Battle of Will

Chapter 7

The Green Room

Anita sat curled in on herself, pressed against the headboard of her dingy motel bed. A sinking, nauseous feeling had settled in her stomach, and Anita worried if it was there to stay. Castiel's words still haunted her. He had changed. Regressed.

He sounded just like Uriel, a thought that shook Anita to her core. The last thing she wanted was for Castiel to lose everything she thought he was.

Anita had decided to separate from Sam and Dean, not wanting to be around for Sam's rehab, something that definitely would not be pleasant. She knew she should probably stick with them, given the apocalypse and all, but she just could not bring herself to be around them. Besides, it's not like it was actually her job to sort out the end of the world. She had already done it before, had she not filled her quota? She had sold her soul to help stop the last one...No, this was definitely the Winchester's gig. Anita's job was to follow Castiel around, and he wasn't even down here!

Although, she could feel him pop down occasionally, he did not seek her out.

With a growl of frustration, Anita threw a pillow against the wall as she stood up, rage filling her. Why did she get dragged into this mess? Maybe she really should stop trying to save the world, it never seems to end well for her. Anita wracked her nails over her scalp, messing up her hair in frustration. Anita nearly jumped out of her skin when her cell phone rang. Sloppily, she picked it up.

"What?" she growled into the phone.

"Geez, Anita, you okay?" Dean's voice asked her over the phone. Anita sighed.

"Not really. What do you want Dean?"

"Sam's escaped."

"Escaped?"

"Well, we had him in the panic room, in Bobby's basement. He somehow got out, we're looking for him now."

"Okay, what do you want me to do about it?"

"Can ya help us out?"

"Why?"

"'Cause it's what friends do, Anita," Dean snapped back. Anita stilled, friends? Friends. She wasn't sure she'd ever had that. Her only friend was her father, and she wasn't sure that counted.

"Sure, Dean. Got a clue where he's at?" After Dean gave her the rough address, Anita hung up and began to get her things together.

Anita heard the sound of Angel wings and froze.

"Castiel?" Anita asked sadly.

"Hello, Anita." She turned with hesitance. Castiel stood in the middle of the room, staring at her with such a stony expression; it was like he wasn't even real. Anita tried to open her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.

"You were about to go help Dean find Sam?" Castiel asked her, blue eyes boring into caramel ones.

"Yes, Cas. I've been told that's what friends do," She told him with a shrug. An awkward kind of air hung around them, Castiel's words still heavy from the last time they saw each other.

"You can't help him, Anita."

"Why the hell not?"

"Sam needs to do this, it's Heaven's Will."

"Yeah, well, heaven ain't always right, mister," Anita snapped, putting her hands on her hips and looking away from the Angel.

"Sam is on the path he needs to be, Anita. I can't let you interfere." Anita stilled, rage filling through her. She never did truly get used to being told what to do.

With a huff, Anita made to move past the Angel, but his hand caught her wrist in an iron grip, ripping her backwards to stand in front of him.

"You have to let me go, Castiel. Sam's gone off the deep end, the Apocalypse is coming and us humans seem to be the only ones trying to stop it! We're gonna need all of us with our heads in the game if we want to win this thing!" Anita growled, trying to pull out of Castiel's grip.

"It's not your place."

"Bullshit!" Anita yelled, slapping Castiel hard across the face. He was barely fazed, his look darkened and he backed her up, slamming her back into a wall and pinning both her hands beside her.

"You do as I say, Anita," Castiel warned. Anita struggled against him, tears welling up in her eyes.

"How can you say that? How can you be so cruel all of a sudden? What the hell did the other Angels do to you?" Anita yelled at him, tears choking up her voice. Castiel's eyes lowered.

"Just, do this. Don't make me invoke the contract. You don't see it, but I'm trying to help you."

"Help me? You're joking!" Anita cried. She tried desperately to kick him, but he merely applied more pressure to her wrists.

"Fine. Anastasia Winters, you are to stay in this room until I tell you otherwise," he commanded, the contract sang through her blood, forcing her to comply.

