Author's Note: HUGE apology for the long delay, but life has been pretty busy! I tried making this as long as possible without making it boring. Hope you enjoy it! :)

Arielle lay on the bed, arm thrown over her face as Dean sat on the edge of the other bed, watching TV as news of earthquakes and hurricanes and other natural disasters were explained with the excuse of carbon emissions.

"Yeah, right, wavy gravy," Dean muttered to the screen. Arielle took a peek from under her forearm to find Sam at the table, eyes blankly staring at their father's journal. She sat up, intent on getting his mind off everything for a while when a knock came to the door. Reacting, both Arielle and Dean grab their guns as Sam slowly opened the door. A young woman seems to be hyperventilating as her eyes desperately scan Sam.

"You okay, lady?" Sam asked, brow furrowed in concern. Arielle steps just behind Sam, hidden by his frame.

The woman smiled wide, still breathing erratically. "Sam… is it really you?" Arielle took a peek from behind him, but the woman didn't notice as she took a step forward and placed a hand on his chest. "And you're so firm."

Sam's eyes widened and Arielle is now biting her lip to keep from laughing. "Uh, do I know you?" The woman finally stepped back, smiling wide.

"No. But I know you. You're Sam Winchester. And you're –" she started, her eyes finally landing on Dean. "– not what I pictured. I'm Becky." The woman tried to step past Sam, but Arielle decided it was time to show herself and stood in the way, gun to her face. The woman's face went white and a low groan escaped her lips.

"Alright, sunshine. How about you explain how you know my brothers?" Arielle stated calmly, waving the gun to the chair at the table. The woman immediately complied, her eyes wide and wet as they never strayed from the gun.

Sam reached out and placed a hand over Arielle's. "I honestly don't think she's a danger at all," he said, his eyes going over the woman again.

Dean stepped up to his sister, his own eyes also on the new intruder. "Gotta go with Sam on this one, Elle. Put it away." The blonde scowled, returned the gun to her lower back and stepped away to close the door of the room.

"I don't know who you are," Becky said quietly while motioning to Arielle. "But, I've read all about you guys," Becky continued with another hand wave towards the boys. "And I've even written a few…" Even with the tears, she giggled at the train of thought she kept to herself. "Anyway, Mr. Edlund told me where you were."

"Chuck?" Dean asked, taking a step closer.

Becky nodded, absentmindedly wiping at her face. "He's got a message, but he's being watched. Angels. Nice change-up to the mythology, by the way. The demon stuff was getting kind of old."

Arielle rolled her eyes. "Just give us the message," she spat, arms crossed over her chest.

"Right," Becky stuttered, eyes settling on her hands. "He had a vision. 'The Michael sword is on earth. The angels lost it.'"

"The Michael sword?" Dean repeated, his gaze going to Arielle and Sam.

"Becky, does he know where it is?" Sam asked, intent on the woman before him.

She gave a tiny nod, a pink tint spreading over her features. "In a castle, on a hill made of forty-two dogs." She looked away from Sam's eyes, her cheeks burning red now.

"Forty-two dogs?" Dean repeated again, his hand rubbing his forehead now.

"Are… you sure you got that right?" Sam asked politely.

Becky gave a more eager nod this time and stood. "It doesn't make sense, but that's what he said." The woman stepped closer to Sam. "I memorized every word." Arielle had to bite back a laugh now, as the woman looked up at her brother, eyes full of adoration. "For you." Sam gave Arielle and Dean a desperate glance as the stranger began to rub her hand over his chest and abs, eyes closed in ecstasy. The two siblings had their backs turned now, laughing silently.

"Um, Becky, c – uh, can you, uh, quit touching me?"

"No."

The trio was alone again, attempting to brainstorm on what the location could be. A knock interrupted their conversation and Dean jumped up to open the door. Arielle smiled when Bobby appeared, hugging Dean with a slap on the back. "Hey, Bobby," Dean greeted with a grin.

"Good to see you boys in one piece," Bobby gruffed, hugging Sammy afterwards. Arielle looked away for a moment and was surprised when Bobby yanked her up from the bed and gave her a hug as well. "And I'm especially glad you're complete. I'd have hung these two up if anything happened to you." Arielle blushed, bowing her head so her hair could block her features.

"You weren't followed, were you?" Dean asked.

