Chapter 33

Then:

Castiel scowls as he sends his hand up suddenly and Pestilence screams. Two bloody severed fingers, plus one Horseman ring, land on the floor. "Maybe just a speck." Ariel drops to the floor as she feels her powers surging back.

"I take back anything negative I ever said about you coming," she says with a laugh, going over to help Castiel up as Sam and Dean stumble to their feet, Dean taking the ring and tucking it into his pocket.

"It doesn't matter," Pestilence spits at them, drawing their attention, "It's too late." He disappears before Ariel can ask what he means.

The cryptic words haunt them all the way back to Bobby's house.

Now:

"Well, it's nice to score a home run for once, isn't it?" Bobby notes.

Ariel fiddles with the angel blade she had borrowed from the Winchesters, wishing it was her own archangel's blade (which unfortunately is still in Heaven with Michael) as she answers, "Yes, but what Pestilence said, about it being too late? That's a little worrying, isn't it?"

"He get specific?" Bobby asks her and she shakes her head.

"We're just a little freaked out that he might have left a bomb somewhere. So please tell us you have actual good news," Dean says wearily.

"Chicago's about to be wiped off the map. Storm of the millennium. Sets off a daisy chain of natural disasters. Three million people are gonna die."

Everyone gapes at Bobby as Castiel deadpans, "I don't understand your definition of good news."

Ariel resists the urge to facepalm. "Did I accidentally drop you on the head when you were a fledgling or something?" That would explain why Castiel's so out of it with sarcasm and pop culture.

"No, I think you would have remembered that." He turns an innocently-confused look on her and she holds out her palm near his forehead with a grin.

"Here, just give yourself a facepalm for me." Castiel rolls his eyes and shoves her hand out of his face, finally understanding that she's making fun of him.

"Well, Death - the Horseman - he's gonna be there," Bobby interrupts their bickering, "And if we can stop him before he kick-starts this storm, get his ring back-"

"Yeah," Dean cuts in, pretending to sound upbeat, "You make it sound so easy."

"Hell, I'm just trying to put a spin on it." Bobby scowls back at him.

"Hey, Bobby, how'd you put all this together, anyway?" Sam pipes up, frowning at the papers on Bobby's desk.

Bobby looks distinctly uncomfortable, which sets off warning bells in Ariel's head. "I had...y'know. Help."

The clinking of glass on glass startles them all into turning around to see Crowley standing in the doorway to the kitchen, pouring some scotch from a bottle into a glass. "Don't be so modest. I barely helped at all." He saunters into the room, scotch in hand. "Hello, boys, Ariel. Pleasure, etcetera." He inclines his head politely in Ariel's direction, clearly wanting to be on her good side most, and she favors him with a mild glare instead. Cringing, he returns his attention to Bobby, smug smirk in place. "Go ahead. Tell them. There's no shame in it."

Both Winchesters turn sharply back to Bobby. "Tell us what?" Sam demands.

Bobby grimaces. "World's gonna end. Seems stupid to get all precious over one little...soul."

"You sold your soul?!" Dean snapped.

"More like 'pawned' it, I fully intend to give it back," Crowley interrupts cheerfully.

"Well, then, give it back!" Dean glares at the demon.

"I will."

"Now!"

"Did you kiss him?" Sam asks Bobby suddenly.

"Priorities," Ariel sighs.

"Just wondering!" Sam looks at her innocently and Dean actually turns to get Bobby's answer.

Bobby freezes, glancing between all of them like a deer in the headlights before saying loudly, "No!"

"Ahem." Ariel looks at Crowley, only to see him holding out an iPhone with a picture displayed on the screen of him and Bobby kissing.

"Eww," she decides, wrinkling her nose. As much as she loves Bobby, she doesn't want to see him lip-locking with anyone, especially a demon.

"Why'd you take a picture?" Bobby asks irritably and Crowley shrugs.

"Why'd you have to use tongue?" As creeped out as Ariel is, she can't repress a snort of amusement. Bobby glowers at her.

