Supernatural in Real Life

Chapter 8

A/N I know it's a long chapter, but there was no easy chapter break. This easily could have been three chapters, but hey, live and learn. Okay, enjoy the story! Always remember to hate autocorrect and lag!
"What do you mean, 'she's got them'? I thought you said they weren't going to be here anymore!"
"I said probably not going to be here! There's a difference!" Lucifer replies. "Now, shut up and let me talk to my brother." He shuts his eyes and talks without speaking, which I'm getting pretty used to. Judging by Lucifer's expression, he's not thrilled with where the conversation is going. They talk for a few minutes, which is all the confirmation I need that he's talking to Gabriel, not Castiel, because Lucifer would never talk to Castiel that long. He sighs and his head falls back behind the chair, looking beyond the ceiling and to the wall behind him.
"Not happy to hear from you again, I assume?" I say.
"He's pretty upset," Lucifer agrees. "Can't say I blame him, though."
"Does he know you sold them out?" I ask, not accusingly, but also not attempting to make it sound kind.
"Yes he does," Lucifer tells me, "but he doesn't think anyone else does. He told me he won't bring it up, but he won't hide it either."
"Well, you better hope no one gets suspicious."
Lucifer nods, bringing his head back to a normal position. "The odds of that are not in my favor, but we'll see. I hope."
He doesn't have to explain the last part. There's not guarantee we're going to get out of here alive. As much as I'd like to pretend that her finding them means my job here is done, I know it doesn't necessarily mean that I'm free. She might kill me for the fun of it.
"Gabriel's wondering where we are," he says. "Any clue?"
"Uh..." I kind of know, but not enough to explain it. "I know where we are in relation to where Jared and him left me. It's right down the hall opposite the one they went down, if that helps."
Lucifer continues his conversation with his brother, not acknowledging me at all. Bored, I start fiddling with the knot tying my hands together. It's tight, so I doubt I can get it undone, but at least it gives me something to do. After a few minutes, Lucifer grimaces and seems to snap back into reality.
"What happened?" I ask.
"Not sure. Something happened and he left immediately. It didn't sound good though."
"That's great. Just great." I sigh. "If you hear anything else, tell me."
He nods. "Will do."
We sit in silence for a while, and by this point, I'm really starting to get nervous. Why hasn't Lucifer heard anything? I mess with the ropes as a way to calm me down. At least I have something to do. A part of it loosens up, and I'm amazed. I had no intention of actually untying it. I try to hide my pride as I work to undo the rest of it. I don't want to get my hopes up before I know it's done, and if I fail, I don't want to let Lucifer down either. Not until the ropes fall from my hands does Lucifer know what I've been doing.
"How did you do that?" he asks in awe.
"I guess she didn't expect me to try to untie it."
My hands free, I quickly work through the ropes on my ankles, and I can stand up again. I wipe the blood off my neck, probably leaving a larger red spot, but I don't care. I try to get to Lucifer and get him out, but I stop at the fire. Can I just step over it? It's so short, I don't see why not. To my surprise, I can. It's hot, but it's so short I don't touch it. I approach Lucifer quickly, kneeling to untie his hands. When I see it, I realize it won't be that simple.
"If it was just a rope, I would have done it myself," he tells me.
I look down at the handcuffs, trying to think of a plan. "Do you know where the key is?" I ask finally.
"Why do you assume there is one?"
"Well, because if there's a lock, there must be a key, right?"
Lucifer attempts a laugh, but it's weak. I nearly forgot that he was hurt at all. He has a way of making himself seem fine, which amazes me.
"Alright, Sam," he says jokingly. "But there really isn't. If she wanted me out, she'd snap them off. There's no other way out of them."
An idea comes to me, and even though it sucks, I figure it's worth a shot. "Do you have any power left in you at all?" I ask hopefully.
"Doesn't matter," he replies. "Can't use it in the holy fire. Can't get out of the holy fire. Can't use it."
I look around. "But what if you can?"
I hop out of the ring of fire, ignoring Lucifer's questions, and grab my chair. I lay it over the fire, the back of it covering the flames. Since its metal, the worst that will happen is it will get hot, but it disrupts the flames, so it's good enough. I drag Lucifer's chair over to the broken ring.
"What are you doing?" he asks, confused.
