Previous Chapters:
And of course - The Intro.
******
Lush Coastal Rainforests of Central South Dakota.
Bobby heard a knock at the door. Being mid-afternoon he wasn't too concerned, but then again a hunter never can be too careful. He grabbed a flask of holy water and ambled to the door. He looked through the peep hole and could barely believe what he saw.
He opened the door, eyes wide. Across the threshold stood Dean, Sam, and an unconscious girl in Sam's arms. He hadn't seen the boys in over a year. The girl he didn't know. Instinctively, he splashed holy water on the whole lot of them.
Dean had known it was coming but still grimaced as the holy water splashed him. "Always good to see you too, Bobby."
Bobby shook his head in disbelief. "You boys come back from the dead more than David Hasselhoff's career." He stood back and allowed them in.
To appease Bobby, Sam and Dean purposely stepped through the Devil's Trap under the rug in the den. Sam set the girl down on the reading bench in front of the window.
"And how'd he get back exactly?" Bobby asked Dean of Sam. "I would ask if you sold your soul but, well..." He handed a small silver knife over to Sam. Sam bitchfaced, but cut himself quickly across the arm to prove he wasn't a shapeshifter. He cleaned the blade and passed it to Dean, who did the same.
"An angel saved me, we think," Sam said. He didn't want to explain to Bobby or Dean the memories that were slowly coming back to him. Besides, it wasn't a lie exactly. He was pretty sure it had to be an angel that got him out.
"Well good, because we got enough idjit crossroad deals to worry about," Bobby's voice dropped to a mutter at the end as he thought about Crowley. "Is that Cas?" He asked of the girl.
"No," Dean said. "It's a vessel. Her name is Alex. We were hoping you or Cas could help us wake her up though. You haven't heard from Cas, have you?"
Bobby shook his head no. "We can try the last number I have for him, if you want."
"Already tried it," Dean said. "It's cut off."
Bobby leaned over Alex to check on her. He slid open one eye and got no response. He picked up her arm and released it. It fell back to her side.
"What happened to her?" Bobby asked.
"She had angel in her," Sam said. "And she's been like this ever since it left. We need to talk to her."
"Archangel?" Bobby asked.
"No," Dean said. "But a powerful one."
Bobby exhaled audibly. "I'll see what I can find, I guess. Sounds like nothing but trouble."
Dean motioned for Sam to stay with Alex, then followed Bobby into the kitchen. Bobby got him a beer from the fridge and took one for himself.
"It's like a convention," Dean joked. "Every year at least one Winchester shows up on your doorstep back from the dead. This year you get a two-fer!"
"Sam all there?" Bobby asked.
Dean nodded.
"He got any of that demon blood left in him?"
"Doesn't seem like it," Dean said. "I don't know. It's like he's changed a bit, but he's still mostly the same old grumpy, lovable Sam."
They each took a swig of beer.
"Guys!" Sam called from the den. "You probably want to see this!"
Bobby and Dean abandoned their beers and ran back to the den. Alex was sitting up on the bench as Sam supported her back. She had a hand to her face. But she was consciously moving. After a few moments she wiped the hair from her eyes and looked around.
"Sam?" She said as she saw him first. She smiled. He returned it nervously. She continued to look around the room. "Dean? Bobby?"
"Have we met before?" Bobby asked.
"Do you know where you are?" Dean asked at the same time.
"Yeah," Alex said in response to both with a laugh. "I guess the question is...when am I?"
"It's 2010. September," Sam said.
"No frickin way," Alex said, taking it in. "Did I just get here...or have I been out this whole time?"
Dean and Sam confirmed it was the latter.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Dean asked.
"Fall of 2008. Dean Winchester is saved -- I remember hearing that." Alex nodded as she recalled it. "And I was still playing Heavenly host to Raziel."
"The whole time after we left?" Sam asked is disbelief.
"Most of it, I guess," Alex said. "I don't remember all of it...it was terrible. The things I saw; the things I did. I didn't want to remember any of it. Raziel was ordered to flee once the seals started breaking. Sounds like she dumped me somewhere."
"You were in Nebraska," Sam told her. "In a hospital that was covered in Enochian warding magic."
Alex thought for a moment, trying to put the pieces together. She shrugged. Didn't ring a bell.
"Is anyone gonna fill me in here?" Bobby interjected. "Or are y'all just gonna keep rolling on this damned vessel Class of '09 reunion?"
Dean started to explain, when his phone rang. It was Cas. Dean told him to get to Bobby's as soon as he could. Then he waited for Castiel to materialize next to him. A few moments later they all heard the door slam. Bobby picked up the silver knife Dean had set down. Dean backed himself against the wall the intruder would have to come in through to get the jump on him. Sam set himself in front of Alex protectively.
They relaxed when Castiel walked into the room. Everyone except Alex, who greeted the angel nervously.
"Hi, Castiel," she said anxiously.
Castiel shot her a stony look.
"You use the door now?" Dean asked Castiel.
"I was checking the perimeter," he explained. "To see if you were followed here."
"Demons?" Bobby asked.
"Angels," Alex answered.
"Angels?" Dean asked in echo.
"You said the hospital had warding magic on it? So angels couldn't get in? If I'm awake, it's because I needed to move so an angel could get to me," Alex said, staring at Castiel. "I'm not doing it again. I don't know if you can take back a 'yes,' but I'm changing my answer to 'no.'"
"We can argue about this later," Castiel said. "Right now our primary concern is finding that cache of bullets for the Colt. Where is it?"
"What's going on, Cas?" Dean asked.
"There is a group of rogue angels preparing to raise Semiazas," Castiel said. "Soon."
"Semiazas?" Bobby asked. "Commander of a league of half-angel, half-demons Semiazas? Fantastic."
"With willing angels to act as a cover," Castiel confirmed. "We need to find that cache. Where is it?"
Alex shook her head. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"The bullets for the Colt," Sam said. "The ones Raziel made from Dean's amulet."