"All right, you know what? I'm sick of this. Give him back his soul," Dean says sternly, glaring at Crowley.

"I'm sorry, I can't." Crowley doesn't look very sorry at all.

"Can't or won't?"

"I won't, all right? It's insurance!" Crowley snaps back.

"The hell are you on about?" Dean demands, raising an eyebrow.

"You kill demons. Gigantor over there has a temper issue about it, and you have a smite-happy archangel up your sleeve." Ariel blinks and shrugs, not arguing that point. "But you won't kill me so long as I have that soul in my deposit box."

"You son of a bitch," Bobby grumbles.

"I'll return it. After all this is over, and I can walk safely away. Do we all understand each other?" Crowley smirks.

"Here's a thought, how about the smite-happy archangel doesn't smite you if you give it back right now?" Ariel smiles cheerfully and Crowley rolls his eyes at her.

"No deal, love, sorry." He promptly disappears and she huffs, crossing her arms irritably.

Dean and Sam disappear into the workshop behind the house while Bobby buries himself back in his books, clearly embarrassed by the situation with Crowley, which leaves Ariel to seek out Castiel for company. She finds him on the porch and nudges his shoulder with her knee.

"Mind if I join you?" He looks up at her and nods curtly. She sinks down onto the porch next to him, her shoulder resting comfortably against his. "I'm sorry I've been babying you lately."

"I'm not a child."

"I know. I just worry, anyway." Ariel smiles sheepishly and shrugs. "I can't help it."

"I understand. You want what's best for me because you care for me." Castiel looks back at her, his expression softer. "Thank you."

"Yeah, whatever, dude." She rolls her eyes in her best Dean impression and Castiel rolls his eyes back at her with a small smile. "It's ironic, though, isn't it? You gained humanity just as I lost it."

"Fate seems to have a penchant for irony," Castiel agrees morosely and she nudges his shoulder again.

"Hey, don't get mopey on me now. It's not so bad being human."

He makes a face at her. "And what's so preferable about humanity that being an angel pales in comparison?"

"Well, the food, for one." Ariel grins when Castiel gives her a long-suffering look. "Come on, don't tell me those cookies I fed you weren't awesome. Not to mention the emotions. You feel things more strongly now, don't you?" He nods contemplatively. "And the company's an improvement, too." She jabs her thumb back at the house to refer to Bobby and the Winchesters. "Honestly, if I wasn't convinced we needed my Grace on our side, I would have stayed human, I think."

Castiel tilts his head to study her, frowning. "I don't think I would have minded that. As a human, you were much less..."

"Annoying?" she offers and he smirks slightly.

"No, that hasn't altered in the slightest." She mock-gasps and smacks his shoulder. He chuckles as he attempts to dodge the blow and fails miserably. "You were much less...switchy as a human."

"Switchy?" she echoes, bewildered.

"Between formal and casual. You sound a lot like Gabriel-" Castiel breaks off when pain flashes across Ariel's face, but she quickly suppresses the flare of grief and nods.

"Yeah, okay, I'll...I'll work on the switching. Sorry, Cas."

"Much appreciated, sister." Castiel nudges her shoulder with his own. "Now will you please make me some hot chocolate?" She knows he's just asking to take her mind off Gabriel, and she appreciates the change of topic.

"Ugh, I'm spoiling you," she teases lightly as she gets to her feet, taking his hand to help him up.

"Yes, you are," he agrees as he follows her inside, smiling faintly.

Giving Castiel a gun can only lead to disaster, and he's the most vocal with his complaints out of all of them.

"What am I even supposed to do with this?" he demands, waving it around, and Ariel's relieved the safety is on.

"Point it and shoot," Bobby answers simply.

"And Dad help you, don't miss," Ariel adds cheerfully, earning a small grin from Bobby.

"What I used to be-" Castiel begins wearily.

