Everything hurt. Legs, arms, chest, head... Allegra wondered if this was what it felt like to get hit by a bolder. Or a stampede. She still had the faint taste of blood in her mouth. There were people with her. She picked up bits and pieces of far-away voices, talking to each other, talking to her. Why wouldn't they go away? The last thing Allegra wanted was to hear the muddle of multiple voices near her. She already had that going on inside her head.

Angel radio was at top volume, and Allegra was too weak to block it out. All she could do was try to make sense of the utter chaos. The attack divided the angels even more. Some believed it was a step that had to be taken. Others among them were outraged. Allegra was one of them, after all. They believed she should never have been attacked nor treated the way she'd been.
Most of them, though, no matter which side they were on, were afraid. Some expected Allegra would now be coming after them, as she had threatened to do so before, to take her revenge on not only her attackers but on all the angels. Their main concern was this; did they push her to the point of no return and right toward Lucifer?

Allegra felt a wet cloth on her brow. Even though it felt good, all she wanted was to be left alone. But then she felt his caring touch. She heard his concerned voice resonating around her.

Dean... you found me.

"I'm gonna kill him." His voice grew fiercer and clearer. "I'm going after every single one of those bastards."

"Dean, calm down. We don't know what happened."

Sam... Thank God you're okay.

"Looks pretty obvious to me, Sam!" 

"I'm just finding it hard to believe Cas would do this. I mean, for all we know, they were attacked by demons, and..."

"And what, Sam? Demons brought her to Bobby's doorstep when they were done and pinned it on the angels? Are you kidding me?!"

Sam sighed. Allegra felt sorry for him, but she had to admit, points went to Dean on this one. Even Crowley wouldn't sink that low. Speaking of which... Did Dean just say a demon brought her to Bobby's?

"I'm gonna help Bobby out with this whole Mother of All thing. Yell if you need anything or if she wakes up."

Allegra heard Sam's footsteps as he walked away. She tried to open her eyes, but it was like they were glued shut. Even her fingers felt like they were made of stone and wouldn't budge an inch.

Come on, Allegra. Open your eyes. Do something. Wait, what was the line again? Oh yeah; wiggle your big toe.

Dean removed the cloth from her brow, gently wiping her face with it to keep her cool. He sat on the side of the bed.

"Alley, I don't know if you can hear me, but I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, baby. You were right... again. I didn't wanna listen. I didn't wanna believe that... God, why would they do this?"

Allegra felt him take her hand into his. She so desperately wanted to let him know she was listening, that she could hear him.

Open your eyes!

"Maybe... son of a bitch, I can't believe I'm saying this... Maybe we shouldn't do this. I don't care what they do to me, but you've already been through enough. If you get hurt simply because we're together... because I'm bad for you...Alley, I...'

"Don't... say that..."

Allegra hadn't realized she had said anything until she sensed Dean stiffen at her side. She tried to say something else and heard the sound of her own voice.

"Y-You're... the best thing that's ever happened to me."

She finally managed to open her eyes. Dean's startled expression was the funniest thing Allegra'd seen in a while, and she would've laughed if it didn't hurt that damn much. Instead, she pinched his hand. It pulled Dean out of his trance, and he practically jumped her.

"Auch! Dean, watch it! Injured person here!"

"Oh, right, sorry!" Dean pulled away. "What the hell, Alley? You got any idea how worried I was?"

"Well, it's not like - ow - I chose to get kidnapped by an angel."

Dean helped Allegra sit up when he saw her struggle and gave her a glass of water.

"What happened?" he asked. "Did Cas do this to you?"

"No, not him," answered Allegra, sipping the water gratefully. "He let others do the dirty work."

"Right, that does it, I'm gonna summon his ass and..."

"You're not gonna summon Castiel. You're gonna summon Balthazar."

Dean cocked his head, confusion all over his face.

"Balthazar? What do you want with him?"

"Well, for one, I wanna know why he gave Sam the angel blade that nearly killed me. And second, I'm gonna use him to send a message up."

"Wait, he gave...?" Dean paused then, narrowing his eyes at Allegra. "Hang on, what are you up to? Last time you nearly offered Cas up as a cobra snack. You're staying way too cool now. Why aren't you angrier?"

"You'll see. Can you just get the things for the summoning ready in the basement? And be nicer to Sam. Castiel blabbed about the things he did last year."

"Yeah, I know. But he's fi..."

"He's not fine, Dean. I've seen his soul. I've touched it. I'll have my shield up again as soon as I'm able but until then..."

