, shut up," I snap in their general direction, wincing as I rub my forehead. At least the impact's woken me up fully.

By the time I finish brushing my teeth, showering, and changing into worn jeans and a dark blue long-sleeved shirt, the sounds of sizzling eggs and bacon can be heard from upstairs. When I enter the kitchen, I see that Ellen's taken over one frying pan, which holds scrambled eggs, while Dean holds another pan containing bacon.

"How's the head?" he teases over his shoulder as I take a seat between Jo and Sam.

"May all your bacon burn," I grumble and Dean looks offended.

"Woman, that's the worst curse you could give someone."

"It's fake and it's from an anime movie. You'll live," I deadpan, rubbing my still-bruised forehead. Ellen slides a platter of scrambled eggs onto the table and Jo, Sam, Bobby, and I grab plates, loading them with eggs. Dean serves up the bacon next, which I pass on while everyone else takes a helping.

"First you curse my bacon and now you're too good for it?" Dean complains.

I make a face at him. "You know I'm a vegetarian."

"Even Sam eats meat and he's basically a rabbit!"

Sam rolls his eyes. "Hey, it's good that she's eating healthy." It doesn't stop him from eating a strip of bacon, though. I settle for just eggs and even manage to cajole Castiel into trying some bacon.

He says in surprise after his first bite, "It's good." The pleased look on Dean's face is priceless.

We prepare to leave as soon as we're done eating and cleaning the dishes. Bobby wheels up to the door to see us off and I wait for the Harvelles to finish hugging him - despite his vehement protests - before hugging him myself, squeezing his shoulders.

"Be careful, kid," he mutters against my shoulders, returning the embrace gently.

"I will." I climb into the backseat of Ellen and Jo's dark red car with Castiel; the Winchesters will be taking their Impala first. Within minutes, Singer Salvage Yard is out of sight and we're leaving Sioux Falls.

Ellen and Jo talk quietly in the front seat while Castiel adds his own comments every now and then, correcting a former belief they'd had or asking a question. I'm honestly too tired to notice. I'm not used to running on less than five hours of sleep, so I find myself subconsciously listing to one side and closing my eyes.

In my half-asleep daze, I feel someone shifting me around until my head rests against a shoulder. I stir slightly and a warm hand presses my head back down gently.

"It's all right, Ariel," Castiel murmurs from somewhere above me, "Rest."

I do, and it's the best sleep I have in a long time.

I wake up when the car stops at a gas station, rubbing my eyes so hard that they don't consider closing again before sitting up.

"Did you sleep well?" Castiel looks down at me when he senses the movement.

"Yeah. Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep on you."

"I didn't mind." He shrugs.

"If you two wanna stretch your legs before we hit Carthage, now's your chance," Ellen calls back to us as she gets out of the car, heading over to the gas pump and starting to fill the tank. Jo's already gone, probably either in the women's room or the convenience store, and I can see the Impala pulled up at the pump in front of us. Sam is filling the tank while Dean heads over to the men's room.

I decide it's a good idea to stretch my legs, since they've been cramped from sleeping in the car, so I get out of the car, shaking out the pins and needles in each foot. Another car door closes and I see Castiel getting out, leaning on the roof of the car.

"They didn't want you to come," he admits quietly at last.

That's not surprising; after all, Sam and Dean tend to shove me aside whenever they're barreling headfirst into a case. I'm surprised I've even been allowed this far. "So why am I here?"

"I convinced them last night that Gabriel brought you here for a reason." Castiel keeps his voice low so that Ellen and Sam don't hear. "Perhaps it is better that we face Lucifer with you by our side."

"Besides, if you'd tried to ditch me, I would've kicked and screamed until you took me, anyway," I tease and Castiel quirks a brief smile.

"Very likely."

"Heads up, Ariel." Jo's returned, three bottles of Gatorade in hand, and tosses one over the car in my direction.

I catch the bottle, reading the flavor: fruit punch. "Thanks, Jo." I take a swig of the Gatorade, relieved at the sensation of the cold liquid in my parched throat. "How long till we reach Carthage?" I ask and Ellen shrugs.

"About half an hour, maybe less. You can see the signs already." She nods to the field across the street and I look, frowning. The field's deserted, the plants and grass withered. "Crop failure. There's been cattle deaths and power surges, too."

"Demon omens," Castiel confirms, his eyebrows furrowing, "Even if it isn't Lucifer in Carthage, there is certainly demonic activity there."

