Chapter 27

Then:

"Air, we're gonna get you and Adam out! It'll be okay!" Sam shouts.

"CALL GABRIEL!" I scream as the shrieking grows louder. Adam collapses to the floor, clutching his ears to shield them from the ear-splitting noise, and I follow him down, grasping his shoulder weakly.

"What do we do?" he mouths at me - or at least, I think he does. I can't read lips too well.

I shake my head, tears streaming down my cheeks. "I don't know," I try to say, but my voice is lost within the cacophony around us. Adam draws me against his chest, clutching me tightly, and I bury my face into his shoulder.

Then everything goes black.

Now:

It's freezing, nothing like the searing heat that I'd felt before I blacked out, and I can feel goosebumps rising on my skin. I dare to open my eyes and find myself in a dark room.

"Adam?" I call out experimentally. No response comes. "Adam!" I try again, but it's silent. My ears are ringing. "Hello? Is anyone there?" I get to my feet shakily and move forward, but bump into something metal. I try to feel in front of me and my fingers meet a doorknob. Relieved, I tug open the door and am greeted by a forest.

What the hell? My eyes roam over the bubbling stream further down the forest trail and then the familiar trees before I groan in realization.

"I'm in Heaven." This is the forest I had played with Castiel in, one of my best memories and my own Axis Mundi. Well, at least I can see where the road will take me. I head down the forest path. Maybe I'll run into Ash or Pamela, which would be awesome.

But after a few minutes of walking, I realize that's not going to happen. The forest is silent, the sky above me dark and the road stretching ahead with no end in sight. Finally, though, I come across a clearing, which has a patch of sunlight shining into it. Hey, it's better than total darkness. So I step into the clearing and the forest disappears into nothingness.

"Ariel!" I turn at my name being called, but I don't see anyone. Something tugs at my leg and I look down to see a little boy there with bright blue eyes, dark messy hair and tiny black wings fluttering excitedly behind him.

"Cas?" I ask tentatively. Is this a memory? I catch sight of gray feathers curving around me and realize that yes, this is part of my personal Heaven.

"I picked this for you, sister." He holds up a small flower and I take it from him awkwardly. I don't have time for this, I have to find Adam and get back to Earth somehow and - oh, dear God, Castiel's adorable. Okay, five minutes won't hurt. The flower is blue and has tiny petals, which shimmer in the sunlight.

"It's beautiful, Castiel," I can't help but say, "A spring star?"

He nods shyly. "To remind you of Lucifer." I'm frozen with shock, but then I remember that Lucifer is still technically an archangel in this memory. "I know you love him very much, and you miss him when he goes away sometimes. So you can have this flower to remember him by."

"That's very sweet of you, Castiel," I say softly, drawing my lines from the vague memory in the back of my mind. "Thank you." I kneel down and hug the fledgling tightly as he snuggles in closer, his small wings shivering with delight.

"You always were so close to him." I reluctantly let go of Castiel and stand, coming face-to-face with an unfamiliar dark-haired man. He looks vaguely like the John Winchester of 1973, but not quite.

"Michael?"

He nods, his lips pursing before he says, "Most human souls would be unable to view an archangel without a vessel, even in Heaven."

"Guess I'm just special," I reply wryly before cutting to the chase, "Where's Adam?"

"Don't concern yourself with my future vessel."

"He's not going to be your vessel!" I snap back and Michael's eyes narrow.

"He did volunteer himself to me, since Dean refused-"

"But he hasn't accepted yet." Hope builds in my chest. "He hasn't given in to you." If I can get to Adam before then...

"He will. Given time." Michael crosses his arms. "The only reason I spared your soul to Heaven's mercy is that I may keep an eye on you."

"Love you, too," I deadpan and something flashes across Michael's face - pain? Regret? Either way, it's gone in the next instant, his expression impassive once more. "I want to see Adam," I demand.

"I don't think so. Enjoy your Heaven, little sister. You'll be spending eternity in it." Michael disappears in the next instant as I lunge at him.

"Some Heaven," I mutter, kicking a dirt clod near my foot, "More like a prison."

I wander around Heaven for what seems like forever, walking past memories of my human life as well as fragments of angelic memories. I stop for a while at my old house, playing with my dog, Jonesy, in the backyard while my parents - I guess they're not my parents, but hey, I've been calling them that for eighteen years - roast some corn on the cob nearby. I also find myself, occasionally, in Gabriel's house, usually involving me baking - or attempting to, anyway - while Gabriel volunteers unhelpful information and just ends up making me laugh instead.