All will to leave the room left her and she sank against the wall, only Castiel's grip on her wrists kept her up. Tears slipped down her cheeks, staining them with streaks. Castiel dropped her wrists, trying not to notice the already bruised skin around the area. Anita crumbled to the floor, leaning back on the wall and looking up at Castiel with disappointed eyes.

"I'm...sorry," Castiel whispered. Anita shook her head and looked away, unable to meet his eyes any longer. Anita heard the soft sound of feathers beating against each other, and Cas was gone. And Anita was just a mess, piled in the corner, waiting for her Angel's command.

A few days later, Castiel came to her again, and Anita did not meet his eyes once. All she knew is that now she was in some kind of lavish room, nicer than any she had ever seen. More importantly, Dean was there.

"Dean, It's almost time," Castiel announced. Dean and Anita met eyes.

"Where were you?" He asked her, ignoring Castiel.

"I couldn't come. Castiel...he invoked my contract," Anita spat, glaring over at Castiel's tie, still not wanting to meet his eyes. Dean nodded understanding, but also pissed at Cas, knowing what doing so meant to Anita.

The two of them looked around the room, it was...interesting. Food and beer sat on the table, and Dean gingerly picked up a bottle, studying it.

"Hello, Dean. You're looking fit," Came a new voice. Anita whirled around, not recognizing this Angel. He was bald and...unpleasant.

"Well, how 'bout this? 'The suite life of Zach and Cas.'" Dean joked, "It's a... never mind. So, what is this? Where the hell am I?"

"Call it a Green room. We're closing in on the grand finale, here. We want to keep you safe before showtime. Try a burger. They're your favorite. From that seaside shack in Delaware. You were 11, I think," Zachariah smirked.

"I'm not hungry," Dean drawled back.

"No? How about Ginger from season 2 of "Gilligan's Island"? You do have a thing for her, don't you?"

"Tempting. Weird," Dean cocked his head.

"We'll throw in Mary Ann for free."

"No, no. Let's... bail on the holodeck, okay? I want to know what the game plan is."

"Let us worry about that. We want you... focused, relaxed."

"Well, I'm about to be pissed and leaving, so start talking, Chuckles."

"All the seals have fallen. Except one." Anita's jaw dropped. Geez, they really let the ball drop on this one. That's an impressive score. That's... that's right up there with the Washington Generals.

"You think sarcasm's appropriate, do you? Considering... you started all this? But the final seal... it'll be different," Zach said suspiciously. Anita was wondering where the hell she fit in all this. Why was she here? Why did no one ever seem to speak with her?

"Why?"

"Lilith has to break it. She's the only one who can. Tomorrow night - midnight."

"Where?"

"We're working on it."

"Well, work harder," Dean growled.

"We'll do our job. You just make sure you do yours." Dean scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Yeah, and what is that, exactly? If I'm supposed to be the one that stops her, how? With the knife?"

"All in good time."

"Isn't now a good time?"

"Have faith," Zach coerced.

"What, in you? Give me one good reason why I should." Zachariah's gaze grew darker and he stepped up close to Dean's face.

"Because you swore your obedience. So obey." Anita shook her head in disbelief. Her temper suddenly shot.

"God damn it all to hell. You are all such assholes," Anita yelled loudly, anger rolled off her in waves as the three men turned to look at her in shock. "I am so fucking sick of being left out like some kind of stray that people only keep around for shits and giggles. I am not a piece of furniture. Yet, for whatever reason, you Angels keep pulling on my leash, treating me like some pet, taking away my will. You won't even tell me why! Why do I seem to be the only one in a fucking contract? Why am I even here, especially if this is meant to be the Winchesters gig? Why the fuck did you asshats drag me out of hell in the first place?" Anita breathed heavily as she finished her rant, her blood pumping through her as adrenaline pushed it around her body. Her eyes were wild and her fists were clenched. Zachariah cocked his head at her and let out a laugh.

"Oh, you are just adorable. Anita, you...don't get to ask questions. You signed the contract, you do as Castiel here tells you. We don't need to tell you why," he laughed, shaking his head.