"Are you really gonna bitch? To me?" Bobby rolls his eyes. "Quit pining for the varsity years and load the damn truck." Chastised, Castiel obeys. He, Bobby, and Sam will be going after the new shipments of Niveus vaccines, which contain strains of the Croatoan virus, according to Crowley. Dean, Crowley, and Ariel will be going after Death in Chicago.

"All right, well, good luck stopping the whole zombie apocalypse," Dean tells Sam awkwardly.

"Good luck killing Death," Sam deadpans in return and when Dean makes a face, he adds, "Remember when we used to just...hunt wendigos? How simple things were?"

"Not really." Dean grins wryly.

"Well, um...you might need this." Sam holds out the demon-killing knife.

"No need." Crowley suddenly appears between them, holding out a wickedly-curved scythe. "Death's own. Kills demons and angels and reapers and, rumor has it, the very thing itself."

"How the hell did you land that?" Ariel asks curiously, peering at it.

"Hello...king of the crossroads." He rolls his eyes at her. "So, shall we?" He glances at Bobby. "You gonna just sit there?"

Bobby scowls. "No, I'm gonna riverdance." Ariel has to bite back a snort of amusement.

"I suppose if you want to impress the ladies." Crowley sighs dramatically. "Bobby, Bobby, Bobby. Really wasted that crossroads deal. Fact: you get more if you phrase it properly. So I took the liberty of adding a teeny little sub-A clause on your behalf." Bobby's eyes widen in realization. "What can I say? I'm an altruist. Just gonna sit there?"

Slowly, Bobby gets to his feet and, to everyone's shock, remains standing. A stunned smile spreads across his face. "Son of a bitch."

"Yes, I know. Completely worth your soul. I'm a hell of a guy." Crowley smirks.

"Thanks." Bobby's still staring at his own legs in bewilderment.

"This is getting maudlin. Can we go?" Crowley sighs exasperatedly, heading for the Impala. Dean rolls his eyes and claps Sam on the shoulder before following behind him.

"Be careful," Ariel says and makes sure to give everyone a hug. Sam squeezes her tightly, Bobby pats her on the back, and Castiel awkwardly places his arms around her in return. Finally, she follows Dean and Crowley to the Impala, climbing into the backseat in time to hear the tail end of Dean's sentence.

"I don't know what you're playing at with Bobby, but-"

"All I'm doing is playing my cards right. I want to not be dead, and you won't kill me if I play nice." Crowley spreads his hands in a "what-can-you-do" gesture. "That's all."

"Don't think we won't be keeping an eye on you all the same," Ariel pipes up, crossing her arms as Crowley turns to look back at her, rolling his eyes.

"Wouldn't expect anything less, love." She scowls; she would have healed Bobby herself, but any large usage of her powers would send a flare straight up to Heaven. Similarly, just transporting Dean and Crowley to Chicago would trigger Heaven's alerts, since Dean and Sam are still on their watchlist.

Still, there's nothing Ariel can do now except put up with Crowley, so she settles back against the seat for a long drive to Chicago.

The trip mainly consists of Ariel childishly throwing bits of old straw wrappers at Crowley, Crowley making indignant noises when he keeps finding specks of white paper all over his black suit, and Dean threatening to "turn this car around if you two don't quit acting like freaking babies, damn it. You two are thousands of years old, start acting like it!"

So this is what an archangel of the Lord has come down to.

"Hey, let's stop for pizza," Crowley suggests cheerfully when they reach the Chicago border.

"Seriously?" Dean complains.

"I'm down for pizza," Ariel agrees tentatively, raising her hand.

"Ariel!" Dean groans.

"What? Chicago pizza's good!" Her eyes widen innocently.

"Kid's got good taste," Crowley says with a grin before pointing straight. "Up ahead. Big, ugly building. Ground zero. Horseman's stable, if you will. He's in there."

Ariel frowns; she would be feeling a big decrease in her powers if Death was nearby. She snaps her fingers and a lollipop appears in her hand. She raises an eyebrow and lets it vanish again. "No, he's not."