Damn, I miss him. And Castiel, awkward as the poor guy is. I wonder if Castiel's all right, after the whole banishing-sigil thing. I'm half-tempted to pray to Michael again, ask him to let me talk to Adam again, when he comes to me first.

"Hello, Ariel," he says stiffly, startling me out of stirring a bowl of cookie batter due to boredom. It drops to the counter, not that the memory of Gabriel nearby notices. I spin around to see Michael standing behind the table on which Gabriel's perched, glancing between us in bewilderment. "I don't recall you ever baking human sweets with Gabriel."

"Yeah, because you weren't there," I snap, shoving my hands into my pockets, "This was, like, two months ago." He glances around the kitchen again, his expression softening slightly. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was feeling nostalgic. Then his gaze settles on Gabriel and sadness flits across his face before disappearing again. Not sure how to deal with this new side of him - I think I preferred him as a douchebag, he's easier to handle that way - I ask nervously, "Did, uh...did you want something, or...?"

"Adam wishes to see you." His eyes flick back up to me, cold and blank once more.

"Why?" I ask, surprised.

"He won't make a decision until he speaks to you, apparently." Michael looks irritated at the thought.

"Oh." My eloquence strikes again. "Um. Okay." I catch him glancing at Gabriel again and offer, "You can hang out here while I'm talking to Adam, if you want." Michael turns sharply to me, startled. "I mean...if you want to be around Gabriel for a while..." I feel stupid for suggesting it now.

"He is a part of your memory," Michael says carefully at last, "I can no more interact with him than I can a wisp of smoke." Well, that just makes me kind of sad for Michael. Wait, no, he's the bad guy, why am I pitying him?

"I'm sorry." Damn my empathy!

Michael nods curtly, dismissing it. "You have ten minutes with Adam. I recommend you say your goodbyes to him." He snaps his fingers and I'm in the beautiful room we had first been taken from.

"Ariel!" I'm startled by the hug I receive; hey, it's not like I've known Adam that long. I don't hesitate to return the embrace, though, clutching Adam tightly. "Are you okay? You hurt?" He pulls back from the hug to check me over.

"I'm okay, I'm fine." I catch his face in my hands and force him to look back up at me. "Adam, listen, Michael's coming for you. He's going to ask you to be his vessel, and you have to say 'no.'"

"Ariel," he sighs, pulling my hands away and grasping my wrists gently, "I'm going to say 'yes.'"

"W-What?" I'm derailed by that. "But it'll kill you." Or worse.

"I just...I wanna see my mom again," he says wearily, "I'm tired of this supernatural crap. If I say 'yes,' it'll all end sooner."

"But what if Michael doesn't cut your soul free?" I point out, "What if he keeps you trapped in your vessel?"

Adam's eyes widen; he hadn't thought of that. "But if I say 'no,' won't he go after Dean?"

"Screw what Michael wants."

It's not convincing enough for him, though, as his expression shifts from horror to despair. "Oh, God, what do we do?" He buries his face into his hands and I can't help but draw him into a tight hug. He leans against me, clutching me for support as he buries his face into my shoulder. "What do we do?" he repeats brokenly and all I can do is cling to him.

"Have you decided, Adam?" I break free of the hug to see Michael standing behind me, waiting patiently for Adam's response.

Adam looks between me and Michael before silently nodding.

"Adam, no," I protest.

"If it keeps Dean safe from him, I'll do it," he tells me quietly, taking my hand. "Family, right?"

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I nod. "Family."

He looks back up at Michael. "Okay. Yes."

"Wait." I turn to face Michael, too. "On one condition." Michael tilts his head, considering us. "You cut his soul loose and give him a free pass to Heaven." Adam's grasp on my hand tightens as Michael sighs.

"It doesn't seem like I have a choice."

"No, you don't." I scowl back at him.

"His soul is free the instant I take him as a vessel," he agrees at last, "You have my word."

"Ariel-" Adam's voice breaks and I turn around. He's smiling gratefully despite the tears shining in his eyes. "You didn't have to-"

"I did." I lean up impulsively, knowing I might not get another chance, and kiss him. His lips are warm and soft against mine, a direct contrast to the icy cold sensation I've felt since I first woke up in Heaven. Adam doesn't hesitate to return the kiss, letting it linger for a few moments before pulling away reluctantly and looking up at Michael.