"Just...tell me. What am I doing here?" Anita begged, the adrenaline leaving her. Zach shook his head.

"Because, little lamb, we need you here right now. That's all." Anita went to go punch him in the face, but Dean grabbed her arm gently and pulled her to his side.

"Hey, Anita, chose your battles, Darling," he warned her with a wink. Anita took a deep breath and relaxed.

"Fine."

As far as waiting around in rooms went, Anita was pretty much a pro now. Especially concerning Angels. The two pansy-ass Angels left them alone in the room with nothing but boring paintings and food to keep them occupied. Dean had tried to call Sam, and left him a message. Now, he was calling Cas back. For that, Anita wanted to shove her sock in his big mouth, but she let him do it. While they waited for the Angel to show, Dean poked at a figurine , one of the many laying around, sending it crashing to the ground just as Castiel appeared.

"You asked to see me?" Cas asked, looking slowly away from the shattered figurine.

"Yeah, listen, I, uh, I-I need something," Dean stumbled, trying not to look like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"Anything you wish," Cas told him.

"I need you to take me to see Sam."

"Why?" Cas asked, cocking his head to the side.

"There's something I got to talk to him about."

"What's that?"

"The B.M. I took this morning. What's it to you? Just make it snappy," Dean replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes.

"I don't think that's wise."

"Well, I didn't ask you for your opinion."

"Have you forgotten what happened the last time you met?" Anita looked to Dean, who was looking angry.

"No. That's the whole point. Listen, I'm gonna do whatever you mooks want, okay? I just need to tie up this one thing. Five minutes - that's all I need."

"No."

"What do you mean, no? Are you saying that we're trapped here?"

"You can go wherever you want."

"Super. I want to go see Sam."

"Except there."

"I want to take a walk."

"Fine. I'll go with you." Anita rolled her eyes and crossed her arms below her chest. They were like children bickering.

"Alone."

"No."

"You know what? Screw this noise. I'm out of here," Dean growled, heading for the door.

"Through what door?" Anita looked to the door, only to find it had been replaced with wall. And Cas had once again disappeared.

"Damn it."

"Tell me about it," Anita mumbled. Dean turned to look at her, confusion on his face.

"What's up with you and Cas, you're not even looking him in the eyes," Dean noted. Anita frowned.

"Yeah, well, that's what he gets. Being such an asshole..." Anita muttered. Dean raised his eyebrow at her.

"Lovers quarrel?" He asked jokingly. Anita whirled on him.

"We are not lovers, Dean. He holds my contract, that's it," Anita hissed at him. He held his hands up in defense.

"Geez, I'm sorry!"

Anita watched lazily as Dean attempted to break through the wall with a pedastal, only to have wall repair itself.

"Might as well give up Dean."

"Give up? Might be easy for you to say..."

"What do you mean by that, exactly?"

"You don't have free will, I do."

"Go fu-"

"Quit hurling feces like a howler monkey, would you? It's unbecoming," said Zachariah, appearing from nowhere.

"Let me out of here," Dean demanded.

"Like I told you: too dangerous out there. Demons on the prowl," Zach replied sarcastically.

"I've been getting my ass kicked all year. Now you're sweating my safety? You're lying. I want to see my brother."

"That's... ill-advised."

"You know, I am so sick of your crap riddles and your smug, fat face. What the hell is going on, huh? Why can't I see Sam? And how am I gonna ice Lilith?"

"You're not. ...Going to ice Lilith," Zachariah said with a sigh.

"What?"

"Lilith's going to break the final seal. Fait accompli at this point. Train's left the station."

"But me and Sam, we can stop...You don't want to stop it, do you?" Dean said, having an epiphany. Anita's jaw dropped.

"Oh, you bastard," she muttered.

"Nope. Never did. The end is nigh. The apocalypse is coming, kiddo, to a theater near you." Why did it seem that every other angel except for Castiel have a sense of humour? To be fair, Zach's sucked.

