Shattered: The Sequel to Mirrors

Broken Coffee Mugs

The house was quiet. Sam was standing in the kitchen, attmepting to make a pot of coffee. Of course, when he opened the cupboards, there wasn't a single mug to be found anywhere. Sam opened the trash can to throw out the coffee grinds and found the shattered remnants of every single coffee mug. He sighed and poured his coffee into a regular cup. He walked into the living room. Alfie was asleep in Adam's arms. He hadn't seen Gilda or Charlie since last night. Gilda had stormed out, punching a hole in the wall on the way out. Charlie had followed her. Balthazar had numbly sat on the couch for a full three hours before Crowley had led him down to the basement. That had been ten last night. Now it was noon the next day. 

Sam walked up the stairs and knocked on the door to his room lightly. He opened it when he got no response and found Gabriel lying across the bed, staring at the ceiling. He didn't look up at Sam. His eyes were unfocused, almost as if he was staring through the roof instead of at it. Sam cleared his throat. Gabriel didn't look at him still. 

"Get out," Gabriel said. Sam chewed on the inside of his lip. 

"Gabe..." Sam started. 

"I said get out, Sam," Gabriel said again. Sam put the coffee on the side table and then brushed his hand lightly across Gabriel's knee before leaving the room. He stepped out into the hallway at the same time as Dean, who was running his hands through his hair. 

"Cas?" Sam asked.

"Asleep. And crying. Crying while asleep," Dean said. "Gabe?" Sam shrugged. 

"He just told me to get out, so I don't know," Sam admitted. Dean put a hand on his shoulder. 

"You?" he asked, using the concerned older brother voice. Sam shrugged. He thought about all the times they had all had together. Lucifer had basically ran the family after Dean died...he was the foundation when everything else was crumbling. And now he was dead. 

"I don't know," Sam said, even though he could hear the tears in his own voice. "I think Michael broke all of the coffee cups." 

"He could have done a lot worse," Dean mumbled. "We need to talk to him." 

"Yeah, I know," Sam said softly. The thought of seeing Michael so torn up...he didn't honestly know if he could face it. 

"I can do it, Sammy. If you want to go downstairs..." Dean started. Sam shook his head. He needed to be there for his uncle. Chuck knew that Michael needed them. They approached the door to Michael and Lucifer's room and knocked gently. The door opened and Michael stared at them. 

He looked...fine. He was wearing a clean set of clothes, looked recently showered...he looked like he normally would. Except of course that his eyes were filled with a pain so intense that Sam couldn't stand to look at him for too long. 

"Hey, Michael..." Dean started. Michael was in the middle of buttoning up his shirt. Sam realized with a twinge of pain that it was one of Michael's shirts. He never wore his own clothes anymore. He glanced inside the room to see that there were three taped up boxes. Had he packed Lucifer's clothes? 

"We've got to get the group together," Michael said. 

"Uh, what?" Dean asked. Michael looked at them both. His gaze flicked back and forth, but it was so empty it scared Sam. 

"We have to get the group together. The demons took Ash, right? We've got to get her back. And kill the rest of the demons. We've mostly dealt with the angels, since Raphael and Metatron are dead now. So now we get rid of Abaddon, and find out where the hell Azazel ran off to. Then we deal with both of them, and we don't have to worry about the demon's coming after Sam anymore," Michael said. Sam opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come out. Wasn't Michael supposed to be more...upset? Hell, Sam had sat outside and cried for a good two hours. Even know he still felt like tears might start falling from his eyes. 

"Are you good?" Dean asked Michael. Michael looked at him, and for a second, Sam saw that flash of horrific pain in the older hunter's eyes. But then it was gone, and the emptiness took it's place. 

"I'll be better when we get Ash back," Michael said, walking between the two down the stairs. 

"What the actual hell?" Dean asked Sam. Sam shrugged his shoulders. He couldn't pretend to know what was going on with Michael. But if Sam had to hazard a guess, he would assume that Michael was just going to pretend nothing had happened. Sam glanced at the boxes in the corner and thought about how many times Lucifer had complained about Michael stealing his clothes. He thought about the shattered mugs and how many times he had come into the kitchen to see the two giggling and sharing a cup of coffee. Michael was trying to erase every bit of Lucifer that he could. 

"Come on," Sam said, grabbing Dean's shoulder and then going down the stairs. 

"Are we going to get Ash back now?" Meg asked Michael, clearly anxious. Michael glanced at her and then the collection of wings burned into the hardwood floors and the walls. His eyes fell on the largest set of wings, the wood twinged with red where Lucifer's wings had left their mark on the ground. Michael was staring so intensely, Sam was expecting a breakdown. He was expecting Michael to start crying, to start screaming. After they had managed to get him to let go of Lucifer's body, Michael had locked himself in his room. And now he had emerged like this. 

"Yeah, that's the plan," Michael said, tearing his eyes away from the spot on the floor. "We're going to have to figure out where the demons are. And how to keep new ones from continuing their quest to bring back the demon king." 

"I have a way to help with that, boys," Crowley said as he came up the stairs. Balthazar was behind him, looking tired and older than he had before. Sam winced as he thought about Gabe showing up at his house when he thought Balthazar had died. He knew for a fact that was the first time Michael and Lucifer hooked up. If Michael was thinking about that, his eyes didn't show it. 

"How?" Michael asked. 

"Well, if you help with Abaddon and Azazel, I'll return to hell. I'll rule over it, even if I hate it," Crowley huffed. 

"And I'll come," Balthazar said. "I mean, I'll have to give up my wings...but I can't leave you to suffer alone, right?" 

"You're serious?" Crowley asked. 

"Why won't you two just admit that you're in love?" Dean asked. Balthazar and Crowley both glared at him. 

"Because we don't. We aren't. I hate him," Balthazar said, looking at Crowley with hate and affection. 

"And I hate you, darling," Crowley responded. Sam just shook his head. 

"So where would Abaddon be keeping Ash?" Michael asked. Crowley shrugged. 

Frankly, I've got no idea." 

Are you guys still mad at me? I sure hope not. I'm sleepy, but I figured I'd put out another angsty chapter...poor Michael. 

I have the honor to be your obedient servant.