"I consent." Michael snaps his fingers and I'm no longer holding Adam's hand. In fact, I'm no longer in the same room anymore. I'm in Heaven's infirmary now - my own personal Heaven turned holding cell. The memories of my archangel brothers huddle on the other side of the room, eagerly listening to Gabriel's story.

"Michael got his vessel," I tell the room dully - not that anyone notices - and collapse onto the nearest bed, pressing my face into the clean white pillow and sobbing until I have no more tears left to shed.

What seems like another eternity passes after Adam becomes Michael's vessel, and the first thing I do is send a prayer to Michael, threatening that if he ever came near me again, I would cheerfully paint a banishing sigil on the wall in my own blood and activate it. I'm not sure what it would do in Heaven, but if I were an angel, I certainly wouldn't want to find out.

The worst part is that my archangel's blade is gone, Michael having apparently taken it from me. I miss the security the blade had given me as it rested along the inside of my sleeve, and I miss Adam, and I miss Gabriel and Castiel, and the Winchesters, and Bobby, and...fuck it, I just miss everyone, okay?

I return to wandering through my own memories, spending a little time in each one. I can see why humans love Heaven so much, but the appeal of it is ruined by the fact that I know every single angel that runs the place is a giant dickbag.

And now I've turned into Dean. Great.

It's when I'm wandering through the meadow I had first found the fledgling Castiel in when suddenly a hand claps over my mouth and I'm being yanked backwards behind a tree. I yelp, struggling against the iron grip of my captor, and he shushes me.

"Quiet, Ariel, do you want me to get you out of here or not?" It's then that I finally see his face, dim under the shade of the tree.

"Gabriel?" I gasp, but it sounds more like "Mmiemm?"

He pulls his hand away from my mouth and grins. "Hey, kiddo."

"You have no idea how glad I am to see you." I hug him tightly, my arms wrapping around his neck. He embraces me just as tightly, pressing a kiss to the side of my head.

"Yeah, I can imagine." I can believe that; he sounds purely relieved just to have found me. "You've been gone for weeks. The muttonheads are worried sick about you."

"But how'd you get in here?" I demand, pulling back. "I thought you weren't allowed in Heaven."

"Helloooo. Messenger of the Lord." He rolls his eyes at me. "I know every single shortcut and secret passage in and out of this joint. It took a while to find an open door and sneak in, but here I am. Now the trouble's sneaking out without getting Mikey's attention." He glances around us. "This your Heaven?"

"One bit of it, anyway. Further down is the infirmary." I point in one direction. "And the other side is home."

He raises an eyebrow at me. "So home's a good memory for you, huh?"

"Shut up." I shove his shoulder, rolling my eyes. "'Course it is."

"I guess that'd be a good place to start looking." He sets off at a walk down the path I'd pointed down.

"Looking?" I echo as I follow him.

"For a way out." It doesn't take long to reach my memory of Gabriel's house, and the memory of Cola barks as he leaps up to lick at our hands. "Hey, you got every detail right," Gabriel notes, looking around the living room.

"Seriously?" I roll my eyes. "If you want to admire your own place, do it when we're not in our family's backyard."

He grins sheepishly. "Right, yeah. We're looking for a door with this symbol on it." He digs a piece of paper out of his pocket and shows it to me. It's got a weird symbol on it: a crescent moon lying on its side with a small star above it.

"That's your seal, isn't it?" I ask, recognizing it from one of the books in Gabriel's library.

He nods. "Yeah, I marked some doors so I could get in and out of Heaven fast back in the day." He tucks the paper away again. "It'll be engraved in the frame or the doorknob somewhere. If you touch it, the passage will open." I start searching every door that I find - closets, the library door, the bathroom, etc. - but I don't see it. Gabriel checks the doors, too, but he comes up with nothing.

"Maybe it's upstairs?" I suggest, but then Gabriel tilts his head suddenly, not looking at me.

"Yeah, you know what? Go upstairs. I'll keep looking down here." His tone is odd and I hesitate on the first step.

"Gabriel?" He's staring at the door, as if expecting someone to burst through, and I realize what's happening. "It's Michael, isn't it?"

"Ariel, go upstairs."

"No." I stay where I am, clenching the banister.

"If he finds you here, you'll never get out," he snaps back at me.

"And I'm supposed to leave you here, is that it?"

"I can take care of myself."

"I don't care. I'm not leaving without you." I cross my arms stubbornly. The front door begins to rattle and I clutch the banister even tighter.

