A Little Less Conversation, Part 2.

What is this?

Goodland Cemetery.
Night Of.

Sam and Dean stashed the Chevelle near the entrance to the cemetery and then made their way into the final resting commune. Sam grabbed their new knife while Dean packed the Colt and their usual weaponry. When a crying girl ran into them, they quickly extracted as much information as possible. Her name was Jen, her boyfriend Brian was dead, and their friend Brad had killed him. Dean ran her to her car while Sam moved ahead. He spotted a group of people gathering around an obelisk. As the younger Winchester drew closer he saw more tell-tale signs that something was going down: a small fire, candles, and then a woman screaming. Sam picked up the pace when he heard that. He snuck up behind a nearby mausoleum to listen in.

The men Sam had seen earlier sprayed a symbol into the ground between headstones. In the center was a monument that had what looked like a bird bath on top. They placed candles at certain points and then one of the men grabbed a chalice and a knife. He approached the group and motioned for some of them to leave. Sam watched the demons heading off towards a truck. The rest off to the side. One man came up, holding a shotgun to a woman. Sam leaned in further and realized the woman was Joey. She had beaten them there.

Joey screamed as the man got closer. "Stop!" she cried.

As Brad drew closer to her his eyes flipped beetle black. Sam looked back to check for Dean but saw no signs of his brother. He wasn't eager to watch demons finally finish off Joey. The need to save her took over, even if it meant putting himself in harm's way.

"Hey!" Sam called from behind the group. "Is this the right party?"

Sam watched as they all turned around to face him.

"Guess my invite got lost in the mail," Sam said, flashing his pretty new knife.
"Sam Winchester," the demon said. "You're always invited."
"Let her go," Sam ordered, pointing at Joey. "She doesn't have a part in this."
"I'd like to," the demon lied. "But we do in fact need her. See, we need to use her blood to open the gate. And you're done with her now that you have that, aren't you?" He motioned towards the knife.
"You need someone's blood? Use mine," Sam growled.
The demon laughed. "Sure, Sam," he said. "It can't be just anyone's blood. And you're just an innocent little lamb, aren't you? I think not. Besides, we've got other things lined up for you."
"Let her go, Mastema," Sam said again, moving forward.

The man in the roughneck button-up, who'd been watching all the events unfolding from the side, came forward. "Not Mastema. Guess again," he said. "I can see the confusion -- we've never met. Later on you can ask your brother if a demon named Ipos means anything to him." Ipos was right in front of Sam by that time, locking eyes with Sam menacingly.

Sam heard a roar behind him and spun around to see the Chevelle charging towards them. He quickly ran to get out of way. The demon holding Joey did the same as Dean charged into the crowd, sending demons everywhere. He smashed the Chevelle into the mausoleum the group had been gathered around. The commotion was enough to disperse the group. Dean pulled himself out of the window and on top of the Chevelle's hood, where he stood with a bullhorn.

He started reciting the exorcism chant he knew by heart. Most of the demons covered their ears, tried to hide or tried to run out of earshot. But as Dean quickly made his way through the verses the smoke began to pour out of the meatsuits, and eventually the demons lost hold of their meatsuits and spilled into the night. When they were done, Dean jumped down from the roof of the car. He came up next to his brother and nodded a greeting.

"Did I miss anything?" Dean asked with a grin.

Sam was glad to see his brother, but Ipos didn't look as amused.

"I think you parked in my spot," Ipos said from not far away, and held out an arm.

The Chevelle groaned and leaned, before finally flipping over and sliding out of the way. It rolled back onto its wheels a good hundred yards away, a little worse for wear. Dean and Sam exchanged looks. They saw the binding mark on his wrist. No exorcising this demon.

"Don't you have some yellow-eyed thing to chase after?" it asked.
"We are. Two places at once -- we're just that good," Dean snarked.
"Sam I can understand being here. He has a demonic fate to try to break free from. This girl is someone he knows. But you Dean? Death just follows you. Who's going to die tonight? We're not ready for you to start the big party quite yet." The demon continued. Dean's face turned grim.

The demon held his hand out again, and this time Dean and Sam themselves went flying backwards. Sam lost the knife on the way back. They landed a few yards back. Ipos picked up the knife.

"It's cute," the demon said. "Collect them all!"
"Who are you?" Dean asked as he slowly picked himself back up. "Since you already know who we are."
"You don't recognize me, Dean?" The demon said, somewhat disappointed. "Maybe if I was still wearing that campus security guard?"
"Ipos," Dean realized. "So, what's the plan? Kill a few vessels? Bring on the Apocalypse? Fry along with the rest of us when Lucifer goes postal?"
"The vessels are means to an end," Ipos said, still admiring the knife. "To the angels. Those righteous, conniving, self-indulgent pricks. You know some of them want to bring on the Apocalypse more than the demons do. It was easy to convince a group of them to help us. I couldn't care less about the Apocalypse. But the angels? They all need to die." Ipos paused and turned back to Dean. "You're a vessel, aren't you?"
"We're the vessels," Dean growled sarcastically.
"Right," Ipos nodded with a smirk. "That's what they always say. A long time ago, that's what they told me too. But there are things they don't tell you about hosting an angel. How it ravages your mind and your body. How they never let your bloodline go. How if an angel dies inside of you without finishing their task, you don't always get to go to Heaven."
"You were a vessel?" Sam didn't believe it.
"I only asked for two things. For my family to be safe, and to see them again when I was done. I got neither. And after my human life was done I ended up in Hell. I have been waiting a very long time for this chance." Ipos concluded.
"The angels may be dicks," Dean countered. "But you demons aren't winning any Miss Congeniality awards either."

Ipos balled his hand into a fist and twisted it, and Dean and Sam were both collapsed onto the ground in pain. "Truth is I'm under orders not to kill either of you right now," Ipos said. "But I am seriously considering it anyway."

With the brothers writhing on the ground Ipos turned and walked back to the other demon and Joey. He stopped suddenly when a bullet shot into his skull. He turned back to see Sam holding the Colt, smoking from the bullet it had just launched. Sam was looking at the demon somewhat sheepishly.

"That wasn't very nice Sam," Ipos said cooly as the anger rose in him. "That wasn't very nice at all. Way to waste a bullet."
"It wasn't a waste," said Dean, who had used the distraction to run up to Ipos. He grabbed the knife. Ipos showed off quick reflexes, shoving Dean backwards. Sam helped Dean recover.

The brothers heard the cry of dogs from somewhere off in the distance. Sam helped Dean up from the ground as Dean sputtered, "Hellhounds." Sam turned back to trade words with Ipos, but the demon was gone. All of the demons were in fact gone and Joey had disappeared with them.

"Dammit," Sam said, exasperated.
"We gotta get out of here," Dean urged. He was already on his way over to the Chevelle.

Sam looked around the cemetery one more time to determine where the demons had gone but he still saw nothing. Dean fired up the Chevelle's engines to convince Sam to get in. After an angry slap to the car's frame, Sam folded himself into the car.

******

Lush Coastal Rainforests of Central South Dakota.
Aftermath.

Dean parked the slightly smashed Chevelle in the lot. He and Sam sorely got out of the car and walked up to the door. Inside, Bobby and Castiel were leaning over a book. They didn't notice Sam or Dean return; they were engrossed in conversation.

"It would depend on if she still has the amulet," Castiel was saying. Dean cleared his throat and the angel and man looked up.
"Where have you been?" Castiel asked, concerned. "We've been trying to reach you for over a day."
"Goodland," Dean said. "It was wiped clean by Semiazas and Ipos. They used Croatoan."
"Croatoan?" Bobby asked. "That's some serious firepower."
"No kidding," Sam said.
"Did you find Ipos?" Castiel asked.
Dean nodded. "Ipos is gone. With Joey..." He trailed off.
Sam looked away. He pulled the Colt out of his jacket and tossed it on the desk. "This thing was useless, as usual," he said with more than a little frustration in his voice.
"Wasn't the only fun we had in town," Dean continued. "We met an angel. Nathaniel. One of yours?"

Castiel's face turned concerned. "Does he know I'm here?"
"Didn't seem to," Dean said. "Though he was asking about you. Who is he?"
"An angel that works for Zachariah," Castiel replied. "And at this time, higher-ranking than me. Bobby showed me the sigil you and Alex found in Nebraska. It's specific to Nathaniel. I think he is working with Ipos."
"Great," said Dean. "Just perfect."
"Is he one of the angels you thought was coming after us?" Sam asked.
"Possibly. Whenever an angel travels through time we are supposed to report ourselves as being out of sync," Castiel said. "I thought it better to try to lay low. Especially since it's unclear whose side some angels are on. If I'm caught..." he trailed off.
"You'll get a stern talking to?" Dean laughed. "Look at you all rebel without a cause!"
"We definitely have a cause, Dean," Castiel countered.

Dean started to say something but thought better of it.

"They're getting closer," Castiel shook his head as he spoke. "We need to hurry. While you two were gone Bobby and I were working."
"Wanna share with the rest of the class?" Dean asked.
"Just...talking," Bobby demurred.
"Talking? Or plotting?" Dean asked coyly. Castiel started to say something but Bobby stopped him.
"We were just talking. Plotting. Stupid stuff," Bobby said.
"Stupid stuff?" Dean regurgitated.
"Yep," Bobby said. "Stuff just stupid enough to work."

He waved the boys over and they gathered around the book. Dean got a little more excited as he read each line of the ancient text. The ritual had two parts to it: first to call Alex back from Hell, then to summon the angel Raziel. Castiel warned them all that the angel was somewhat unpredictable and quite powerful. He was also concerned about whether Alex was done with her task or not. And with Ipos still alive, there were risks. Dean was predictably impatient and wanted to use the ritual to summon Ipos as well. They debated the best plan for a while. In the end, Castiel won out.

"You may not like what you see," Castiel warned them.
"Wasn't that hard on the eyes," Dean replied with a hint of a smile.

******

"A little to your left," Bobby was saying from his perch on top of a truck.

It was dusk and the light was quickly fading from the sky. The headlights were on to help Dean, Sam and Castiel see. The Chevelle sat parked perpendicular, its headlights also shining towards the trio on the ground.

Castiel pointed where he thought Bobby wanted him. Bobby nodded and the angel moved to that spot and began spraying an enochian symbol into the ground with white spray paint. He was almost done creating the sigil, one that instead of sending an angel away would lock it into place. Sam, about 10 feet behind Castiel, was spraying symbols of his own with another can. From memory he sprayed the symbols of a Devil's Trap into the grass and dirt, along the path Dean had outlined for him. Dean was on Cas's other side, finishing off the concentric circles. He was tempted to spray a big X in the middle but held himself back. He poured holy oil along the pattern of the innermost ring.