"I came here on a rescue mission, and I'm going to finish the rescue," I tell him, and drag his chair onto the back of my chair. It's too heavy to lift over the part where you would sit on it, so instead of lifting his chair, I drag mine away from the fire, bring an impressed Lucifer with it.
"Nice job," he says. "But I'm still stuck to a chair."
"Not if you can unlock the handcuffs," I tell him excitedly. I can't believe I thought of this. I've never been the quickest thinker, so this is amazing for me.
"I can't unlock them," he says, "but I might be able to break them." He closes his eyes, and I can see how much it hurts him to do this. I guess he's weaker than I thought, because usually, I'm sure an angel could do this with no problem. Finally, I hear the metal breaking, a small amount at a time. Eventually, his hand are free, but instead of trying to use them at all, they just fall limp to his sides, the remaining parts of the cuffs still attached. He looks down at his ankles, also attached to the chair by handcuffs. "I... I can't do that again," he says, breathing heavily.
"Maybe you don't have to," I say, and crouch down next to the leg of the chair. I lift up one corner of it, and the handcuff attached to it just falls off the small leg it was attached to. I do the same with the other side, glad they're so small, because it's heavy. "There. Good as new."
"Not quite," he says.
"What do you mean?" I ask.
"I... I can't do anything," he tells me. "I can't fight, I can't run. Hell, I doubt I can stand up without my legs giving in."
I frown. I hadn't really thought of how he'd feel. We were so close, too. We were free. If he had been his normal self, we could have barged into the room where the others were and freed them too. Without his powers, that won't be as easy as I'd hoped.
"Can you still use Angel Radio?" I ask.
"Maybe," he says suspiciously. "Why?"
"I was thinking, maybe you could get Rob to get in here, or at least free the others, so we have a fighting chance of seeing them again."
"Rob can't use Angel Radio," Lucifer tells me. "And even if he could, I wouldn't ask for his help."
I roll my eyes. "Why can't he use Angel Radio?" I ask, ignoring the last part of his answer.
"Because he made it specifically for us angels," Lucifer says. "He didn't want to have to deal with us all the time, so he made sure we always had the ability to talk to someone, but he didn't have to listen. That's why he made up praying. So we can still contact him, but he isn't forced to listen. Worked out great for him when he took his extended vacation on Earth," he says bitterly.
This gives me a better idea. "Hey, just out of curiosity, can Rob, like, put thoughts into your head?"
"Um... Maybe? Why?"
I shrug. "Just wondering."
There's no way I can tell him why I was wondering. He's completely opposed to Rob's help. If he knew I was planning on asking Rob what to do, he'd never agree. Otherwise, I would have had him ask Gabriel to do it. At least they're in the same room. He could give Rob a signal or something. I know Lucifer would never agree to it, so I have to take matters into my own hands.
"New question," I say, just in case I need a new plan. "Can humans pray to angels? Like, would an angel hear it if a human asked them for something?"
Lucifer nods. "Yeah. Why?" he asks again.
"Just wondering," I repeat. Maybe if Rob doesn't answer, I can ask Gabriel for help. Cas too. If all else failed, I could ask any other angel I know about to ask the angels I know for help.
"Bailey, what are you doing?" he asks cautiously.
"Nothing," I lie. "Just let me think." By think, I mean pray and hope to God it goes through, literally and figuratively.
Hey, Rob? I think. Is thinking praying? How does praying work? Oh well, I'll try it anyway. Can't hurt. Uh... This is Bailey. Is there any chance you have any idea that I'm doing this?
When I get no response, I try not to be disappointed. I wasn't expecting it to work, but I was still hoping it would. It was worth a shot, I guess. I'm sure he gets way to many prayers at a time to hear them anyway.
Bailey?
I jump. What just happened? Was that Lucifer? No, definitely not. What did I just hear?
Bailey, you called for me?
Holy crap, that's Rob. How did he do that? Well, he's God, so I shouldn't be surprised that he can. That he would is another thing.
Rob? I think... Or pray? What's the word for what I'm doing? What am I doing anyway?
Yes it is. What's going on?
Now that I have attention, I don't know why I needed it. I decide to just tell him everything, up to Lucifer being brought out or the holy fire and freed. I purposely keep the extent of Lucifer's pain hidden, because I know he's hate it if I told Rob that. Rob's supposed to think he's the perfect soldier, and I won't be the one to tell him otherwise. I mention the fact that he can't use his powers, but not the reason why.
