Chapter 34

Then:

"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.

Now:

"So we're really doing this, then. We're putting Lucifer back in the Cage." Sam reclines on the hood of the Impala with Ariel perched beside him carefully. She and Dean had finally caved and told Sam what exactly they had agreed to with Death.

"Looks like. Not that I like this idea any more than I did before."

Sam ruffles her hair affectionately even as he sips his beer, smiling faintly. "It'll be okay, Air." Ariel wishes she didn't have to think about how it might be one of the last few times he'd ever call her that again.

"I guess." She leans against his side and he wraps an arm loosely around her shoulders. They sit contentedly in silence for a long time, Sam drinking his beer while Ariel silently soaks in the warmth of the tall human beside her, before Dean comes out to join them. Ariel slips off the car, knowing Dean would want to talk to his brother alone, and reenters the house to find Castiel.

She finds him in the kitchen, absently eating a bowl of cereal.

"Lucky Charms?" she deadpans, peering at the colorful box beside his bowl.

"The marshmallows taste good," Castiel grumbles, defiantly shoving a spoonful into his mouth.

"I can't deny that." She squeezes his shoulder. "I guess we're in the final stretch now."

"Yes. We'll find some demons later today and collect their blood." Ariel grimaces at the thought as Castiel continues to eat his cereal as if he hasn't just spoken about mass murder and blood-draining.

She hates the idea that Sam has to drink even more demon blood, especially after he had cleaned up from Famine's influence so well, but it seems the only way to stand Lucifer's possession now.

"What about you?" Ariel is jolted from her thoughts by the sudden question.

"Me?" She frowns, confused.

"Seeing Lucifer for the first time since your memories returned. Are you ready?" Castiel watches her calmly, his eyebrows furrowed, and she sighs.

"Honestly? I don't know how to react when I see him again. It'll be kind of awkward," she admits.

Castiel gives an uncharacteristic snort. "Understatement."

"Shut it." She tugs one of his unruly dark locks affectionately. "And don't mouth off to him or Michael, I don't want you getting blown up to the point where even I can't put you back together."

Castiel winces both at the hair-tug and her words even as he leans into the touch of her hand. "I shall restrain myself," he promises with a small chuckle.

With Ariel's powers back, it isn't hard for her and Bobby to track down two demons in an abandoned warehouse just outside of Sioux Falls. Ariel's Grace is like a supernatural neon sign, so she distracts them by cloaking herself and watching them search fruitlessly for her before leading them into a devil's trap the Winchesters have laid out on the floor. With one snap of her fingers, they're both strung up and ready to be drained.

Sam and Castiel drain the demons' bodies of blood while Ariel waits outside with Dean and Bobby, nauseated by the thought of collecting large amounts of demon blood.

"You know, I still can't get used to you at eye level," Dean says to Bobby.

"So was I right?" Bobby demands, not amused.

"As always, Yoda," Ariel teases, "Two stunt demons inside, just like you said. It wasn't hard to get them tied up." As if on cue, Sam and Castiel return to load the trunk of the Impala full of blood-filled plastic gallon jugs. Dean goes over to check their progress.

"You got it?" Bobby asks when Dean returns.

"Yep. All the 'go juice' Sammy can drink." Dean doesn't look happy at the thought, and Ariel nudges his foot lightly with her own.

"You okay?"

He nods tensely even as he asks Bobby, "Any omens?"

"Not many." Bobby hands over a newspaper. "Cyclone in Florida, temperature drop in Detroit, wildfires in L.A." He glances over at Ariel's pensive expression. "Those mean anything to you, kid?"

"Fires aren't Lucifer's style, despite popular belief," she admits quietly, "The cyclone, maybe, but I'm leaning towards Detroit."

"That's the one," Dean agrees firmly, "Devil's in Detroit."

"Really? As far as foreboding goes, it's a little light in the loafers. You sure?" Bobby raises an eyebrow.