Crowley scowls at her. "Excuse you. Of course he is, the place is crawling with reapers."

Ariel looks out the window, seeing black-suited men with somber expressions everywhere. "Well, yeah, but Death isn't here. I'd be pretty much human if he was."

Crowley huffs and disappears. Dean gives Ariel a bewildered look, but Crowley's back within the next second. "Boy, is my face red. The kid's right. He's not in there."

"You want to cut the cute and get to the part where you tell me where he is?" Dean said, irritated.

"Sorry. I don't know." Crowley grimaces. "I'm just as shocked as you, honestly."

"You don't know?!" Dean's eyes narrow. "Bobby sold his soul for this!"

"Relax. All deals are soul back or store credit. We'll catch Death in the next doomed city."

"But millions of people here will die," Ariel protests.

"True. So I strongly suggest we get out of here," Crowley answers nonchalantly even as Dean starts the car, looking disgruntled.

"We're not leaving this city to die," he protests and glances back at Ariel. "Can't you zap everyone somewhere else?"

"Don't you think I would if I could?" Ariel sighs. "But any big use of my powers now is like a neon flare to Heaven, and we can't risk that, not when we're so close to stopping the Apocalypse."

"So what do we do, call a bomb threat? A thousand bomb threats? How the hell are we supposed to get three million people out of Chicago within the next ten minutes and-?" Dean breaks off when Crowley disappears again. "Oh, for fuck's sake."

"Wait, Dean, stop the car," Ariel says suddenly. For a moment, she feels human again, if only for a brief second. Dean obediently stops the car, looking confused, and Ariel glances around, bewildered, and sees Crowley across the street at a pizzeria. "You've got to be kidding me."

Dean follows her gaze to see Crowley mouthing something. "I can't hear you!" he calls back.

"I said Death's in there," Crowley says, abruptly in the passenger seat again. Dean starts.

"He's right," Ariel agrees, sitting up and staring at the pizzeria. "Wow, Death's got pretty good taste."

"You coming or-?" Dean breaks off when he realizes Crowley's gone again. "Not." He glances at Ariel, who shrugs and gets out of the car, borrowed angel blade in hand. If anything, she could at least stop any demons Death might send their way. Clutching Death's scythe, Dean follows her across the street to the pizzeria and ducks into the alley behind it.

Ariel points at the door. "Can't we use the front?"

Dean rolls his eyes. "Sure, if you wanna get killed on sight." Ariel flushes, embarrassed, and follows him around to the back door that leads into the kitchen. There are dead kitchen workers everywhere and Ariel steps carefully over the bodies, her eyebrows knitted together in sorrow when she remembers that the diner Famine had resided in had been the same way. She follows Dean as he pushes the door to the main dining area open, revealing several dead patrons slumped over their tables.

Only one man is sitting upright, calmly cutting a piece of pizza and popping it into his mouth. He's dressed all in black, and has slicked-back dark hair. From what Ariel can see of his face, he has a hooked nose and dark obsidian eyes.

Jeez, he could be Snape from Harry Potter, Ariel thinks wryly, but then Dean hisses in pain and drops the scythe. It seems to be glowing red-hot and Ariel winces in sympathy when she sees the raw burn on Dean's hand. It doesn't look too bad, but the scythe disappears as soon as it hits the floor, reappearing beside the man on the table.

"Thanks for returning that," Death says calmly, "Join me, Dean. The pizza's delicious." Dean edges towards the table nervously while Ariel strolls over to the table, a little emboldened by the non-hostile greeting. After all, she knows this Horseman much better than the others.

"Hello, Death. It's been a long time."

"It has." Death looks up at her, raising an eyebrow. "Egypt, wasn't it?"

"Yep." Ariel grimaces at the memory. Killing the first-born children of every household without a doorway painted in lamb's blood had not been a thrill.

"I must say that I didn't expect you here, Ariel."

She shrugs. "What can I say? I'm full of surprises."