"Allegra, no! Did you miss the part where you got beaten to a pulp?! You're not summoning Balthazar, and you're not putting your shield up! You're not doing anything until you're up to full strength again!"

"Quit telling me what to do, Winchester!"

"That goes both ways, Galen!"

They looked at each other intently and then started laughing. Allegra grabbed hold of her side when she felt a sharp sting. She grimaced.

"Auch! I surrender! No more laughing, please." 

The beating had been more severe than she thought; there was more than one broken rib. Thank God for fast healing.

"Serves you right for picking a fight with me." Dean grinned as he leaned in to kiss her.

When their lips parted, Allegra quickly pulled him into an embrace. It hurt, but she didn't care. She just wanted to be in his arms. Dean gave her another kiss and then left the room to get everything they needed. Allegra tried to get into a more comfortable sitting position, but that proved impossible. She gave up with a deep sigh and just stayed as she was, her pillow propped up behind her.
There was a sound near the door, and Allegra looked up to see none other than Crowley. He gave the door a little push, shutting it for privacy.

"You're not looking too perky, love. Good thing my guy was around and warned me. We gave those angels a good ring around the ears. And with we, I mean my little minions, of course."

"I figured you had something to do with that. Not that I'm too keen on a demon following me, but I do appreciate your help. So thank you."

"Think nothing of it." Crowley shrugged and waved her words away. "We're in a mutually beneficial partnership, after all. It would be bad form not to keep a lookout. What with you still having my bones and all."

The King of Hell walked over to the desk to sit, his eyes roaming through the room.

"You and Squirrel seem to be getting along nicely," he observed. "Sure you wanna go down that road? Things could get nasty. But then, considering who you're with, maybe that's what you want?"

"You here for a special reason or just felt like visiting and blowing your whole 'I'm dead'-cover?" Allegra retorted.

Crowley grinned and conjured a papyrus scroll on the desk. Allegra forgot about her injuries and tried to get out of bed, but the pain brutally reminded her.

"Easy, love, no need to strain yourself," said Crowley, holding his hand up to her. "My guy's copied everything and checked for any hidden messages, and so on, we don't need the scroll itself anymore."

"Did he find anything?" asked Allegra, gritting her teeth to fight the pain. "Do you trust him?"

"I trust he's scared enough of both you and me not to go squealing like a little piggy. And no, not yet. Whatever that last bit is, it's not Aramaic. And as far as he can tell, it isn't any other human language. But not to worry, we're not giving up. It's in everyone's interest to know the whole prophecy. Oh, and before I forget..."

Crowley rose from the chair at the desk and walked over to Allegra. He handed her a vial with a dark red substance in it. It was too murky and thick to be blood.

"As requested. Though if I were you, I would think this over again. There's no going back once you take that. It will guarantee the oven going out of business and staying that way too."

Allegra peered at the liquid and shivered as she felt its essence. It was made of the purest dark magic. This would certainly do the trick. Crowley couldn't have given this to her at a better time.

"What's your prize?" she inquired.

"A favor. To be determined in the future and non-related to saving yours truly when in danger."

"Deal." Allegra quickly recoiled when he moved in. "Nah, don't you dare kiss me! You'll have to trust me on my word on this one."

"Yeah, alright, fair enough," Crowley said, not bothering to hide his disappointment.

There were footsteps on the stairs. Crowley gave Allegra a nod and vanished just as the door opened. She hastily hid the vial in her pocket and looked up to see Sam standing at the threshold, smiling.

"Hey." She smiled back at him. "How are you feeling?"

Sam chuckled as he entered the room.

"You do know you're the one lying in bed injured, right?"

"I'm well aware. Now answer the question. You're okay, right? Nothing weird going on inside your head?"

"No, nothing. Really, I'm good, I swear."

"Great." Allegra exhaled in relief. "Do me a favor, though; I can't use my shield on you right now, so don't wander off too far, got it?"

"Yes, mom."

Another pair of footsteps hurried up the stairs, and Dean appeared in Allegra's bedroom. His eyes wandered between his brother and his girlfriend for a moment.

"Everything okay here?" he asked.

Allegra nodded with a smile.

"Okay then. Come on, Sammy, help me get her down."