"You mean by angels, demons, or Sam's new superfan?" Bobby asked, making Arielle snort and Sam laugh.

Sam scratched at his neck, embarrassed. "You heard."

Bobby smirked at this. "I heard, Romeo. So, sword of Michael, huh?" The siblings nodded as they all took a seat somewhere.

"You think we're talking about the actual sword from the actual archangel?" Dean asked, eyes eager.

"You better friggin' hope so," Bobby replied, placing a book on the table and opening it to a painting of Michael, an army of cherubs around him. "That's Michael. Toughest son of a bitch they got."

All three siblings can't help but notice the extreme feminine features of the angel. Sam flips the page to another section of Michael and another image of what seems like a woman pops up at them. "You kidding me? Tough? That guy looks like Cate Blanchett," Dean commented, smirking when he noticed Arielle trying not to laugh.

Bobby gave him a pointed look. "Well, I wouldn't want to meet him in a dark alley, believe me. He commands the heavenly host. During the last big dust-up upstairs, he's the one who booted Lucifer's ass to the basement," Bobby explained, his finger landing on the picture. "Did it with that sword. So if we can find it…"

"We can kick the devil's ass all over again," Sam finished, a hint of hope in his voice. "All right. So, where do we start?" Arielle ran a hand through her hair, studying the images before them.

"Divvy up and start reading – try and make sense of Chuck's nonsense," Bobby sighed, pushing his hat back and scratching his forehead. Sam nods and heads toward a pile of old books that Bobby brought with him. Arielle turned to him to find him staring at the books without reaching out.

Bobby noticed as well. "Kid? You all right?"

Sam turned to Bobby, unable to face him. Arielle frowned, stepping up beside him and setting a hand on his arm. "No, actually. Bobby, this is all my fault. I'm sorry."

"Sam," Dean started, but Sam continued before he could be interrupted, picking his gaze up from the ground.

"Lilith did not break the final seal. Lilith was the final seal."

"Sam, stop," Arielle said quietly beside him.

The younger brother shrugged off her touch. "I killed her, and I set Lucifer free."

"You what?" Bobby asked.

Sam shook his head. "You guys warned me about Ruby, the demon blood, but I didn't listen. I brought this on."

"You're damn right you didn't listen," Bobby started. "You were reckless and selfish and arrogant."

"I'm sorry," Sam added.

"Oh, yeah?" Bobby said, his eyes darkening now. "You're sorry you started Armageddon? This kind of thing don't get forgiven, boy. If, by some miracle, we pull this off… I want you to lose my number. You understand me?"

Arielle's eyes widened at Bobby's words. Her gaze went from Sam to Dean, noticing their lack of response. Her fingers clenched into fists and her body shook. This was wrong. "Are you fuckin' kidding me, Bobby?" she snapped, stepping in front of Sam as if her small frame could shield him from the words spoken. "You know he didn't mean to. He thought he was doing the right thing. Yeah, he fucked up, but you don't disown family for making their own choices, even if they suck. They aren't here to make us happy, remember? You said so yourself!"

"Arielle." Sam said her name quietly. The blonde turned, her green eyes catching sight of his defeated features. Her defensive posture dropped, knowing this was the last thing that would make things better. "There's an old church nearby. Maybe I'll go read some of the lore books there."

"Yeah. You do that," Bobby stated, earning a daggered look from Arielle. Sam picked up a couple of books and Arielle followed his example. "You going with him?"

Arielle pivoted to face Bobby. "Yes," was her sharp reply. "He's my brother. My family. Although you two seem to have forgotten what that means, I haven't. It might be easy for you to burn your bridge with him, Bobby, but it ain't the same for me. I will never turn my back on him." Dean took a step towards them, wanting to say something but stopping himself.

The young woman scoffed, tightly clutching the books to her chest as she and Sam walked out of the room. The blonde made sure to slam the door behind her. "Arielle…"

"You should have let me at him," the girl huffed, fingers digging into the spines of the books as they walked across the parking lot. "He has no right – "

"Arielle," Sam repeated, his tone firm this time. The youngest Winchester blinked, finally looking up at her brother. He cracked a half-hearted smile. "Thanks. It sucks, but I understand them both. Hell, half the time I disgust myself." The blonde's features softened.