"Awesome," I deadpan, draining the Gatorade and lobbing it into a nearby recycling bin before getting back into the car. The last time I'd run into demons, Bobby had ended up paralyzed. I'm not too keen on seeing them again.

"You can still back out, you know," Ellen reminds me as she gets into the driver's seat. Castiel and Jo join us inside, too. "We can turn back around, drop you off with Bobby."

"No." I shake my head. "I want to do anything I can today." Ellen still looks uncertain, but nods, starting the car as Dean returns to the Impala. He and Sam climb into the car and pull back onto the highway. We follow them.

Carthage is a ghost town. I half-expect a tumbleweed to roll by any second.

"Where is everyone?" I ask warily, looking out the window at the deserted streets.

"Spooky, ain't it?" Ellen agrees, frowning as Dean leans out of the Impala, waving us over. We pull up to them. "Place seem a little empty to you?" Ellen calls over.

"We're gonna go check out the PD. You guys stay here, see if you can find anybody," Dean instructs and we park on the curbside as the Impala drives off. Ellen, Jo, and I get out of the car, but Castiel remains seated inside.

Jo peers down at him. "Ever heard of a door handle?"

"Of course I have." I start as Castiel suddenly appears behind me. I look at the now-empty car and then back at him.

"Don't do that." I smack his arm, but he doesn't take notice, his eyes fixing on a point behind me.

"This town's not empty."

"What is it, Cas?" Ellen asks.

"Reapers."

"Reapers?" I echo.

"As in more than one?" Jo adds, her eyebrows rising.

"They only gather like this at times of great catastrophe. Chicago Fire, San Francisco Quake, Pompeii." Castiel's eyebrows furrow. "I need to find out why they're here. Come with me, Ariel."

Dumbly, I shrug at Ellen and Jo when they give me bewildered looks before running after Castiel, who's already halfway across the street.

"Cas, I can't see them," I point out.

"You can't?" He stops and looks back at me, surprised.

"No. All I see is you avoiding empty spaces on the street."

"There is a reaper directly to your left." He frowns. "Can't you sense him?" I turn to stare at the empty spot next to me before looking back at Castiel and shaking my head. His eyebrows knit together in concern. "Perhaps this was a mistake."

"Well, I'm here now," I point out even as Castiel's attention diverts to a cracked window above us. He places a hand on my shoulder and I barely have time to brace myself before we land in the corridor of the dilapidated building, facing the window Castiel had been staring at. "I'm never gonna get used to that," I mutter as I follow Castiel down the hallway. We pass through a doorway and Castiel pauses. I stop behind him. "What is it?"

Suddenly, he shouts, "It's a trap! Get back!" I jump back just as fire springs up between us. Castiel's trapped in a ring of fire now, the same holy fire that had trapped Gabriel in the warehouse.

"Cas!" I try to reach for him, but he holds out his hand, stopping me.

"Holy fire, I can't cross it."

"Of course you can't." The calm, unfamiliar voice freezes the blood in my veins. "Even a fallen angel has to obey the rules." A tall man approaches us from the other side of the room. He has short blonde hair and pale blue eyes that seem to be perpetually icy to look at. "Hello, brother."

"Lucifer," Castiel says gruffly, his jaw clenched. My heart stops. That's Lucifer? Oh, God, I'm in the same room as Satan.

"And let's not forget dear little Ariel." Lucifer claps his hands together, smiling as he approaches me. I scramble back until my back hits the wall. He pauses halfway across the room, his face half-shrouded in darkness. "What's the matter? Not happy to see me?"

"Get away from her," Castiel snaps, "She doesn't know you."

Lucifer doesn't look away from me. "Is that true, Ariel?" Something flickers across his face and I recognize it as pain. "You don't remember me?"

"I-I fell," I say weakly and Lucifer snorts humorlessly.

"I know. Michael's doing. But I would have thought you'd retain even the slightest inkling...no? Nothing?" He stares at me, as if willing me to suddenly get my memories back, and I shudder, trying not to meet his eyes. "Rumor had it you were killed shortly after you were cast down. How did you survive?" I consider telling him about Gabriel, but keep silent. Finally, he looks away from me and returns his gaze to Castiel, who glares at him from within the ring of holy fire. "So I take it you're here with the Winchesters."

"We came alone," Castiel answers carefully.

"Loyalty. Such a nice quality to see in this day and age." Lucifer makes a show of thinking. "Castiel, right?" Castiel inclines his head slightly. "Castiel," Lucifer repeats as he paces around the ring of fire. "I'm told you came here in an automobile."

