Chapter 24

"Why the fuck didn't you answer any of my calls?!" Elly demanded as I helped Ketch into his bunker. "And you! You're such an asshole!" Her crystal blue eyes boiled as she looked him over. "You left me with some random dead body!"

He smiled tenderly at her. "It wasn't some random body, just one of Gabe's decoys." He pushed off from me and hobbled over to her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder, "I owe you thanks, for keeping her safe and reasonable." 

"I don't think 'reasonable' is what I did to those men," I said, leaning against the glass table. 

Elly looked at us both and took in the scratches and cuts, the bruises and red marks. Then she smiled. She reached up towards Ketch, and roughly pulled his collar aside, revealing a freshly bruised area. Ketch took a quick step back, almost knocking himself over, and cleared his throat. I covered my mouth with my hand, hiding a smile.

"Why so embarrassed, pretty boy?" Elly asked, a snide smile on her lips, "Think I haven't seen a hickey before?"

"Elly," I chuckled softly, "He's just embarrassed to admit he cares about us all." I tried to regain her attention. "Has Sam found Gabe yet? He was in the old bunker."

"Gabe's fine. He got back a little after I did," Her eyes didn't leave Ketch' face, "Your knees better be just as bruised. I might have to take over if they're not."

"Elly!" I said, laughing a bit too hard. "Show me where the boys are, I should probably talk to them." I pushed off the table and grabbed at her arm.

"Was it in her car or on your bike?" She continued, fighting against my grip, "I'd admire your thigh strength if it was your bike."

"Elly, come on." I rolled my eyes, giving one last tug towards the hall before she started following me. "We need to go explain everything to the boys before Dean kills something." I pushed her in front of me.

Elly turned and stuck her tongue out, her last defiance before walking down the hall. I waited for Ketch to hobble up to me for support again before following after her. I had done what I could with the emergency supplies in my car to stop the bleeding, and all but the bullet wound in his leg had stopped, but that one would need a bit of help from Cas before it was fixed. 

"Dean won't like me coming back," Ketch whispered, "He barely tolerated me before this."

"I know." I sighed, "He'll just have to listen."

"I'm not sure my reasons are going to keep him from blowing up." He laughed nervously.

"It'll be ok. Cas will keep it from becoming a fight." I smiled up at him.

He didn't look reassured as we caught up with Elly as she stood outside one of the larger meeting rooms. She took a deep breath and pushed the door open. The voices that flooded through the opening were comforting until we came into the frame and they stopped.

Sam was the first to react, "God! You're ok!" He broke from the rest of the small group and pulled me into a hug, "She's told us what happened. I'm just glad you're…" His attention fell on Ketch as he leaned against the door frame.

"Please, don't Sam…" I breathed into his ear. "He has a lot of explaining to do."

"You know I'm not the…"

"You fucking bastard!" I looked over Sam's shoulder and saw Dean stomping in our direction. "How dare you show your fucking face here again?!"

"Well. You are staying in my bunker." Ketch was smug, and it only made things worse.

"You fucking…"

"Dean," Elly caught Dean's shoulder and stopped him, "It's fine. There's some explaining that needs to be done."

"She's right, Dean." I pushed away from Sam and took a step towards my angry brother. "He…"

"Can speak for himself," Ketch cleared his throat, "Please, allow me to explain."

"I should fucking shoot you." Dean's green eyes smoldered like burning leaves.

"Dean," I said sternly, calling his attention to me, "Let him speak."

His eyes moved over my face, softening as he took everything in. He took a deep breath, pushed Elly's hand off his shoulder, and pressed a few fingers to his temple, "You have ten minutes. And if I don't like it, I'll still shoot you."

"Sounds pretty fair to me," My joke received a light punch to my side as Ketch limped past me.

He sighed, taking a moment as he hobbled to the wooden table at the center of the room, and then took a seat. He looked exhausted, the injuries and stress from the day before finally catching up. I could only imagine what Hell he had gone through to make a deal to keep the rest of us safe. He would have just killed us all before, leave no trace behind.