"I don't remember any of that," Alex said. "Really, if I did..." she trailed off, trying to jog her memory.
"Raziel said she'd leave them in a familiar glove compartment," Sam recalled.
"You think they're in the Impala?" Dean asked.
Sam shrugged. "That's the most familiar one we've got. Worth checking out."
Sam and Alex started for the door. Dean shot Castiel an angry look and motioned to Alex. Help us protect her, Dean said without saying it.
"Wait," Castiel said, rolling his eyes. They stopped as he approached. He raised a hand and put it to Alex's ribcage. There was a momentary flash of light, and then Alex doubled over and coughed. "For protection," he said, shooting a look back to Dean. Alex now had the same protective marks on her ribs as Sam and Dean, making her invisible to angels.
Dean nodded in approval. "Thanks, Cas."
******
Sam, Dean, Castiel, Bobby and Alex were out in the lot behind Bobby's house. They went to the Impala, which was covered by a leaf-strewn tarp and a few puddles of water.
"Did you miss me, baby?" Dean asked as he approached. The car didn't answer.
With Sam's help Dean peeled the tarp back. The Impala shone in the twilight. Bobby tossed Dean the keys and he unlocked the car. Sam opened the passenger door and started fishing through the glove compartment. He shoved aside cell phones, a gun, the car registration, an ancient bag of chips and a few maps.
"It's not here," he called.
"Yeah, I'm not surprised," Dean said, leaning over the driver's side door. "We woulda noticed a bunch of bullets in there."
Sam stepped out of the car and shut the door. "So what, you think it's in one of the other cars?"
"Maybe it means something else? Like...a box or something? I dunno, Bobby, you keep a stash of gloves somewhere?" Dean asked.
"Oh yeah, I got three pairs of rubber gloves and then I keep my pretty flower gardening gloves hung up next to my Readers Digests," Bobby cracked.
"Super," Dean replied. "Let's start there. Bobby, Cas, come check the house with me. Sam, you and Alex check out here?"
Sam nodded.
******
Wild Goose Chase.
They searched for hours.
Dean, Bobby and Cas searched around the house. The sun had set and it was the middle of the night. In the basement. On the main floor. Upstairs in any room that wasn't boarded up. Bobby was shuffling books, papers, and furniture around on the main level. Castiel was pacing around the kitchen. Dean was combing through the basement.
Sam and Alex were still outside. They methodically made their way through the rows, searching any car that would open while initially ignoring the stacks of smashed cars. Car after car, they checked glove boxes and trunks and found nothing. Alex was moving along rapidly and practically had her moves down to a science as she entered and checked her 47th car of the night. Nothing.
She got back out of the car and almost walked right into Sam, who was waiting over her with two beers.
"Need a break?" he asked, handing her one.
"Yeah," she said. "Thanks."
Sam popped the caps off both beers and handed her one.
"Find anything interesting so far?" Alex asked.
"Oh yeah, some flasks, a few flesh mags, one empty wallet, lots of kid's toys, real great stuff," Sam replied. "You?"
"About the same. Funny how much you can tell about a person by what they have in their car."
"Spend as much time as Dean and I do in a car, it's like your whole life is in there." Sam sounded a bit bittersweet as he said it. He laughed to ease any tension.
Alex smiled weakly.
"It's weird seeing you guys now. It was kind of like you guys were ghosts for awhile there," she said. "And being out for two years...I mean, I know what I missed because Dean told me about it all in 2005. But seeing you both here now is surreal."
"Tell me about it. It feels like 5 years for you, but for me and Dean it feels like we just let 2005 two days ago."
"I wonder how much you guys changed by going back," Alex mused.
"Not much, it feels like. My parents still died, Azazel still came after me, Dean still went to Hell, I killed Lilith, I said yes to Lucifer..." Sam sighed. "Seems like the only thing that's different is that we knew to find you."
Alex snorted. "Lotta good that did. Knowing what I do now, I wish I could have warned you back then."
"Knowing what I do now, I wish I wouldn't have answered my apartment door at Stanford when you knocked," Sam teased.
They both laughed.
"Yeah. I can't believe Dean made me do that. I can't believe that was 5 years ago!" Alex lamented.
"What do you remember from the last 5 years anyway?" Sam asked.
"A lot of errand running. Raziel was helping to coordinate watchers. They're like angels that report back on certain people's actions to Heaven. Then Heaven decides if or when to intercede. We were watching you and Dean at one point."
"Really? When?"
"When that hunter Gordon was coming after you. You guys took care of it though so we backed off. I mean, Castiel had been watching you guys for a long time and he stayed. But after Gordon was dead Raziel moved on to another task."
"So you were like a Heavenly coordinator? Doesn't sound so bad to me," Sam said.
"That part wasn't so bad," Alex said. "But there was a lot of dissent. There were factions building in Heaven. Angels started chasing Raziel, trying to capture or kill her. We were running all the time. She killed other angels. Sometimes in their vessels. I watched people die and there was nothing I could do about it. After awhile I couldn't figure out who was right or wrong anymore. And I didn't want to be a part of it."
"And you went black the day Dean came back from Hell?" Sam asked.
Alex nodded. "By then the group of angels that had taken over was working to start the Apocalypse. Raziel went into hiding with a few other angels. Somewhere I couldn't go. So I asked to go home. I guess I got my wish, in a manner of speaking."
"Unreal. It's like the angels abandoned the fight. So much for watching over us," Sam said.
"A lot of angels stayed behind to fight. Cas for one," Alex noted.
"Right," Sam said. "Yeah, I guess they're not all dicks."
Alex laughed. "Besides Sam, you've always had someone watching over you."
"Having some demon watching you your whole life isn't something to brag about," Sam countered.
"Not a demon," Alex said. "Your brother. Dean's always watched out for you, just like you do for him. You guys don't know how lucky you are. Being an only child and an orphan, I can attest to it."
