March, 9th 2014

I don't own any of the characters, CW and Eric Kripke do!

Beta for this Chapter: Ashqtara

A/N: Hey there my loyal readers :)

Am I writing for myself and two other people here? :/ Apparently nobody even reads this...it's taking away my motivation, I haven't written anything productive in weeks and I'm gonna run out of chapters soon...I'm serious, reviews help, even if it's just one sentence, I just want to know if you're enjoying it or if there's something wrong and when yes then what...please? D:

This chapter is the 'quiet before the storm' one. Just warning you...

Now please enjoy :3

Chapter 17

If you love somebody
Better tell them while they're here 'cause
They may just run away from you

"Gifts? What gifts?" Sam asked, suspicious. He still couldn't quite shake the vary feeling he had around angels. Too many bad experiences with Zachariah, he guessed. But he was a little curious, too. Dean-Michael smiled and walked over to Bobby, who still sat in his wheelchair.

"Yeah. What d'ya mean by that?" Bobby asked, not quite sure about the archangel coming closer to him like that. But Michael just kept smiling and the projection appeared next to him again, revealing that it was indeed Dean that was grinning manically.

"You remember how you got possessed and saved me from becoming barbecue on a stick by taking the hit for yourself?"

"Every day, boy. What's your point?"

"Don't you see, Bobby? I have a freaking archangel inside me. Cas was weak at that time but Michael? There's nothing he can't cure! He made Croatoan disappear from my system just yesterday."

"You had croatoan in your system? Why has nobody decided to tell me about that particular detail?" Bobby questioned, glancing around with accusing glances. Sam lowered his gaze for a short second just before it shot back up again. Of course…why hadn't he seen it sooner? Why hadn't he realized?

Dean leaned over Bobby and touched his legs, both palms gripping his thighs tightly. But he was a little too close for the older hunter's comfort.

The position didn't last though, because after a few seconds, a light shone from Dean's hand and he leaned back again, pleased with his work.

"Good, Dean. You're managing that power quite quickly. We should be ready for battle soon." Michael stated, seeming pleased. Dean shrugged.

"You heard that, Sammy? Apparently, I'm a natural with angel powers. Who knew."

"Guess we're both freaks after all." Sam countered with a grin and Dean grinned back, bright as the sun.

"Guys? Can a cured old man get some attention here? I can feel my damn legs!" The hunter in the wheelchair interrupted them. Bobby had a smile of joy on his face that the brothers hadn't seen for a long time and he moved his feet as if that was the best thing he ever saw. Dean stepped forward, lending the older hunter a hand and pulling him up. Bobby stumbled but after a second, he actually managed to get a hold and stand on his very own feet, actually giving a loud laugh. He turned to his boys and gave Dean a big hug.

"Thank you, Dean. I know this wasn't your main reason for doing this and I still want to punch out of you why you're going through with this whole angel thing but this is sure one hell of a nice side effect." The next hug went to Sam and he whispered in his ear how he believed that they would get through this, Sam especially. And even though it was just one little sentence, it still warmed Sam's heart that Bobby had faith in him like this. He nodded his thanks as Bobby went on to walk around the room, obviously enjoying just being able to do that task. He hugged Adam, telling him as a joke that now of course, his lessons would be much harder.

"Well, now I can at least kick your ass without you getting the wheelchair discount." The youngest Winchester countered and Bobby shook his head at him, rolling his eyes in fake annoyance.

"Definitely got the smart retorts from his father." He glanced at the other two Winchesters in the room and grumbled. "Winchesters." Under his breath.

"They're a handful, aren't they? Don't know how you put up with that all the time." Gabriel mumbled under his breath. He juggled some kitchen items with one hand, letting them float in mid-air as if he just needed something to entertain himself. Sam guessed that that probably wasn't even that farfetched. The middle Winchester looked up to find Michael staring at him, contemplating.

"What? Am I next? What could you possibly give me?" he asked, smiling. A while ago angels didn't even want to shake his hand. Now they wanted to help him and give him presents? What the hell happened. No wait, hell wasn't…he should probably stop saying that all the time.

"I already did, actually.", was Michael's answer. "Don't you feel it?"

Sam's eyes widened and he blinked rapidly, no clue what the angel was talking about. But wait a second…had it always been this easy to breath, think, move? Where….where was his buried anger? That thing boiling underneath the surface… he grabbed his chest as if searching for the pressure that wasn't there.

"It's gone. Did you...d-did you make the demon blood go away?" he asked, tears welling in his eyes suddenly.

"WHAT?" echoed through the room, coming from almost everybody present, including Dean. He looked at his angel buddy and stared, hopefully.

"Really? You can actually do that?" but they were all disappointed when the archangel shook his head.

"No, not completely. I'm sorry. But Azazel fed you his blood when you were so very young…I can't erase all the traces. But I did purify the tint on your soul the last two years gave you, Ruby's filthy darkness and the one that my brother started to leave on you. So you should be back to where you came from. Also, with Dean and me present, you should be save from further interferences. We may be surrounded by demons but they won't actually be able to get in here with Gabriel and me in the house."