Bobby could see the whole thing -- a circle inside a Devil's Trap inside a sigil, with holy oil thrown down for good effect. He held up the tracing he'd made from one of his books to ensure the pattern looked right. Once satisfied, he called the boys off from their spraying.

"I think we're done," Bobby said. He was satisfied with the work.

Dean ran over and jumped first into the truck bed and then joined Bobby on the steel roof of the cab. He admired their work too.

At ground level, Sam was skeptical.

"You sure this is the right kind of tree?" Sam asked Castiel, motioning to an ancient-looking oak just a few feet away from the circle.

Castiel nodded. "It's the grounding point the oldest angels use to travel through time. This is the closest one to Bobby's," Castiel said.

Bobby had similar misgivings up on the truck.

"We're trying to summon an angel from Hell. What happens if a demon tags along for the ride? Or worse?" Bobby asked Dean.
"We get rid of it," Dean said stubbornly. "And then we try again."

Sam walked up to the truck. "Guess we're ready." He said cautiously.
"Terrific," Bobby said. "I'm glad we're by my place so I get to clean up whatever mess you idjits stir up." He jumped down from the roof, into the bed and then down to the ground. He lowered the tailgate. A small sacrificing bowl and a book were there, as well as a bag of dust.

"Take your positions," Bobby cracked.

Dean jumped down from the truck and stood in front of the Chevelle. He took out the ivory knife so it was at the ready. Sam stayed in front of the truck and took out the Colt, fully loaded. Castiel walked across their masterpiece and took his place across the way from Sam, close to the shadows. He palmed an angel-killing blade just in case.

"Here goes nothing," Bobby said, sprinking some of the dust into the bowl. A bone, some herbs and a bit of oil were already in there. He struck a match and dropped it into the bowl. Then he picked up his book and started chanting.

The wind picked up. Sam wheeled around to check for anything behind them. Hard to say if the wind was nature or summoned. Bobby continued reading. They heard buzzing, and Dean noticed the Chevelle's headlights flickering. He turned to check his car as the radio turned on. All static at first and then quickly shifting through the stations. The headlights continued to flicker and Sam jumped away as one of the truck's broke. Then the other. Castiel started to run back towards them but a bolt of lightning struck down and the holy oil on the ground caught fire.

The Chevelle's headlight casings shattered. They heard cracking as the tree swayed heavily in the wind. Bobby finished the incantation and grabbed his shotgun, joining Sam in front of the truck. More lightning flashed down and started to ball up in the center of their symbol. The tree continued to heave and crack until finally it split in two. Energy rushed out of it.

"Shut your eyes!" Castiel yelled, but Bobby, Dean and Sam had already shielded their eyes from the light. Castiel watched as something materialized inside the perimeter of the holy oil.

All of the energy dissipated. The wind died down. Dean drew his arm down. He could see a silhouette inside the circle of holy oil, but with all the headlights out he couldn't see who it was clearly. He slid back against the Chevelle's body and grabbed a flashlight. Over at the truck Bobby and Sam did the same. Castiel made his way to the edge of the symbol. Dean ran over.

A girl was inside the flame, slowly picking herself up from the ground. It wasn't Alex. She was shorter with red hair. Dean and Sam's faces fell as the girl stood up slowly. They had summoned someone -- or something -- else. Castiel tilted his head.

"Alex?" He asked.
"It's not her, Cas," Dean replied.

The girl was rubbing her forehead. Back on her feet, she didn't seem to be all there. Eventually her eyes focused on the men around her.

"Castiel?" she asked, focusing on the angel first. He nodded. "What happened to me?"
"Who is that, Cas?" Sam asked.
"Sam?" The girl interjected. Sam looked at her in confusion.
"Who are you?" he asked.
"Alex," the girl replied, shocked Sam didn't recognize her.

Bobby, Dean and Sam looked to Castiel. The angel was still fixated on the girl.

"Prove it," Dean said to her.
The girl thought for a minute. "You always throw scissors in Rochambeau," she said to Dean. "Sam takes two multivitamins every day -- a Men's 365 and a Flinstone tablet."

Sam looked at Dean and shrugged. Her info was spot on.

"Can someone stop that screaming?" Alex asked.
"Ain't no one screaming," Bobby said cautiously.
"You're kidding, right? It's practically all I can hear," Alex replied.
"Alex," Castiel said. "You're possessing someone."

Everyone looked at Castiel in surprise.

"Oh my god," Alex said. "You're kidding. So I...wow. It really happened. No wonder I feel so weird. Why?"
"Possessing...so, she's a demon?" Dean asked. Castiel nodded. "Do the eye thing!" He urged Alex. She shot him a dirty look in return.
"We summoned you as I told you we might," Castiel continued. "Ipos is not dead. It wasn't safe to try to raise you. But we need to talk to Raziel."
"I don't understand...how will that work? Don't I kind of need my body for that?" Alex asked.

Castiel motioned to Sam, who had a mirror in-hand. Sam tossed it to Alex through the fire. She took one look and immediately put a hand to her face. "My cousin!" she gasped, recognizing her host.
"It's not perfect, but it's the same bloodline," Castiel said. "Raziel will know it's you in there. You can grant her entry to a temporary vessel. It should work."
"Let's just get this over with," Alex replied. "I can't even imagine the years of therapy my poor cousin is going to need after this."
"How many are there?" Castiel asked. "How many angels are down there? How many are lost?"
"There are 15 that I know of," Alex said. "And probably more. There are 3 angels that have not broken yet. They are have not crossed to demons yet."
"Did you find it?" Castiel asked, not defining 'it.'
Alex nodded. "More than enough."
Castiel nodded. "We're ready then," he said.

They backed away slightly, and Castiel nodded to the others. Bobby started chanting again. The trees around them started swaying. The big oak started rumbling and cracking. The holy oil fire around Alex swirled and she looked up. The area around her became brighter. The men couldn't hear anything but Alex seemed to be listening. She nodded. The flames flew upwards, engulfing her.

"Alex!" Dean called, running forward. Castiel caught him by the arm and shook his head, warning him to stay back. The flames died back down and then out. Once again they all faced a girl, uncertain of her identity.
"Raziel?" Castiel said uncertainly. The girl blinked a few times.
"Castiel?" she whispered. Then she smiled. "Only you would come up with this."
"I improvised," he said bashfully.
Raziel looked to the others. She nodded to Bobby. "Sam, Dean," she greeted the brothers.

Unsure of what to say, Sam and Dean just stared.

"She's one of the good ones, right?" Dean whispered to Castiel.
"I think so," Castiel whispered back. "I've never actually met her before."

Dean wasn't inspired by his friend's answer.

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind when I called you back here," Raziel said. "This vessel will not last long."
"It's a work in progress," Sam replied. "We just need some help."
Raziel nodded. "I want to help you. And your brother. In exchange you know what I need."
"Ipos took off. We don't know where he is. And he has one of our friends," Sam said, laying it out.
Raziel's eyes danced for a few moments. "Iowa. Ankeny."
"There's a gate there?" Dean asked.
She nodded in reply. "Ipos is going to raise Semiazas tomorrow night. You boys need to stop it from happening. "
"Yeah, I'm sure he'll be real happy to see us again," Dean muttered.
Raziel demurred. "Maybe happier than you think. Especially Sam over there."
"All that demon blood crap? We are not going back to that," Dean said.
"No need," Raziel replied playfully. "They might just think Sam is the chosen leader for their army though. Popular rumor circling around Hell about this time period from what I hear."
Sam cocked an eyebrow. "Mastema..." he trailed off. "You planted a rumor in Hell that I was going to lead a demon army?"
Raziel shrugged and smiled. "Not to Azazel," she said. "But since it was already an idea, I just...spread the word a bit. And did you know that Dean is the only human that can start the Apocalypse? It's true. Semiazas has a plan to start it so that he can take Lucifer out himself. Not without the Winchesters though."

Dean nodded, bemused. Sam chortled and shook his head.

"Guess we know why Mastema was so interested in me now," Sam said to Dean. "That's one mystery solved."
"So how do we stop him?" Dean asked Raziel.
"You have the knife. That will stop Ipos. I'm still working on the way to stop Semiazas. Don't let Ipos finish the ritual tonight."
"What about Joey?" Sam asked.
"I hear you guys are pretty good at saving people," Raziel said, looking around. "You might just have to start with yourselves. Castiel, they found you."

Castiel's eyes widened and he spun around, looking for other angels in the area.

"Help us," Castiel said to Raziel, but she shook her head.
"This vessel couldn't take it," she said. “I’m sorry.” Raziel left the temporary vessel. Alex's cousin collapsed. Dean ran to her.
"Alex," Dean said, shaking her. Her eyes flipped open, beetle black.
"I can't stay either," she said. "I have this sudden urge to beat the crap out of you. I don't know how much longer I can hold this in."
"Yeah I get that a lot," Dean teased.
"Guess that's what Hell does to you," Alex said.
"We're gonna get you out of there," Dean said.
"I hope so. You have no idea what I had to do to get here. Don't leave me stuck down there."

"Dean," Sam said, motioning across the field. Several angels were approaching, led by Nathaniel. Sam and Bobby ran to the truck and traded their flashlights in for shotguns. Sam grabbed an extra one for Dean.

Alex smiled weakly at Dean, who leaned in towards her. He started the exorcism, quickly flying through the verses. Alex's cousin started coughing and the smoke poured out. It trickled into the grass as Dean tried not to watch. And like that, Alex was gone again.

Dean helped the girl up to her feet and led her over to Bobby's truck. He told her to hide in the footwell, which she did. Dean slammed the door shut and took the extra gun from Sam. Not that a gun was going to do much good. Dean surveyed the scene. Bobby winced in disbelief.

"Looks like he's got a goon squad with him this time. You think they're angels or demons?" Dean asked Sam.
"Still got that blade?" Sam asked Dean.
Dean still had it. "I'll cover you," he said to Sam, who nodded and ducked around the truck.

Castiel stepped up to face Nathaniel first.

"Castiel," Nathaniel said as he arrived within earshot. "Looks like you're here after all." Nathaniel shot a dirty look at Dean, who looked back sheepishly.
"Well, he wasn't at...the building...where we were at," Dean tried to defend himself. Then he keeled over, struck by a sudden pain in the gut. It felt like being sucker punched.
"You never called Dean," Nathaniel said. "I'm hurt."
"You're not really my type," Dean gasped, clutching his stomach. He doubled over on the ground. Nathaniel turned his attention back to Castiel with Dean quieted.
"Any reason you didn't tell us you're here?" Nathaniel asked Castiel. "You're not hiding, are you?"
"I didn't have a chance to report in yet," Castiel replied. "Things have been a bit busy."
"From what I hear you've been running around with those two making all sorts of messes," Nathaniel said. "Why are they here?"
"To stop Ipos," Castiel said.