And what do you want from me, exactly?
It's a good question, and I don't really have an answer, so I reply vaguely with Help. Advice. Tell me what to do. Something!
There's a pause before I hear, I'm sorry, Bailey. I don't think there's anything for you to do. You don't have a weapon, and you're stuck with an angel that can't actually be an angel. There isn't a whole lot to do about that.
I frown, trying not to get annoyed. There is something I can do. I jut have to find it.
Then give me a weapon! I reply. Do something, please. I can't just wait here.
I can tell by his reply that he's given up hope, for now at least.
A weapon would not help you.  You'd need training, and that's something I can't just give you. I'm sorry, Bailey, but there's nothing you can do.
If there's one thing that pisses me off about this, it's that he doesn't even think it's worth a shot to give me a weapon. I know he can do it, but he won't, purely because he doesn't think I can handle it. Well, I'll prove him wrong.
Gabriel! I pray to him now, ignoring Rob's brush off. Hey, Gabriel, it's Bailey. I don't know if this is working, but I figured I'd try. I reached out to Rob and he wouldn't help, but if you do hear this, I was wondering if it'd possible if you could make an angel blade, like, appear in front of me? If it helps, I'm in one of the rooms in the hallway opposite the one you left me at.
When I don't get a reply, I kind of assume it's going to be another late one like it was with Rob, but after a minute, I decide it's not going to work. I guess the angels aren't listening to me right now. Suddenly, the door to the room opens. I start to panic, because we're out of our seats, so she'll know if she comes back that the ropes weren't tight enough. After a few movements when no one shows up, I decide its safe to say that we just a mistake.
"What just happened?" Lucifer asks.
An idea springs to mind, so crazy, it seems almost impossible. Still, I have to try. I quickly excuse myself, leaving Lucifer asking questions from behind, until I'm just outside the door. That's when I see it. At the end of the hallway, right near where I was left, is an angle blade.
I run down the hall, ignoring Lucifer calling after me, and pick it up. It feels real enough. But how? Could Gabriel have really made this? When I look down at the floor, a message appears, where it would have mostly been hidden by the blade. I read it to myself.
"Bailey, is this you?" is all it says.
I pray to him again, not sure what else to do. Gabriel, I found a blade at the end of the hallway. Was this from you?
The recipes message disappears, and is replaced by the simple word "Yes."
Thank you. Gabriel, I need help. Lucifer can't move, so I can't get any help from him, but I don't know if I can go to you on my own. What should I do?
"Don't be an idiot" suddenly appears on the floor. I laugh to myself.
What should I do? I ask him again.
After a pause, the floor next to the previous line created a sentence. It's neat, but too small to read without getting closer.
"Hello, Bailey. This is Castiel. Gabriel told me you were here," it says.
So, can I pray to both of them at once? Or do I pray to them each? Or can I just pray to Gabriel, and hope he'll tell Cas what he needs to know?
Gabriel's message is replaced with "I told Castiel what was going on."
I see that. That still doesn't help me.
Gabriel replies, "Go back to the room you were in with Lucifer and bring the blade. I will be able to track the blade to where you are and you won't have to be in the middle of the hall to communicate with us."
I do as he says, and when I get back to the room, Lucifer's waiting impatiently.
"What the hell was that for?" he demands as when I get back. "As soon as the doors open, you go flying out of here, and you don't even bother to tell me where you're going?"
Lucifer's pissed at me, I tell Gabriel. Help?
The floor in front of me shows the words "Put the blade in a line in front of him so he can see what we're saying. We'll write above it. -Gabriel."
I've got to admit, they're pretty genius. They can't track us, so they track the blade. They can't talk to us, so they write to us. Is pretty genius, I have to admit. I do as they say, ignoring Lucifer's constant questions.
Done.
On the floor above the blade, the words "Hello, brother," appear.
"What the hell?" he says. He looks up at me. "Do you see that too? Am I going crazy?"
I laugh. "No, you're not. That's Gabriel. Or Cas. I'm not quite sure."
"Why is Gabriel writing on the floor?"