"Wait, we're surrounded?" Bobby asked, this was news to almost all of them. Dean was the one to nod, expression dark.

"Yeah, I can feel them, they're all around the savage yard, trying to get in. Of course they'd know where we are by now." Michael nodded in confirmation.

"If not from Lucifer then from any demon who knows you live in this place. But it doesn't matter, with me and Gabriel here they can't even enter a 5 mile radius." Gabriel frowned at his brother.

"Hey, I'm not doing a thing. If anything, they're probably just afraid of you, that's all." The archangel grinned at his older brother and Michael grinned right back. Michael had always scared the shit out of…well, anybody, really. It was one of the things that made him a fearsome leader. Nobody dared defy him of all angels. Finally, when the message sank in that they were surrounded but not in immediate danger, Michael got back into Santa mode.

"Adam Milligan." Michael spoke Adam's name and the boy jumped, obviously not expecting the sudden attention and all the eyes on him.

"Y-yes?" he asked. It wasn't that he was afraid or anything, just startled.

"I have something for you as well. Here." He let Dean grab behind his back and in the next second, there was a book in the older Winchester's hand. A big book. Bible-in-the-church-big with golden pages and everything.

"What's this, the Bible, deluxe edition?" Adam raised an eyebrow. Bobby was right, Adam did have Dean's mouth and sarcastic tendencies. Michael just smiled and went on.

"It's from the library of heaven. I happen to take you for the theoretical kind of new hunter and this book contains knowledge no human has ever laid eyes upon. It writes about the basic and general knowledge of enochian, our language, the order in heaven and the depth of hell, of rules the angels have and our real bodies, sigils and their influences…"

"Heaven and Hell 101. Got it." Adam breathed. He stared at the book that was now handed to him with new eyes. "But…this is…how can you just hand something like that to me of all people?" he questioned. And it was a right question. Because seriously, handing them knowledge like this…wasn't that kind of signing your own death certificate? Many hunters would kill to get to this kind of information and demons certainly would, too. Michael nodded and took a step back.

"This is my peace offering to you hunters. I want hunters and angels on the same side, fighting for the same goal: The safety of humanity. Because if we all think back to the beginning, that was what my father's creation was all about. He made us angels and then he made you. And he told us to love you as much as we love our siblings and more than we loved him. Lucifer never could and father made him the devil for his hate of humankind. Over the millennia…I guess that goal to love humankind and cherish it got lost. And maybe that is even why father left in the first place." Michael took a deep breath. This was obviously a serious and long-thought-about topic for him. "If I want to win this war, I want to win it right. There has to be change in the world. Things can't go back to the way they were because they weren't the way they should have been. And you, Adam Milligan. Or Winchester, if you want" Dean winked at Adam but the youngest sibling just huffed and turned back to Michael. "You are a hunter that is new to all of this but part of one of the best hunting families there is. This book can not be touched by anything that has evil intentions, it will simply slip from their grasp. So as long as you have the will to claim and protect the knowledge, it will be yours."

Slowly, Adam's head gave a nod and his eyes shone with delight and even something akin to being honored. He stared down at the book in his hands and finally dropped to the kitchen chair Gabriel had conjured behind him, seeing Adam's knees give in before he did.

"That's a lot of weight on his shoulders, Michael. Don't ya think-"

"But of course you'll be helping him, right Bobby? He does live with you after all." Michael lifted his eyebrows, obviously expecting no less from the seasoned hunter. Bobby's eyes widened as he stood beside Adam. Sure, the boy had grown on him like all the Winchester boys eventually did. So…what was the harm? It wasn't that much different, right?

So, in the end, Bobby nodded in confirmation as Adam looked up to him from the chair. Alone the fact that Bobby was able to stand now, move around freely without help, helped the case a lot. As soon as Adam and the older Hunter nodded at each other, Bobby returned to his pacing, which he had done ever since he could move from the wheelchair, visibly enjoying his newfound strength and flexibility. Honestly, he felt younger than even before the incident, old wounds not itching, scars partly vanished. It was as if he got a complete do-over. When this was all over, he had to get a good look at the Winchester brothers. Or ask them if it was the same with them, mostly Dean though. Bobby wondered if after being Michael's vessel, if not destroyed by the archangel's power from the inside, would Dean bear any scars at all anymore? But that didn't matter right now as Michael finally turned to Abby.

"And now to you, Abigail." But Abby stood, throwing up her hands.

"Oh no. No, I'm fine without some holy mission, thank you very much." She visibly threw up her defenses around herself. Abby wasn't sure if she could deal with that much responsibility. Sure, she had always wanted people to trust her more and not put her away as some weak woman who couldn't do anything but having some book shoved on her…no, thank you. Maybe she read from time to time, even enjoyed books but she had never been that much of a research and more of the action type of hunter. Honestly, she had thought that she would be ignored in all this, seeing as she only knew these people for a few days. Michael smiled at her now.

"I wanted to tell you that I visited Larry in his personal heaven. He's save, content and he isn't blamed for Baal claiming him. Also, he wants me to tell you that his house is yours if you want it, all things inside it included. And if you don't, you should erase all evidence and move on like he taught you to." The archangel explained, carefully avoiding certain topics. Dean glanced at Michael, then back at Abby. The things he knew because of Michael's mind, things about Abigail here…it was impressive he'd never even considered it.

