AN: Finally here! All I can say is thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, to everyone reading this story, just for taking the time to read it. Knowing that there are people all around the world reading what I write... it gives me shivers.

And to reviewer Nicole: Ask and ye shall receive...

Seatbelts on? Hands inside the vehicle? Here we go...

Chapter 20: Lucifer Rising Part II

"Here you go," Dean said an hour later, pressing a drink into her shaking hands. "I wish I could give you water, but all they got is beer."

Eli let out a weak laugh and leaned against the couch cushions. "This is fine. A little alcohol will probably do me good anyway. Thanks."

"You sure you're all right?" Dean asked, crouching in front of her and staring at her skin, which looked like rice paper, and the blue bags under her eyes. Even her freckles were washed out. "'Cause you look like hell."

"I'm fine, Dean," she said, taking a long drink. "They didn't want to seriously hurt me, just punish me. It's wearing off." She winced and held her hand to her rib cage. "Well, little by little."

"Guess it's a good thing you didn't take that stupid grace, huh?" Dean asked, watching her sip her beer with worried eyes. "Now that we know what total bastards they are."

"It would have put me completely under their power," Eli said tiredly. Her very bones ached, a deep pain that pushed at her joints and radiated through her lungs every time she took a breath. She took another drink, willing the alcohol to dull her senses. "And to think that I really believed I was gonna be some kind of warrior for heaven. Who was I kidding? These guys hate me. They probably just wanted me up there so they could lock me away where no one would ever find me again." A deep sense of betrayal flooded her system; the feel of it, sharp like cut glass, surpassed even the physical pain, and she scrunched her eyes shut, trying desperately to keep from crying.

Dean struggled with what to say, hating the look of despair on her face. "Hey, uh, you hungry? We got a whole plateful of burgers. Way too much for two people. I wonder if they really thought we'd eat all that food."

Eli forced out a small laugh and blinked rapidly, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "Yeah, okay. I'll take a burger."

"Best burgers in the world, if they were telling the truth about where they came from," Dean promised, getting up and walking over to the table. "Hey, it might be the end of the world and we might have just been seriously fucked over by heaven itself, but at least we can eat well, right?" He picked a burger up off of the tray.

Out of nowhere, someone grabbed Dean by the arm and spun him around, slamming the startled hunter into the wall and pressing a hand over his mouth.

Eli half-stood, mouthing a name but not saying it out loud, and began to walk towards them. He shot her a glance that seemed to contain all of the determination and self-hatred in the world, then let go of Dean and drew Ruby's knife from his pocket, slicing open his arm and using the blood to draw red, wet symbols on the pristine wall.

"Castiel!" a voice boomed. Zachariah appeared in the room, his whole body vibrating with furious confusion. He began to walk toward Castiel with murderous intent. "Would you mind explaining just what the hell you're doing?"

Eli was now standing next to Dean. The dark-haired angel finished his work, grabbed Eli's hand, and slammed both of theirs into the center of the circle at the same time. White light erupted from it, flooding the room and blowing Zachariah away like he was made of dust.

"I had to use you," Castiel explained to Eli, whose hand was now slick with blood, "so that your soul wouldn't be banished as well." He touched her forehead briefly, and Eli felt the pain clear out of her lungs and limbs as if it had never been. He turned to Dean. "He won't be gone long. We have to find Sam now."

"Where is he?" Dean demanded.

"I don't know. But I know who does." His words took on a new franticness. "We have to stop him from killing Lilith."

"But Lilith's gonna break the final seal," Dean countered. Castiel shook his head fiercely.

"Lilith is the final seal. She dies, the end begins."

They appeared in the middle of Chuck's filthy kitchen. The prophet was on the phone and pacing, but stopped dead when he saw them standing there.

"Wait. T-t-this isn't supposed to happen," he stuttered, taking in the three exhausted and tense faces. He muttered something into the phone and hung up, drawing his old bathrobe around him nervously. "What's going on?"

"Where is this all going down?" Dean demanded. "Where's Sam?"

Chuck audibly gulped. "Saint Mary's. In Ilchester, Maryland."

Dean glanced at Eli and Castiel with confusion. "Saint Mary's? What is it, a convent?"

"Yeah, but you guys aren't supposed to be there. You're not in this story." He looked pointedly at Eli, who was wiping the blood from her palm onto her cargo pants. "Especially you. The angels were very specific. They said that you can't be anywhere near Lucifer's cell when he wakes up."

"Yeah, well, we're pretty sick of listening to angels," Dean said. "At this point, I'd say it's opposite day."

"What do you mean?" Castiel asked roughly. Dean shot them a cold smile.

"It means that the angels don't want Eli to be there, so she's definitely gonna be there." He looked down at her. "They don't want this thing to stop. Who knows, maybe you'll be the one to stop it."

Eli nodded fiercely. "No way in hell you can keep me out of the game now."

Like a slow-motion explosion, the room began to rumble and shake, white light flooding through the windows. Eli felt the same shaking sensation that she had before, but this time it was less noticeable and she was able to keep herself together. She realized that it was probably because of her power increase.

"Aw, man!" Chuck moaned, covering his head with his hands. "Not again!"