Should I explain this to him? Do I have to? I'm sure he won't be thrilled when I tell him I told them everything. I'm sure Lucifer was pretty selective in what he told Gabriel, and he most likely kept everything from Cas.
"Because he is," I reply vaguely. "How do you know it's Gabriel, anyway?"
"Castiel would never call me his brother."
I nod. "Fair enough. Anyway, I asked them for help because I don't know what to do and I'm not just going to sit here until what's-her-face comes back.
"Jacklyn," he corrects me. "Her name is Jacklyn. And what else are you going to do if you aren't going to wait here?"
I shrug. "That's why I asked them. Well, I asked Gabriel, who asked Cas. That basically all you've missed."
"Asked them how?" he asks, clearly confused, since I don't have access to the Angel Radio.
Like this, I pray at him. To him? How does praying work? Seriously, I'm confused.
"And what did Rob say?" he asks me.
"What?" I reply, more in shock that he knew that I had asked than in denial of doing it even though he asked me not to.
"Well, you asked if you could pray to an angel, and you asked if Rob could reply to you. You must have asked Rob first. Where's he in this?"
Dammit! I was hoping to keep that from him.  I figured, since nothing came out of it, there was no point in telling him. Since he knows already, there's no point in avoiding the question.
"He basically said the same thing you did," I tell him. "That I'm crazy for wanting to help, and that I should just sit down and shut up."
"And you're going to ignore what God told you to do?" he says, sounding kind of amused.
I shrug. "Eh, why not?"
He gives me a small smile. "It's cool, I do it all the time."
I laugh. Before I respond, I see a note appear next to the previous one. It's smaller than Gabriel's, so I knowing must be Cas.
"Are you still there?"
"I've got this," Lucifer says, and says something silently to one of his brothers, though I don't know if it was the right one.
"What did you do?" I ask him.
"I told Cas to cool it, and that you're with me now."
"I don't think that's going to make him feel any better," I tell him.
"It wasn't supposed to."
I frown. "Be nice to Cas," I tell him. "Once we're out of this mess, then you can continue your little feud."
"Can't make any promises," he says.
I sigh. Heya, Gabriel, Lucifer's trying to piss off Cas. Just thought you should know.
In front of us, another message from Gabriel appears. "Leave Cas alone."
Lucifer glances over at me. "Traitor."
I nod. "And proud of it"
"Is there a reason you wanted us here?" Castiel asks.
Yeah. I have a plan. Well, not much of a plan, but we didn't really have a plan when we came here and we still called it a plan so this is a plan too. I think.
"And what is this plan?"
Not wanting to repeat myself three times, I tell it to one angel, so they can tell their brothers. I know Lucifer would want to stop me from doing anything stupid. Knowing that this is the definition of stupid, I decide I can't tell him, because he won't tell the others if he doesn't like it. Cas hates Lucifer, so I can't trust him tell Lucifer, though the idea of Cas keeping anything from anyone in a situation like this is unlikely. Gabriel, being the medium of the two, won't keep anything from the others, and, though I'm sure he will think I'm an idiot, he won't try to stop me. He's definitely the one to tell this to.
So I don't really have a plan, but I figured anything was better than sitting here like a dog, so I figured I could just go find you, kill as many demons as I can, and hope that you two can help me? Can you tell the others, so I don't have to say it three times?
"You're an idiot" appears in the floor in front of me. Then, beneath it says, "But I'll tell them."
As I suspected, Lucifer is not happy with this at all. "I thought you had a plan! I figured you wouldn't just go running in there without a way out! The others, sure, they're used to suicide runs, but I thought you were better than that!"
"My standards ain't that high," I reply with a wink. It's the same thing he said when I told him that he was above dad jokes. I guess we were both wrong.
Lucifer doesn't seem to find this amusing at all, though I'm sure he knows where I got it from. "Don't do it," he pleads. "Just wait here. We'll get out of this. No need to be an idiot."
"Why does everyone keep calling me an idiot?" I ask. "Relax, Lucifer. I'll come back. I promise."
He sighs. "You better," he says finally. "Good luck and don't die."
I give him a small smile. "I'll try."