Sam thought about it for a minute. "I guess he does have a certain loyal quality to him that comes in pretty handy every now and then," he deadpanned.
"And he drives a cool car," Alex teased back.
"Yeah, he should really let me drive more often."
"Right, every once in awhile," Alex agreed. "I think he lets you drive more than you know."
Sam side-eyed Alex. She was looking at the rows of cars.
"Anyway, I'm glad you guys didn't forget about me," she said.
Their beer bottles both empty, Sam and Alex returned to the hunt. They wove through rows of cars and occasionally called out an interesting find to each other. No sign of the bullet cache. Sam grew weary and was ready to give up. He decided to run through one more row and then call it a night. His next car had a tarp over it. He quickly found the bungee and released it, then pulled the tarp back. A familiar sight greeted him -- the Chevelle Dean had been cruising around in while time displaced in 2005.
"Hey, Alex," Sam called. "Come here."
Alex ran over. "Hey! No way. That thing's been here the whole time?"
"I guess so," Sam said, trailing the roofline with his hand. "It wouldn't have meant anything to us until now though."
Alex asked if it was unlocked. It was. Sam slipped into the passenger's seat and opened the glove box. A small case slipped out. Sam caught it and opened it. Inside were 6 bullets -- the ones they'd been looking for.
"Good job," Alex congratulated him.
"Yahtzee," Sam said.
******
Back at the ranch.
Bobby had the registration for the Chevelle out. Though the car wasn't originally hers when Dean boosted it, they found the it was titled to Alexis Parker at her parents' address in Omaha and had been since Bobby found it on his lot in 2005.
"You're telling me your drove that base frame Chevelle all these years when you had that beauty sitting in your lot?" Dean asked, in shock.
"Wasn't mine. Granted I had no idea how it got here..." Bobby trailed off for a moment. "But statute of limitations is seven years. So I tarped her up and waited for the owner to claim her. Forgot it after awhile I suppose."
"We have the bullets, but do we have the Colt?" Castiel asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah, I got it," Bobby said. He went over to the fireplace and removed the slip to a hollow area of the mantle. Inside was his hunting journal, a few papers and the Colt. He took the gun out and placed on a table next to the cache.
"These bullets," Castiel said, opening the cache, "Will kill angels or demons." It was a distinction not lost on anyone else.
"What are we up against here, Cas?" Sam asked.
"The angel you met while time displaced -- Nathaniel -- is now leading a group of rogue angels," Castiel said. "Previously the group had been loyal to Zachariah, though I don't think he was leading the pack. I've been tracking them since the Apocalypse. Nathaniel knows I've been tasked with cleaning up Heaven but I'd led him to believe that my loyalties didn't necessarily dictate me preserving Heaven to accomplish that task. Unfortunately that cover was blown when we sent his gang of four packing last time we saw him."
"So he's not exactly expecting Christmas cards from you," Dean said.
Castiel shook his head.
"I wasn't working alone in it, though," Castiel said. "Nathaniel has been led to believe that Raziel is a required part of the ritual to raise Semiazas."
"Awesome, whose brilliant idea was that?" Alex asked sarcastically.
"Raziel's," Castiel intoned.
Alex sagged in defeat.
"Do we know where this whole shindig is going down?" Dean asked.
Castiel shook his head. "Not yet."
"If they're planning on raising a demon like Semiazas there's got to be other demons in the area. Whole lot of demon activity in southeastern Nebraska lately," Bobby said, and then snapped his fingers as he recalled something. "A group of hunters called me about a week ago looking for lore on familiar spirits." He went over to his bookcase and pulled out two books. "They'd found a hunter who had a demon laying latent inside. They were in the middle of a hunt when it woke up. Standard exorcism didn't work. Needed to use a hot brand first to break any binding..."
Bobby thumbed through one of the books until he found the page he wanted. Once he had it he handed it off to Sam, who read while Alex peered in from the side. Then Bobby opened the second book to a marked page on destroying angels. He handed that book to Dean, who read it over with Castiel over his shoulder. Castiel looked confused.
"Destroying angels act upon the will of God," Castiel said.
"Yeah, so?" Bobby retorted.
"These angels -- they're not acting under God's orders." Castiel looked perplexed.
"All I know is that the group of hunters in Nebraska found some demon with red eyes and a nasty pair of stubby wings that they didn't know hot kill. Then later they found a corpse stabbed by curve-edged blade with an ivory handle, and burned into the ground was what looked like a burned up pair of angel wings. They took the knife, tried it on that demon, and it worked." Bobby folded his arms as he finished.
Sam's eyes lit up. "So that's how they were convincing angels to willingly join Semiazas's army," he said. "They must have convinced those angels that this was what God wanted."
"Zachariah always talked about how God had left the building," Dean said.
"Yeah, but I bet it wasn't too hard to convince them that God had ordered this to happen before coming back. He stayed out of the Apocalypse, right? And now Heaven and Hell are both in disarray? I'd wait for it to get sorted out too," Sam reasoned.
"So they tell the angels it's the quickest way to paradise on Earth -- or whatever -- and they fall into line like the good little soldiers they are because they think they're helping Daddy out," Dean quipped. "The only thing worse than a self-righteous angel is a cocky self-righteous angel."
"Then they raise Semiazas and wipe out Heaven instead," Sam said. "And because the angels are bound to demons, there's nothing they can do to stop them."
"Which means the last people they're gonna want to see are Lucifer and Michael's true vessels," Dean concluded. "Two pretty good candidates to stop them."
"Yep," Sam agreed.
"Which is exactly why we should be there."
"Yep."
Dean smiled. It was one of those rare moments when he and Sam were on the same page. The rest of the team, however, looked baffled.
"You boys really think you can take out one powerful demon and his merry band of monsters? Can't imagine there'll be less than 10 of them," Bobby predicted.
"We'll need help. But we have an idea," Dean said, nodding towards Sam.