"What was all that crap about saving seals?"

"Our grunts on the ground - we couldn't just tell them the whole truth. We'd have a full-scale rebellion on our hands. I mean, think about it. Would we really let 65 seals get broken unless senior management wanted it that way?"

"But why?" Anita asked softly. Zach's eyes flicked to hers.

"Why not? The apocalypse? Poor name, bad marketing - puts people off. When all it is is Ali/Foreman. On a... slightly larger scale. And we like our chances. When our side wins - and we will - it's paradise on earth. Now, what's not to like about that?"

"What happens to all the people during your little pissing contest?" Dean questioned.

"Well... you can't make an omelet without cracking a few eggs. In this case... truckloads of eggs, but you get the picture. Look... it happens. This isn't the first planetary enema we've delivered. Uh, no, Dean. Probably shouldn't try to bash my skull in with that thing. Wouldn't end up too pleasant for you." Anita followed his eyes to a small statue that Dean was also eyeing off.

"What about Sam? He won't go quietly. He'll stop Lilith." Zachariah shook his head, a small smirk playing on his lips.

"Sam... has a part to play. A very important part. He may need a little nudging in the right direction, but I'll make sure he plays it."

"What does that mean? What are you gonna do to him?" Dean asked worriedly. "

Sam, Sam, Sam. Marcia, Marcia, Marcia. Forget about him, would you? You have larger concerns. Why do you think I'm confiding in you? You're still vital, Dean. We weren't lying about your destiny. Just... omitted a few pertinent details. But nothing's changed. You are chosen. You will stop it. Just... not Lilith, or the apocalypse. That's all."

"Which means?"

"Lucifer. You're going to stop Lucifer. You're our own little Russell Crowe, complete with surly attitude. And when it's over... and when you've won... your rewards will be... unimaginable. Peace, happiness... two virgins and seventy sluts. Trust me - one day, we'll look back on this and laugh," Zach finished with a grin. A grin that Anita was beginning to hate with a fiery passion.

"Tell me something. Where's God in all this?" Dean questioned.

"God? God has left the building." And with that, the smart ass Angel left. Dean whirled to Anita.

"You know, you sure are awful quiet."

"Habit," Anita told him with a shrug. She was still trying to process everything.

Okay, so she now kind of understood Sam and Dean's roles, well, at least a little. But she still didn't understand her own. Why take her here at all, if they wanted her to stay put, Cas could have just kept her in a motel and told her not to leave. God, she hated angels.

Dean tried again to call Sam, not seeing Castiel appear behind him.

"You can't reach him, Dean. You're outside your coverage zone," Cas told him dryly.

"What are you gonna do to Sam?"

"Nothing. He's gonna do it to himself."

"What's that supposed to mean? Oh, right, right. Got to toe the company line. Why are you here, Cas?"

"We've been through much together, you and I. And I just wanted to say, I'm sorry it ended like this." Anita cocked her head, was now really the time for apologies.

"'Sorry'?" Dean questioned angrily, suddenly, Dean's fist cracked over Castiel's face, the Angel hardly moving. Dean flexed his painful hand.

"It's Armageddon, Cas. You need a bigger word than 'sorry.'"

"Try to understand - this is long foretold. This is your..."

"Destiny? Don't give me that "holy" crap. Destiny, God's plan... It's all a bunch of lies, you poor, stupid son of a bitch! It's just a way for your bosses to keep me and keep you in line! You know what's real? People, families - that's real. And you're gonna watch them all burn?" Dean vented.

"What is so worth saving? I see nothing but pain here. I see inside you. I see your guilt, your anger, confusion. In paradise, all is forgiven. You'll be at peace. Even with Sam."

"You can take your peace... and shove it up your lily-white ass. 'Cause I'll take the pain and the guilt. I'll even take Sam as is. It's a lot better than being some Stepford bitch in paradise. This is simple, Cas! No more crap about being a good soldier. There is a right and there is a wrong here, and you know it." Castiel turned away, Anita assumed in shame.