Gabriel creates a line leading from my room to his, and I follow it slowly, looking out for demons. The fact no one noticed every door in the hallway opening is a good sign, but it's still possible I'll run into some demons. In fact, it's a welcome idea. If they're more spread out, I can take on more of them. Before every corner I pause and stick out my head, so I'll know if there are demons. Right when I'm about to give up on the secretive thing and just run in guns blazing, I see a couple demons down the hall. I guess I'm getting close. Not wanting to get all their attention at once, I jump as loud as possible a few times before hiding behind the corner. I wait for a few seconds until a demon comes to check it out. I'm grateful for the black eyes, so I don't have any doubt this thing is not human. I stab him, and I watch the electricity as it cackles. I can't believe I just did that. I just killed a demon. I just did that. I jump around again, and this time two more demons come, and I kill them both with a quick stab to the heart. I do it again, but instead of just a couple demons, I'm greeted by a whole lot of them. I try not to panic, and I manage to kill them all. Why is this so easy? Shouldn't this be harder? I mean, they're demons. They shouldn't be as easy to kill as a giant fly. Right?
I find the room with the others, and the number of demons outside the door both surprises me and confuses me. Why so many people out here, but no one near the room I was I with Lucifer? Why are they so much more important? I know sneaking up on them isn't going to work, so I try the loud noise strategy, which works perfectly once again. There's still a couple that come, but it's not too many that I can't handle it. I've killed enough demons in the last couple minutes that two of them don't phase me. When I narrow down the demons, I run to the crowd of them that still remains, and it feels almost natural now. It's scary to me how quickly I've adjusted to stabbing things. There's no way this many demons scared off the hunters, so clearly that's not all of them. It's all the ones I need to face, though, and if I don't have time, there's no way I'm going to kill more.
I kick the bodies out of the way like they're nothing. They really aren't, or at least not anymore. I just killed the demons that were in them, and if any of the humans were still alive, I just killed them too. Oh my god, I just killed people. I can't believe I just killed people. I can't believe I didn't care I was killing people. I can't believe I didn't think about the people. I can't believe any of this is happening. Okay, let's save this mental breakdown for later. I open the door, and I see everyone is tied to chars and surrounded by holy fire, once again showing how much of a cliché this girl is. There are demons everywhere, and, in the center of them all is Jacklyn. While all the other demons whip around when I open the door, she turns around at a leisurely pace, smiling when she sees me.
"Took you long enough," she says by way of greeting.  "Welcome to the party."
"I thought the party was in the other room."
She laughs. "Sorry, change in plans. It was never Lucifer I was after anyway. You either, actually. You're free to leave now if you'd like. They'll let you out."
I shake my head. "Thanks, but no."
She shrugs. "Suit yourself."
It all happened so suddenly, I don't actually know what happens. The demons all turn on me, and, at the same time, Cas and Gabriel break free of their bonds. After a moment, Rob joins them, followed by Crowley, and someone must have broken the others' restraints, because Jared, Jensen and Ruth join the fight too.
For someone who isn't a hunter and wasn't a main target of this whole mission, I'm getting attacked way too much. I guess being the one to start this whole fight probably has something to do with it. It all happens so fast, I don't know what's going on until I watch the last of the bodies fall. A lot of demons smoked out, so it wasn't as hard as I had expected. The last demon left is Jacklyn. Though she just witnessed the murder of all her workers, she doesn't seem at all nervous when we walk up to her. She's completely surrounded by us. She tries to smoke out as well, but Jared says the reverse exorcism, and she's stuck.
"Kill me if you want," she spits, "but this isn't over. They'll be back for you all."
Gabriel nods. "Oh, I'm sure they will. And when they do, we'll be ready for them. You, on the other hand, will not be." With that, he places his hand on her forehead, and I watch in awe as her eyes and mouth go white, and she dies. "Gotta admit, I want expecting that to work," he tells me.
"Me neither," I admit. "Gotta go. Stay here."
I ignore their questions as I run through the halls and back to Lucifer, who's slumped in his chair, head hanging. "Lucifer," I say quietly, walking up to him.
He looks up and gives me a weak smile. "Wow, you really made it."
I nod. "Can you walk?"
"Yeah." He attempts to stand up but falls back down into his chair. "Or not."
"Here." I put my blade in the inside of my jacket before placing his arm around my shoulders and haul him up. With most of his weight on me, I can't walk very fast, but eventually we get back to where the others are waiting, helping the few people who survived being possessed after their demon smoked out of them. Everyone looks up as we enter the room.