"Yes, clearly. Feel free to join us, too, if you wish." Death glances back at Dean, who's hovering nervously and glancing between the Horseman and archangel in confusion. "Sit down. Took you long enough to find me. I've been wanting to talk to you."

Dean promptly sits down, his eyes wide. "I gotta say, I have mixed feelings about that. So...so is this the part where you kill me?"

"Oh, relax, you know I won't let him," Ariel reassures the human as she takes a seat between Death and Dean and puts a slice of deep-dish pizza on the empty plate in front of her.

"What's more, you have an inflated sense of your importance," Death adds, rolling his eyes, "To a thing like me, a thing like you, well...think how you'd feel if a bacterium sat at your table and started to get snarky. This is one little planet in one tiny solar system in a galaxy that's barely out of its diapers. I'm old, Dean. Very old. To me, even this little one, powerful as she may be, is hardly a speck on my radar." He nods to Ariel. "No offense, dear."

"None taken." Ariel grins back cheerfully; she'd forgotten how sarcastic Death could be.

"So I invite you to contemplate how insignificant I find you," the Horseman tells Dean, popping another piece of pizza in his mouth. "Eat," he orders when Dean doesn't make a move to eat any pizza. Dean reluctantly picks up a slice after looking at Ariel skeptically and takes a bite. "Good, isn't it?"

Ariel bites into her own slice of pizza, enjoying the taste of cheese and tomato sauce on her tongue. "Yeah, very."

"Well, I gotta ask. How old are you?" Dean asks, frowning.

"As old as God. Maybe older. Neither of us can remember anymore. Life, death, chicken, egg." Death shrugs. "Regardless, in the end, I'll reap Him, too."

"God? You'll reap God?" Dean's eyebrows shoot up.

"Of course he will. Dad's not immortal," Ariel points out.

"Well, this is way above my pay grade," Dean mutters.

"Just a bit," Death agrees dryly.

"I have to ask, do you know where He is?" Ariel asks and Death gives her a wry smile.

"Now if I did, do you really think He'd want me to tell you?"

"I guess not." Ariel grimaces, dropping her gaze back to her plate, and Dean squeezes her shoulder lightly.

"So why am I still breathing around you?" he asks, turning back to Death, "What do you want?"

"The leash around my neck off." The answer takes both Dean and Ariel by surprise. "Lucifer has me bound to him. Some unseemly little spell. He has me where he wants, when he wants. That's why I couldn't go to you. I had to wait for you to catch up."

"Is that why you raised the dead in Sioux Falls?" Ariel asks and Death nods.

"He made me his weapon. Hurricanes, floods, raising the dead. I'm more powerful than you can process, and I'm enslaved to a bratty child with a temper tantrum."

Ariel wrinkles her nose; she supposes that's one way to describe Lucifer. "You think we can unbind you?"

"Of course you can't. But you can help me take the bullets out of Lucifer's gun." Ariel shrugs. "I understand you want this." Death holds up a silver ring.

"Yeah," Dean agrees, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm inclined to give it to you," Death continues calmly.

"To give it to us?" Dean echoes, bewildered.

"That's what I said." Death rolls his eyes.

"But what about-?"

"Chicago?" Death glances at the torrential rain now pouring outside. "I suppose it can stay. I like the pizza." Just like that, the storm outside clears up and the sun shines brightly outside. People look around, bewildered, as they put their umbrellas away.

"Rock on." Ariel holds her fist up briefly, and Dean looks relieved.

"There are conditions," Death adds quickly, stemming their enthusiasm.

"Okay. Like?" Dean frowns.

"You have to do whatever it takes to put Lucifer in his cell." When Dean doesn't look enlightened, Death repeats, "Whatever it takes." And then Ariel gets it.

"That's the plan," Dean points out.

"No. No plan. Not yet."

"He wants Sam to jump," Ariel says quietly and Dean turns sharply to look at her.

"What? So he thinks-?"