The group spent a few hours explaining, planning and strategizing. By the time the morning sun crept in through Bobby's windows, they had a solid plan in place.
******
The Impala was in the garage. Dean had it raised up slightly on jacks and was underneath it. Just checking his baby to make sure it was ready. On the next jack over, the Chevelle was being prepped for its next road trip. Alex and Sam had the hood popped and were inspecting it for readiness. The engine looked fine, but the spark plugs needed to be replaced.
"You gotta gap the points," Alex told Sam as she handed a new spark plug to him.
"I know," Sam replied tritely. "Hand me that matchbook."
Alex handed it over to him, impressed.
"I thought you said your brother didn't know much about cars," Alex said to Dean. "Seems like he's got plenty down."
Dean rolled out from under the Impala. He wiped his face, spreading oil across it. Alex threw him a towel.
"Where did you pick up this sudden wealth of grease monkey knowledge anyway?" Dean asked as he cleaned himself off.
Sam finished setting the spark plug. "From Dad," he said.
Alex watched Dean's face turn from confused to curious. Suddenly feeling like a third wheel, she made her exit.
"I'm gonna go see if Bobby has anymore 5w 30," she said, and left the boys to talk more about Sam's experiences in 1983.
She made her way into the kitchen where Bobby and Castiel were working on hex bags for the group.
"We still have to take care of that one too," Bobby said, nodding in Alex's general direction.
"We'll need something that will burn brightly for an extended length of time," Castiel said.
Alex was still holding a spark plug. "This should work," she chimed in. "Got any magnesium powder in this place?"
Bobby nodded. "That should work," he agreed.
******
Hastings, Nebraska.
Bobby had called the pack of hunters to prep for their arrival. The pack was moving southward in Nebraska. They all agreed to meet up in Hastings, the center of the last known demonic activity. Castiel had gone to figure out where the ritual would take place that night and would meet up with them later in the day.
Dean and Sam pulled the Impala into Prospect Park, with Alex and Bobby following closely behind in the Chevelle. The quartet exited their cars and met up in one of the park's open areas. Not too much later, a pickup truck with large fog lights over the grill and two spotlights on top entered the parking lot. A man and a woman got out and started walking towards them.
"Tom?" Alex called, recognizing the man. As he got closer, it was clearly Tom Bello, and he looked shocked to see Alex.
"Sam?" The woman called to the group. Sam squinted and after a moment could clearly make out Joey Woodson walking towards them.
The two groups convened. Tom hugged Alex. Joey slapped Sam.
"You don't even know what the last two weeks have been like for me," Joey said angrily.
"I probably deserve that too," Dean admitted.
"You deserve something all right," Tom said, leaning towards Dean. Alex held him back.
"Where's the rest of your party?" Bobby asked.
"Dead," Tom said, easing back to a normal stance. "We lost two in Ogallala about a week ago. And one more two days ago in Kearney."
Everyone was silent for a moment in respect. Tom eyed Alex in amazement.
"Alex. How are you...when did you...?" Tom stuttered out.
"Just a couple of days ago," Alex said. "I was in Omaha but blacked out for awhile."
"2008. You'd been out since September 2008," Tom said. "You just showed up on my doorstep one day in bad shape. You weren't making a lick of sense, and then a few hours later you were totally out. I checked you into the hospital but there was nothing the doctors could do. Did you just wake up on your own?"
"Well, Dean and Sam checked me out of the hospital and then I just kinda woke up," Alex said slowly.
"They didn't check you out Alex," Tom said. "I got a call from the hospital saying two men posing as FBI agents kidnapped you. I had two friends combing the area looking for you!"
"They were just trying to help," Alex said.
"Help, huh?" Tom dismissed her explanation. "You know Joey here? They tried to help her too. Every time Sam over there came near Joey a demon would possess her. He lived in her town for awhile and during that time seven people died. As soon as he left it calmed down. The next time she saw him? Ten more died. Oh, and did you know that those two started the Apocalypse?"
"Yeah, well we stopped it too, Chuckles," Dean said. "Which is more than I can say for your candy ass."
"Not exactly Hunter of the Year material, Dean," Tom retorted.
"Alright, nobody here likes each other, we get it," Bobby interjected. "We can keep crying about abandonment this or Apocalypse that. Or we could sort our damn feelings later and focus on the bigger problem breathing down our neck."
Everyone quieted.
"The four of us need your help," Bobby continued. "Think you can all put on your adult pants and work together for a bit?"
Everyone nodded.
"Well, good."
Bobby motioned for everyone to gather round, and began explaining each group's task to them. After a while Dean felt someone watching him, and turned around to find Castiel not too far off. Dean left the group and met Castiel halfway across the lot.
"There's a park in the southeast corner of town," Castiel said as Dean caught up to him. "That's where the ritual will happen."
"Looks like we got our version of Animal House in order here," Dean said. "Ready for the Homecoming Parade?"
Castiel stared absently in response to Dean's reference. "Is Alex ready?"
"Yeah," Dean said. "Look, Cas, just try to coach her through it a bit. Build up her confidence. This is gonna be pretty scary for her."
Castiel nodded. Dean slapped the angel on the shoulder and went to grab Alex. Sam came over with them as well.
"Alex," Castiel said when they returned. "In the event that this plan doesn't succeed, I will be sure to put in a good word on your behalf in Heaven."
Alex's eyes grew wide. "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"
"He doesn't mean that," Dean said quickly. "Well, not like that anyway. This plan is gonna work."
"We could always put in another plant as Raziel," Sam offered.
"No, it's OK," Alex said, face in hands. "Honestly, I have heard that you guys rack up some pretty heavy collateral damage, especially with chicks on board, so uh, I'm gonna stick with Castiel. Especially with those kind of rousing speeches."
Dean and Sam nodded, and Sam took a vial out of his coat. He grabbed the book of matches out of his other side pocket, and lit the magnesium powder inside the vial. It caught between the spark plug tips and emitted a bright light, like angel grace. He handed the vial to Alex, who put it around her neck.