"What the..." Gabriel breathes when he sees his brother.
"Lucifer, are you okay?" Rob asks, walking up to us. Lucifer doesn't say anything. Clearly this half-walking is taking a lot out of him, because he usually wouldn't let Rob near him. He puts the palm of his hand on Lucifer's forehead, and suddenly he's healed. Rob pulls his hand back as Lucifer straightens, taking his arm off my shoulders quickly. "How are you feeling?" Rob asks. "I healed you."
"I didn't ask you to," he replies. "In fact, I actually asked you not to."
Rob frowns. "Don't be like that, Lucifer."
"Hey, if you stop being like you, I'll stop being like me." Lucifer leans against the wall, arms crossed and looking way too cool.
Rob sighs. "Lucifer..." He seems as if he's about to say something else, but thinks better of it and walks over to one of the people lying on the floor after the demon possession. He kneels next to them and heals them, and moves on to the next person until every person is healed. He doesn't tell them that he's God, and when asked how he did it, he just brushes it off. He tells them to get out of here, and though he makes it sound like its for their own good, I think it's just because he doesn't want to deal with them any longer than he has to. When they all leave, he comes over to me.
"Well, that was very interesting," he says.
"Hey, it worked," I reply dismissively. "We got Lucifer back, killed some demons, and now all we have to do is find Avery." I try to steer the conversation away from the fact he told me not to attempt this, because he's God, and I really don't want God mad at me. I'm sure it won't end well.
"Jacklyn was controlling everything, including the spell that didn't allow us to track people. We'll be able to find her easily now."
"Where do I look?"
Rob glances behind me, and I can only assume he's looking at Lucifer. "Lucifer can take you."
I nod. "Okay," I reply awkwardly, not quite sure how to leave the conversation. I turn around to face Lucifer. "Can you help me find Avery?"
"Yep. Let's go." He leads me through a series of hallways and to a random door. I try to unlock it, but it's locked. Lucifer opens it wth his newly returned powers. "Ta-da!"
Avery's just sitting in a chair, not tied up at all. I guess they just assumed she'd be an obedient pet, and, by the looks of it, they were right. When we come in, she looks up, and I can see that she, unlike the rest of us, wasn't attacked at all; there are no bruises or cuts to be seen. Apparently, she wasn't as hard to crack as Lucifer. When she sees me, she gets up and comes over to me quickly.
"Bailey, what are you doing here?" she asks.
"That is a great question," I reply. "Come on, Lucifer and I are going to get you back."
She glances up at Lucifer and quickly looks back at me, and suddenly I understand what he was talking about. If this had been Cas, she would have been fine looking at him, but when Lucifer looked her in the eyes, she freaked. I guess people really do go by the stories they've been told.
"Okay," she says quietly. Lucifer leads the way back, and there's a big enough gap between Avery and me and Lucifer that Avery feels like she can talk again. "What happened?" she whispers.
"Well, a demon stole your phone, kidnapped Mark, Lucifer saved my life and I killed a bunch of demons," I summarize quickly.
"Wow," she replies. "That's... Wow."
I laugh. "I know, it's crazy. On the bright side, I'm no longer being hunted by a demon."
"That's always a good thing," she agrees. "Wait, Lucifer saved your life?" she repeats as if that just sank in.
I nod. "Yeah. Probably shouldn't have, but hey, it all worked out in the end." I say this lightly, but in reality, it's not a joke. I'm the reason this whole thing went south. If I hadn't come, Jacklyn wouldn't have gotten to me, and Lucifer wouldn't have told her where everyone was. I screwed everything up.
We arrive back at the room with everyone else. I notice the bodies are all gone, but the floor is coated in a thin layer of ashes. Did they burn the bodies already? I know it's a hunter burial thing, but they weren't hunters. They were ordinary people dragged into something they don't understand, and now they're dead. I guess that could mean they'll come back as vengeful spirits. Even so, that was a pretty quick cremation. With the angels here, I guess it didn't have to be an all out ceremony, but rather a quick snap of the fingers.
Ruth approaches Avery and me. "Well, good job, kid," she says to me. "Guess we owe you now, huh?"
I shake my head. "You guys kept me safe. I was just repaying the favor."