Castiel blinks. "Yes."

"What was that like?" Lucifer looks curious.

"Um." Castiel glances at me, bewildered, before answering, "Slow. Confining."

"What a peculiar thing you are." Lucifer finally stops walking, surveying Castiel almost boredly, and the firelight reflects off his face fully.

"What happened to your face?" I ask before I can stop myself. There are large patches of skin missing from Lucifer's face, as if he's been horribly sunburned and the skin is peeling off.

"Ah, well..." He runs a hand over his jaw. "Nick is wearing a little thin, I'm afraid. He can't contain me forever, so-"

"You will not take Sam Winchester," Castiel snarls, "I won't let you." I'm starting to think it was a mistake for Sam to come with us to Carthage.

"I don't understand why you're fighting me, of all the angels."

"You have to ask?" Castiel raises an eyebrow.

"I rebelled, I was cast out. You rebelled, you were cast out. Almost all of Heaven wants to see me dead, and if they succeed, guess what? You're their new Public Enemy Number One. We're on the same side, like it or not, so why not just serve your own best interests? Which, in this case, just happen to be mine." Lucifer shrugs before turning to me. "And you, Ariel. I would have thought you'd be pleased to see me. After all, this is what you were cast down for."

My breath catches in my throat and I stammer, "W-What?"

"Ariel-" Castiel begins, his tone warning, but Lucifer holds up his hand and Castiel falls silent.

"Didn't anyone tell you?" I numbly shake my head. "You wanted to join me, baby sister. Even flipped Michael the bird and tried to find me, but he would have none of that. So he punished you. Quite unfairly, too."

"I don't believe you." My voice trembles.

"I think you do, Ariel." Lucifer tilts his head. "Deep down, I'm sure you remember how much you envied the humans. I'll bet your skin crawls at being one of them now."

"I'm happy," I insist, clenching my fists, "I'm happy being human."

"Keep telling yourself that." He glances between me and Castiel. "So what's your choice?"

"I'll die first," Castiel says firmly.

Lucifer's expression doesn't change. "I suppose you will." He tilts his head in my direction. "Ariel?" When I just stare at him blankly, he sighs. "Sister, please. Stand with me. I can restore you to your full glory, and then some. I've got power that you can't imagine, and I can teach you how to get it, too."

Finding my voice again, I shake my head and say with more bravery than I actually possess, "Go to hell."

Lucifer's face flickers between hurt and cold blankness before he replies, "Already been. Did wonders for my complexion."

A dark-haired woman suddenly runs in, her eyes flashing black, and I recognize her immediately.

"Meg," I say and she turns to me, raising an eyebrow.

"Aren't you the kid who threw holy water at me?"

I force a cheeky smile. "Guilty."

Lucifer snorts. "Once an angel..." He turns to Meg then. "You have news?"

"I got the Winchesters pinned down." My heart stops yet again. "For now, at least. What should I do with them?"

"Leave them alone." My pulse resumes again at Lucifer's casual command.

Meg falters. "I-I'm sorry, but are you sure? I mean, shouldn't we-?"

"Trust me, child." Lucifer strokes Meg's cheek. "Everything happens for a reason."

"If you weren't freaked out before now..." I mutter and Castiel looks just as disturbed.

"Well, you have some time. Time to change your mind?" Lucifer asks, but Castiel simply glares resolutely at him. "I guess not." Lucifer's icy hand suddenly lands on my shoulder and I barely have time to register the look of horror that washes over Castiel's face before I'm being yanked across time and space.

I sprawl onto withered grass and Lucifer rolls his eyes.

"Ever the graceful one." He reaches for me, but I scramble back.

"Get away from me! Where the hell are we?!"

"Just outside of town. I have a little business to take care of, and I can't have you wandering off." Lucifer flicks his wrist and I'm suddenly slammed against a tree trunk by an invisible force. The wind is knocked out of me. "Now you stay put." He pats my cheek and I suppress a shudder as he picks up a shovel and begins filling in a large hole in the middle of the field.

It's then that I notice the dozens of men standing around with black eyes. They're all demons. Oh, God, what have I gotten into?

"HEY!" Sam's angry voice echoes over the field and relief floods my entire body. Lucifer turns, looking mildly intrigued as he drops his shovel. "Let Ariel go," Sam snarls as he and Dean march onto the field. Dean carries the Colt and Sam holds a shotgun that he currently aims at Lucifer's head.