"Look at me!" Dean growled, yanking Cas' shoulder back so the Angel was facing him. "You know it! You were gonna help me once, weren't you? You were gonna warn me about all this, before they dragged you back to Bible camp. Help me - now. Please." Castiel paused, thoughts passed over his features, and it was nice to see Castiel thinking so hard.

"What would you have me do?"

"Get us to Sam. We can stop this before it's too late!" Dean asked of him.

"I do that, we will all be hunted. We'll all be killed."

"If there is anything worth dying for... this is it." Castiel looked away, shaking his head. Dean riled. "You spineless... soulless son of a bitch. What do you care about dying? You're already dead. We're done."

"Dean -"

"We're done!" And like that, Cas was gone again. Anita sighed and leant against a wall, crossing her arms.

"There's no point. Fucking Angels..." Anita told him. Dean glared back to her.

"What help are you?" Dean snapped at her. Anita frowned back at him.

"You know, If I could help you, I would in a heartbeat. But I'm fairly fucking useless right now Dean. I'm barely even a hunter anymore! Any form of me that's left after hell, it's weak. It's controlled by a freaking autistic Angel in a trench coat who barely has control over his own free will, yet he sure as hell has mine!"

"How long were you down there anyway?" Dean snapped back. Anita cocked her head.

"Three years up here, you do the math for down there..." Anita told him. Dean's jaw dropped.

"Three years?...Damn, no wonder you're messed up. Not nearly as bad as I thought you'd be."

"What can I say to that?" Anita mumbled.

Dean paced like a tiger in a pen; it was kind of strange to watch. She almost forgot what it was like to have someone you care that much about. Her Dad had been gone for years. They were close. Closer than even Sam and Dean. But hell made you...different. You forget love after a while. A couple centuries without it will do that to you.

Suddenly, Castiel appeared and pushed both of them against the wall, a look in his eyes telling them not to make a sound. With a nod, he moved back, producing a knife from somewhere in his coat and he sliced himself. Anita wanted to tear the knife away, but she let him finger paint his blood on the wall. Another sound of wings and Zachariah was looking very angry.

"Castiel! Would you mind explaining just what the hell you're doing?" Zach demanded. But, Cas finished his sigil and slammed his hand against it, a bright, burning white light filled the room, and Zach was gone.

"Oh, I have to learn that!" Anita smirked.

"He won't be gone long. We have to find Sam now," Castiel told them.

"Where is he?" Dean asked.

"I don't know. But I know who does. We have to stop him, Dean, from killing Lilith."

"But Lilith's gonna break the final seal..."

"Lilith is the final seal. She dies, the end begins," Castiel told him quickly before grabbing their shoulders and zapping them out of heaven's green room.

Anita stumbled as they landed, knocking over a bottle of whiskey. She instantly recognized this place as the dwelling of Chuck, the prophet. He was on the phone, looking quite startled.

"Wait. T-t-this isn't supposed to happen." He jumped as a voice on the other end mumbled something Anita couldn't hear.

"No, lady, this is definitely supposed to happen, but I just got to call you back," He said, hanging up. Dean grilled Chuck for information about Sam's whereabouts.

"St. Mary's? What is that, a convent?" Dean asked.

"Yeah, but you guys aren't supposed to be there. You're not in this story," Chuck told them in a shaky voice.

"Yeah, well...We're making it up as we go," Cas told him. Anita, despite still being royally pissed at him, was proud of the Angel. Suddenly, a rumble shook the room, and Chuck's computer began to flicker. White light was slowly filling the room.

"Aw, man! Not again! No!"

"It's the Archangel! I'll hold him off! I'll hold them all off! Just stop Sam!" Castiel told them urgently, pressing his hands to Anita and Dean's foreheads, sending them away from the dangerous wrath of the Archangel.

They were, of course, too late. Such is life with Hunters. The heroes don't always win. When Anita felt the light consume her, she was almost happy to be dying. Death was a way out of her contract she was sure. But, like all things, life can be unpredictable. So when Anita and the boys found themselves suddenly on a plane, far away from the raising of Lucifer, it was a mighty surprise. Something...inexplainable. But, one thing was certain. It was the end of the world. Lucifer was free and the sky was most definitely falling.