Abby just nodded, sitting back down. She had her lips pressed together and tears in the corners of her eyes but was careful not to spill them in front of everybody. Quickly whipping them away, she looked back up and smiled a tight smile.

"Thank you. That means so much to me." She said and her fingers stroked over the journal on the table, the one from Larry. Sam hadn't even noticed it being there until now, right next to the coffee mug. There were several new bookmarks in it though and Sam wondered what that was about.

Strangely enough, Michael stared at Abby for a moment, as if contemplating something. Finally, he decided against it and thought that it would be better for some things to be kept private…for now. It was after all Abby's choice when to talk about it, right? So he smiled and turned to the others.

"Okay, then. Let's get this party started. We should sit down and make a game plan, collect everything we know and find out where Death is hiding. Or rather where Luci has him because I don't think Death would ever go with him on his own free will."

And with those cheerful words but a far better attitude, they got to work.

~.~.~.~

A few hours later, the kitchen looked like a scene out of any war movie, scattered maps and notes everywhere, books open and on top of each other, pens gathered and little pins for marking lying around. Sam sighed and yawned deeply. He had taken a showed a few minutes ago, still having sweat all over his body from lying in bed and having Lucifer rummage around his consciousness. For the first time, he had really have time for himself and he had noticed what had seemed so odd about himself for a few days: His scars were missing. All of them. It was as if he was a completely cleared canvas again, old burns and cuts from hunts entirely forgotten.

Must be from back when I almost got killed by that angel. So I wasn't dreaming after all. Michael must have healed me. Oh, I'm so talking to Dean about this. But not right now. Tired.

He yawned again and Dean looked up from one of the maps he was studying. Michael was beside him and the other two angels were on the other side of the table. Abby was still up, she seemed to do far better than just a few hours before. Knowing Larry was safe in heaven really seemed to have helped her with the grief, Sam guessed. She had been pretty good at burying it but he had always known it was still there, from experience.

"Maybe you should hit the hay, Sammy." Dean smiled at him as he tilted his head. That warm smile…he hadn't seen that smile in years. Content and proud of him, warm and full of love. God, he'd never realized how he'd missed that expression on Dean's face.

Was it that he was starting to accept that for Dean, this had been the right decision? That having Michael with him was actually good for his brother? Was he really accepting that?

Eventually a little, yeah. Michael being here had already brought them Gabriel to their side as well and even if Sam had hated the trickster for what he had pulled on him and Dean before Dean's trip to hell and later with the tv channels, he was a powerful ally. Plus, Bobby's ability to walk certainly was a plus, as well as that book that was now resting in Adam's lap. The youngest Winchester was practically absorbing this information by now and then he would look up and spout a random interesting fact into their little planning round, distracting them from whatever they'd been doing.

Right now, Sam looked at his older half and nodded. Yeah, maybe he was still a little whipped from that half sleep a few hours ago with Lucifer jumping around.

"You're right. I'm turning in, guys. Night."

The others looked up from whatever they were doing, Bobby leaning over a book, Gabriel pointing at spots on the map that Michael marked of and Castiel studying another text on a scroll in his hands. They all nodded and smiled at him, most of them not as tired but showing that they had worked hard on this.

Planning a war wasn't easy, even if half the information came from all-knowing angels. Lucifer was a tough opponent to deal with and his forces were strong. Michael was constantly giving instructions over the angel radio, sending out troops to the hot spots but they were losing many angels and Michael seemed to get frustrated. At one point, he had sighed.

"It's time I joined in, Dean." He had spoken quietly and Dean had nodded, his expression serious.

"We can end this, right? Stop the suffering?"

"Yes. But we still need Death's ring. And there's one more thing…" and then his whispering had become too quiet for Sam to hear.

He now nodded at the others as well, mentally choosing the bedroom he had occupied earlier today. Finally, he gave a last smile to his brother before he turned around completely.

"Good night, Dean."

"Yeah, sleep tight." Dean answered before turning back to the battle plans.

If only Sam had known what would happen next. He would have been far more extensive. Sam would have told Dean that he loved him, that he thanked him for everything he'd ever done for him, that he wanted him to forgive him, one day. He would have begged him not to do whatever he was up to and he would have hugged him, holding on for dear life.

Most of all, he would have wanted to say goodbye to his big brother.

~.~.~.~

If you love somebody
Better tell them while they're here 'cause
They may just run away from you
You'll never know what went well

Then again it just depends on
How long of time is left for you
I've had the highest mountains

I've had the deepest rivers
You can have it all but not til you prove it
Now take it in but don't look down

'Cause I'm on top of the world, 'ay
I'm on top of the world, 'ay
Waiting on this for a while now
Paying my dues to the dirt

~ On Top of the World, Imagine Dragons

So yeah. Santa Mode and making a game plan for the Apocalypse :D. Sounds good, huh?

What do you think? PLEASE tell me, all reviews are love :3

*Does Sammy's Puppy Dog eyes*