Nathaniel eyed Castiel. Dean and Bobby watched as Castiel continued to try to talk his way out of the situation. When Bobby was sure they weren't watching him, he ducked around the back of the truck to where Sam was. He noticed Sam's palm was bloody and he'd splattered the beginnings of a symbol on the truck. Sam caught Bobby's eyes.

"It's a sigil," Sam explained.
"I know what it is," Bobby said indignantly. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a scrap piece of paper with a drawing on it. A drawing of a sigil. "See this? Draw it like that."

He handed the paper to Sam, who looked suitably impressed. He quickly finished the sigil on the truck. Bobby peered over the bed at the situation on the other side.

"...I'm only watching over them like I'm supposed to," Castiel was saying.
"They're not needed for this," Nathaniel said. "We can take care of this ourselves."

The group behind Nathaniel pulled out their blades. Dean drew in a breath and prepared to engage. Then he noticed Castiel's hand, waving him back. Was the nerd angel nuts? Dean reluctantly backed up as Castiel turned to urge him behind the truck.

"He's nuts," Dean said to Bobby and Sam when he got there.
"He's got a plan," Bobby said.

They watched as one of the angels lunged at Castiel. He deftly turned out of the way, and then pressed his hand against the angel's forehead like Dean and Sam had seen him do with demons. The angel's face lit up from within, and the grace inside was quickly sent packing back up to Heaven. The vessel left behind collapsed. The other angels hesitated upon seeing this. Another one finally lunged forward to take on Castiel. He spun away from the lunge, back towards the truck. A third angel stepped up to help trap Cas. Nathaniel was the only other angel left. He trailed the fight, staying a safe distance behind the action.

Castiel ducked away from the sword stabs, disarming one angel and pointing its own weapon back at it. "Sorry," he said apologetically while aiming the weapon at one of his brothers.
"Castiel, what has gotten into you?" Nathaniel asked from not too far away.
Castiel shrugged. "Turns out I don't follow direction very well." He turned back to Sam and nodded. "Now," he said.

Sam slapped his palm into the sigil, and a light burst forward. The humans shut their eyes to protect themselves. When the light faded, the vessels were collapsed on the ground. And Castiel was still there. Bobby, Sam and Dean ran out from behind the truck. Sam slapped Castiel on the back.

"Cas!" Dean said. "That was awesome! Who knew you had it in you?"
Castiel was humble as ever about the new display of power. "I told you I got a nice promotion." He smiled at Dean, who returned the expression.
"I must have missed something," Sam said, shaking his head in amazement. "How are you still here?"
"Another time," Castiel said. "They won't be gone for long, and you two need to get to Ankeny."
"Leave another mess for me to clean up," Bobby muttered.
"Just tell them the truth," Dean deadpanned. "They'll never wanna come back to this place. Trust me."

Bobby glowered at Dean, and then resigned himself with a shrug. He went to check on the collapsed vessel. Castiel pointed to the Chevelle. No time to lose.

"Ipos will expect you," Castiel said. "But you have the advantage."
"We have my demonic brother here," Dean said, smiling and putting his hand on Sam's shoulder. Sam rolled his eyes. He already knew where this was going.

******

On the road again.

Dean had the accelerator pressed almost all the way to the floor. The Chevelle roared down the highway. The windshield wipers were at full speed. Though it was daylight, the sky was dark grey, nearly black. Omens. He and Sam had grabbed a few hours of sleep to recharge and then taken off for Ankeny.

Sam was trying not to get car sick in the passenger seat as he furiously clicked away on Alex's laptop. "There's a coal mine just outside of Ankeny. Apparently it's one of the deepest mines ever dug, but they had to abandon in it the early part of last century because the mine workers held a protest. Said the mine was haunted," Sam said, shooting a look at Dean. Dean frowned in acknowledgment.

"And get this," Sam continued. "They had four fires that destroyed the town in the 1950s. Plus the town urges residents to drink bottled because the local source is contaminated. This is it, Dean. This is the gate."
"Maybe they're just concerned about their health," Dean joked. "Bad luck?"
Sam rolled his eyes. "I'm sure that's it." He clicked the laptop shut and pulled out a map.

Sam directed Dean southeast of town to the abandoned mines. It was afternoon but looked like dead of night outside. Sam rolled down the passenger side window and held out a flashlight, looking off into areas the Chevelle's headlights didn't illuminate.

"That's it," Sam said after a while, shining the light on a sign. It said the mine was 500 feet away. Dean parked the Chevelle. He and Sam exchanged looks.
"You ready to do this?" Dean asked his brother, trying to pump him up.
Sam frowned and nodded. "Sure," he said. "Yeah."
Dean was less than inspired by that reply. "You can do this, Sam," he said solidly to his brother.
"I know. I just...it's funny," Sam stuttered. "It's always gonna be like this, isn't it? Us? Hunting? It's never gonna end."
Dean leaned back into his seat a bit. "Probably not."
"I can't even remember what life was like before it any more," Sam said. "It's weird."
His brother's face twisted. "I kinda missed it," Dean said. "Hunting. It's what we do, Sammy."
Sam nodded. "Yeah. It is."

A Little Less Conversation, Part 1.

What is this?

Goodland, Kansas.
The Night Of.

Three friends were in the cemetery. Two young men and a woman. College-aged. They had flashlights and candles with them, plus one of the boys carried a bag filled with bones, plants and a few special trinkets while the other toted a shovel. The girl carried a book.

"This is a really bad idea, Brad," the woman said.
"Relax, Jen," the man replied. "You said you wanted to do something different. So we are."
"Brian," she whimpered to her boyfriend, the third member of the group.
"Come on dude...you're freaking her out."

Brad stopped and turned, spinning the shovel for good effect. He shook his head in dismay at Brian. "Man up," he said.

Brian bristled. He took Jen's hand and they continued walking. They stopped at an obelisk. Brad looked back at his friends and snickered. They shot him looks back to grow up. Brad turned west and then stopped at his final destination. A statue of a woman looking down. There was a dry trail of brown down from the eyes. Blood.

"Whose grave is this?" Brian asked.
"It's not a grave. It's a marker," Brad replied. "It marks an entrance."
"An entrance to what?" Jen asked.

Brad didn't answer. Instead he started digging. He dug a small circular hole in front of the statue. He motioned to Brian for his bag. Brian opened it and took out the hex bag, a chalice and a knife. Brad emptied its contents into the hole. Then he lit a match and set it on fire. The flames erupted immediately. Much higher than normal. He looked to Brian and Jen through the flame, the fire reflected in his eyes.

"Read," he ordered Jen.

She flipped open the book to the marked page and slowly began reading the Latin. She had 2 years of the language under her belt but struggled with some of the words. Brad was annoyed. He picked up the chalice, walked over and shot Jen a dirty look as she cowered away. He motioned for her to go on. She kept reading. Brad turned his attention to Brian. He walked up to the boy as Brian drew to his full height. In one fell swoop Brad slashed across Brian's throat. He gurgled and dripped blood into the chalice. Jen screamed, dropped the book, and started to run. Brian's body fell to the ground. Brad's eyes rolled into the back of his head and when they re-emerged they were black. Beetle black.

Jen ran down the cemetery road screaming. Tears streamed down her face as her mind raced and panic set in. She turned to look back -- no one was chasing her. She turned back, right as she slammed into a remarkably board chest. Sam's. She looked up at him and screamed.

"Whoa, just chill," Dean, who was just off to Sam's right, said.
"We're not going to hurt you," Sam said, with puppy eyes in full effect. "We're here to help."

The girl, still in tears, nodded. She started blabbering incoherently. Dean and Sam struggled to calm her down.

"The man that brought you here. Where is he?" Dean asked.

The girl turned back to the direction she'd run from. Sam and Dean looked over her, trying to make out the demon. It was hard to tell if Ipos was done with the ritual or not. There was one way to find out.

******

Dot combustible valley.
The day before.

In a revelation that surprised neither Sam nor Dean, the knife they'd hoped to grab from the Cantor Arts exhibit was missing. They called Bobby. He was trying to find another one of the knives from the set. There was nowhere to go until then. Too tired to consider beer safe they were commiserating over root beers. They leaned on the hood of their late model sedan in Bayfront Park in the late morning sun. Sam was silently smoldering. Dean was silently seething. They were both tired. They were both angry. Time changed some things. Just not everything.

Dean held up his root beer. "Cheers to destiny kicking us in the ass one more time," he said. Sam grumped and clinked his glass root beer bottle to that. They each took a long swig.

"Alex was right. The demons were just distracting us. We got fooled on both counts. We didn't save Jess and we didn't save her," Sam said. "Because of destiny." Sam waved his arms dismissively.

Dean peered into his bottle. It was just root beer -- right? "This isn't over," he promised.
"I know, Dean," Sam sighed. "It never is."

They were silent for a few minutes. They each finished one root beer and popped open another. Time, time, time. Wasting away.

"I still can't shake this feeling," Sam said halfway through the second bottle. "Like Cas wasn't telling us something."
"Feeling like one too many burritos pit of your stomach feeling?" Dean asked, drawing to attention. "Or cracked-out yellow eyed demon psychic feeling?"
Sam noted the alarmed look on Dean's face. "More like a second act of a bad mystery cruise feeling," he cracked. Dean mugged at him. "I don't know. It's just based on knowing Cas...and how badly he lies," Sam said.

Dean relaxed a bit. No psychic stuff, thank god. He agreed with Sam's assessment. Castiel was being oddly vague about things, playing a bit too much like he didn't know anything. Weren't angels supposed to be the seers? Dean avoided raising the issue in front of Alex. It would have been another thing for her to be scared about. Now that she was gone...Dean decided he'd bring it up the next time Castiel appeared.

And like clockwork Castiel chose that moment to reappear. He materialized several feet away from Dean and Sam. Castiel looked around for them, and spotting neither the Impala nor the Chevelle, he seemed confused. Dean whistled and waved to draw the angel's attention. Castiel ran towards them. His haste was duly noted by the Winchesters. As their friend drew near Dean noticed cuts on Castiel's face. They were healing quickly but they were there, and noticeable.

"You OK Cas? You look like you were on the wrong side of a cheese grater," Dean asked.
Castiel nodded, leaning over to catch his breath. "I was in Pontiac. Checking on my vessel," he said.
"Jimmy?" Sam asked. "Everything alright?"
"He's fine," Castiel said as he recovered. He stood back up fully and saw the concerned looks on Dean and Sam's faces. "They have rose bushes," he explained.
"Peeping Cas!" Dean laughed. "That's gotta be some kind of sin."

Sam cleared his throat meaningfully and Dean settled down.

"How'd you find us?" Dean asked.
"I called Bobby," Castiel answered. "He's going to meet up with us soon. Ipos, he's going to try to raise Semiazas. They've collected enough angels to perform the ritual to bring Semiazas to Earth."
"We didn't find the knife," Sam began cautiously. "Do you know where it is?"