"It's the Archangel!" Castiel yelled over the roaring noise. Cabinets flew open, plates tipping and crashing to the floor. The ceiling cracked, a wide split the rained dust and plaster onto their heads. "I'll hold him off! I'll hold them all off!"

"Cas!" Eli screamed, and he looked at her, really looked at her, for the first time in what seemed like forever. The light was near-blinding, illuminating his body like a halo, his trench coat lifting around him in the heavenly wind. She grabbed his shirt and yanked him to her, kissing him for one last brief time; he kissed her back, and there was something in it that tasted like tears, like an apology. He pulled away, touching her cheek lightly, then turned to Dean.

"Stop Sam!" he yelled, and clasped a hand on each of their foreheads.

The air at the convent was thin and cold. Eli and Dean hit the ground with startling cracks, their breath steaming white around their faces.

They stumbled, dazed, the ancient stone hard and uneven under their feet, and took in their surroundings for a second before Dean spotted the open door at the end of the covered walkway and screamed: "There!"

They tore down the hall as fast as they could, but only steps away from their destination Ruby turned and smiled at them. She winked at Eli, then raised her hand and the doors slammed shut.

"Damnit!" Dean yelled as he pounded on the wood. It didn't budge; it was old and sturdy, hardened by time into something unbreakable. He spun on Eli. "Well? Do your thing! Get us in there!"

Eli's eyes were squeezed shut. "I can't!" she cried desperately. "Lilith's got the whole place on lockdown. Blocking spells everywhere. I can't do anything!"

"Then what good are you?" Dean snapped. He cast his gaze around and spotted the two tall candelabras framing the archway. "Grab one!" he shouted, going for his own. "Help me break it down!"

Eli pulled the heavy piece of bronze off of the ground, hefted it in her hands, and slammed it into the door with all of her might.

Blood spilled from Lilith's lifeless body in a thick, viscous circle across the floor as if pulled by an invisible force. Snaking lines began to spool from the main arc, dripping insidiously toward the center.

"You opened the door," Ruby said with awe and reverence in her voice. "And now he's free at last. He's free at last!"

Sam backed away from the circle, shaking his head in horror. "No, no, no. No, he - Lilith - I stopped her. I killed her!"

Ruby approached him, her dark eyes shining with unholy light. "'And it is written that the first demon shall be the last seal.' And you bust her open. Now guess who's coming to dinner."

"Oh, my God," Sam muttered in despair. Ruby shook her head, smirking wickedly at him.

"Guess again."

The pounding continued at the door. Through the thick wood Sam could dimly hear Dean and Eli's voices shouting hoarsely.

Ruby continued to rant, oblivious to the two hunters trying desperately to get in. "You don't even know how hard this was! All the demons out for my head. No one knew. I was the best of those sons of bitches! The most loyal! Not even Alistair knew! Only Lilith!" With every exclamation she took another step forward until they were almost touching, her whole face lit up with an insane, victorious smile. "Yeah, I'm sure you're a little angry right now, but I mean, come on, Sam! Even you have to admit - I'm awesome!"

"You bitch," Sam yelled, snapping out of his stupor and thrusting his hands toward her in rage. "You lying bitch!"

A light wind blew through the demon's hair, but besides that, nothing happened. Sam tried harder, pouring all of his energy out of his body, but he was too weak. He dropped to his knees, drained and shaky, his head pounding, and tried not to vomit.

"Don't hurt yourself, Sammy," Ruby said smugly. "It's useless. You shot your payload on the boss."

"The blood," he gasped out, looking at her with hatred in his eyes. "You poisoned me."

Ruby knelt in front of him and stroked his hair gently. "No. It wasn't the blood. It was you... and your choices. I just gave you the options, and you chose the right path every time." She sounded like a proud mother comforting a crying child. "I know it's hard to see it now, but this is a miracle. So long coming. Everything Azazel did, and Lilith did. Just to get you here. And you were the only one who could do it."

"Why? W-why me?" Sam whimpered, feeling a hole of desolation open in his chest, dark and dank and so very empty, like he could just fall into it and keep falling for forever.

"Because... because it had to be you, Sammy," she crooned. "It always had to be you. You saved us. You set him free. And he's gonna be grateful. He's gonna repay you in ways that you can't even imagine." She paused, glee and pride radiating from every pore in her body. "You did one more thing, Sam. Something no one could have expected you would do. Something amazing."

"And what was that?" he asked weakly. Ruby smiled at him, all teeth.

"You are the best, Sam. Not only did you set him free, but you brought him what he needs to ravage the land. You brought him the best weapon he could ever dream of." From the pocket of her jacket she pulled out the silver circlet that he had stolen from Bobby's safe. "And we're gonna win, because of you! We're gonna win without even trying!"

"That…it's a weapon?" Sam gasped out. "I thought it was some sort of binding…"

"It is binding, Sam," she said, holding it up to the light. "But it's not the weapon. You brought both with you tonight. The collar…and the dog."

At that moment the doors finally burst open and Dean and Eli came striding in. Ruby stood and smirked, hands on her hips.