They had made there way back to the prophet's home. And Anita was in PAIN. A horrible, crushing migraine hadn't left her, and she felt like there was something pulling her in every direction. The second they stepped into Chuck's house, she fell on the couch with a groan.

"Where's Cas?" Dean asked Chuck. The Prophet stood in his destroyed living room looking rather haphazard and more than a little miserable.

"He's dead. Or gone. The archangel smote the crap out of him. I'm sorry," Chucks eyes flicked to Anita, who felt her insides backflip. Cas was dead?

"You're sure? I mean, maybe he just vanished into the light or something?"

"Oh, no. He, like, exploded," Chuck told them shakily. "Like a water balloon of chunky soup." Anita felt like she was going to throw up. Sam frowned and gestured to his ear, though looking at Chuck's "You got a—"

"Uh...right here?" Sam indicated to the other side. Chuck felt his hair, a disgusted and mortified expression came over his face.

"Oh. Oh, god," He muttered as he pulled something out.

"Is that a molar? It is. Do I have a molar in my hair? This has been a really stressful day," Chuck whined. Anita doubled over, there was no way to describe the pain she was in. Cas' molar? Bile rose in her throat.

"Cas, you stupid bastard," Dean mumbled angrily. Anita's eyes shot to Dean.

"Excuse me?"

"Stupid? He was trying to help us," Sam countered.

"Yeah, exactly."

"So, what now?"

"I don't know."

"Oh, crap," Chuck whimpered.

"What?"

"I can feel them." Anita heard the tell-tale sound of wings and flinched.

"Thought we'd find you here," Zachariah announced smugly. Two angels flanked him, looking rather unimpressed with everything.

"Playtime's over, Dean. Time to come with us," Zach told the hunter.

"You just keep your distance, asshat."

"You're upset," Zachariah cooed sarcastically.

"Yeah. A little. You sons of bitches jump-started judgment day!" Dean roared.

"Maybe we let it happen. We didn't start anything."

"Oh, you are such a son of a bitch, Zachariah!" Anita growled at him, trying to stand up, but only managing to stumble forwards into a coffee table. He turned to her briefly.

"Down, doggy," Zach mumbled at her.

"Right, Sammy?" He continued, looking to Sam and giving the freakishly tall man a wink. "You had a chance to stop your brother, and you couldn't. So let's not quibble over who started what. Let's just say it was—all our faults and move on. 'Cause like it or not - it's Apocalypse Now. And we're back on the same team again." Zachariah gestured wide, an arrogant expression playing on his stupid face, his smile one Anita desperately wanted to burn off.

"Is that so?" Dean parried.

"You want to kill the devil. We want you to kill the devil. It's...synergy."

"And I'm just supposed to trust you? Cram it with walnuts, ugly," Dean quipped.

"This isn't a game, son. Lucifer is powerful in ways that defy description. We need to strike now, hard and fast—before he finds his vessel."

"His vessel? Lucifer needs a meat suit?" Sam asked.

"He is an angel. Them's the rules."

"And when he touches down, we're talking Four Horsemen, red oceans, fiery skies—the greatest hits. You can stop him, Dean, but you need our help."

"You listen to me, you two-faced douche," Dean began hotly, "After what you did, I don't want jack squat from you!"

"You listen to me, boy! You think you can rebel against us? As Lucifer did?" Only then did he notice the blood dripping from Dean's hand.

"You're bleeding."

"Oh, yeah—a little insurance policy in case you dicks showed up." Dean grinned as he slammed his hand against the Angel Banishing Sigil he had drawn behind the door. Anita smirked as Zachariah cried out, disappearing along with his Angel cronies.

"Learned that from my friend Cas, you son of a bitch," Dean mumbled, looking at the spot where he vanished.

"This sucks ass," Chuck muttered. Anita nodded, and clutched her head in her hands. Why wasn't the pain going away?