Chapter 32

Alex's POV

I jumped the table, spinning and dropping next to Elly as she clutched her head. She had come flying through the golden rift and smacked into one of the table legs. She lay curled now, clutching her head where it was bleeding slightly. She coughed a few times, wincing with the pain. I pulled her into my arms, hugging her tightly to my chest.

"I was so worried I'd lost you," I mumbled into her hair. 

I pushed her back, holding her upright now as I looked her over more. A new bruise sat around her neck like a choker. The elbow of her jacket was stained red with blood and there was a sizable chunk of her long beautiful hair cut away. She kept coughing, struggling for breath as I let go of her.

"Where's Lucifer?" I asked.

She gave a strained laugh through one of the coughs. She extended a hand to me and I helped her to her feet. She looked around the full room "Michael has him," she replied hoarsely. "How did you get everyone here so fast?"

I followed her gaze around the room. I had had enough time to gather the family emergency essentials. Bobby stood ready with Dean, a shotgun pointed square at the rift for any unwanted guests. Jody and Donna stood back with Charlie, each with an angel blade in hand. Sam stood just inside the hallway with Crowley and Rowena, ornate bowl in hand, ready to send Elly home. Cas, Cael, and Gabe were at the other end of the table, they'd been talking strategy when the rift had suddenly opened and Elly had shot from it, but each now had glowing eyes and ethereal wings spread, ready for action. Mary and Jack had been studying several books, hurriedly looking for another archangel weakness. Ketch appeared at my side and took Elly's shoulder. She nodded at the concerned look in his eyes, silently saying she was ok.

"What are we looking at?" Dean asked.

"Oh, ya know." Elly shrugged, "He's only got a few hundred angels. Nothing big."

"Right." Dean nodded, focusing on the rift once more.

"Crowley, how's the next rift coming?" I asked, handing Elly a gun as she looked at me with sad eyes. "We're getting you back home. No choice, you're going home."

"Just need her, Mouse," Crowley answered, dropping dried bits of fruit into the bowl.

"Right now?" She complained, "I can't yet."

"I am not going to endanger your life any more than I already have. You're going home." I told her, supporting her as I headed for the hallway. "I need you to live."

"I'm not ready to go yet," Her voice was small, weak. "I…I finally feel like something here. I can help."

"You don't have a choice. It's not safe for you here." I took her face in my hand, "As much as I'd love to keep you around, I'm not going to lose…"

The next words were stolen from my lips as there was another surge of magic from the rift and a second body flew through it. This one going much faster than Elly had. It crashed into the far wall of the server room, denting the wall behind him as he slid to the floor.

"Lucifer!" Elly yelled.

"He's coming…" Lucifer's new vessel said, struggling to his feet.

I watched as we all struggled over the "new" Lucifer for a few seconds, minds trying to wrap around how it was still the same vessel. All thoughts of the rift and the monster waiting behind it forgotten. Until it fluttered with magic again and our attention was dragged back as the tall figure of Michael stepped through it and into our world. We all stood ready, suddenly rigged, waiting to spring. 

"My oh my, you didn't say there would be a welcoming party for me." Michael smiled, the rift behind him shimmering as it shrank ever so slightly, "This feels like too much."

His archangel blade slid down his arm and into his open hand. I took a step towards him, in front of Elly, but there was no chance to strike before another angel in camo came through the rift and immediately made the first move. There were seconds between when I brought the angel blade I carried up and when theirs collided with it, the force of the blow enough to send me sliding back a few feet. I kept my blade up against theirs, staring down the newest threat.

"Try me, bitch." I smiled.

The angel smiled at me, pulling their blade back quickly and striking low this time. I forced my body low, dropping beneath their aim and under the blade as it sliced through the air. I used the sudden momentum from the angel to come up into his gut and throw him over my shoulder. As soon as he hit the floor, I spun around and stabbed my blade deep into his back. A blinding light covered his body as he screamed in pain before bursting into black dust, his wings burnt into the ground.