Castiel scanned the parking lot. Dean and Sam did likewise, unsure of what they were looking for.

"We can't talk here," Castiel said, and tapped them on the forehead. The trio vanished, leaving two root beers and a late model sedan behind.

******

Heavenly meet up spot.

Sam noticed a single streak of light pouring into the room. It smelled dingy. Musty. Old. He knew it right away.

"Where are we?" Dean called out from the shadows.
"Salina," Sam replied. "The meeting spot."
"The where?" Dean asked again, stepping into the light.

The door slid open and Castiel walked in. Dean and Sam noticed one palm was bloody. The other hand held a stick. He slid the door mostly closed and used the remaining light to sketch a symbol into the ground. Then he closed the door the rest of the way. The bunker became dark again. Castiel walked across the dirt floor, found a large candle and an old oil lamp. He lit both. He brought them to the center of the room and placed the candle on an old wooden table in the center. He handed the lamp to Sam, who hung it from a hook sticking out of the wall. The bunker glowed in low yellow tones.

"What is this place?" Dean asked.
"A haven. A safe spot for angels. No one can see us in here. Hopefully we weren't followed," Castiel said.
"Demons?" Sam asked for clarification.
Castiel shook his head no. "Other angels."
"What's going on Cas? You've been harder to pin down than a frat boy on a pub crawl." Dean tried to tread lightly with his close friend.
"I found the angel that pulled you and Sam back here." Castiel announced. "It was Raziel herself."
"Alex's angel?" Dean asked. Castiel nodded. "But we didn't do what she wanted -- Alex still died."
"I think we all know that when Heaven has a task for you, death means little." Castiel explained. "She is working on that task as we speak."
"In Hell?" Sam asked, eyes wide.
Castiel confirmed it and leaned back. "Dean, do you remember when I asked to borrow your amulet? To look for God?"

Dean nodded.

"When I couldn't find God, there was another angel to turn to. Raziel. But what I found was only a shell of the angel. She's been in hiding for who knows how long, away from the traitorous group of angels. When she saw what you two did in the Apocalypse she saw a chance to escape. So she brought you back here to help free her. And if we can help her, she can help you." Castiel searched Dean and Sam for their reactions. Their faces were both blank. Dean's twisted in confusion.

"Help with what? The Apocalypse is over," Dean said dismissively.
"There are factions of demons rising; the likes of which you have never faced before," Castiel retorted. "Heaven is a mess. And Lucifer is trying to break back out."
Dean shook his head. "Sam left him locked down in his cage," he said of Lucifer.
"With a temporary patch, Dean," Sam said warningly. "Who knows how long it will hold."
"She is the angel of mysteries," Castiel reminded them. "And she sees things the rest of us cannot. She knows of a weapon that can stop Semiazas. And perhaps, of one that can stop Lucifer from breaking back out."
"Angels are after her? And are they after you?" Sam's voice held tremendous concern.
"I can hold them off," Castiel said toughly.

Dean folded his arms. Sam digested.

"How do we help her now?" Sam asked.
"We have to kill Ipos," Castiel urged. "And then Semiazas. It won't happen all at once. The knife will work on Ipos. It won't work on his leader."
"They'll know we're coming," Sam argued. "They've known every step we've taken so far -- maybe they followed us back here from the future."
"Demons can't travel through time like angels can," Castiel retorted. "Only Lucifer would have been able to warn them. And I don't think he knows what Semiazas is doing. Lucifer's main focus is still Azazel right now. With Lilith close behind."
"So how did they..." Sam started to ask how the demons knew the actions he and Dean would take.
"Alex," Dean said. "They were listening through Alex. It was part of the blood spell."
Castiel nodded again. "It was why I couldn't tell you more earlier."

"Then why shoot me all the way back to 1983?" Sam wondered. "What was so important back there, besides our family?"
The angel frowned. "You had the unfortunate distinction of being able to distract Mastema. When he spotted you out of time sync, it distracted him from his original target." Castiel paused. "And that's who has the knife now."
"Well, we're all just one big, happy, damned vessel family," Dean snarked.
"She doesn't know that she's a vessel Dean, and you can't tell her," Castiel warned. "It could have serious implications down the line."
"What's the weapon Raziel knows about?" Sam asked, changing the subject slightly.
"I'm not familiar," Castiel demurred. "But it has something to do with the Colt."

Dean stood up and paced. "The Colt? Some good that did!" He half-yelled. "Great. We've got quite the arsenal. A knife that can kill some demons and not others -- now new and improved! A gun that takes down certain demons in one shot and barely scrapes others. I am so sick of these damn riddles." He tossed over a table angrily.

"Were it that one weapon trumped them all," Castiel said, "We'd be in a less safe world."

Dean shot him an angry look but clammed up as the angel stared him down.

"Who has the knife, Cas?" Sam asked. Castiel told him. "You're kidding," Sam gasped.

******

Home sweet home.

Castiel had told Bobby to meet them in Salina. He arrived driving the Chevelle Dean had boosted a few weeks before.

"It ain't your car, I know," Bobby had said. "But for what it's worth, your 2005 self is glad to have the Impala back."

Dean understood. "I'd be thanking you too; I mean, I guess I did." The conundrum overtook him. Bobby was muttering something about damn time travel bullshit to himself.

Dean and Sam headed East to Lawrence while Castiel took care of getting Bobby back to South Dakota. The angel hadn't revealed who he was holding off. The brothers agreed they had to be prepared to fight anything. Demons. Angels. Whatever. Sam was also worried that Castiel was in trouble himself. He clued Dean in to his last meeting spot visit, during which Castiel admitted to not seeing the future clearly. Dean thought it meant the future was changing. Sam was afraid it meant Castiel was going to die.

The Winchesters, upon first re-uniting, gave each other quick updates of what had happened since the showdown in Stull Cemetery. Sam still had plenty of questions though. A long car ride seemed like as good a time as any to get a few of those questions out of the way.

"You starting to remember anything else?" Sam asked Dean.
"Maybe a few things," Dean admitted.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Sam asked. "Before you ended up in some crater with a tree in 2005?"
Dean pondered it. "Apple pie," he said with a slight smile. "Lisa was giving me a slice of apple pie."
Sam smiled. "So you did go back to her."
"Yeah," Dean grunted. "But I didn't stay long."
"Why not?" His brother asked.
"It wasn't safe. Wasn't long before I started hearing bumps in the night. I went there full-on planning to give up hunting. But hunting wasn't ready to let go of me." Dean sounded remorseful.
"Are they OK? Lisa and Ben?"
"They're fine," Dean assured Sam. "I sent them somewhere safe. It was a mistake to think I could live that life though. Not with them. They don't know the life -- I don't want them to know the life. So I just visit sometimes. To check up on them."
"I'm sorry, Dean," Sam said, and meant it.

"What about you?" Dean changed the subject.
"Honestly? I remember feeling my hand squeeze in a way I wasn't controlling and watching Cas splatter in a million directions. I remember...staring into the backseat of the Impala. I remember falling. And then...not much. Not a damn thing really. It was like I was asleep or something. When I woke up, I was in Kansas. In '83."
"Well, lucky for you," Dean said, knowing all too well that it wasn't.

"Dean, you didn’t get me out of there, did you?" Sam asked. His brother shot him a dirty look, which Sam returned in kind.
“No!” Dean insisted. “You made me promise not to, remember? Or was that part of your eternal sunshine of the Lucifer mindwipe too? I did what you told me. I gave up hunting for as long as I could. I tried the family deal. I…” he trailed off. He tried to forget about Sam, he thought to himself.
"Do you want to talk about it?" Sam pried.
"Absolutely not!" Dean said, too fast and too loud.
"No, of course not, because that would indicate emotions and I should know by now that you only have two: mad and not as mad!" Sam replied, exasperated. He crossed his arms in the passenger seat as an epic bitchface settled in. He turned to look out the window. So much for a happy reunion.

"What do you want, Sam? Want us to hold each other and tell our deep, dark secrets? Then trust fall into each others' arms? Maybe read some poetry to each other? Cause I don't need any of that touchy feely kumbaya crap. I never wanted you to land in that cage. I never wanted you to say Yes. I've spent every day since you fell in wondering how I could be such a terrible brother. How I could let you do that. You being back? It's like a miracle. One I don't think I deserve. So I don't want to talk about it. Because I'm afraid this might all go away if I even acknowledge it," Dean said, his voice cracking ever-so-slightly at the end.

Sam didn't reply.

"Come on man, I don't want to argue about this," Dean relented after a couple of minutes in silence. "We each got our own kind of therapy. This is mine -- us, together, out on the road."

Sam still didn't reply. Dean shook his head. He fiddled with the radio, until it settled upon REM's "Everybody Hurts." Dean wasn't a fan of the band but everyone knew the words to it. Sam was still staring out the window, angry at everything. Dean started singing to him -- off-key and with more than a touch of smarm.

"When you're sure had enough of this life...well hang on..." Dean crooned.
"Dean, stop," Sam begged.
"Don't let yourself gooooo...cause everybody cries...come on, you eat this shit up, don't you?" Dean teased. Dean couldn't hear Sam's reply but he was sure it was pure asshattery.
"Everybody hurrrrrtttsss, sometimes," Dean sang.

Sam leaned in and flipped the radio off. Dean pretended to be disappointed. Then after another minute he laughed.

"Come on, pookie, for me?" Dean joked, putting on a frowny face. Sam finally cracked.

Even though he was still looking away Dean knew he was laughing. "Maybe Cas will want to share a couch with you later. You two can have your chicken soup for the soul crap," Dean promised.
"Sounds great," Sam snarked with a smile.

******

A few hours later, they pulled up in front of the house. Dean faintly remembered it from his childhood but for Sam it held many more memories, recently made but further back in time. Dean had offered to stop so they could pick up suits, or uniforms, or some kind of disguises. Sam had refused. He said they wouldn't need them. He asked Dean to follow his lead. Dean was leery of letting his little brother take charge. But he trusted Sam, so he relented temporarily.

Sam and Dean walked up the front walk and knocked on the door. Castiel had said this was the place.

Joey Woodson answered the door. She looked slightly older than when Sam had last seen her, but still looked great. A confused look on her face gave way to one of excitement. Though the screen still stood between them she opened the house door all the way.

"Sam?" she asked excitedly. "Is that you?"
"Joey," Sam said with a wide smile. "Long time no see."

Joey opened the screen and came out onto the porch. She threw her arms around Sam in a hug. He folded her into his own giant arms. Dean cocked an eyebrow upon spying a gun holstered to Joey's waist. He said nothing.