Ariel nods. "We're sure." As Bobby returns to load up his truck, she glances at Dean with a wry smile. "2014?"

He nods, his lips pursed. "He was right. We'd always end up here."

She squeezes his shoulder gently. "It's not going to end with Sam saying 'yes,' Dean." He doesn't look convinced.

Ariel rides in the Impala with Castiel in the backseat and the Winchesters up front, with Bobby following behind them in his truck. Detroit is a long drive, and Castiel soon falls asleep against the window, causing Ariel to smile faintly when she notices.

"Aww, ain't he a little angel?" Dean snarks from the driver's seat, glancing up at Castiel in the rearview mirror.

Sam says quietly, "Angels don't sleep." It's clear now more than ever how human Castiel is. Ariel gently maneuvers Castiel down so that his head is in her lap, stroking his hair gently as she relaxes against the leather seat of the car, settling in for a long night's drive.

"I got a bad feeling about this," Dean says quietly at last, breaking the silence in the car.

"You'd be nuts to have a good feeling about it," Sam deadpans.

"You know what I mean. Detroit. He always said he'd jump your bones in Detroit. Here we are," Dean points out and Sam nods dully.

"Here we are."

"Maybe this is him rolling out the red carpet, you know? Maybe he knows something that we don't." Dean glances up at Ariel through the rearview mirror, as if asking for confirmation.

"He's an archangel," she admits, "Fallen or not, he'll know a lot we don't."

"We've just got to hope he doesn't know about the rings," Sam adds before his expression falters. "Hey, um... on the subject, there's something I got to talk to you about."

"What?" Dean asks. Sensing the privacy of the subject, Ariel tries to tune them out, glancing down at her sleeping brother and carding her fingers through his hair.

"This thing goes our way and I...Triple Lindy into that box...you know I'm not coming back," Sam says carefully and when Dean doesn't react, he plunges ahead, "So you've got to promise not to try to bring me back."

Ariel had assumed he would try to get them to promise something like that, but her throat still constricts when he voices it.

"What? No, I didn't sign up for that," Dean protests instantly. "Your Hell is gonna make my tour look like Graceland. You want me just to sit by and do nothing?"

"Once the Cage is shut, you can't go poking at it, Dean. It's too risky." Sam glances around at Ariel, silently asking for backup, and she shakes her head. It's not as if she agreed to this, either.

"As if I'm just gonna let you rot in there," Dean scoffs.

"Yeah, you are. You don't have a choice." Sam's expression crumples as he sighs, clearly disappointed by Dean's stubbornness.

"So then what am I supposed to do?" Dean croaks at last. Ariel pretends not to hear the tremble in his voice.

"You go find Lisa. You pray she's dumb enough to take you in, and you...have barbecues and go to football games. You go live some normal, apple-pie life, Dean. Promise me." Dean remains silent and Sam glances back at Ariel. "You'll keep an eye on everyone, right?"

"Sure I will." Ariel cracks a small smile. Sam hadn't made her promise to not pull him out of the Cage, which leaves her with a loophole she can exploit later. Dean glances up at her in the rearview mirror, his eyes shining suspiciously with tears, and she nods slightly back at him.

She's not going to leave one of her best friends to suffer.

It takes them a long time to get to Detroit, and the rest of the car ride is tense and silent in preparation. Sam is essentially going to jump-start the Apocalypse, and they're reaching the final countdown. Castiel wakes only minutes before they arrive and pretends that he was never asleep in his sister's lap to save his own dignity.

Ariel decides to keep teasing him, anyway.

When they reach Detroit at the same time as Bobby, they convene in an alley where the temperature drops the lowest. Bobby checks the building across the street through binoculars while Ariel just stares at the building, doing the same without the need for binoculars.

"At least two dozen demons scattered all over the place," she confirms at last.

"You were right," Bobby admits grudgingly as he lowers his binoculars, "Something's up."