"Well, thanks for that." She turns to Avery. "And you must be... Avery?"
She nods. "Hi," she squeaks.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ruth, practicing witch for three hundred years."
"You're three hundred years old?"
She nods. "Yep, and proud of it."
Before Avery can respond, Gabriel says loudly, "Time to go back?"
Everyone seems to agree. I tell him that we have to go back to the Massachusetts bunker, because I left my phone there. Avery looks at me like I'm crazy, either because I don't always have my phone on me, or because I was comfortable enough with the bunker to leave my phone there. Really, I just took it out of my pocket when I went to bed last night and forgot to put in back in my pocket when I woke up this morning. The angels zap us back there, and I quickly run to my room to grab my phone, putting it in my back pocket before rejoining the group.
"So, what do we do now?" Jensen asks.
"Well, I guess we bring them home," Jared replies, gesturing with his head to Avery and me.
"And if you're ever sad, just remember, you aren't being hunted by a demon anymore," Gabriel says to me.
I laugh. "Yeah, that's good." In a serious tone, I add, "Sorry about today. I shouldn't have gone. I really messed things up."
Jensen shakes his head. "It's not your fault. I'm the one that asked you to come."
"And I left you alone, which was pretty stupid on my part too," Jared adds. "Don't worry, you don't have the blame. At least you managed to fix everything at the end. We couldn't even do that."
I smile gratefully, but I don't believe what they say for a second. I could have stayed back here. I could have killed Jacklyn when she appeared in front of me. I could have done a lot of things better.
"You're blaming yourself for something at isn't your fault?" Misha says to me. "Welcome to the club. The admission cost is your self esteem and the benefits are sadness and depression."
I laugh. "You know, I think I'll pass on that one."
Misha shrugs. "Suit yourself."
I look around to see who's talking to who. People leave the big group conversations so fast, it honestly amazes me. Lucifer is talking to Crowley, only I know they aren't very close so I assume it's probably Mark now. Ruth is talking to Rob, and I remember what I've heard about her hunger for power. Jared is talking to Gabriel and Jensen, but when I turn to Avery and stop talking to Misha, Jensen immediately joins his friend.
"You seem oddly fine right now," Avery observes.
I shrug. "What can I say? These things don't phase me much. It's pretty good, too, because killing demons wouldn't sit well with most people."
"A demon just kidnapped you so Lucifer would tell her where she could find the characters from a tv show," she reminds me.
I shrug. "The hunters are more important than a random person anyway. It probably would have been best if Lucifer let her kill me, but hey, it all worked out great, so I can't complain. At least we're still alive, right?"
She nods in agreement, seeming relieved it all worked out as I am. "That first part was false, but I won't even bother arguing with you. You're too stubborn. So, what do we do now?"
I shrug. "I guess we go home. We're not in any danger anymore."
"That's what I thought last time I went home, and that didn't go so well," she reminds me. "I don't know if I want to go home."
"Want to come home with me?" I offer. "We can hang out and watch tv or something for a few days."
"As long as it's not Supernatural."
I laugh. "Yeah, I think we've had enough Supernatural for a while."
"Agreed." She looks around. "Now, uh... How do we get home?"
I shrug. "Want to go ask Rob?" I suggest. I figure he'll definitely have a way back, being God and all that. Avery doesn't want to be the awkward person standing around again, so I go alone, interrupting his conversation with Ruth. "And please don't zap us back," I add. "It really messes with my head."
He nods. "Yeah, I've heard that before. I'll call up a limo. You can be travel back in style."
"Thanks," I say gratefully. "For everything. Both of you," I add, looking at Ruth.
"Of course," Rob replies.
"No problem," Ruth says. "Remember, if you ever need a witch, just follow the apocalypse and I'll be there."
I laugh. "Will do."
I join Cas and Jensen next, who are talking really quietly with big smiles on their faces. It can't be. Is Destiel real? They both look down at me when I approach, making me feel short. Castiel slouches a bit, and I know it's now Misha. I don't take it personally, knowing how rusty Castiel's people skills are.
"I'm leaving, but I figured I'd say bye first," I tell them.
"No!" Misha replies quickly. "No, you can't leave me! Don't leave me with these people!"