***

They all gathered in the basement, ready to summon Baltazar. Allegra refused to sit down but leaned on the table behind her instead, with Dean standing close by. He kept an eye on her, ready to swoop in if she strained herself too much. Dean wasn't on board with this idea at all. Not with Allegra still so weak. But she was just as stubborn as he was (well, maybe more, considering she was a redhead), so he knew there was no way he could change her mind on this.
Allegra performed the ritual to summon Balthazar. With weapons close at hand, they waited for the angel to appear. As soon as he did, Dean lit his lighter (which he found in Allegra's room after believing it was lost) and dropped it on the floor, lighting the holy oil and trapping the angel inside. Balthazar sighed and rolled his eyes at the group.

"You have got to be joking... What could you possibly need me for now?"

"Shut it," snapped Dean.

"Dean, don't," warned Allegra. "I'll handle this."

Balthazar turned his attention to Allegra, ignoring the menacing glare Dean shot him.

"Allegra... Of course...I knew this would happen. Well, let's get this over with then."

He spread his arms dramatically and closed his eyes. Allegra scoffed and shook her head.

"Okay, that's enough, Sharpay. Quit the High School Angel drama."

Balthazar did as he was told and slowly lowered his arms. He eyed Allegra suspiciously.

"You're not going to kill me?" he asked. "Send a message to the other angels?"

"Killing the messenger isn't my style. Neither is going four against one. That would be stooping to your level, and someone once told me I'm better than that."

Dean glimpsed at Allegra. Even though he wanted nothing more than to beat the crap out of any angel he could get his hands on himself, he was still proud that she wouldn't take that step. It just proved she was a better person than he was. She turned to Sam, who gave her a wrapped bundle. Allegra loosened it and pulled out the golden angel blade Sam had used to stab her.

"I followed Sam when he met with you 2 weeks ago. You gave him this, didn't you? I left earlier to warn Bobby, so I didn't see, but since you don't find these things in thrift shops..."

Balthazar nodded wearily.

"Why?" asked Allegra. "First, you give me the Staff of Moses to make me even more powerful, and then you give Sam an angel blade to kill me."

"I needed to test a theory," answered Balthazar. 

"Okay, enough with the vagueness," said Dean, annoyed. "I've got enough holy oil here to make some nice crispy angel wings, so cut the crap and tell us what we want to know!"

"As if I haven't heard that one before." Balthazar scoffed. "But fine, if you really want to know. That there is Allegra's own Archangelblade. Gabriel kept it hidden from her and everyone else. It took me years to find that bloody thing and get through all the protection wards he put in place."

Dean stole a glance at Allegra. He knew Gabriel was a sore topic for her. Allegra's face was blank, but Dean saw her hand gripping the table behind her, her nails digging into the wood. She'd been holding on so strongly, he really hoped she wouldn't lose control now.

"Wait, I'm confused. Why would any of you wanna harm Allegra with it?" asked Sam. "Isn't she supposed to be the next Virgin Mary and mother to a new super angel or something?"

Dean shot Sam a glare, making his brother regret his poor choice of words.

"I know you've only just got your marbles back, but use your head, will you?" said Balthazar. "Do you really think either Michael or Lucifer will just back off the minute Allegra makes her choice? The loser will go after her faster than you can say 'angel food cake.' And for that, they would need her Archangelblade."

Balthazar turned to back to Allegra before he continued. 

"You see, since you are only a hybrid and not a full-blood Archangel, there is a theory that when you are stabbed with your own Archangelblade, only the celestial part of your soul is killed, and the plagues are 'returned from whence they came.' In other words, you lose your powers, but you live on as an ordinary human, and the entire destiny that was written for you is simply erased. However, for that to happen, the person doing the stabbing would need to be an Archangel as well. If anyone else does it, you would just slip into a coma until your grace recovers from the attack. Or at least that's what Gabriel told me, and he was never the most reliable among us. I needed to know for sure he was telling the truth. By having Sam here stab Allegra, I could see what effect it would have and make sure that it wasn't just another one of Gabriel's lies."

"Hell of a gamble to take," said Dean, trying to hold back his anger. "What if it was all a lie and Allegra had actually died? You stopped to think about that?"

"Of course I did," said Balthazar defensively. "But the Trickster always does things for a reason. He wouldn't have told me anything that would've damaged his own plans, though I certainly wouldn't put it past him to spread that rumor about Allegra's Archangelblade to ensure someone would attempt it, only to have it backfire with the opposite effect. You can say what you want about Gabriel, but he spent years keeping Allegra safe from harm, and he tried his best to set the game so that she would come out as the winner. Killing her was never his goal. Have her destiny erased and cockblocking Michael and Lucifer, however... That is something Gabriel would most definitely do."