"Should last at least a few hours," Sam said.
Alex nodded.
"Don't take long," Castiel urged.
"We'll be there soon," Dean said.
The brothers watched as Castiel and Alex fluttered away and then Sam returned to the group meeting. Dean went to the Impala and took out a serviceman's uniform. He began changing into it.
Bobby went over to the Chevelle and took out a small sacrificing bowl. He dumped the contents of a hex bag into it and began reading a Latin verse. At Bobby's cue, Sam lit the contents on fire with a match.
"Did it work?" Bobby asked, widening his eyes at Sam.
"Your eyes still look the same to me," Sam said, shaking his head.
Bobby flipped the page in the book. "Oh, right. Acerbus," he said. His eyes flipped beetle black.
Sam backed away instinctively. "Uh, yeah, it works."
Bobby smiled. "Aduro." His eyes returned to normal. "Well, now you have one fake demon as your minion, Samifer. And you know the commands to show it off. Probably won't take them long to figure out it's not real though."
"Just needs to be long enough," Sam said. "I hope this works."
Bobby repeated the ceremony for Tom.
"Who here needs an amulet to ward off possession?" Bobby asked when he was done.
Tom took one of the amulets and placed it around his neck. Sam and Dean demurred. Joey did too. Sam side-eyed her and she shrugged.
"Guess I finally learned my lesson," she said, and lifted her sleeve to reveal a possession warding tattoo, not too dissimilar from Sam or Dean's.
Sam smiled back weakly.
Tom was tracking a storm on his smart phone. "Looks like they're down near the Good Samaritan Center still, if this thing's any accurate. We're gonna head that way. See you in the park, hopefully with a trail of demons on our tail." He motioned for Joey to follow him.
She wished Bobby and Sam luck and then trotted off to the truck after Tom.
"Guess I'm with them," Dean said, joining Sam and Bobby in his new duds.
"You be careful, Dean," Bobby said. "Let's try to all make it back in one piece for once."
"Good luck, Dean," Sam said.
"You too, Sammy, Bobby. See you soon." Dean turned and headed for the Impala. It roared to life and he followed Tom and Joey out of the lot.
Sam watched the Impala's tail lights disappear.
They got into the Chevelle, Sam behind the wheel, and headed to the southeast part of town. The sun had gone to sleep earlier, and the last light was fading into the night sky.
******
The road paved with good intentions.
Dean followed Tom and Joey down a well-lit road. They stopped about a block away from the Good Samaritan center and parked their cars. No one was outside the building. No one seemed to be in the area besides the three of them.
"You sure this is the place?" Dean asked as he got out of the Impala, with Tom and Joey waiting outside. They were each holding bags of rock salt.
"Yeah, this is it," Tom said. "Strong traces of sulfur all over the front entry, plus a back one too. The demons were here earlier today and I'm sure some of them stayed behind."
Dean popped the trunk and grabbed a bag for himself. They quickly sprinted across the street and to the side of the building. Making their way around back, Dean ripped open his bag of rock salt and poured a line at the back entrance. Joey got the surrounding two windows and Tom took care of the storm cellar. They made their way around the building, salting every exit.
When they met up again at the front door, Tom's eyes were beetle black from Bobby's spell.
"Dude, that ain't right," Dean said.
Tom smiled. "When in Rome..."
"Remember, front door is the only line that gets broken," Dean said. "And not until we're in the cars."
Dean and Joey returned to the car for the time being. Tom trotted up the front stairs, and Dean watched as he disappeared inside the building. Joey was in the passenger's seat, fiddling with her gun. Dean watched her for a few moments, amused.
About 10 long minutes later, Joey got a text.
"It's Tom," she recited. "He says there are 10 demons inside and five at the park. The ones at the park are meeting up in a dirt lot across a bridge from an island."
"Hope that's enough for Sam to go on," Dean said, and took out his own phone to relay the message.
"Time to crash," Joey said when the next message arrived.
Dean put on his utility serviceman's baseball cap. He trotted up the front stairs of the building and rang the doorbell. No response. After a minute, he rang it again. Joey ran up and hid next to the steps, guns in-hand. A slot on the door opened.
"Sorry, private party," a pair of eyes said from behind the door.
"Not here for the party," Dean said. "I'm from the county telco, and we got report of sparks and a downed line at your demarc. I just need to come in and check it out."
"Come back tomorrow," the eyes said. "We're closed for a private party."
"I would," Dean drawled. "But since this is a government building Central's all up on my ass about this one. Shouldn't take too long but if you don't let me take a look, a whole team will be out here in just a little bit."
The eyes stared Dean down for a moment. Then the slot closed. Dean silently cursed to himself. Then he returned to form as he heard the lock inside slide unlocked. Joey tossed him a shotgun from next to the stairs. Like a house door, the building's door opened inward. As it opened more than a crack, Dean kicked it in, sending the person behind flying backwards.
Dean rushed in with Joey quickly behind. They were careful not to disrupt the salt line at the door. Dean aimed at the demon on the ground.
"So what kind of party is this exactly? Exorcism? Hedonism? Last night on Earth maybe?" Dean asked.
"Semiazas is already here," the demon said to Dean in a taunting tone. "And you should be a lot more worried about what he's going to do you than me."
"I don't care," Dean said. "Stopping you is good enough for me right now." He pulled the trigger and the demon yelped as the rock salt bullet hit. Dean looked up and saw Tom barreling towards him.
"Go, go!" Tom said, waving Dean and Joey back outside.
"I think we got them riled up!" Joey said, turning Dean around and pointing him to the door.
Dean saw several demons giving chase, and though it wasn't in his nature to run it was in the plan, so he hopped the threshold and the stairs outside and took off in the direction of the Impala. Joey followed a few strides behind. Tom was providing cover, pushing the demons back with rock salt. As he backed his way to the door he dragged his foot to break the salt line.