"Sammy…"

He raised a hand, shaking his head as well. "It's fine. I'm just… I'm happy. That you still stand by me. I mean, not even Dean," he said, voice cracking. Arielle unwrapped a hand from stack of books and held Sam's free hand, giving it a squeeze. "Just, thanks."

"That's what family is for," she replied. "You taught me that." Sam smiled, letting go of her hand and hooking his arm over her shoulders.

"You hungry? We can go over the books at the diner we saw a couple of blocks away, instead," he said, his features relaxing a bit. Arielle gave a small nod, wrapping her free arm around his waist as they walked to the restaurant.

The next couple of hours were spent with the duo switching between pouring over the books and sharing college stories. They earned the glares and a couple of disgusted scoffs when Sam had Arielle laughing so hard, she spat her drink all over herself and the floor. "Shit!" she wheezed between coughs and laughter. "You ass!"

Sam clutched at his stomach, his head thrown back in laughter. "Oh man, your face!" he said, wiping at his eyes and finally calming himself down as Arielle cleaned herself up as best as she could. Arielle muttered under her breath as he took a sip from his own drink before checking his watch. "Think we should head back?"

Arielle wrinkled her nose. "I would prefer not to, but we should," she sighed, slowly closing and gathering the books. "Not like we got anything useful, anyways." Sam nodded and motioned to the waitress to get the check. As they waited, Arielle noticed her brother's features darkening once again.

"Hey Sammy?" she asked. The waitress came by just then and she sat quietly until Sam paid her and she was on her way. "Sam," she said again, catching his attention. "I'm sure Bobby will come around." He gave her a forced smile.

"Yeah…"

The duo exited the restaurant and walked back in silence, Arielle contemplating the night sky and Sam lost in thought. The motel came in view, the sound of a fight becoming louder, and the siblings exchanged a quick glance before breaking into a run. Sam slammed his shoulder into the door, exposing the scene behind it.

"No!" he screamed, his eyes set on Bobby's body on the floor, a pool of blood surrounding it. On the other side of the room, Dean was being beaten by a man. Arielle pushed him aside and her own green eyes went wide at the sight.

"Heya, Sammy," a strange woman greeted. "You miss me? 'Cause I sure missed you."

"Meg?" he asked, taking a shaky step into the room. The woman gave a grin. Both Sam and Arielle dropped their books, Sam taking a swing at the woman and Arielle rushing the man attacking the half-conscious Dean.

The blonde jumped on the back of the man, hooking one arm around his neck while using the other to reach for her gun. The man grabbed at her, kicking at Dean at the same time. She gripped the gun and yanked it, shoving it under his neck and shooting into his skull. The man stumbled, but the possessed body kept attempting to throw her off while stomping on the ground to get Dean.

Dean managed to get the knife out of Bobby and turned to plunge it into the demon's chest. Arielle and Dean turned to Meg, finding Sam knocked onto the floor. The woman backed away as the two siblings advanced, her eyes shifting between them and the now rising Sam. Her head tilted back and a scream erupted from her lips, black smoke snaking out of the woman. The body collapsed.

Arielle quickly turned her attention back to the unconscious Bobby, removing her button shirt and pushing it against the stab wound. "Guys, get the car over here now!" she yelled at the boys, shaking hair out of her eyes to keep an eye on Bobby's chest. Dean reacted immediately, sprinting out of the door as Sammy checked his pulse. "Still beating?"

"Yeah," he said, a slight relief in his tone. "Breathing, too." The roar of the Impala was heard before the headlights filled the room with light. Dean rushed back in and between he and Sammy carried Bobby to the car, Arielle keeping pressure. It didn't take long for them to arrive to the hospital.

"We need help!" the young woman screamed upon entering as the boys brought Bobby in behind her.

"What happened?" a nurse stated, checking Bobby's pulse.

"He was stabbed," came Sam's reply.

"Can we get a gurney?" the nurse called out to someone behind her. In seconds, two other nurses hurried to her side, pushing a gurney.

The boys placed Bobby on it gently, while the nurses worked to get him secure. "Hang on, Bobby," Dean pleaded. "Hang in there. You're going to be okay." The nurses took off with Bobby and the trio attempted to follow, only to be stopped by the first nurse they encountered.

"Just wait here," she warned, her hands up in the air.