"And who's this?" she said, pointing to Dean.
"This is my brother," Sam said carefully. He avoided giving him a name for now. "We were just passing through town and I just...I don't know, wanted to say hello to some old friends."
"Well, I'm glad you did. You boys want to come in?" Joey asked warmly. They both nodded.

She invited them inside and they plopped down on the couch. "Water OK?" She asked from the kitchen and the boys confirmed it was. Dean looked around the living room. Joey clearly hadn't decorated the place. Sam whispered to him that it was her parents' place. Dean nodded and continued to inspect the room. He saw some photos on a table near his side of the couch. He looked at photos of Joey's family. He picked up one photo. It was Joey's dad and Dean's dad outside of Woodson's garage. Dean studied it. The smile on his father's face was one he'd seen so rarely. He replaced the photo. Family photos were mixed upon photos of friends. Dean saw another one of interest. Joey and Sam outside a local diner sometime in 1983. Joey looked thrilled. Sam looked pained. His forever pained brother. Dean put that photo back too.

Joey returned with 3 waters. The boys eagerly gulped theirs down from thirst.

"Gosh, Sam, you haven't changed a bit," Joey sighed. "If I didn't know better I'd say you hadn't aged a day."
"Oh, maybe a few days," Dean rattled a bit too honestly. Sam quickly bitchfaced at him.
"I suppose you might have stopped by the Winchesters place too," Joey said, tone a bit softer. "Unfortunately Mary passed on. John and the boys left town several years ago now. They would have liked to see you."

Dean looked away. Sam looked down. "I heard," Sam said plaintively. "They were good people."
"What do you do, Joey?" Dean asked to break the silence that had set in.
"Me?" Joey answered sheepishly. "I work at the Sheriff's office."

Dean nodded. Explained the gun.

"And... well, you're his brother so you must know what Sam does. I'm kind of a hunter too, actually."
Sam nearly dropped his glass. "You're a hunter?"
"That really explains the gun," Dean reasoned.
Joey nodded. "Did you hear how Mary Winchester died? They say a demon did it. And she's not the only one in town either. My whole life people have been dying in real funny ways in this town. I guess I fell into it to protect myself."
"Holy water?" Dean asked, holding up his glass.
"Yep," Joey replied with a sly grin.
"Why didn't you just get out of here?" Sam asked.
Joey shrugged. "There was always a reason to stay. Family first, then my job, then I don't know. Where else was I really gonna go? I couldn't just run off one day like you did."

Sam ducked a bit. He was about to find out what happened in the aftermath of leaving with Castiel, and he knew it.

"You just disappeared, Sam," Joey continued. "A lot of people looked for you. Then we found your truck ditched outside of town and we figured you'd jumped ship. You left everyone in a lurch. Especially me."
"Joey, I didn't want to leave," Sam started.
"No, forget it. After a while I figured it out. That demon that possessed me? You were hunting it, weren't you?" she asked.
"You remember that?" Sam asked, brow furrowed.
"Yeah, I remember," Joey nodded. "It's back, isn't it? I've seen all the signs around here. That's why you're here?"
Sam was hoping it would make his job easier. "That's why Dean and I are here," he slipped.
Joey's brow furrowed. "Dean? Your brother's name is Dean? Sam and Dean?" The
Winchesters exchanged looks. "That's some coincidence, isn't it?"
"No, it's not," Sam said. "Because we are Mary and John's kids."
Joey laughed. "I knew your last name wasn't Hagar. But you're a little old to be their kids! And what all those years ago? You were in your 20s then! You kinda look like you're in your 20s now!"

"I know this is going to sound crazy," said Sam, puppy dog eyes in full force. "But we are the Winchester boys. We came back in time to stop a demon. I started in 1983. And now Dean and I are here." He stopped to check on Joey's reaction. She looked surprised but not angry so he continued. "And we're here because you have something we need."

"I have something you need?" Joey repeated, dumbfounded.
Sam nodded. "A knife."
"A knife?" Joey repeated again.
Sam nodded again. "It's made of silver. It has a slight curve to it. It's got a pearlized handle. We heard you have it," Sam said, looking to Dean for support. His older brother leaned in.
"We're chasing after something really bad," Dean reinforced. "And this knife may be the only way to kill it."
"How do you know I have it?" Joey asked, arms folded.
"Security tapes," Dean lied quickly. "We saw you on the tapes."

Joey frowned. She thought she had been more careful. She hated the idea of giving up something she'd just worked so hard to get. But Sam and Dean looked determined. She got up and left the room. Dean and Sam exchanged looks. When she came back she had a cloth in-hand. She unfolded it to reveal the knife.

"Another hunter asked me to get this," she said. "I'm gonna have a heck of a time explaining why I don't have it tonight."
"What's happening tonight?" Sam asked.
"I don't know all the details but word is there's a whole bunch of demons circling around Goodland right now," Joey said.

It meant Bobby's information had been good. They needed to get there.

Joey reluctantly gave them the knife. "I'm going too," she said.
"You don't want in on this mess, trust me," Dean said, shaking his head. Joey gave him a dirty look.
"How about this?" Sam offered. "We'll go, and once we check it out we'll call you. Then you can decide whether to come or not."
Joey considered it, then nodded. "Alright."

The brothers quickly said their goodbyes and headed outside. Once they were a safe distance from the house, Dean looked at Sam and smiled. He pointed to Sam, then back at the house.

"Yeah?" Dean asked, wondering if Sam had hooked up with Joey.
"What? No..." Sam said indignantly.
"Too bad," Dean said. "She was smokin."
"Dean, she's like 20 years older than me!" Sam turned exasperated.
"Yeah, and?" Dean asked.

They had a brief stare down. It ended in a stalemate.

******

Lush Coastal Rainforests of Central South Dakota.

Castiel was flipping through one of Bobby's books on angelic symbolism. He seemed to be looking for something in particular but gave Bobby only vague information about what. Bobby was across his den, sitting at his desk with his hand balled up in front of his face. Mentally stopping him from speaking or interrupting. There was an angel in his den. And though Dean and Sam had seemed comfortable with this being Bobby was still coming to terms with the fact that angels had been roaming the Earth, and supposedly watching over them. He was slightly suspicious. The angel never made a disturbing move. Castiel never slept but Bobby was growing exhausted.

Having reached the end of the book, Castiel snapped the spine shut and grabbed the next one. He flipped through with determination. About halfway through a page caught his eye. His blues became fixated and then rapidly moved across the page, reading each line and referencing back and forth from the right page to the left. He picked the book up and met Bobby's eyes across the room.

Bobby watched the angel approach him, leaning back in his chair to appear nonchalant.

"You've been tracking the angel vessel deaths?" Castiel asked.
"Most of 'em," Bobby said, nodding.
"Did anyone report seeing this symbol near the bodies?" Castiel held up the book as he asked. On the right page was a sigil. Most sigils had multiple Enochian letters within but this one had a single one repeated at four points, with a six-pointed star in the middle. "It means fire," Castiel explained.

Bobby thought for a minute. He got up and motioned for Castiel to follow him into the kitchen. Once there he shuffled through the disorganized pile of papers on the table before he got to the proper folder. Inside were crime scene photos.

"This is from Cheyenne -- Dean gave it to me. They found a sigil on the side of the house," Bobby said, showing Castiel. A quick look confirmed it was the same one.
"You recognize it?" Bobby asked. Castiel nodded silently. "What's it do?"
"It calls angels to that location," Cas explained. "It's a beacon set specifically by one angel to call the others. Any angel that answered this was doomed." Castiel looked distracted suddenly. As though he was listening to something outside.
"You wanna explain yourself a bit better there, Babbitt?" Bobby cracked, trying to pull some more information out the angel.
"We need to call Dean and Sam," Castiel said. "They need to know this as soon as possible."

******

Heading west on I-70.
Day of.

The Chevelle roared through one mile after another. The boys had tried calling Bobby but neither of them was getting through. Unsure what to do without Castiel or their friend's guidance, they were headed west to Goodland where Cas had mentioned demons gathering. There were intermittent rain showers along the way and a nasty wind was tailing them. Every once in awhile a gust would push the car sideways.

Sam, trying to kill time in the passenger's seat, was inspecting the knife Joey had turned over to them. There were no carvings in the blade like Ruby's knife. There was little that looked special about it aside from a pearl handle that was not unlike the one on Dean's gun. The blade had a slight curve to it. It reminded Sam of a sickle. Apropos for killing a part demon, part angel. He put the knife in the glove compartment for safe keeping.

It was raining harder, and Dean squinted to see the road ahead. With no lights on the highway the bright white lane markers were his only clue. A car suddenly swerved in front of the Chevelle. Dean cut the wheel sharply, sending the boys into a skid. Sam grabbed onto the door frame for support as Dean turned into the skid and tried to right the car. They went off the road as the rear-wheel drive finally caught. Dean's knuckles were pure white as he settled the car back to a straight line, guided it to a stop and then put it in park. He exhaled deeply. Sam, wide-eyed, released the door frame.

They both got out and tried to find the car that had set them askew. The highway was mostly empty. Every so often a truck sped by. They were quickly soaked.

"What the hell was that?" Dean wondered out loud.
"Scared local?" Sam supposed.

They heard it before they saw it. The constant horn of an 18-wheeler. Rumbling engines as the headlights appeared first. Even in the night haze the boys could tell it was out of control. As it careened closer it drifted right, first towards the shoulder and then off the road. It was barreling straight towards them.

They ran back to the Chevelle and jumped in. Dean fired the car up and peeled away to escape the truck. He was driving as much in his rearview as he was through the windshield.

"Dean!" Sam said suddenly. Ahead of them was a roadblock of cars in a multi-vehicle pileup.
"This must be our exit," Dean cracked.

He guided the Chevelle off the highway. They watched as the truck went blazing past. It swerved violently to avoid the pile-up, ending up on the frontage road next to the highway. Sam and Dean exchanged looks. At least it hadn't hit them.

The brothers made it to Goodland -- or what was left of it. The entire town and the surrounding 50 miles sat under a dark grey plume. Some nasty electrical storms set in around them, lighting up the black sky with crackles of white every so often. The town looked like it had been leveled by a tornado. Sam and Dean knew better. There was no one left in the town. As they drove along E. 8th St they looked for any signs of life. Sam tapped Dean on the shoulder. One building had a deadly familiar word on it: Croatoan. They passed by the courthouse with an old bronze statue in front. Two early settles. Then the library and another statue. A mother reading to her kids. The woman was holding one of her children tightly. Sam wasn't sure if he was projecting his own fear, but the statue seemed scared. Better it than him.

"What've we got in this place?" Dean asked.
Sam took out his map. "Uh, there's an airstrip north of here and a cemetery not too far away from that." Sam scanned the map for any other locations where demons might be hiding out. "Take a right here."

They drove up one of the town avenues, passing by a medical center, then a church, and finally pulling up to a funeral home. A funeral home with way too many lights on.