"I never planned to harm him," He began slowly, "But the rest did. I got caught up in their planning when I asked for help finding Lucifer. It was that, or get turned over to the Men of Letters and put you all in danger." 

"You've done that before, easily. Why care about us now?" Dean's voice was still laced with the anger he was trying to swallow.

"Because, although it might be hard for you to comprehend, Dean." Ketch smirked, "I have come to quite enjoy your sisters' company. And you matter to her."

Dean's eyes smoldered again, and I laid a hand on his shoulder, doing little to calm him.

"Anyway," Ketch continued, "They wanted to take him purely for his grace. The original plan was to take him to the drop point, wait for him to be picked up by another set of individuals, and they'd take him to another safe house." He took a deep breath, "And then milk him for his grace."

"You were going to let them use him like Asmodeus did?" Sam said, "You agreed to that?"

"I had to, they would have killed you all to get to him if I hadn't." Ketch nodded.

"What happened when you took Gabe?" Elly asked.

"Well, we took him to the agreed drop spot, but the other team was running late. And you…" He chuckled, "You managed to find us a bit sooner than I'd planned. You would have been overrun if I hadn't convinced them to move 'him'." He put quotations around the last word.

"Right, he gave you a decoy. Gabriel agreed to that?" Cas asked from a corner of the room.

"Once he'd woken up, I told him the same things I've told you, and he was adamant that we use a decoy to make sure everything else got done safely." Ketch nodded again.

"And what did you mean I found you a bit sooner than planned?" I crossed my arms in front of my chest, "You pissed me off. Of course, I was going to hunt you down."

"Oh I counted on it," He laughed more, "But I hadn't planned on how quickly you could knock out or kill the other two. I didn't have time to ditch the earpiece or decoy before you found me." A smile remained on his face as his laugh died away, "And then you shot me."

"Did you see me in the bunker?" 

"You Winchester's aren't the best at stealth, love."

"Quit the flirting," Dean hissed.

"Right. We moved the decoy body with us, and I had Gabe wait until we were out of that burned-down mess before escaping." Ketch continued, "Everything seems to have worked, but I won't be sure until I hear talk of my death over the wire."

I took a step back when he had finished talking, taking in what he had said and watching the expressions on my brothers' faces, they would be the ones to decide his fate. I watched them trade glances, talking in their silent language I had never managed to pick up on. Then Dean left the room without another word, and the room took a sigh of relief. I looked back at Ketch, who looked more tired now than he had at the start of this conversation. But, when he caught my eyes, he still smiled at me.

"I'm…sorry," Elly said, pulling me back to the rest of the room.

"There's nothing to apologize for," I reassured her, "We all thought the same things, and we were all mostly wrong. It's ok."

I saw Sam nod out of the corner of my eye and turned to him as he spoke, "Don't get too comfortable. We're going out tonight, and I want you to come with us, ok?"

"Uh. Ya." I said, blinking at his abruptness.

"You too, Elly." Sam left the room with that, slipping his hands into his pockets as he went.

"You think this is about Lucifer?" Elly asked me.

"Probably," I nodded, "Are you…"

"I'm going to get ready." She left the room in a hurry with a nervous air, leaving only the quiet angel, Ketch, and I.

I looked at Cas, taking in the concern that flavored his blue eyes. He didn't say anything as he slowly walked towards me, but then again, he didn't have to. I had known him for years now, and I knew how to read his face well to find the things he didn't want to say out loud. I knew he was worried about me, about the current situation, and Dean. And there were no words that needed to be said for that. I simply nodded as he passed me, silently telling him I understood.

I jumped slightly as hands wound around my waist and lips gently touched my ear. "I'm going to clean up and bandage myself," Ketch whispered.

"Do you want my help?" I asked.

"You'd just be a distraction." He teased as he left the room to me and my thoughts.