"I'll be right behind you," Gabriel promises, looking up at me, "But you have to get through that door now, before he finds you." I glance between the rattling door and him before nodding reluctantly. "Go!" I turn and take the stairs two at a time, disappearing around the corner of the landing as the door bursts open.

I'm relieved I'm out of Michael's sight, but at the same time, I'm terrified for Gabriel. Still, the sooner I find that passage, the sooner we can both escape. I start searching every doorway for the symbol, but nothing comes up when I search Gabriel's room, the bathroom, and the two guest bedrooms down the hall.

I search my own room door and finally find the seal carved into the metal of my doorknob. I press the tip of my finger to it and it shines with an eerie bluish-white light. I can't hear Gabriel or Michael, but Gabriel's promise rings in my ears, so I turn the knob and step through the door.

The floor gives way beneath me.

I'm falling, and my stomach leaps into my throat, and I expect a splat or a thud, but it never comes. I'm just falling, and falling...

...and I'm suddenly lying on a rough motel carpet.

"Ariel!" Strong arms scoop me up before I can register where I am and my breath is crushed out of me.

"Let her breathe, Sammy," Dean says with a brief chuckle and Sam loosens his grip, but doesn't let go. I can only weakly wrap my arms around his broad shoulders, dropping my head onto his shoulder in numb relief.

"'M alive?" I mumble.

"Yeah. Yeah, you are." Sam pulls back enough to stroke my hair gently, beaming widely. "Thank God you're okay."

"I don't think God had anything to do with it," I manage wryly and Dean claps my back, grinning.

"Yeah, you're definitely fine." I hug him next, clutching him tightly and breathing in his familiar scent of gunpowder and leather. It's strange how in less than a year, I've gotten more comfort in hugs from professional supernatural murderers than I used to in my mom's homemade soup.

"Gabriel," I say, pulling back, "Where is he?"

"We didn't see him." Dean looks confused. "Last we heard, he was going to Heaven to look for you."

"How long have I been gone?" It had only felt like a day or two to me.

"Almost three weeks now," Sam explains, running a hand through his hair, "We've been searching for secret passages into Heaven since you and Adam were taken, and Gabriel found one last night."

"Yeah, I know, I'm awesome. Please, hold your applause," Gabriel says cheerfully as he pops into the room.

I don't hold back a punch, though. "You jerk, you said you were right behind me!"

"I was!" Gabriel protests - damn him, he didn't even flinch when I hit him - as I shake out the sting from my hand. "...sorta. Look, I had to throw Michael off my trail before I could get upstairs and it took a little longer than I planned."

"I could strangle you," I threaten.

"I'd love to see you try." He smirks and all I can do is yank the idiot into an embrace, burying my face into his shoulder. You'd think I'd have had enough hugging for a lifetime with Sam, Dean, and Gabriel combined, but absolutely not.

"Did any of you hear from Cas?" I ask when I pull back and Sam shakes his head first.

"Haven't heard from him since Van Nuys."

"No angel's ever carved the banishing sigil into his own skin before," Gabriel adds, "So we don't know where he'd have gone."

Well, that just makes me more worried.

"And Adam said 'yes?'" Dean asks wearily and I nod, trying not to let emotion overwhelm me.

"Yeah. I made Michael promise to set his soul free, though."

Dean nods, relieved. "Good, that's...he deserves it."

Damn straight he does, I don't say. It's hard enough to think about Adam, and that's excluding the kiss he'd given me before he had said "yes" to Michael.

I guess something shows on my face, though, because Gabriel studies my face intently before looking up at the Winchesters. "I'm taking her home." Neither of them offer an argument, and I allow them to hug me one more time before Gabriel places a hand on my shoulder and we're instantly back home.

Cola gives his usual excited greeting, leaping up and licking my knuckles until I kneel down and hug the tiny terrier tightly, scratching behind his ears.

"Hey, boy, did you miss me?" He barks in affirmation.

"He's not the only one," Gabriel admits when I finally let go of Cola and get to my feet again, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. "You okay?"

"I will be," I answer honestly. It feels as though I'm never going to be okay again, though, but I know better. I know I'll see Adam again someday if Michael did keep his word, and at least now I'm safe at home with my idiot big brother.

I wouldn't rather be anywhere else.

Happy belated April Fool's Day, suckers. You don't have to wait until Saturday to read this chapter, I already had it done before the previous one ;D.

I have to admit, I'm surprised that people only JUST realized that I was evil. Do you all seriously not notice my evil cackling every few chapters? -insert mandatory evil cackle here- SUCCESS, I HAVE INFILTRATED THE INTERNET.

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