I stood, and turned back to where Michael stood, a wide grin still on his face. "That all you got?"

The archangel's smile grew wider. With a snap of his fingers, more angels flew through the rift and soon the all-out battle for our world had begun. It felt as though we were quickly overrun with them. I had two trying to slash at me from different sides, trying to keep my balance while dodging blows. I looked around the chaos of the room as I dove about, looking for my brothers. Dean's candy apple green eyes found mine first, they held determination and excitement as his blade met the chest of an enemy angel and its eyes glowed the bright yellow of death. I found Sam's honey-colored eyes next, they were more serious and calculating in his fight, he predicted his opponent's movements and used them against the angel. Soon he was able to get under its guard and slice open its neck. They were both in the element, each picking off angel after angel. Smiled on their faces like they had forgotten what we were fighting for. They were just fighting.

My attention was pulled back to the fight I had been avoiding as a different blade plunged into the angel in front of me. I was not at all surprised to meet the silver eyes I'd fallen for as the angel fell away. 

"Would you care for a dance?" He said, extending a hand to me.

I smiled, took it, and used the strength from the spin to finally get the upper hand on the second angel. I dropped low under his guard, kicked my leg out, and tripped him before stabbing my angel blade into his heart. I turned back to Ketch as the angel died.

"You're adorable!" Elly called from the other side of the table, her gun firing and hitting a female angel in the shoulder. "But stop flirting and kill something!"

I laughed and looked around the room again. It wasn't hard to find another target. There were still plenty coming through the rift, even as it continued to shrink. I jumped back as another one slashed its blade at me.

"Hey!" I called into the room as I threw a punch at the angel. It hit them square in the jaw, throwing them to the floor. I followed them down and slammed my angel blade into their neck. "Can someone close the damn rift?!"

I turned to find Elly again, but she'd disappeared. I searched the room for her, finding her a few feet from where she had been, under another angel. She struggled against its arm as it tried to stab a blade through her chest. There was a static flash in the air, and Lucifer had the angel's dying body in his hands, several feet away. Elly got to her knees, breathing hard.

"Panto Koth Munto!" She yelled the only one who seemed to hear what I'd asked.

Above the noise, the rift sealed itself, closing on an angel's arm and severing it as the being tried to come through. The golden hue left the room as suddenly as it had entered it, leaving the thirteen of us against the remaining angel soldiers and Michael himself.

"You little bitch!" Michael roared, stomping in the direction of Elly.

"Cael!" I called for my angel. "Cael, protect Elly!"

I could see my guardian angel drop two angels at once out of the corner of my eye. He turned to me, nodded in understanding, and pushed himself in between Elly and the angered archangel. I needed her to get out now, there was no more time for her to stay here. 

"Crowley!" I looked around for the demon, finding him as his brown eyes found mine. We shared a look before he went back to an angel that had managed to get past Sam and Dean. "Get her rift open. Now."

He dispatched the angel quickly and ducked past another as he walked up behind Elly and snagged a piece of her hair. He turned from her and was next to the bowl again before another angel could even think to slice at him. It was dusted before it got a second chance.

I dodged past Bobby as he locked arms with a smaller angel and walked up behind Lucifer as he bagged another one. I grabbed at the sleeve of his jacket and pulled him closer to me.

"Make her leave." I said to him, "She is not going to leave if you don't. So do it for me and make her leave."

He looked me in the eyes, the young blue of his eyes still a shock to me as they studied me. But he nodded. There was no arguing, no sassy retort. Just agreement. He laid a hand on my shoulder, pushed me out of the way of an incoming blade, killed the angel behind it with a snap of his fingers, and smiled at me.

"I'll take care of her, doll." Even his voice was younger.

"You better," I said, pushing him gently in her direction.

With that taken care of, I turned back to the fighting and found another enemy to take down. Her blade swiped across my chest, and while I had been quick to jump back, it had not been quick enough to avoid all the damage. The blade still caught just under one of my ribs, a new river of red opening on my side. I threw my hands up to meet hers again as she lunged at me. 