"Yahtzee," Dean said, driving by the building and parking around the corner.

He and Sam jumped out of the car and started loading up weapons from the back.

Sam took their new knife out. "Who carries this thing?" He asked his older brother to make the call.
Dean looked at it, and then at Sam. "I got my hands full," Dean said by way of excuse.
The move wasn't lost on Sam. "I got your back," Sam responded. He grabbed a shotgun from the trunk and loaded it with rock salt.

Dean grabbed another for himself, and made sure both Ruby's knife and the angel-killing blade were within arm's reach.

The brothers used trees as cover to make their way closer to the building. They made it to the building's dark brick facade, and planted themselves on either side of a window. Sam could just barely see in on his tiptoes. Dean silently agreed to be the watchman.

Inside, two men were standing over a table arguing. One had a plaid Carhartt-style jacket on and the other had a heavy bomber-style jacket on. There was a third man off to the side in jeans and a roughneck button-up, and a small batch of people with their backs to Sam. He could only hear muffles through the window. The men at the table grew angrier with each other, and the one in the Carhartt jacket smacked something off the table entirely. The other man held his hand up and sent the first flying back against the wall. Sam watched as the man twisted his fist and prepared for the worst. But the third man stepped forward, spreading his arms out, and the first two both fell to the ground.

Sam ducked back down. "There are definitely demons in there," he said to Dean. "I'm guessing all of them. About 10 total."
"Anyone familiar?" Dean asked from the ground.
"Not sure," Sam said. "From what Cas said one of them might be Ipos, right?"

Dean nodded. He scanned the building for an entrance. He saw a light on the corner. He poked Sam. "I think we can get in over there."

They mantled the building, sidestepping their way to the corner. Dean peeked around first -- the coast was clear. He and Sam stepped around to the back door next to the garage, which was of course locked. They couldn't pick it. The garage door would be too noisy. There was only one option. They stepped back, and Dean quickly shot the lock off. The shotgun was loud and they feared raising alarm. After waiting for a minute and no enemies coming after them, they decided they were good to go in.

The back door opened to steps up or down. The action was upstairs so Dean and Sam headed up. They pointed their guns down hallways and into rooms that they passed. One of the parlors had a casket set up in it, and two or three corpses lay slain on the floor while blood splatters lined the walls. As they continued down, one of the 'corpses' got up and followed them. When it was close enough to Sam, it jumped onto his back to pull him down.

Sam felt the demon's arm around his neck and shoulders, and grabbed at its hands to try to knock it off. "Ah, Dean!" he called, struggling.

Unable to shake it off, Sam turned and smacked himself into a wall back-first to knock the demon off instead. The woman let go of him and slid down to the floor. Dean shot it with rock salt, and it roared in pain. Another demon appeared behind Dean and kicked him forward, sending both Dean and the gun flying. Sam leapt over his brother and punched the demon square in the face. It grabbed the shotgun Dean had been using and slammed the butt into Sam's chest. Dean, still on the ground, grabbed Ruby's Knife from his jacket and stabbed the demon in the back of the leg. It cried out in pain and fell over. Dean pulled the knife back out and got to his feet.

The female demon took a swing at Dean, landing a hook right in his jaw. He staggered back and then punched back, landing a shot right in the demon's gut. Sam elbowed the other demon viciously, and both demons ended up on the ground in a pile. Dean and Sam retook their guns and aimed them squarely at the attackers.

"Where are the others?" Dean asked, shoving his gun towards the male demon's face.
"Gone," it replied, leaning away from the gun. Dean looked back to Sam, who shrugged in return.
"Where did they go?" Dean tried again.
"You can't stop them," the demon said. "It's done. Semiazas walks the Earth. He has an army of fallen angels ready."
Dean leaned in to get into the demon's face. "We have a few tricks up our sleeves."

They had a short stare down. Then the demon seemed to decide it wasn't worth the risk and evacuated its meatsuit. The other demon quickly followed. The Winchesters decided to check out the rest of the building just in case any stragglers were still there. They made their way down the hallway, checking rooms as they went. The room Sam had peered into before was empty. They headed in.

On the table was a map, not unlike the one Bobby had made on his kitchen table. This map had x's over Goodland; North Platte, Nebraska; and Ankeny, Iowa. There were two lines connecting the three cities, intersecting at McCook, Nebraska.

"Mean anything to you?" Sam asked.
"Not a damn thing," Dean said, frowning. "But this route east? It hits five spots where vessels have been killed -- Kearney, Grand Island, Lincoln, Omaha, Des Moines."
"Want to bet this line north and south does too?" Sam hypothesized.
"Actually," said a voice behind them, "the endpoints mark gates to Hell."

Sam and Dean wheeled around to face the voice. It was the second man, the one in the bomber.

"Just relax boys, I'm not here to hurt you," the man said. "Still, just for safety..." He waved his hand. Dean and Sam's guns went flying.
"Who are you?" Dean asked.
"My name is Nathaniel," he said. "I'm an angel. And you're Dean Winchester. And that's Sam."
"An angel, huh? We don't have the best track record with you guys," Dean said through gritted teeth.
"I'll try to keep that in mind," Nathaniel said, as one of the lamps in the room flashed brighter to show the silhouette of his wings as proof.
"What happened to the demons that were in here?" Sam asked.
"They left," Nathaniel said. "They're headed to the cemetery to open one of the gates."
"And you just let them go," Dean raged. His suspicions rose.
"I was sent here to negotiate the same return of my brothers and sisters," the angel said. "But it didn't work."
"Those demons – one of them was Ipos, wasn't it?" Sam saw Nathaniel nod in response to his question.
"You two seem...odd," Nathaniel noted. "You're not of this time. How did you get here?"
"An angel pulled us back," Dean answered cautiously.

Nathaniel's eyes danced as he decided who it could be. "Castiel is the one assigned to you. Was it him? Is he here?"
"No," Dean replied. "Not here."
Nathaniel nodded slowly. "Too bad," he said. "We could use his help."

Sam eyed the angel closely. "Those demons are killing off every angel they find. Why'd they leave you alive?"
"Because they think I know something. They lost a vessel and they think I know where she is." Nathaniel turned away from them.
"Who?" Dean asked, though he already had an idea what the answer was.

"Alexis Parker." Nathaniel said, still turned away. "They say her angel, Raziel, is the only one who knows how to kill Lucifer once and for all. Semiazas knows Lucifer is trying to rise. He doesn't want to be under someone else's thumb, especially not someone who's trying to end the world entirely. Raziel is hiding. Alexis is the one who can pull her back. Ipos mentioned seeing her with you, Dean. Do you know where she is?"

"I have no idea," Dean answered, honestly for once.
"Sam, I don't suppose you know either," Nathaniel said, turning back to them. Sam shook his head no. "That's too bad. It makes you expendable."

He reached into his coat, and Dean quickly grabbed the angel-killing blade from inside his jacket. He held it towards the angel.

"Relax, Dean," Nathaniel said, showing Dean the pen he had reached for. "If you were meant to be dead it would have happened." He wrote something on a piece of paper and handed it to Dean. "If you change your mind about knowing anything, won't you give this Sheriff's deputy I'm in a call?"

Dean looked at the paper. It was a phone number.

"Now, on your way, boys," the angel said, and tapped both Dean and Sam on the forehead. In an instant, they were back outside.
"That guy was about as warm and fuzzy as a prison guard," Dean said.

Sam nodded in agreement.

Dean tried calling Castiel and Bobby but couldn't get through. "Phones are still down," he noted to his brother.
"Cemetery?" Sam asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Hope you brought your special setup-detecting EMF," Dean cracked by way of an answer.

The Angels in the Trenches.

What is this?

Carthage, Missouri.

"Darrell was a man loved by all of his family. Now it is time to lay him to rest," the priest was saying. He faced a crowd of about 30 at the funeral. In the front row, Darrell's wife and two children cried. Behind the priest was a mahogany casket with multiple bouquets of flowers on top. Next to the priest was an easel with Darrell's smiling picture on it. The wind picked up and the flowers blew off the casket. The pages of the priest's Bible flipped by themselves. Women's scarves blew away. Loose leaves rustled along the ground in a whirlwind.

"Let us lay this man to rest, and pray that we see him again soon." The priest finished his sermon.

The funeral crowd heard a crash behind them. They turned and saw headstones toppled over. Statues snapped in two. The ground started swelling and then undulating on its own. People stood up in horror. They hugged each other for support. An arm reached out from the ground. And then another. Stone scraped against stone as a mausoleum opened. One body re-animated broke free of the ground. Then another. And another. Their color was pale and grey from lack of pumping blood but they looked otherwise human. They marched passed the funeral and towards the cemetery exit.

Darrell's wife gasped. His casket top popped up and then slid off entirely. Darrell sat up in his casket and looked around briefly. He pulled himself up and out of the casket and in his best Sunday suit marched off to join the crowd of zombies. The funeral group watched in horror. His wife ran up to him and grabbed his arm.

"...Darrell?" she asked in disbelief. He looked at her.
"Off to war," he replied, and then looked away. He shook her arm loose.
"What war?" she called after them. "What war??!?"

******

Heading south on Route 71.

Dean was asleep in the passengers' seat as Sam sped along the highway. In the battle against making good time or letting someone else drive his car, time had won out. They were still at least a few hours from Arkansas. It had started raining at first. Then pouring. And then the sky almost glowed a strange red color against dark grey anvil clouds. The wind wailed against the car. Sam could barely see. Dean was mumbling in his sleep. He awoke with a start when Sam slammed on the brakes. They were pitched forward. The seatbelt caught Dean but stole his breath. He woke up choking.

"What is it?" He asked groggily. Sam didn't answer; he got out of the car. Dean peered through the windshield. Then he too got out.

Somewhere in front of them, not close yet not distant, the clouds had split. The red sky boiled through and tinged the clouds in a bloodlike color. There was a circular swirl of weather and in the middle black tendrils of cloud reached down like veins through the air. There was loud cracking like thunder but more sustained.

"What is that?" Alex asked.

"If that is what I think it is," Dean said. "Things just got a whole lot worse." He took out his phone and dialed Bobby. "Bobby! We've got a problem in Missouri."

"Yeah, well, that ain't the only hole that opened up," Bobby said knowingly. "We got one in Utah too. Ellen called a little while ago. Said something was stirring up in Minnesota. All hell's breaking loose out there. Literally."

"Have you heard from Cas?" Dean asked.
"Nothin'," Bobby replied.

Dean cursed silently to himself. He promised to check in with Bobby again soon and hung up.

"Think they're opening gates?" Sam asked.