Dean's flashed to Allegra again. He'd learned to see through the masks she put on a while ago. Allegra appeared calm and in control, but she was a mess on the inside. Gabriel's web spun further than anyone realized. But Dean knew that wasn't the only thing that would have Allegra freaked out.
Balthazar basically just told her there was a chance she could be different. If her Archangel half was killed, but Allegra herself lived... she'd be human. She would be able to live a normal life, no longer tied to the prophecy that made her a puppet, free to do and be what she wanted to be. She would be free to... be with him.

"Can I do it myself?" Allegra's clear voice interrupted the tense silence suddenly. "I am half-Archangel, so if I stab myself, would that kill my celestial self?"

Dean really wished she hadn't asked that, but he couldn't deny he wasn't curious. Of all four Archangels, Gabriel would've probably been the only one who could be persuaded (or forced) into ridding Allegra of her celestial half. But he was dead, and the other three were no good. Michael and Lucifer were enjoying Camp Brotherly Bonding in the Cage, and there was no way they would let anything come between them and the way to power. That only left Raphael, but from what Cas told them, he was trying to take over Heaven (which begged the question if the two had briefly buried the hatchet to come after her) and wasn't likely to mess with God's special little project. Allegra could very well be the answer to her own prayers. But when Dean saw Balthazar chuckle, he knew even that was a bust.

"Nice try, dear, but no. You can't use your own Archangelblade on yourself. All it would result in is a nasty wound and a couple of days as Sleeping Beauty. Which, by the way, brings me to something I've been wondering about."

Balthazar suddenly turned his attention to Dean.

"You did something, didn't you? Allegra should've been in a coma until her Archangel half recovered from the attack, but she woke up not minutes after. What did you pull out of your hat?"

"I don't see how that's any of your damn business," snapped Dean.

He glanced over to Bobby and knew the old Hunter was thinking the same thing. Whatever had saved Allegra should be kept between them for now. Balthazar licked his lips, and his eyes flashed between Allegra and Dean.

"You two really are perfect for each other. Both stubborn fools, believing you can change the world if you fight hard enough. I applaud you for trying, but you should know it's a fight you can't win. God himself set Allegra's destiny, and nothing will change that."

"Don't count on that."

Everyone looked at Allegra as she spoke. She held a dark expression in her hooded eyes, which meant trouble. Dean wondered what she was up to.

"What the angels did to me yesterday was the last straw. I could hunt you all down and kill you, but that would just give the demons the upper hand. So I came up with something else to keep you all in place."

Allegra took a vial from her jeans pocket and raised it for them all to see.

"I probably don't have to tell you what this is for," she continued. "If I can sense its power, so can you. Any of you try to come after me or anyone else present in this room again, I'm taking this."

Balthazar froze completely, his eyes widening in horror. 

"Y-You wouldn't. No, you're bluffing."

"Am I?"

Balthazar's bewildered expression made Dean feel very uneasy. He didn't know what the hell was going on, but whatever it was, it wasn't good. He saw Bobby and Sam were just as worried as he was.

"You can't go on without us, Allegra," tried Balthazar in a desperate attempt to sway her from whatever she just threatened him with. "Despite what happened, you need us just as much as we need you."

"Forgetting who raised me? Gabriel didn't need any of you, and neither do I. I'd rather have no one watching over me than any of you bastards."

"You're right; Gabriel turned away from us. And look where he is now."

Dean groaned silently at Balthazar's poorly chosen words. Even he knew better than to call Allegra's bluff at this point. Allegra glared intently at the angel, lips pursed, and then pushed herself away from the table. Dean took a step towards her, but she held up her hand to stop him. He held his breath as she walked unsteadily to the flaming circle.

"Tell the others I'm severing my ties with all of you. To put it in a way you'll understand; back off. Or you'll see just how far I'm willing to go to make sure no one gets what they want."

She turned around and nodded to Sam. He uncovered the Enochian banishing sigil they drew on the wall earlier and touched the center. Balthazar was cast out of the room in an explosion of blinding white light.
Allegra's knees buckled. Dean got to her just before she hit the ground. Sam and Bobby hurried over to help. As they carried Allegra back up, Dean looked at the vial he took from her. Whatever it was, it was a game-changer. Balthazar was horrified at it, and it felt like it was a final line Allegra was more than willing to cross. He had to find out what it was. 'Cause if the dark red substance inside the vial was meant to hurt Allegra, he would make sure she never got her hands on it ever again.