"Give it up already!" She yelled in my face. She was a young vessel, the youngest I had seen in the fray. No older than Elly. "Michael is going to win and there's nothing you can do about it!"

"We'll see about that," I said through gritted teeth.

I pushed hard against her hands, sending her back peddling across the floor. I made quick work of her after that as I shoved my blade into her chest before she could have a chance to regain her balance. I pulled the blade free, taking a second to watch as yet another pair of wings burned into the surrounding floor and wall.

I panted, taking a second to look around the room again. There still seemed to be so many angels left, but we weren't being overrun anymore. Bobby was standing next to Dean again as they downed another together. Donna and Jody had taken to defending Rowena as she focused on opening Elly's rift. "Koth Munto Notoxes!" I heard her yell. Cas, Gabe, and Ketch were nearly all standing back to back, taking down angel after angel as their numbers lessened. Mary, Charlie, and Sam were each closing in around Michael's flanks, taking out each of the angels that dared to protect their leader one by one. I wasn't sure where Crowley had gone, I couldn't find him in the chaos. My eyes landed on the fight between Cael and Michael last, both of their angel blades had been thrown away long ago. For now, Cael seemed to have the upper hand, but I was sure that it wouldn't last long.

I took a step towards Mary to help her fight off another wave of angels when I heard Elly yell out. I turned to them. Rowena had the rift open, and Lucifer was waiting to pull her through it with him, but she still fought. She was trying to fight off an angel that was much faster than her. I ran for them and slammed into the angel, making him lose his balance and giving Elly enough time to fire a shot between his eyes. I turned to face her as the body hit the ground. She was panting and covered in angel blood. Her blue eyes shown with a new light, a hunter's light. 

"Get through the rift!" I shouted over the noise of blades and guns, "Now!"

"No! I'm not leaving you like this!" She shouted back, "You need all the help you can get here, I know that!"

"The rift is only open for a few minutes, dear!" Rowena called, "You need to go now!"

"Go, Elly!" I shouted, putting force and demand behind my voice. I gave her a hard shove towards her exit.

I didn't want her to leave, not really. But I knew she would be safer there than she ever would be here. She would be able to live a normal, happy life. She would be home and safe. That was all that mattered to me. I pushed her again, and this time she took a step towards the rift on her own. I watched her go, dismissing the fight behind me for a few seconds as she walked towards Lucifer's outstretched hand. Watching anything but my own surroundings.

The sudden pain was bright, clear, and sharp. It burned hot through my ribs as I cried out and dropped ot my knees. I looked down and found the shining end of an angel blade sticking out from between my ribs. I looked up at Elly one last time. She had seen that, I saw her fighting against Lucifer, her lips screaming my name as he dragged her into his arms and through the rift.

"Close it!" I yelled, spinning on the angel that had gotten the jump on me, a new burning rage filling me.

I stood, forcing my angel blade through his jaw, the blade making a sickening sound as it all too easily slid back out of the angel's head, leaving it to drop to the ground. A second new pain burned through my body as its wings burned into my legs. I felt nothing else as I marched forward, forgetting about the blade still sticking through my side as I locked onto Michael and Cael.

I let my useless angel blade slip from my fingers as I approached their right, picking up Michael's forgotten archangel blade from the floor as I passed it. I was feet away now. I was determined to end this now before it ever truly started. There were so few of his soldiers left. It was practically just him left standing. Just Michael.

My mind was focused as my heart thundered in my ears, and my eyes narrowed in on him. I watched Cael take a fist to the temple as I got close enough to swing the blade towards Michael, slicing it across his cheek. The archangel took a sharp step back, surprised by my sudden appearance.

"You Winchesters just don't know how to play fair, do you?" Michael asked, his hand sliding across his cheek, erasing the damage I had done.

"No. We always play dirty." I smirked.