Jensen playfully slaps him on the shoulder. "Not cool, Misha. Not cool." He's laughing, so I know it wasn't taken too seriously. "Bye, Bailey. Thanks for saving us today. I'm sure you'd make a fine hunter."
I smile proudly. "Thanks, but I doubt it."
"Cas would say bye as well, but he's being socially awkward," Misha tells me.
I laugh. "Bye, Cas."
Next I join Jared and Richard/Gabriel. Judging by what I've seen of them so far, it's probably Gabriel. They seem to be closer than Jared is with Richard.
"You're not leaving already, are you?" Jared asks.
"Yeah," I say. "I've got to get home sometime."
"Well, we'll miss ya," Jared says.
"Thanks for being less annoying that most of the people we've worked with!" Gabriel adds.
I laugh. "You must work with some really annoying people, then, if your standards are so low."
Gabriel chuckles at that. "Yeah, true, so you're a nice refresher."
I grin proudly. "Thanks for everything, guys."
Next, I join Mark and Crowley, who are bickering like an old married couple. I figured they were friends, but I've never really heard the talk before. Maybe they just don't have anyone else to fight with and that's why they're always together.
"I'm leaving, but I wanted to say bye before I did," I tell them.
"Bye, Bailey," Mark says.
"Maybe I'll see you in Hell," Crowley says.
"Eh, I think I'll pass on that one. Sorry, Crowley."
He shrugs. "I figured you would. Bye, kid."
"Bye!"
"Hey, Lucifer, you want to join the party?" Mark asks. I notice him straighten a bit, and I know I'm looking at Lucifer. It's amazing how easily I can tell who's in front of me now.
"Hey, Mark!" Chuck calls over. Crowley excuses himself and leaves quickly, and suddenly I'm alone with Lucifer.
"So..." Lucifer says after a long and awkward pause. "This is it, huh?"
I nod slowly. "I guess so."
"I'd say I hope I see you again, but that would probably be a bad thing."
"If you're ever back in New England, you should come find me."
He nods in agreement. "Definitely."
It's awkward again. Why is it that with everyone else, I could have a normal conversation with before this, even though I usually don't talk much at all, but with Lucifer, the one I've been talking to this whole time without a problem, the goodbye is so hard?
"Before I go, I want you to promise me something," I say.
"And what would that be?"
"Try to make some friends. Or at least less enemies. Be nice to Cas and give Rob a chance."
"Maybe," he says. "Probably not, but maybe."
Why does this silence have to be so awkward?
"Thank you," he says. "For everything. It's been nice having someone to talk to."
I nod. "Same here. Thanks for lowering your standards enough that I was good enough."
It's quiet again, once again broken by Lucifer. "I've never had to do this 'goodbye' thing," he tells me. "Mark usually just lies and says I said 'bye.'"
"Well, I'm glad I get to see you before I leave."
He nods. "Yeah, me too."
"Bye, Lucifer," I say finally, not able to stall any longer. I wish I didn't have to say goodbye. I hate the thought that I'll probably never see him again. As much as I love the others, he's definitely the closest thing I've had to a friend here, and I wish I could keep that contact. It's a shame he'll be too busy stopping the apocalypse to remember the little people.
"Bye, Bailey."
I leave him hesitantly. I know we won't be able to continue our conversation any longer. It's awkward enough as it is. I just don't want to leave him yet. Unfortunately, I know I have to, so I walk back over to Avery.
"Ready to go?" I ask her. She nods. We walk by everyone, and I give everyone a big wave. Just as we're about to open the door, Gabriel yells to us.
"Don't forget to watch Supernatural!"
"Thursdays at 9!" Misha adds.
"I'll be there!" I assure them before Avery and I leave.
I can't believe this happened to me. I can't believe I met the cast of Supernatural. I can't believe I was being hunted by a demon. I can't believe I got to meet angels. I can't believe I became friends with the devil. I can't believe it's all over.
"Found the limo," I tell her, leading her over to the big black vehicle. The driver gets out and opens the door for us. "Thank you," I say, about to slide in.
"Of course, hunter," he replies, and his eyes go black.
A/N My original plan had been for the whole thing to be set up by Jared and Jensen, who tried to get Bailey kidnapped so Lucifer would tell them where they were, but I didn't want Bailey to begin to leave them on such a negative note. I figured I'd put this little note in here in case you guys were wondering.