The air in the room soon grew too thick with my thoughts and I left it, unsure of what to do next. I was sure Elly wouldn't enjoy my company at the moment. She would probably be trying to keep herself from having an anxiety attack about what was to come. Sam would be busy researching and I was sure Gabe would be avoiding as many people as he could right now, if he wasn't with Sam. And Cas had mostly likely gone to calm Dean down more. So I walked down the hall, passing everyone's respective rooms, listening to the various sounds of life before stopping outside Dean's room as he spoke softly to Cas.

"You get worked up too easily," Cas told him.

"He pisses me off," Dean grumbled.

"He was trying to help. In his weird way."

"He'll get her killed eventually, Cas." Dean sighed, "It's my job to protect her. I'm the oldest. I know the most. I have to be the one to do that job. It would be on me if anything happens to…"

"You shouldn't carry that burden alone," Cas stated softly.

"But, I do, Cas."

I walked quietly away from the door, not having the stomach to listen to the rest of what they were saying. I walked further, letting my feet carry me until I was in front of a door I hadn't entered for some time now. I reached for the handle but stopped before I could make myself open the door.

"Come in, Alex." Came the deep voice of my angel.

I jumped slightly as he spoke, but hesitantly opened the door after I had collected myself. Cael had picked the plainest of the rooms, something that looked much more like it belonged in our bunker than here. The walls were a pale yellow, the floor wooden. A simple oak dresser sat against the walls, and a basic four-post bed sat against the wall opposite it. A small window high on the far wall poured a thin ray of light from outside across him. There were no plants, or fancy paintings, or decorations, but the warm yellow light still made the small room feel warm and cozy. Cael sat on the bed, leaning back against the headrest with a book in his hands. He had healed nicely since he had come back from Hell. There was still a bandage wrapped around his torso from a wound that seemed to resist grace, but even it was healing nicely now. Cas had done a wonderful job.

"How are you?" I asked, closing the door behind me as I stepped in. "I'm sorry I haven't come to see you in a few days. It's been…busy."

"There's no reason to apologize." The angel said, not looking up from his book, "Why would you care about little old me?" It seemed like a genuine question, not something he was just reaching for to make a snide comment with.

"I care because I'm the reason you were in Hell to begin with." I leaned against the door, "It's my fault you're in this condition."

"I agree, it was your fault." He gently placed the book face down and looked at me, "It seems like you got the girl back, regardless."

"Yes, we did." I nodded. I wasn't sure why I was here. He had never been anything but an asshole to me, and it felt like he would be that way until he died. There didn't seem to be a point in me caring for him, "I'll leave you be."

"Don't leave just yet." He said quickly, stretching out a hand towards me. He blinked several times as if he hadn't meant to do that.

"Why?" I asked.

An answer didn't come. He seemed to be at a loss for words as I looked at him, his unusually blue eyes seeming shocked at his outburst. I took a step away from the door, walked towards the bed, and took a seat on the corner of it instead. I tried to catch his eyes, but he looked away from me. I waited in silence but became impatient as it became deafening.

"Thank you." I found myself saying.

"What?" He said softly, finally looking at me again.

"Thank you, for trying to save Elly. I know it was a lot to ask of you." I cleared my throat.

Cael shifted on his bed, his tan skin catching a bit of the light from the window, turning it from its natural milk chocolate into a dark caramel color. It was stunning in a way. A weirdly beautiful vessel for an angel who could care less about humanity.

"Why do you hate humans?" I asked the question before I could fully think it through.

"Because they're weak, broken, and demanding." The answer was simple and sharp but didn't seem pointed at me. His words reminded me of someone who had been cast out of Heaven millennia ago.

"Then why save me?" It was a question I had always wanted to answer, "You could have left me in the pit to burn for eternity. I had done my time on Earth. So why?"

"You're work has not been finished yet." He spoke softly.

"That's an easy answer." I scoffed.

Cael looked at me, his eyes still pools. They were a complete contrast to the rest of him, save for the stark blonde hair on his head. "I don't know what God has planned for you. But your time is not done. If you had not made that deal, I would not have had to pull you from Hell, simple as that."