I tossed the archangel blade to Cael and swung a hard left hook at Michael's gut. Michael slouched over at the unexpected him, and Cael used the time to send the blade into the back of Michael's neck. I smiled as the archangel's eyes widened and he started to choke on his spit. It sputtered and gurgled in his throat as his eyes fluttered between their natural dark brown and brilliant angel blue. The light grew, soon flickering through his whole body, once, twice, and Cael ripped the blade out, shooting blood across us and sending Michael to the ground. The blinding light engulfed his body and he was finally dead. It was done. I turned to Cael and smiled at him. He returned the gesture.

I turned around, ready to get rid of the last few doves, only to find Bobby getting the last kill. It's body falling to the ground to burn like all the rest had. So instead, I found myself looking around at my family. I smiled at them.

And then the pain returned, and I remembered the blade that stuck out of me. I winced and fell to one knee. I reached behind me, and gently pulled the blade free, tossing it to the ground. I started at the hole it had made as the waterfall of blood began to pour from it.

"Huh," I chuckled lightly, "That's sucks…"

I fell back, clutching my side. It felt useless to stop the blood that flowed free from me. I already felt lighter. I couldn't even remember Dean coming to me, but he was there now, holding me up.

"Cas! We can get…" He started to say.

I waved my arm through the air weakly. "He can't save me now, Dean." I said, "I've lost too much blood already. You know that."

We both knew I was dying. His green eyes looked into mine as I lay dying in his arms, they never left my face as I looked into the rest of the room. I found Sam, he had never been as strong as Dean when it came to one of us dying. Tears had already fallen down his cheeks. I found Mary's next. She looked shocked. I didn't blame her, we had just gotten her back, and now she was losing one of her children. It had to be hard. I looked at Cas next and smiled at the angel.

"Make sure you take care of this big teddy bear, ok?" I said.

Cas looked confused but nodded nonetheless. My eyes flicked to Cael next as I got weaker. I had more to say, I needed to hand on just a little longer. I knew where Crowley had gone now, he was waiting for me. I simply mouthed Thank you to my guardian angel. He gave a short nod in response. I found Gabe and gave him a weak wink. The archangel laughed nervously amongst the tense air.

"Alex, I can…" Jack said, stepping forward with a hand outstretched.

"It's ok, Jack." I pushed his hand away from me, "This needs to happen once and for all." I smiled at him, "I'm too far gone to be healed anyway. I can already feel it…"

I coughed. The pain in my chest was numbing my body, the once warm blood that stained my skin now starting to cool as it coated the ground. I was fighting to hang on. I was fighting for a chance to tell everyone that I cared about them. Fighting for the chance to apologize for what was to come next. But I was going to lose this battle. I could feel my heart slowing as my eyes grew heavier and heavier. With the last of my efforts, I pulled myself to my feet and fell forward into a solid chest. I looked up for a final time into those silver eyes.

"I…I'm pretty sure I'm cursed." I said, letting myself become limp in his arms.

"You're a Winchester, love." Ketch whispered to me, "You've always been cursed."

He kissed my forehead and hugged me close to his chest. I closed my eyes as the rest of my feelings poured from me with the rest of my blood. Those weren't the words I had meant to say, but it didn't feel right to tell them now what I meant. This was the last life I'd had. The one I was supposed to make long and happy. This was my final death and I wouldn't be coming back this time. And none of them knew that. The only person who knew was gone now.

Ketch slowly went to the ground, holding me gently against him as I drifted away. I could feel the warmth leaving my body. It had started in my hands, turning them to unfeeling ice before slowly making its way through the rest of my body, and finally to my heart. I wanted to say more, I needed to. I need at least him to know that I will always love him.

"Arthur…" It was only a whisper.

"Yes, love?" A small crack in his voice.

"I'm…sorry…" My last words before all life faded from me and I fell into the black pit of neverending nothing. My fading heartbeat was the only sound left in my ears. 

And there was nothing. 

Silent.

Black.

Nothing.