"Oh, Sam, you don't need that gun here," Lucifer says calmly, "You know I'd never hurt you. Not really."

"Yeah? Well, I'd hurt you." Dean lifts the Colt. "So suck it." He fires without hesitating and the bullet embeds itself in Lucifer's forehead. The former archangel topples backwards and I drop to the ground, the invisible force holding me dissipating.

"Ariel!" Sam's the first one at my side, lifting me into a sitting position. "Did he hurt you? Are you okay?" I bury my face into his shoulder, shaking my head to answer his questions. None of the demons move as Dean tentatively looks at us.

"Did...did it work?" His question is answered when Lucifer inhales sharply and sits up.

"Oww," he groans, rubbing his forehead as he gets to his feet before glaring at Dean. "Where did you get that?" He flings out his hand and Dean flies backwards, slamming his head against another tree trunk and crumpling to the ground. "Now, where were we?"

Sam squeezes me tightly as Lucifer looks at us.

"Don't feel too bad, Sam. There's only six things in all of creation that that gun can't kill, and I just happen to be one of them. But if you give me a minute, I'm almost done." He returns to picking up his shovel. When his back is turned, Sam scrambles to check Dean's pulse. He glances at me, nodding to show that Dean's alive. I sag against the tree trunk with relief. "You know, I don't suppose you'd just say 'yes' here and now?" Lucifer asks nonchalantly as Sam stands again. "End this whole tiresome discussion? That's crazy, right?"

"It's never gonna happen!" Sam snaps.

"Oh, I don't know, Sam." Lucifer starts filling the hole in again. "I think it will. I think it'll happen soon. Within six months. And I think it'll happen in Detroit."

"Sure of that, are you?" I say weakly and Lucifer glances over his shoulder at me.

"Yes, I am, sweetheart." He smiles coldly.

"You listen to me, you son of a bitch." Lucifer turns back to Sam, eyebrows rising in mild curiosity. "I'm gonna kill you myself, you understand me? I'm going to rip your heart out!"

The Devil grins. "That's good, Sam. You keep fanning that fire in your belly. All that pent-up rage. I'm gonna need it."

Sam looks startled for a moment before he forces himself to calm down. "What did you do? What did you do to this town?"

"Oh, I was very generous with this town. One demon for every able-bodied man."

Just the men? "And the others?" I ask softly.

"In there." Lucifer points at the hole. Sam and I gape at him. "I know, it's awful, but these Horsemen are so demanding. So it was women and children first." Horsemen? My mind's spinning right now. Lucifer sighs. "I know what you must think of me, Sam. But I have to do this. I have to. You of all people should understand."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam demands.

"I was a son. A brother, like you, a younger brother, and I had an older brother who I loved. Idolized, in fact. And one day I went to him and I begged him to stand with me, and Michael-" Lucifer's voice breaks. "Michael turned on me. Called me a freak. A monster. And then he beat me down. All because I was different. Because I had a mind of my own. Tell me something, Sam. Any of this sound familiar?" Sam's tense shoulders tell me that it does. "And besides, I shouldn't talk about heinous acts. I mean, look at all the things sweet little Ariel hasn't told you," Lucifer says even as Dean stirs with a groan.

My heart sinks. "No. No, no, please don't-"

"Ariel?" Sam looks at me, confusion flashing across his face. "What's he talking about?"

"For one, she's definitely not who she claims to be," Lucifer says cheerfully, returning to his hole-filling. "Not human, not eighteen years old, and certainly not as harmless as she looks." He frowns at the horror-stricken expression on my face. "Oh, I'm sorry, did I give away a spoiler?" I can only stare at him helplessly, tears stinging my eyes as Sam looks between us, stunned and hurt. "Well, anyway, you'll have to excuse me. Midnight is calling and I have a ritual to finish. Don't go anywhere. Not that you could if you would."

"Ariel, what the hell?" Dean demands as he sits up, his eyes narrowing in my direction. Oh, God, he'd heard the entire thing.

"Now repeat after me. We offer up our lives, blood, souls-" Lucifer tells the demons.

"We offer up our lives, blood, souls-" the demons repeat.

"-to complete this tribute."

"-to complete this tribute." One by one, each demon flashes gold and slumps to the ground, dead.

Dean and Sam stare at Lucifer, who raises an eyebrow. "What? They're just demons." He turns to stare at the mass grave in front of him just as a hand rests on my shoulder. I turn to see Castiel pressing a finger to his lips even as he reaches for Sam and Dean. They scramble to his side and we're gone before Lucifer can turn around.