"We can't just leave him," Sam said, trying again to head towards where they had taken Bobby.

"Just don't move," she said, placing her hand on his shoulder firmly. "I've got questions."

The nurse pivoted and briskly walked away from them. "Sammy, we got to go."

Arielle snapped her head towards her brother. "Are you serious, Dean?"

"No. No way, Dean," Sam added, shaking his head.

"The demons heard where the sword is," Dean stated, eyes boring into the two siblings. "We got to get it before they do, if we're not too late already."

"I'll stay. I'll think of something," Arielle quickly said, pushing Sammy in Dean's direction. "Go!"

Dean was halfway down the hall, turning to find a hesitant Sammy. "Come on!" Sammy sighed and turned to follow, leaving the blonde looking after the boys, hoping it wasn't too late.

Arielle shot up from the chair as a man in white walked down the hall. He passed her without a second look and she was about to take her seat once more when a hand landed on her shoulder. Instinct took over and in seconds, she had the arm of a different doctor halfway up his back. "Jesus!" cried the man.

Gasping, she let him go, soothing down his coat. "Shit, I'm sorry! I'm just… jumpy. PTSD, I guess," she said with a nervous chuckle, her eyes immediately searching his. "How's Bobby?"

"Your uncle is fine," he muttered, rotating his shoulder slowly. "At least, as fine as he'll ever be." The young woman blinked and followed him to Bobby's room when he motioned towards her. Entering the room, she found Bobby on the bed in an upright position. As the doctor made to close the door, a hand shot through and Sam and Dean appeared. "Alright, I guess you're all here," he said with disdain, sniffing lightly. "The cops have been alerted of the mugger. Thought you might wanna know that. Mr. Singer, your surgery was a success, to an extent."

"What do you mean 'to an extent'?" Dean asked, brow furrowed in worry as he gave Bobby a look over while he and Sam walked further into the room. "Looks pretty damn good to me."

"Yes, well, we saved his life. But, well, the possibility of…" The doctor cut himself off by clearing his throat. "Mr. Singer, it is unlikely you'll ever walk again."

The room was filled with silence. Bobby's face faded from a pale hue to pink to full on blood-red. "Unlikely to walk again?!" he roared, reaching for the nearest thing, which happened to be a glass of water, and throwing it at the doctor. "Why, you snot-nosed son of a bitch! Wait till I get out of this bed!" The doctor managed to duck in time to avoid the projectile and immediately turned to flee the room.

Upon the doctor's exit, the trio of siblings looked away from the bed-ridden man. "I'll use my game leg and kick your friggin' ass!" Bobby hollered after the shutting door. "Yeah, you better run!" Arielle couldn't help the smirk that flourished onto her features, but her eyes remained filled with worry. Bobby looked over the three Winchesters. "You believe that yahoo?"

Dean shook his head. "Screw him. You'll be fine."

Sam pushed himself away from the window a bit, running a hand through his hair. "So," he said, eyes flickering about the room. "Let me ask the million-dollar question. What do we do now?"

"Well… We save as many as we can for as long as we can, I guess," Bobby sighed as he rubbed his eyes. "It's bad. Whoever wins, heaven or hell, we're boned." They all fell into silence as they got lost in their own thoughts.

"What if we win?" Arielle said suddenly, allowing her gaze to travel between the three men. Dean's face lit up, the beginnings of a smirk on his lips.

"You're serious?" Sam asked with a scoff.

Arielle gave a shrug to accompany the smile on her face. "I like it," Dean approved, walking to the young blonde and draping an arm around her shoulder. "I mean, screw the angels and the demons and their crap apocalypse. Hell, they want to fight a war, they can find their own planet. This one's ours, and I say they get the hell of it. We take 'em all on."

"We kill the devil," Arielle emphasized with a nod. "Hell, we even kill Michael if we have to. But we do it our own damn selves."

"And how do you two geniuses supposed to do all this?" Bobby asked and crossed his arms before him.

"No idea," Dean and Arielle chorused, turning to each other with wide grins.

"We got two college kids here," Arielle said, pointing to herself and Sam.

"I have a GED and a give-'em' hell attitude," Dean added with a laugh.

"And we've got a guy that's hunted for far longer than all us kids combined," Arielle stated matter-of-factly. "We'll figure it out."