Dean nodded. "Getting the party started a little bit early, wouldn't you say? Cas was right, they're trying to change things."
"Or make us think they are," Sam said. "I'm still not convinced they can start the show without us."
"Dean, I've been trying not to ask this...but is this how things were unfolding the first time around?" Alex asked.
"Not even close," Dean said. "And now I’m remembering more than when I first got here…different things in some cases. I was hoping to change things a bit. But these changes? They suck."
"I was afraid you'd say that," Alex said and heaved a sigh. "What now?"
"We keep driving," Dean said.

******

They kept driving. They noticed that all the cars seemed to be headed in the other direction.
They passed semi trucks abandoned on the side of the road. They saw people walking north along the highway. As they got closer to Rogers they had to abandon the highway. State troopers were blocking the route south. Alex had a map spread across her lap, trying to find roads that might be open. They went deeper and deeper into the back country which only added time to their trip.

Finally they were near Rogers. It was eerily empty on the road. On the farms lining the road. In the town. Dean and Alex peered out the windshield and windows looking for signs of life. Nothing. They stopped at a local hospital to look around. There was no one inside. No doctors, no nurses and no patients. Supplies littered the floors. IV bags dripped onto the ground. Dean remarked it was like they'd all just walked out. He looked for signs of Croatoan. He couldn't find any.

"What's the name Castiel gave you?" Dean asked Alex.
"Chris Valker. He's 31 and lives off Prairie Creek Drive."

******

They drove east on the drive until they came to the right turnoff. They ended up at a homestead near the creek. A house set in the distance was bright yellow against a steel grey sky. A screen door flapped and slammed in the breeze. Dean, Sam and Alex exited the car. A lone cow nearby mooed at them. A warning? Dean went to the trunk and pulled out a gun and a knife for himself and Alex. Sam likewise grabbed provisions, including Ruby's knife. Alex reached in and grabbed the angel-killing knife too. For good measure, she said, handing it to Dean. He tucked it next to his knife in his jacket.

"Don't let anyone get any blood on you," he warned her.
"It's a little late for that," Alex replied with a small smile.
"If you're scared you can wait in the car. I understand," Dean said half-jokingly.

Alex paused to think before answering. "I am scared out of my wits right now," she said quietly. "But so are you, and I'm not about to leave you two like that." She took one of the guns and a knife from Dean. Dean smiled and shut the trunk.

Sam and Dean led the way as Alex hung behind a bit. Dean caught Sam smirking to himself.

"What?" he challenged his younger brother.
Sam smirked some more. "Nothing," he said with a shrug. Dean continued to stare until Sam added, "Just surprised you let little orphan Annie tag along."

Dean looked insulted. He looked back to make sure Alex was out of earshot. "She was in danger," he reasoned. "She feels safe when she's with me."
"Uh-huh," Sam mocked. "No, sure. I get it. You have a thing for angel vessels. Who am I to judge?"
"Oh, that's right," Dean snipped back. "I like 'em tall and leggy with a halo, wings and a Dad who'd really kick my ass."
Sam chuckled.
"I'm not the only one in this conversation who has a type, Team Demon."
Sam stopped laughing. "Whoa, sorry. Guess I struck a nerve," he said.
"Let's not forget I have a family now," Dean reminded Sam of Lisa and Ben, "And who put me in that situation."

Sam eyed Dean. Put him in the situation? Dean didn't sound bitter about it though.

"Guys, seriously," Alex said from behind them. She had caught up to them mid-conversation. "Let's not pretend like I didn't have a choice in the matter here."

The brothers exchanged sheepish glances.

"Besides, I kinda think your angel friend is cute," Alex said with a smirk of her own.

******

Knocking on Something's Door.

The Winchesters and Alex walked slowly towards the house. They made their way up onto the porch. As they walked up the wind intensified, pushing against them so hard it nearly pushed them backwards. It tore the flapping screen right off its hinges. They watched it cross their path and fly away. Then they each leaned in and continued their walk. Dean reached back for Alex to help pull her along. They made it to the porch and installed themselves along both sides of the house's door. Dean checked the knob. The door was locked. He knocked and announced himself as FBI. Nothing. Sam checked a window. It was open. He and Dean traded hand signals. Dean would go in through the door, Sam through the window. Dean held up 3 fingers to Alex to signify the count. She nodded. He mouthed silently: 1, 2, 3! On 3 they both leaned in and kicked. The door flew open inward. It revealed an idyllic house behind it. Everything seemed to be in order. No signs of any kind of tussle inside. They walked in. No smell of sulfur. Nobody home either it seemed. Sam had made his way in through the window and similarly took in the scene. Alex walked on the south side of the room, looking for signs along the wall while Dean checked the north side. She saw the couch and two sets of bookcases. A side table with a lamp on it. She followed the shape of the lamp upwards into a mirror. She caught someone, make that something staring back at her. She whipped around and saw a man staring at her with a bat.

"Whoa!" she called out, releasing the gun to her thumb so it slid out of an aggressive possession and putting her hands up. "Are you Chris Valker?"
"Who wants to know?" the man said, loosening his hold on the bat a bit.
"FBI," Dean said quickly, as he and Sam flashed badges. "I'm agent Flynn; this is my partner Agent Carlin. That's special agent Hart over there."

Alex looked amused. The man sized up the trio and after a few moments decided they posed no threat, even if they were not truly agents of the law.

"Yeah, I'm Chris Valker. The police send you?" he asked.
"That's right," Sam nodded. "We're here about a potential home invasion."
Chris scoffed. "No, they got it wrong as usual. I called them about dogs!"
"Dogs?" Dean asked.
"Yeah, dogs. I've heard them for the last two or three nights, all hours. Barking, howling, they sound like wolves or something. Last night I ended up sleeping at some motel just to get away from it." Chris looked increasingly strung out with each sentence.
"Mr. Valker," Sam asked, puppy dog eyes in full force, "have you been approached by any strange people recently?"
"Actually, yes," he replied, sitting on the couch. Sam and Alex likewise sat in chairs across from him, while Dean kept watch out the front window.

"I was mugged about a week ago. Asshole didn't even take my money, just cut me and ran off. A couple days before that some nuthouse comes up to me outside the bar after work. Asks me if I believe in angels and demons or some crap. I tried to brush him off but he kept after me spewing all kinds of crap. It's been some week."

Sam and Alex traded looks. "Did you report any of this to the police?" Sam asked.
"Just the dogs," Chris said. "And they just offered to send out animal control. But I guess the wires got crossed and you guys show up instead."
"So the bat...?" Sam asked.
Chris shifted uncomfortably. Sam motioned to Alex.
She stepped in. "It's OK, whatever it is. We want to know all the details."
"You're gonna think I'm nuts," Chris demurred.
"Trust me, we've heard things most people would consider crazy," Sam said supportively.

Chris sighed. "I've been...hearing things. Voices. One voice actually. Some guy. Telling me -- asking me I guess -- I was ready to be a true servant of Heaven. Said someone would be coming by in the next few days to talk."

Sam and Alex just nodded. This man was a vessel after all.

"Look, I know you guys think I'm crazy," the man continued. "I just got divorced a few months ago. I lost my job. I guess I'm going through a bit of a breakdown."
"One last question," Alex said compassionately. "You said you were cut during the mugging last week. Do you still have that cut?"
Chris nodded, and pulled up his sleeve to reveal a deep cut in his upper arm. "Can't get the damn thing to heal."

Agents Flynn and Carlin excused themselves back out to the front porch while Agent Hart stayed inside with Valker.

"This guy's got maybe 24 hours," Dean hissed quietly to Sam.
"Alright," Sam replied. "We get him out of town. Keep him moving until we can hunt down those demons."
"I say we use him as bait," Dean offered. "We know they're gonna come back for him. Let's just stay here til sundown when they come back."
"You want to face off against hellhounds?" Sam asked incredulously. "And risk getting Alex ganked too?"
"Good point," Dean concurred, backing down. He started to say something else when Alex called to them from inside.

They burst back in the door. Chris was still on the couch but Alex had stood up, gun armed, and was looking into the mirror. Alex felt something rise in her throat and she collapsed onto all fours, dropping her gun. She felt herself choking as it seeped into her throat. She started coughing out blood. Sam motioned for Chris to run, so he did. Into the bathroom. Sam pushed a cabinet in front of it. Dean rushed to Alex's side and put himself down beside her.

"Alex!"

She pointed. Dean looked up and saw Jake smiling at them, holding his right hand in a fist. Dean stood up to face him. He was slightly horrified when he did. Behind Jake he saw a damaged pair of silhouetted angel wings. His eyes burned red like a crossroads demon. This was no crossroads demon though.

"Ipos," he guessed coldly.
"Close. Ipos isn't here right now. He's busy slaughtering vessels. If you'd like I can deliver a message to him. Or you could deliver it yourself."
"You can give him a message for me when I send you all back to hell," Dean growled. "Tell all your demon friends this ends badly for them."

“I don’t think so Dean. Everything is going according to plan for us. Every vessel we needed to kill? Dying. Every angel we hoped to see fall? Falling; sometimes willingly joining us. We’re building an army in Hell that Heaven can’t stop. Even you and your brother are playing your parts. You couldn't resist trying to help your family, could you? Neither could your brother. From what I hear the two of you refused to be vessels to your proper archangels the first time around. But so what? There were other possibilities. All it took was a little tap of the reset button. And of course, for you two to free yourselves from the path you’d been set on. Now there will be another who can host Lucifer. Michael will be stuck in Heaven like a sitting duck. ”

"You're lying," Sam growled from not too far away.
"Oh, hello Sam," the demon said. "Nice to see you again. You probably don't recognize me but we're old friends now, aren't we? Tell me, when you waited with your family, did Azazel ever show up?" He paused. "I'm going to guess no."
"Mastema," Sam said.
The demon nodded. "My offer still stands, Sam. Now that you don't have to bear Lucifer's weight on your shoulders, why don't you step into a more appropriate role?"

Behind them, Alex tried to speak through the blood congesting in her throat. She gasped for air.

"Only my brother is Lucifer's true vessel. Lucifer himself said so," Dean said defiantly.

"It was always a test. Your brother was the last one left. He would have avoided that fate if you'd let him die. But you brought him back and he killed the army boy. His name was Jake, wasn't it? When he was the last one standing he became Lucifer's vessel. You shoulder the responsibility for that fate. Not now though. Someone else from that group will ascend rightfully to be Lucifer's vessel. You Winchesters will no longer matter."

Dean boiled with anger. He had started this whole mess. He would still be the one to end it.

"You wanted to see your brother again. Who am I to deny one last happy family moment? Give me this vessel and the one that came with you and I'll spare you for the time being," the demon proposed.
"I don't think so," Dean replied.
"Don't you recognize this girl Dean?" the demon asked. "Or are you still trying to bury your memories of hell? It was a righteous man who broke the first seal by torturing. That would be you. Don't you remember who it was that was on Alistair's table? Let me take her now. You avoid your fate as the man who led to Lucifer being free."