Tom jumped the stairwell as Dean had and within a few strides caught up to Joey. Dean backed the Impala down the road. He made it to the pair. Tom threw the passenger's door open and jumped in while Joey hopped in behind Dean. Demons raced out of the building giving chase. Dean slammed the accelerator and the Impala roared forward. Tom checked the sideview to make sure the demons were pursuing.
"Looks like we got ourselves a chase, boys and girls!" Tom said, looking at both his passengers.
Joey was wide-eyed, alternating between watching the demons behind them and the road in front of them. She was pitched from side to side as the Impala squealed around corners.
Dean was focused solely on the road ahead. "Was that demon telling the truth about Semiazas already being here?"
"I don't know," Tom admitted. "How could he be...?"
"That demon those other hunters helped me kick two weeks ago," Joey said. "I'd bet anything it was Semiazas."
"Wait, that was you?" Dean asked Joey. "You're the hunter Bobby helped?"
"Yeah," Joey confirmed. "I started getting terrible headaches. Then a couple of weeks ago I blacked out, and when I woke up again I was strapped to a chair under a Devil's Trap."
"So Semiazas is probably here," Dean said, half-concentrating on the road. "Someone text Bobby -- now!"
******
Park of dense lushness.
Nathaniel spotted a small but intense glow approaching from the east. Castiel and Alex came into view not long after. They saw Nathaniel and four angels standing around a large fire. They were on an island in the center of a small pond and walked across a wood bridge to join them.
"I was beginning to think you had better plans, Castiel," Nathaniel said. "Good to see you haven't abandoned your brothers like some angels." He cast a wary glare at Alex, whose face remained expressionless as she'd been instructed.
"As a symbol of fraternity Raziel offers her grace for the ritual," Castiel said, motioning to the vial around Alex's neck. The brightness against the dark night obstructed his view into her eyes. "In return she expects all of the thrones to be protected."
"Are you serving as her translator now? The wheel and eyes in the sky has no voice of her own?" Nathaniel asked curiously.
"She's afraid of who might hear her," Castiel said. "This is her stipulation for participating."
Nathaniel stared them both down for a moment before turning his attention back to the four angels before him.
"Brothers, you see what Raziel has done for us," Nathaniel said. "Now it's time for you to do the same. Serve as a destroyer as we have been ordered, and help us to restore Paradise on Earth." He took out a blade, shorter than the angel-killing blades many angels carried but forged from the same silver. He handed it to the first angel in the line.
The angel inhaled deeply, and plunged the blade into his chest. Alex gasped and went slack jaw. Castiel quickly looked at her to warn her to keep quiet. She nodded, trying to avert her eyes from the scene. As the angel cut a hole into his own chest, a light emanated from within. When the hole was large enough the angel reached in and forcefully pulled his grace out. He handed the grace to Nathaniel, and fell to his knees as blood started to pour out. Nathaniel tucked the grace into a vial and capped it. Then he placed his hand on the angel's shoulder, and the wound healed. The angel remained hunched over, recovering. Nathaniel moved on to the next angel.
"Powder," Castiel hissed to Alex.
She took a small pouch out of her pocket and carefully poured the magnesium powder onto the ground just in front of herself and Castiel.
"Done," she whispered back quietly.
Castiel nodded silently in response.
******
Sam and Bobby split as they walked along the park edge. They could see the angels on an island to the west but weren't ready to crash the party quite yet. After consulting a map Sam and Bobby knew more or less where the demons were staked out. Sam was trying to fake the mannerisms of the devil that had been inside. Bobby tailed behind, and when they got close to the pack of demons he staked himself out behind a tree to wait for his cue.
Sam continued on. He gave himself one last internal pep talk when he saw the demons. Then he forced his face to take on an all too casual demeanor. He had already slowed his stride down to a more deliberate shuffle. One of the demons noticed him and pulled a knife. Sam strode right into the group.
"Hello everyone," Sam said coolly. "Room for one more?"
The demons turned to stare at him. "Who are you?" One finally asked.
"That's one of the Winchesters," another demon replied. "Sam."
"Winchester plus one," Sam said slowly. "And I think you know who the plus one is."
"Really?" The first demon said. "Because the way we hear it, Lucifer is locked back down in his cage."
"I suppose they said the same thing about Sam," Sam said, referring to himself in the third person. "Yet here we are."
"It's a trick," the demon retorted.
"Is it?" Sam asked tersely. "I'd expect a bit more respect after all I've done for you."
Sam held his hand up like he'd done so many times before. The demon laughed at first. Then it stopped, and a look of realization crossed its face. A beam of light emitted from its head and quickly faded. When it was gone, the demon collapsed.
From his stakeout spot, Bobby exhaled. It was the fastest Latin he'd ever spewed. He knew Sam didn't have long either -- the chant just knocked out the demon for a short time.
Sam lowered his hand. Three of the other demons cowered back. The demon who'd identified him as Sam stood his ground.
"Impressive," the demon said. "You'll have to teach me that one."
Sam didn't respond. He met the demon's eyes. The demon walked up to Sam. As it drew closer Sam felt himself freeze, unable to move.
"Thing is, Lucifer probably wouldn't need this," he said, reaching into Sam's pocket and pulling out the curved blade knife that had killed Ipos. "Would he, Sam?"
Sam didn't respond.
"And Lucifer probably wouldn't respond to this," the demon said, and threw his arm up. Sam went flying backwards, landing on his back yards away.
"Crap," Bobby said from his stakeout point. He heard tires squealing in behind him. He hoped it was Dean and team.
Sam worked to pick himself up from the ground. As he got to his knees he felt intense fire in his gut, and pitched forward. The demon approached him.
"I must say I'm impressed by your commitment," the demon said. "Did your brother really send you in as the lamb to slaughter? I never liked him much, but you Sam? You've always been on my radar."
Sam spat out blood, still hunched over.