Bobby couldn't help the rough laugh that escaped. "You idjits are nine kinds of crazy."

"Can't deny that," Arielle smiled as she grabbed her jacket from the chair.

Dean stepped to Bobby and patted his shoulder. "Listen, you stay on the mend. We'll see you in a bit."

The Winchester siblings headed to the door. "Sam?" Bobby called out. The trio stopped, but Sam was the only one to turn, though he kept his gaze on the floor. "I was awake. I know what I said back there. I just want you to know that… that was the demon talking. I ain't cutting you out, boy. Not ever."

There was a long pause and a relieved sigh was heard from Sam. "Thanks, Bobby."

"You're welcome," he replied with a nod. "I deserve a damn medal for this, but… you're welcome."

"You know, I was thinking, Dean," Sam started as they crossed the parking lot. "Maybe we would go after the Colt?"

"Why?" their brother retorted, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "What difference would that make?"

Sam and Arielle exchanged a glance, slightly taken aback. "Well, if the Colt works like you guys say it does, we could use it on Lucifer," Arielle stated with a furrowed brow. "I think it's a pretty good idea. I mean, you just said back there – "

Dean gave an exasperated sigh. "I just said a bunch of crap for Bobby's benefit." Arielle stopped in her tracks at that.

"Excuse me?" she said. "Is this you giving up?"

The oldest Winchester shook his head, stopping behind the younger two. "Not at all. I mean, I'll fight. I'll fight till the last man, but let's at least be honest," Dean continued. "I mean, we don't stand a snowball's chance, and you both know that. I mean, hell, you of all people know that," he finished, throwing the last phrase towards Sam.

He went around both of them, head lowered. "Dean." The brother stopped and turned to look at Sam again. "Is there something you want to say to me?"

Arielle immediately knew this wouldn't end well. "Look, we should wait to talk this out at the motel," she started, grabbing Sam's arm. "It's late. We're all tired." Neither man budged from their spots.

"I tried, Sammy. I mean, I really tried," Dean started. His shoulders slumped forward as he said this. "But I just can't keep pretending that everything's all right. Because it's not. And it's never going to be. You chose a demon over your own brother," he said, sweeping a hand out at nothing. "And look what happened."

The blonde dropped her grip on Sam's arm, looking away. "I would give anything – anything – to take it all back," Sam said in a low tone.

Dean gave a shrug. "I know you would. And I know how sorry you are. I do. But, man… you were the one that I depended on the most. And you let me down in ways that I can't even…" Dean's voice cracked and he had to pause.

The youngest Winchester turned to face her brothers now, green eyes going from one to the other. "I'm just – I'm having a hard time forgiving and forgetting here. You know?" Dean ended.

"What can I do?" Sam asked. It was easy to note the desperation in his voice.

"Honestly?" Dean said, and then shook his head. "Nothing." The younger brother gave a slight nod, looking away from Dean as he placed his own hands in his pockets. Though the pain was etched on his face, Arielle could see their brother's words did not surprise him. "I just don't… I don't' think that we can ever be what we were. You know?" Another nod from Sam. "I just don't think I can trust you."

At this, Sam's head snapped up. Arielle's own breath caught in her throat as her wide eyes looked at Dean in disbelief. Neither of them expected that and Dean simply shook his head and walked away, reaching the Impala. He paused and looked back as he passed the trunk of the car, but seconds later he got into the driver's seat.

The Impala roared to life then feel into a soft purr as Dean waited for the younger siblings to get in. Arielle placed herself before a defeated Sam, hesitating before tiptoeing and wrapping her arms around his neck. She hugged him close and she felt his shaky limbs embrace her as well. "I'm sure he didn't mean that," she whispered, gripping him tighter. "It's been rough, but he'll come to his senses when we figure this out."

"I don't think that's it at all," Sam said, his voice muffled as he pressed his face against her shoulder. They stood silent for a few moments before slowly separating. Arielle noticed Sam's red eyes, but no tears had fallen. "I messed up bad."

"I promise you, it will be okay," Arielle said, placing a hand on his cheek. "We're family. I know he thinks he doesn't trust you, but I know when the time comes, he'll show he does." She gave him an encouraging smile. Sam tried returning it and, failing, simply stepped up to the Impala and opened the door for her.

With a sigh, she climbed aboard.