"More than something," Dean says grimly as he goes to unlock the trunk of the Impala to get the jugs of demon blood, "He's here. I know it."

That seems to be the cue for Sam to close the gap between himself and Bobby and hug the older hunter tightly. Bobby pats his back lightly with a quiet, "I'll see you around, kid."

"See you around," Sam echoes quietly and pulls away.

"When he gets in...you fight him tooth and nail, you understand? Keep swingin'. Don't give an inch."

"Yes, sir." Sam nods before holding his hand out to Castiel next. "Take care of these guys, okay?"

"That's impossible," Castiel answers frankly and Ariel bites back a snort of amusement.

Sam looks wearily amused, too. "Humor me."

Castiel frowns, bewildered, before it clicks. "Oh, I was supposed to lie. Uhh, sure. They'll be fine."

"You know what? Just stop talking," Sam sighs, still smiling tiredly as he shakes Castiel's hand before scooping Ariel up into a tight hug. She doesn't hesitate to clutch him as best as she can, burying her face into his shoulder. "Thanks for everything, Air," he says quietly against her hair.

"Yeah, no problem." Her voice trembles slightly and she tries not to think about the thick ache in the back of her throat as she kisses the side of his head affectionately. "Be careful."

"I will." He kisses the top of her head as he sets her down and she finds herself wishing he'd held onto her for just a little longer. Sam walks to the open trunk of the Impala before looking up at all of them, his expression bleak. "You guys mind not watching this?" Everyone obediently averts their eyes as Sam picks up the first jug of demon blood to start chugging it.

It's not more than a few minutes before Sam shuts the car trunk and everyone finds it safe to look again. Sam wipes his mouth with his sleeve, taking a deep breath and glancing at Dean before setting off towards the building. Dean follows him instantly. Ariel lingers back with Castiel and Bobby; this is something the brothers should do alone, and she doesn't think she can face Lucifer just yet. She watches anxiously as the brothers are ushered into the building by some demons.

The wait outside is tense, Castiel's hand tight on Ariel's shoulder while Bobby paces nervously beside them. Ariel settles for watching the window, waiting for some sign that Sam has either succeeded or lost. The window flares with light suddenly and Ariel shuts her eyes more because of its connotation than because the light pains her.

"Ariel?" Castiel asks warily and she opens her eyes at last, looking up at her brother mournfully.

"Lucifer has his vessel."

Silence falls again, and Bobby mutters quietly at last, "Balls."

Dean joins them outside soon, conspiciously sans Sam and with tear-filled eyes that he swipes dry on his sleeve.

"Sam lost," he croaks bleakly when Bobby, Ariel, and Castiel meet him halfway. "Lucifer knew about the rings, but Sam said yes, anyway. Lucifer won out. He said Sam was long gone."

Ariel's not sure whether to feel crushing disappointment or to hold out on her hope that maybe Sam can still fight back. After all, a vessel's soul isn't gone unless the archangel cuts it loose, and she knows Lucifer well enough to know that he wouldn't cut Sam loose at all. "We'll see," she says grimly instead.

There seems to be a static charge in the air, something vitally shifted now as they walk down the street aimlessly, trying to catch any news possible. Dean finds a store window filled with television screens, which are showing broadcasts of what's happening around the world.

"Reports are flooding in - a 7.6 earthquake in Portland, 8.1 in Boston, more in Hong Kong, Berlin, and Tehran. The U.S.G.S. has no explanation, but says to expect a six-figure death toll."

"It's starting," Castiel notes, glancing at Ariel, who nods in agreement.

"You think?" Dean snaps back.

"No need to be mean," Castiel answers, balking.

"So what do we do now?" Dean demands.

"I suggest we imbibe copious amounts of alcohol and wait for the inevitable blast wave," Castiel says blankly.

"Wait, you're kidding me, right?" Ariel turns on Castiel, bewildered. "We're not doing anything to stop it?"

"You know just as well as I do that we don't. Lucifer will meet Michael on the chosen field, and the battle of Armageddon will begin," Castiel says, frowning.