"It's probably too late to lead any armies now, Sam, since Lucifer has pretty much claimed you and I hate sloppy seconds," the demon said. "But I will put in a good word for you down in Hell. Guess you'll have some time to brush up on went wrong while you're down there."
Trying to speak, Sam coughed violently. The demon eased its grip slightly.
"Semiazas," Sam managed to choke out.
"Yes," Semiazas said. "I know Nathaniel thinks he's raising me and my army tonight. Well, he's half-right. I've been here on Earth for about 5 years now. Which you already knew. I rode along with that host for a long time. And then when I heard that the Apocalypse was over and neither Heaven nor Hell won, I saw the opportunity I was waiting for -- just like the angels promised. So I jumped ship to a more battle-ready host and just waited for all the cards to fall into place. Of course, it seems the angels I was working with are gone now. But that's OK. I would have wiped them out anyway."
Semiazas re-tightened his grip on Sam. Suddenly, the demons behind him all collapsed in the same manner as the first one. Semiazas wheeled around as they collapsed in a heap.
"How are you doing that?" Semiazas asked with genuine curiosity.
"He's not," said a voice off behind Semiazas. Dean emerged from the shadows and splashed holy water onto Semiazas, breaking the demon's concentration on Sam as the water burned into him.
"I knew you were somewhere around here," Semiazas said through gritted teeth.
Once the holy water burned off he tossed Dean away, sending him flying towards the trees. He landed not too far from where Bobby was stationed. When Bobby was sure the demon wasn't watching, he stepped out to help Dean.
"I'll get in there with you," Bobby said.
"No way," Dean said, clutching his side. "Stay here. You're our plan B."
"Great," Bobby agreed grudgingly. "I love watching practically everyone I know get the crap kicked out of them."
Dean stumbled towards Sam as Joey and Tom burst out of the shadows from separate directions. They each had knives, and as they ran by Semiazas they sliced him in both front and back. Joey stopped quickly after the first pass, and prepared to make a second one. As she ran towards Semiazas, the demon backed away from the slice of her knife and recoiled with his own stab of the knife he'd pulled off Sam. Semiazas plunged the knife into Joey's side. She fell to the ground in pain.
"Sam, the Colt!" Dean said as he fell forward to his brother. Sam was recovering slowly from the gut-wrenching pain he'd been in the prior several minutes. He nodded at Dean, and pulled the coat from one of his inside pockets. Dean helped Sam up and they started running back towards Semiazas.
Tom made his way to check on Joey, who was writing on the ground. The wound didn't look to be fatal but there was a free flow of blood. Tom went to tear part of Joey's pants to make a tourniquet but found himself flung away before he could do so. It gave Dean and Sam time to make their way up. When Semiazas turned to face them, he found himself staring down the barrel of the Colt.
"This is the problem with you Winchesters," Semiazas said. "You never think plans all the way through." He brushed the Colt aside.
"Guess you'll have plenty of time to brush up on where you went wrong," Sam said.
He pointed the Colt back at Semiazas and fired. The bullet pierced the demon's skull. His eyes lit up red and charges of light crossed his face before dissipating. Then the demon fell to the ground, dead.
"It worked," Sam said, surprised.
"Good to know a few angels aren't lying dicks," Dean agreed.
They didn't have time to celebrate the victory. Instead they ran to join Tom and Bobby at Joey's side.
"She needs to get to a hospital," Tom said. "She won't let us drive her."
"Don't need it," Joey said, her face pale. "I can get to the hospital myself."
"Called an ambulance," Bobby said. "Should be far enough away so that other group of troublemakers won't see anything. By the way, Joey texted me a little while ago. Said Semiazas was probably already here."
Sam bitchfaced. "Thanks for the warning."
"I'll take Joey out there," Tom said. "You guys go stop that ritual." Dean, Sam and Bobby nodded.
Sam rotated the Colt's chamber to reload. They were late for their rendezvous with Castiel and Alex. The trio started running to save their friends.
******
Simultaneously, and then some.
Oblivious to the fight nearby, Nathaniel was standing by the fire, chanting over it with all four angel's graces plus Raziel's fake grace in their vials. Both Castiel and Alex were silently panicking as neither the Winchester brothers nor the groups with them had shown up. Concerned they were in it alone, they'd moved on to plan B.
Castiel was palming his angel-killing blade. Alex had her own blade supplied by Castiel. Slowly, Castiel slid closer to Nathaniel, ostensibly to watch the ritual in more detail. Nathaniel could see Castiel out of the corner of his eye but ignored him. Alex held her position outside the fire pit, while the willing angels kneeled ready in wait to be paired with a demon and to become a destroyer. After the last line of the chant, Nathaniel slammed the vials into the fire.
The magnesium reacted to the heat by flaring up violently, and Nathaniel was nearly burned by it. He slid back and away from the flames. It gave Castiel a chance to advance quickly, and he quickly shuffled up next to the other angel and went for the stab. Nathaniel grabbed the knife and twisted it around, twisting Castiel's arms in the process. Nathaniel thrust both of their hands towards the fire until the heat forced Castiel to drop the blade. Nathaniel shoved Castiel back and took a moment to straighten himself out.
"What was that all about, Castiel?" Nathaniel asked. "That was quite the tantrum you just threw."
"I don't know how you think this process could serve Heaven in any way," Castiel said.
"It might not. I don't really care anymore. Heaven, Hell, it doesn't matter to me. The only reason I took this path is because at least they have a plan, which is more than I can say for the home office." Nathaniel's eyes sunk back a bit at the end. He kicked the blade away from the fire and further from Castiel.
From behind them, Alex rushed forward to help Castiel. Nathaniel put his hand up and Alex was immediately knocked over. Her blade went flying.
"Don't want to rush this guys," Nathaniel said. "It's the best part."
A thick cloud of black smoke started to rise from the fire. It split into four streams and poured into the mouths of each of the four angels. They all collapsed on the ground for a moment, and when they came to, they arose recharged, with eyes burning red. Nathaniel watched and then turned back to the fire. He waited for more to happen.