"Oh, Eli," she crowed joyfully. "He is gonna be so happy to see you." Then she turned to Dean and her smile became triumphant. "You're too late."

Dean advanced on her. "I don't care."

Sam was on his feet in an instant, his arms twisting the demon's hands behind her back, leaving her helpless. The collar went flying from her grasp. There was the plunge of sharp metal into flesh as the Knife was buried in her stomach; Ruby gasped, a weak red light flickering behind her skull like dim, unholy fire. Dean twisted the Knife with grim satisfaction until her eyes rolled back in her head and the light sputtered and went out.

Sam pushed her lifeless body out of the way, watching as it crumpled like a doll to the floor. He turned to face his brother, his face a mask of anguish. "I'm sorry," he said brokenly. "I'm so sorry."

Behind them, the blood crept closer, finally meeting at the center point. There was a burst of the most brilliant, blinding light, and then the floor began to twist and warp, forming itself into a circle that kept growing and growing. The walls began to tremble, stone and dust tumbling to the floor.

"Sammy, Eli, let's go," Dean commanded, fisting his hand into his brother's shirt. Sam clutched his arm.

"Wait! Ruby, she had a…"

"I don't care! We get out of here now or we're all dead!" Dean snapped, fairly dragging his brother away. As if waking from a stupor the three hunters jerked to attention and began to run, the hallway beckoning them with the promise of escape.

The heavy doors swung shut with a blast just as they reached them. Eli pounded helplessly on the ancient wood for a minute, but it didn't budge. The candelabras they had used to bust in were outside, useless. The binding spells that blocked teleportation still held, stronger now than ever, as if feeding off of the rays of energy being emitted as the cage inched open. She drew in one long, shaking breath, blinking back hot wetness from her eyes, then turned to the brothers with determination.

"You guys keep trying to break through!" she yelled, stepping backward toward the light. Dean grabbed her arm.

"What the hell are you doing?" he shouted over the rushing of wind. Inside of her head, Eli could hear the same ringing and feel the same bone-shattering shaking of the molecules that she had felt in the other Archangel's presence, but now it was bearable.

"To hold him off!"

"Eli, you're not strong enough!" Sam yelled, pushing frantically at the door. She turned to him, hair whipping in her face.

"I'm stronger than I was!" She glanced at Dean, knowing he would know what she meant. "There's no time to argue. The end is seriously fucking nigh and you guys have to get out alive! I won't be able to hold him for long, but I can buy you one, maybe two minutes!" she shouted. "You two just break down that door and get the hell out of here!"

"Eli, no!" Dean screamed, but it was too late. Eli wrenched herself from his grasp and went running; she leapt, her feet leaving the ground in a graceful arc, hair flying wildly around her head, and dove straight into the center of the blasting column of light.

It was strangely pleasant inside, like being wrapped up in a womb. Eli found herself floating, feet hovering off of the floor; everything was totally still, despite the whirlwind of destruction around her. She held out her hands, palms downward, and concentrated.

She could feel the cage in her mind; it was like a rusty door creaking open, slowly swinging forward. She focused all of her energy on one central point, pouring everything she had into making it stop. As she expected, it didn't do much, but the door did swing open fractionally slower.

Still, the Winchesters were not out. She could hear their frantic smashings at the door as if from underwater. There was no sound inside of the light, not even the horrible angelic ringing. Just silence and white and the sense of that huge, heavy cage and whatever lurked inside it.

"Elijah," a voice whispered in the back of her mind. She forced it out, pushing with all of her power at the door. Her eyes went totally green, the color edging out to the sides and swallowing up the pupil, and blood began to gush freely from her nose. Her head screamed in agony.

"Elijah," it whispered again. "You are going to die…I will rip you apart." There was a note of triumph buried in that sibilant sound.

Finally Eli couldn't take it anymore. The last of her power sputtered and went out; she was so exhausted, barely able to breathe, to keep herself together. She let her head fall back, still hovering suspended in white luminosity, her clothes and hair floating around her arched figure, giving her the appearance of a drowned girl. At the door there was nothing but silence. Eli hoped against hope that the Winchesters had escaped.

A familiar tingling, feathery feeling began to drift down her arms. She held them in front of her, watching with morbid fascination as her hands, then her wrists and elbows, began to disintegrate and float away. She turned to look at the door, only to find that Sam and Dean had given up and were standing there helplessly, watching her get eaten by the light.

Then it became too blinding to see. Eli closed her eyes. In her mind she could see his brilliant blue eyes, feel the warmth of his presence, the soft press of his lips against her forehead. She was sure that he had not survived his confrontation with the Archangel. Maybe now, they could be…

The light roared to encompass the whole room, the forgotten collar tipping into it as if pulled by an invisible hand.

And then there was nothing.

End Book One

To Be Continued in Book Two:

Of The World

Postscript: Of The World is up! I can't seem to post links so just head on over to my profile to read it. I hope all of you enjoyed this first book and will come along with me to the second, where mysteries are explained, sacrifices are made, and the end of the world arrives. Plus, more Cas! So don't stop reading now, we're just getting started...

And remember, just because a book is over, doesn't mean you shouldn't review :-P

Love, Maat