"Right, if I hadn't bothered to save my own life." I leaned back onto my elbows, "The cancer would have killed me."

"People never seem to take into consideration that there is a plan for them, they just don't have to stray from it." Cael sighed.

"I strayed from mine? What was supposed to happen if I had just died naturally?" I looked up at the ceiling.

I could feel his eyes wandering over me again, almost as if he was debating on what to say next. "You weren't going to die. It would have been a painful road, but you weren't going to die."

"They all told me I had weeks, Cael. That doesn't just magically get cured." I sighed, letting myself fall fully back onto the bed, my head coming to rest on one of his legs, "Why would Chuck have let me believe them if it wasn't part of the plan to make that deal with Crowley?"

"The paths don't always make sense." Cael shrugged. 

"Did you have a path then?" I had never heard much about him. There hadn't been much to read about him either. He wasn't one of your big-name angels, so he was mostly a complete mystery to me.

"Before Castiel fell for the oldest Winchester," He grumbled, "I was meant to be part of the reinforcements for Michael."

"You were going to aid in the fight?"

He nodded, "If things had gone as planned, yes."

"So when Dean refused…" I thought about it quietly.

"Our paths very easily change." Cael explained, "We are meant to work in harmony together or things like the monsters here on Earth happen. God had no plan for the supernatural creatures you hunt, but the scale tipped just enough with Amara that they were still created. We all depend on each other for everything to work as it should. But that was almost what he wanted." Cael sighed, "You do not have to follow the path he makes for you, but it is the easiest path to follow." His eyes found mine, a tiny smile on his face, "Thought you Winchesters seem to have a hard time following directions."

"What was my plan supposed to be?" I asked softly as I took everything else in.

"As I told you, a fight. It would not have been an easy one, but it would have been better than what you have now." He shrugged, wincing slightly, "Plenty of people have beaten the disease, just as you would have."

"And after that?" I focused on the ceiling again.

"You would have ended what you call hunting. You would have made the world safe for everyone and everything." Cael shifted slightly, "You still have the chance to do that. That's why I was told to retrieve you. But your path is no longer as clear as it once was."

"What am I supposed to do, Cael? I have one reset left before I'm…" The thought of my looming end was darker than I wanted to think right now, "What will you do then? Rescue me again?"

Cael shook his head, "It would not be me if it needs to be done again that is." Cael paused for a few seconds before continuing, "I am in no position to tell you what needs to be done. I can not intrude any more than I already have."

"That's fair enough," I grumbled. "What do you think of me Cael? Not as a human, just as myself."

"I…hm.." The angel trailed off. I looked up at him and found his eyes studying me again with that calculating look he always seemed to have. "I think that…" He started after a silent moment. "You have a very good chance of being what this world needs. And I think you are the one who needs to do it. But I'm not sure if it will happen at this point in your life. I'm sure it will take a bit more time after you've already gone to complete."

"After I'm gone…" I studied his blue eyes, "So you know I'm going to die then."

He looked away from me, "It is not my job to ruin the end of a story, Alex."

I opened my mouth to ask more when a knock came from the door. "Alex? You in there?" It was Sam calling through the door. "We need to start talking about the hunt tonight."

"I'll be there in a minute, Sam," I called back, sitting up. "How's your grace?"

"Why are you asking?" Cael looked at me skeptically.

"If what Elly has told me is correct, then there's another Michael in the other world trapped with our mom and Jack. We'll need everyone to fight if it comes down to that." I stood from the bed and stretched a little before going to the door, "And I know how you fight, would much rather have you on our side."

"I'll be needed to fight against Michael?" Cael asked, confusion clear through his words.

"Like I said, we'll need everyone we can get. And I'm sure you'd do just fine." I smiled as I left his room.

I closed the door quietly behind myself. I took a moment to center myself before walking down the hallway to the server room. What Cael had just told me was…a lot of new pressure. How was I supposed to be the one to end all monsters? Was that even what he had meant? I pushed the thoughts to the back of my mind, took a deep breath, and walked away.