They heard a gunshot off in the distance. Alex and Castiel exchanged looks. Nathaniel continued to watch the fire. After a short time he realized nothing else was going to happen and got visibly upset.
He wheeled around to face Castiel and Alex.
"I might have predicted you'd hold out on me," he said to them. "Where is Raziel?"
"Far away from here," Alex snapped.
"Well, that's kind of a problem for me. I need Semiazas to properly control those destroyers over there."
"Semiazas is already here," Castiel retorted. "But he's not long for this world."
"Where is he?" Nathaniel asked.
"Done for," Alex retorted.
Nathaniel looked at them both angrily. "Where is he?" he asked again, charging Alex.
"Alex, now!" Castiel said. Alex pulled a lighter out of her pocket and backed up. She tossed the lighter onto the magnesium powder and it erupted, bursting in extremely bright light. Everyone shielded their eyes. The shock pushed Nathaniel off-balance and he fell backwards towards the fire. Castiel could see Nathaniel falling from under his arm, which he was using as a shield. He rushed forward to catch his brother.
"You don't get off that easily," he told Nathaniel. He grabbed the blade from the ground, and quickly shoved it through Nathaniel's neck. Cas felt the thrust of an angel's wings first spreading, and then vaporizing. The body collapsed backwards onto him. Castiel pulled the blade and let the body fall to the ground next to him.
"Cas, look out!" Dean called from not too far away as the destroyers swarmed him.
Alex quickly flipped her knife like a spear behind her shoulder and hurtled it towards one of the part-angel, part-demon monsters. It hit one square in the back, knocking it down temporarily.
"Cas, get down," Sam said, and Castiel quickly shrank down to the ground. Sam tracked the monsters with the Colt and shot them in quick succession.
Dean and Alex slid down into the fire pit to check on Castiel. They pulled the monster corpses away from their angel friend. Bobby found a bucket of sand just outside the pit and threw it over the fire to quiet it down a bit.
"You alright, Cas?" Dean asked as his friend dusted his hair off.
"My faith in plan Bs moving forward is somewhat bolstered," Castiel replied. "But I would have much preferred plan A."
"I'm just impressed we had two plans," Dean cracked.
Alex and Sam nodded their OKs to each other, then Bobby added his own. Everyone that was there was alright.
"Let's bury these idjits and get the hell outta here," Bobby suggested. Everyone else nodded in agreement.
******
Lush Coastal Rainforests of Central South Dakota.
Alex, Tom, Castiel and Bobby were gathered around the folding table, each with a hand of cards in front of them. Alex had a small pile of chips left; Tom and Bobby each had a respectable pile and Castiel had by far the lion's share. Dean and Sam were off to the side watching the scene with amusement, while Joey lay not too far away, propped up by pillows in a makeshift window seat.
Sam caught Alex's eye.
"He's got an amazing poker face!" Alex defended herself against Castiel.
"The deck is cyclical," Castiel replied. "The chances of getting a favorable card are increased when you play in a large group."
The hand ended with Bobby winning it, and Alex found herself out of chips. She excused herself to join Sam and Dean.
"We're gonna head out soon," she spoke on behalf of herself, Tom and Joey.
"Headed back to Omaha?" Dean asked.
"After we drop off Joey, I think so. For now anyway," Alex said. "Castiel said Raziel has no need for me at this time. It sounds like I can try to rebuild my life. Maybe even start a new one."
"You gonna go back to school? Sam asked.
Alex shook her head no.
"She's gonna become a hunter," Tom said from the table.
"Absolutely not," Alex retorted immediately. "But I might help out from time to time."
"That's how it starts," Bobby leaned in to tell his tablemates in a stage whisper.
"Seriously though," Alex said, ignoring the jokers. "If you guys are in the area and ever need anything, you better call me."
"We will," Dean said.
"Definitely," Sam quickly agreed.
Alex cocked an eyebrow. "Yeah, I don't believe you. But, maybe that day will come," she said slyly. "Bobby, you have my number?"
"Yes ma'am," he replied.
"Well, that does it for me," Tom said after losing the round. He came up to Alex, Sam and Dean.
"Ready?"
Alex nodded sadly.
"Sam, it's been a pleasure," Tom said, holding out a hand. Sam shook it. "Dean, it got better," Tom said. Dean smiled and offered a handshake of his own, which Tom took. Tom went to help Joey up. Sam went over too.
"Joey, I am sorry about every time we ever met," Sam said, shaking his head.
Joey laughed, and then grimaced from the pain. "Sam, the only one who has it worse around you is your brother. You guys just take care of each other, OK?"
Sam nodded and agreed. He gave Joey a gentle hug. Dean waved a goodbye, giving Joey his well-wishes. Tom told Alex they'd meet her at the car.
"We got a pretty Chevelle and I'm stuck in the back. Can't even drive my own damn car," Alex said with a chuckle.
"I feel your pain, believe me," Sam said.
"Guys," Alex said. "This has been the quickest five years of my life. What say we take the next five a little easier?"
The boys smiled.
"Of all the girls I've known through Dean, you're my favorite," Sam said.
Alex laughed. "Thanks." Sam wrapped her in a bear hug, pulling her off the ground at one point.
"You're a great guy, Sam," Alex said through muffles. "I loved being around you."
Dean, never one for goodbyes, was more direct. "I'm glad this story has a happy ending," he said. "We don't get many of those."
"Hold on there, pal," Alex replied. "This isn't over! I mean, you guys are going to come visit! I'll even make pie."
"Right," Dean said with a smile. "That's a deal."
He roped her into a long hug. Afterwards, she said her farewells to Bobby and Castiel. And then Alexis Parker walked out of Bobby's house and roared away in the Chevelle.
“I feel a headache coming on,” Dean said. “Damn Earth is spinning.”
“I’ll drive,” Sam offered.
Dean shot him down with one look.