"Okay, well, where's this chosen field?" Dean interrupts them.

"I don't know." Castiel shakes his head.

When Dean looks at Ariel, she shrugs. "I wasn't trusted with the details."

"I'm sorry, Dean. This is over," Castiel adds and Ariel can hear the dejection in his voice, even though Dean is only incensed by it.

"You listen to me, you junkless sissy, we are not giving up! Bobby?" He turns to the older hunter, who looks chagrined.

"There was never much hope to begin with. I don't know what to do."

Dean looks as if he's been slapped as he turns to Ariel desperately. "Air," he pleads weakly, his voice cracking slightly.

She bites her lip, not wanting to give up, but at the same time...wait a second. "Chuck," she says abruptly.

Dean blinks, bewildered. "Uhh, no, I'm pretty sure you're Ariel."

"No, I mean Chuck's a prophet. He would have seen where the battlefield is," she elaborates excitedly.

Without hesitating, Dean yanks out his phone and dials Chuck's number, already wheeling around to head for the Impala as Ariel, Castiel, and Bobby follow him. He pauses as Chuck picks up before awkwardly saying, "Um...no, Chuck. Who's Mistress Magda?" Ariel snorts. "Yeah, I'll bet. Real close. Whatever happened to Becky?" He pauses, waiting for a response. "Boy, you really got a whole virgin-hooker thing going on, don't you?" He shakes his head and continues, "Sam said yes. Did you see where the title fight goes down?" He frowns. "Stull Cemetery...wait, that's an old boneyard just outside of Lawrence, isn't it?" He glances at Ariel, who nods in confirmation.

"It all has to end where it started, I guess," she adds.

"All right, Chuck. You know of any way to short-circuit this thing?" Dean asks and sighs heavily at Chuck's answer. "Well, do you have any idea what's gonna happen next?" Whatever Chuck says isn't reassuring. "All right. Thanks, Chuck." He hangs up, closing the distance between himself and the Impala.

"You going someplace? You're going to do something stupid. You've got that look," Bobby points out.

"He always has that look, to be fair," Ariel says wryly.

"I'm gonna go talk to Sam," Dean adds.

"You just don't give up," Bobby sighs.

"It's Sam!" Dean retorts.

"If you couldn't reach him here, you're certainly not gonna be able to on the battlefield," Castiel answers.

"Well, if we've already lost, I guess I got nothing to lose, right?" Dean's expression is set.

"I just want you to understand," Castiel insists, "The only thing that you're gonna see out there is Michael killing your brother."

Ariel's stomach twists at the thought of not just Lucifer, but Sam being killed. Dean's expression doesn't change. "Then I ain't gonna let him die alone." He climbs into the Impala and starts the engine. Within seconds, he's pulled out of the alley and disappeared.

Bobby sighs and heads for his truck. When he sees Ariel and Castiel raising their eyebrows at him, he says grudgingly, "What? It ain't like I'm gonna let the idjit run headfirst into that battle without backup." Grinning, Ariel goes ahead and climbs into the truck as well, Castiel joining them without hesitation only moments later.

Within minutes, they're on the highway to Lawrence, Kansas, the Impala's tail lights shining brightly on the road just ahead of them.

...I really have no excuse other than terrible writer's block and a summer class. Every time I opened this document, the cursor would just blink mockingly until I shut it down again. I couldn't write at all and I don't know why.

It will take a while for me to upload the next (and hopefully final) chapter, because I do plan to write the first chapter of the next story and upload them simultaneously so that you guys don't have to wait and keep watching for whenever I post the sequel. Hopefully, it won't take as long as this time.

So enjoy this chapter, despite its shortness, and I'm really sorry for the wait. But I refuse to respond to people asking me when I plan to update, as I've said countless times before. I appreciate how invested you are in the story, but asking me to update is pressuring and I really don't like it. Thanks for being patient.