The instant we arrive in Bobby's house, I'm not even allowed a minute to catch my breath before Dean slams me against the wall. I see stars for a second.

"Dean!" Sam protests loudly from behind us as I try to pry off Dean's hand, which is pressed against my windpipe.

"What the hell are you?" Dean snarls at me as I struggle to breathe through the crushing grip on my neck. "Why did Lucifer talk like he knew you?"

"D...ean..." I can't form the words to explain, my feet dangling inches above the ground where Dean has me pinned to the wall. Tears stream down my cheeks as I choke.

"Let her go, Dean." Castiel's voice cuts through the tension like a knife. Dean continues to glare at me accusingly, but throws me to the floor roughly. Trembling, I rub at my aching throat as Sam kneels beside me, helping me sit up.

"I suggest you get explaining before I put a bullet through her brain," Dean says coldly as he turns to Castiel, who remains unperturbed.

"She's an archangel." Sam freezes beside me and I bury my face in my hands. "She was cast down centuries ago, and Michael ordered her death. Gabriel sent her to the other universe to protect her until recently."

"How long have you known?" Sam asks me quietly.

I mumble hoarsely, "Since T.V. Land."

"A month?!" Dean realizes. "You knew for a friggin' month and you didn't tell us?!" I flinch back as he takes a furious step forward, but Castiel steps between us.

"Don't touch her." His tone is sharp and doesn't leave any room for argument. "I will answer any questions you have, but don't lay a hand on her." With one last glare at me, Dean stalks from the room. Castiel kneels beside me for a moment and squeezes my shoulder reassuringly before following Dean.

Shaking violently now, I press my palms against my face once more as the hysterical sobs threaten to overwhelm me once more.

"Air?" Sam grasps my shoulders gently. "Ariel, look at me." I can't, and that just makes me cry even harder. I hear Sam sigh softly. "I'm not angry."

I sniffle. "You're not?"

"About you being an archangel? No." That's a lie; I can hear the suppressed frustration in his voice. I guess he's trying to look past that because of how freaked out I am. "But you lied to us about it."

"Yeah, and clearly, I had the right idea." I gesture weakly at the doorway Dean had gone through.

"Never mind Dean right now. He's hurting because...because we lost Ellen and Jo."

My heart stops yet again. "W-What?" Now grief adds to the guilt in my chest, making the weight almost unbearable.

"Yeah." Sam swallows before adding, "He would've understood if you'd told us at any other time." His eyebrows furrow, his expression wounded. "I thought you trusted us."

"I was scared, Sam!" I snap back. "I thought if I told you, you'd hate me!"

"Well, we don't." He blinks, hurt. "But...Air, you've gotta understand, we have to figure this out somehow." And there it is: even if he doesn't hate me, he's pushing me away. "I mean, Ellen and Jo meant a lot to all of us, but with this on top of it? You need to give us some time."

I nod shakily even as my heart sinks. "Okay."

Sam places a hand on my tear-dampened cheek, silently begging me to understand even as I flinch away from his touch. "I promise I don't hate you."

"I know." He presses a kiss gently to my forehead - which nearly gets me crying again - before getting to his feet and leaving the room, leaving me huddled against the wall Dean had pinned me to.

Soon, Sam returns with Dean, Castiel, and Bobby in tow. Dean purposely avoids my eyes as Castiel helps me to my feet, but Bobby immediately fixates on the slowly forming bruises in the shape of Dean's fingers around my neck.

"Boy, what the hell did you do to her?" he demands, turning to face Dean. The older Winchester scowls, but remains silent.

"Perhaps it is better that you come with me for a while," Castiel tells me quietly and I nod almost immediately. If Sam and Dean want space, they can have it.

Sam hesitates before squeezing my shoulder. I try not to flinch, but I can see that he notices my nervousness from the flash of guilt across his face. "Take care, Ariel." Dean doesn't acknowledge me, but Bobby nods gruffly in goodbye. He doesn't seem angry, but he still seems distant. I barely bring myself to nod to Sam before Castiel touches my shoulder and we're gone.

Aw yiss, the big reveal.

I'm surprised at how many people noticed that I used the words "silver" and "gray" interchangeably. Now I feel dumb. Are they really that separate as colors? I mean, gray IS the base of silver, just add a little sparkle and shine and you have silver. My goodness, you guys are sharp.

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