"I know," Death interrupts, "So I need a promise. You're going to let your brother jump right into that fiery pit. Well, do I have your word?"

Dean's jaw clenches as he thinks, and Ariel's sure he'll say "no" and walk out. Ariel would be right behind him, of course, because there's no way they'll let Sam- "Okay, yeah. Yes."

...what?

"Dean-" Ariel hisses and he shakes his head at her.

"That had better be 'yes,' Dean. You know you can't cheat death." Death slides over his ring and Dean picks it up. "Now, would you like the instruction manual?"

Ten minutes later, Dean and Ariel are leaving the pizzeria through the front door. Apparently, all they have to do is place the rings near each other - causing the rings to automatically fuse together - and say a certain incantation to open the Cage.

"I still can't believe you agreed," Ariel mutters.

"Air, Sam's been pushing for this, and you know that." Dean doesn't look any happier about it than she feels. "And...I dunno. It's about time I put some faith in him, right?"

"True," Ariel agrees with a sigh. "I just wish it didn't have to mean he'd have to jump."

"Yeah, neither do I." Dean grimaces as they reach the Impala and climb in, Ariel sliding into the passenger seat. Crowley's nowhere to be seen, much to Ariel's relief. She doesn't think she can stand his snark at the moment.

It's a quiet drive back to Sioux Falls, and the only noise comes from Dean flipping on the radio to blare Led Zeppelin. Ariel winces at the volume, but says nothing; Dean needs the musical therapy more at the moment. After all, he's just agreed to sacrifice his brother.

When they finally reach the salvage yard, Dean disappears into the garage, ring in hand and a pensive expression on his face, while Ariel ventures into the house.

"Hey." Sam smiles as he hugs her tightly as soon as she enters the living room. "How'd it go with Death?"

"Good, he gave us the ring, no trouble. Crowley ran away before the big meeting with Death, but that's probably better for us." She smiles back faintly, figuring Dean would want to tell Sam the details himself.

"That's great." Sam grins. "Glad to know something's going easy for us these days, right?"

"Yeah, definitely." He ruffles her hair. "So what happened with the shipments?"

"Several demons were already there and set many Croatoans after us," Castiel says from the couch as she goes to join him, giving him a brief hug in greeting. "We killed all the infected and freed the warehouse employees."

"All of them?" Sam nods. "That's good." Ariel smiles, relieved. "And all three of you are okay?"

"Better than that," Sam chuckles, nodding to the stairs. "Bobby's been testing out his new legs." Ariel sees the older hunter coming down again, grinning widely, and waves at him.

"Hey, Bobby. How're your legs?"

He rolls his eyes at her. "Don't laugh." She smirks, anyway. "Dean out back?" She nods and Bobby heads out the back door, probably to find Dean and ask him what happened.

Sam collapses onto Ariel's other side, throwing his arm around Ariel's shoulders with a tired smile. "Looks like things are finally coming together." Ariel smiles back at him before letting it fade slightly when she recalls what exactly he has to do. Sam may be on board with it, but she sure isn't.

She buries her face into Sam's side as a startled Sam wraps his arms around her. He shoots a bewildered look over her head at Castiel, who merely shrugs back at him in confusion.

I really have no excuse other than pure laziness, writer's block, and other things distracting me.

I mean, I've been on summer break for a week now, and literally, all I can think about is watching Monty Python and the Holy Grail (NI!) and getting stuff ready for my birthday tomorrow. Oh, and spazzing over final grades coming in. Whoops. :/

I'm really glad you guys are taking an active interest in Ariel's fate, though, especially regarding what'll happen when she returns to Heaven. I won't give away anything, but I'm definitely keeping all of your ideas in mind while writing. That being said, for those who don't know already, I do plan to write a Season 6 sequel, but won't go on to further seasons (AKA I'm making season 6 an AU near the end so that I can spin it into a conclusion for the show).

...I think that's all I have to say, but I feel like I'm forgetting something. Oh, well. Review, please! :)