Dean searched his memories. Alex? Had she been the one he'd tortured? He pulled out his gun. "Sorry," he said. "I don't deal with demons."
"If you really think that's going to stop me, then you Winchesters are dumber than I thought."

Sam took shots at it but they had no effect, either from rock salt or true bullets. He threw the gun down and launched himself at Mastema. The demon fell back but quickly pulled Sam off, sending him across the room. Sam picked himself up quickly. Dean looked above the demon. He shot the ceiling, freeing the dining room chandelier. The demon ducked to avoid it as it came crashing down. Dean used the time to push a bookcase back towards the demon, knocking him over. It broke the concentration on Alex, who stopped spitting blood for a moment.

"Dean, both knives,” she said. “Use both knives. Same time."

Sam pushed his knife over to him. Dean grabbed it and took out the scimitar out of his jacket. He launched himself over the bookcase and plowed both knives down into the demon's chest. A bright light emerged first. They all shielded their eyes. Then it condensed into a stream right above the knives before erupting out like a wave in a black cloud of smoke. The ground shook as the demon died.

Alex had fallen on her back. Dean ran over and helped her back over. She spat out the last of the blood. Her mouth was a red mess.

"How did you know?" Dean asked.
"I heard someone telling me," she said. "That thing -- it was a fallen angel turned demon. There are more like him."
Dean nodded. "Can you stand? We should get out of here."

With Dean's help, Alex picked herself up.

Sam pushed the cabinet aside from the bathroom and let Chris out. Wide-eyed, the civilian inspected the scene.

"Listen to me carefully," Sam said. "Do you have a car?"
Chris nodded.
"Good. Get in it. Drive. Don't stop. Make sure you stay in a different place every night for the next week. If you hear dogs coming after you, leave immediately. If you know anyone with a bunker, it would be the safest place to stay," Sam told him.

Chris nodded again, and then caught sight of the dead demon's rapidly cooling corpse. He grabbed his keys off a rack by the front door and ran outside. A short while later a car started and peeled off.

"Not the most elegant debriefing ever," Dean chastised his brother.
"Better he just keeps moving for now," Sam defended himself.
"We have goofer dust in the trunk you know," Dean continued, unable to let it go.
Sam bitchfaced. He hadn't thought of that. He turned his attention to Alex. "You OK?"

She shook her head. Sam offered his arms, and then picked her up into them to carry her back to the car. He deposited her in the backseat and then got into the front.

Dean languished behind. He paused at the trunk and looked skyward. "All this and still you refuse to help?" He asked out loud. There was no answer, not that he was expecting one. He got into the driver's seat and started the drive west.

******

Following the yellow brick road.

Back in their rightful car and in their rightful seats, Dean and Sam sped along the highway. Sam turned backwards to check on Alex, who was asleep in the back. Her skin was pale and she seemed strung out, muttering a bit in her sleep. She was shivering so Sam tucked one of Dean's plaid overshirts across her.

"Think Mastema was telling the truth?" Sam wondered out loud. "About Lucifer finding other vessels?"
"I don't know," Dean replied. "Only one way to find out though. We have to get to Palo Alto."
"Any word from Cas?" Sam asked.
Dean shook his head no, just as his phone rang. "Speak of the angel." He passed his phone to Sam.
"Hello?" Sam said. "Cas?"
"No ya idjit," Bobby said from the other end. "It's the tooth fairy."
"Hey Bobby," Sam said apologetically. He filled Bobby in on the day's events. Then: "Find out anything?"
"I got a couple of nuggets you might like," Bobby offered. "The vessels that Ipos and Mastema are taking down? They're doing it as part of a ritual. The last step is raising up their big boss, Semiazas through his own special gate from Hell. Sound like anyone else you know?"
"Lucifer," Sam muttered.
"Other thing is there's a set of knives specifically designed to take these half-angel half-demons down," Bobby continued. "So you don't have to double-fist like you did today. One of them is part of a special exhibition at the Cantor Arts Center."
"Perfect," Sam said. "Thanks Bobby."

Dean waited expectantly as his brother hung up.

"Bobby found a weapon we can use. It's on the Stanford campus."
"All the more reason to get out there as quickly as possible."

Alex woke up behind them, startled. She sat up quickly and within seconds Castiel had appeared next to her.

"Where have you been?" Dean asked pointedly.
Any animosity was lost on the angel. "Sam has left Palo Alto," he announced. "With Dean."
Sam and Dean traded looks. "Well, at least something's going according to plan," Dean tried to make light of the situation. He couldn't imagine what his brother was feeling at that moment though.
"Yeah," Sam said, stone-faced.
"It also means we have less time to break the blood spell on you," Dean said to Alex.
"It doesn't matter," she retorted.
"I'm thinkin' it does," Dean snapped. "Don't you go all martyr on me now. I got that role covered."
"If Sam truly has affected the way events are unfolding then he might be safe," Castiel finally offered. "But it's also likely that Lucifer and his minions will have moved on to other options."
"So someone else might be running around getting ready for Lucifer to wear them to the prom?" Sam asked, stealing Dean's terminology.
Castiel nodded. Sam shot a knowing look to Dean.
"No way. Not happening," Dean said.
"We don't know for sure," Castiel said. "We won't know how things are playing out until after tonight."
"I'll start checking the omens," Sam offered, grabbing Alex's computer.
"Pack it up," Dean said. "Let's check you off the list of options first."

******

Dot combustible valley.

Metallicar rumbled down into the valley. Dean was driving. Sam was riding shotgun, clicking away on Alex's computer. It was slow going though.

"Not as easy to find Wifi here," Sam noted.

Dean called Bobby to check on movement. Bobby noted that a fresh pack of omens had popped up just east of Palo Alto about 12 hours earlier and seemed to be moving west. Though none of them relished confronting the yellow-eyed demon all the signs seemed to be adding up.

They stopped only for brief bathroom breaks. Sam and Dean took turns driving so as not to lose additional time. Alex was in the backseat, trying to unstick a green army man from one of the ash trays. It was pretty well stuck in there. Her strength was low so she wasn't putting up much resistance anyway.

******

They made it to Palo Alto mid-evening on the night of Jess's death. The Winchesters decided their best option was to stake out Sam's apartment and be ready to pounce when the demon showed up. They weren't sure exactly what time the demon would show so they parked across the street, where the view was clear through the trees. Dean called Castiel to let him know they'd arrived. The angel was checking things out downtown but would meet them soon. It was quiet for a little while as they observed trick or treaters. But there didn't seem to be much else going on. Castiel materialized next to Alex in the backseat. She was still shivering. He layered his trench on top of Dean's shirt. She thanked him weakly. Castiel gave his report. Nothing doing downtown. The quartet waited.

Sam suddenly started chuckling. He wheeled around to Alex.

"Remember when you knocked on my door pretending to be pregnant so you could meet up with Dean? He asked between laughs. "I was so tripped out by the thought of Dean being a Dad!"
Alex looked confused. "Wait, how do you remember that?" She looked to Dean. "I thought you...wasn't that a new trick?" She asked suspiciously.
"Sam," Dean said. "That's not the way it originally went."
"No, come on." Sam was still chortling. "This girl comes knocking on my door one night saying that you two hooked up and begging me to call you and you expect me not to remember that?"

Alex looked perturbed. Dean was worried.

"It's happening," Castiel said. The other three looked to the angel. "Your memories are being rewritten. The actions you've taken this time around are starting to converge with your previous selves."

"What about alternate realities? Paradox? That kind of thing?" Alex asked.
"Sam and Dean are still in this timeline. As long as they stay here time and space will try to reconcile them with whatever this plane dictates."
"What's something else that changed?" Dean asked hurriedly.
Sam thought. "Do you remember showing a book you'd drawn to a guy who looked a lot like me when you were eight? A book about ghost hunting?"
Dean smiled. "Yeah, of course. The Winchester Family Business." And then the smile disappeared. "That was you, wasn't it?"

Sam nodded. The brothers both leaned back into their seats, staring straight ahead. This was not good news. Castiel chose that moment to recap what he'd been up to since materializing in California.

Castiel made plans to meet up with the trio in the morning and then fluttered away. Sam, Dean and Alex continued to wait. A little while later it was Dean's turn to laugh.

"What?" Sam asked, smirking. Dean turned back to Alex.
"I just remembered something. You're not too bad yourself," he said to her. Then he threw her a sly smile. He had inherited the memories of their night together.
Alex looked bemused in return. "Dean," she warned.
"We got a couple hours to kill, if you want..."
"Dean," Alex said again, smile fading.
"I'm just saying, Sam could..."
"Dean!" Alex turned upset.

Dean gave up and turned back around in the seat. Sam just shook his head.

More waiting. After a while, a car pulled up behind them. They ducked. A couple got out and walked past a few cars away. False alarm.

From the backseat, Alex started to shake again. "Guys," she said.
They both turned around.
"I hear something."
"Angel radio something?" Dean asked.
"No," she replied. "Dogs."
"Not good," Sam said. He checked his watch. "It's still early," he offered to Dean.

Then Sam sniffed. He smelled something. Smoke. They all popped out of the car. They were looking to the apartment building but all was well in that direction. The smoke was coming from a few streets over. They ran that way. And about 4 blocks over they were faced with a scene that was all too familiar to Sam and Dean. A different apartment was engulfed by flames. Fire trucks, ambulances and cop cars were on-scene. Sam asked someone in the crowd what had happened. His heart sank in hearing the explanation. About an hour before the house had just burst into flames. A couple lived there. The man was working late. His wife was inside the home when the fire broke out. She had died. They'd been at the wrong house.

"Things just got about 15 times weirder," Dean said to Sam, who nodded.

They needed to talk this all through. They needed to figure out what it meant. They needed coffee. There was a diner just a few more blocks over so the three of them headed that way. Alex seemed to drift behind a bit. She kept checking behind them. Dean noticed and slowed to let her catch up.

"Don't think we're being tailed right now," he said to Alex, who looked back one more time and then settled into stride.

They entered the diner and grabbed a booth. They asked for a pot of coffee and sleepily tipped the cups they had on the table right-side up.

A little while later, Sam opened Alex's laptop and started looking into the couple. Dean asked Alex if she heard anything and she shook her head no. He put his face in his hands.

"Doesn't make sense, Sam," he said. "Think they got the address messed up?"
"Doubtful," Sam said between clicks. "If Cas was right then they're prepping other possible hosts for Lucifer. The guy is Kevin Downs, 23. Right age. He's a grad student. And get this..." Sam swung the laptop around. "His mom died in a house fire. He was 6 months old when it happened."
Dean scanned the newspaper article Sam had pulled up. "Any siblings?" he asked.
"No. Only child."
"Doesn't fit the Michael/Luci pattern."
"Maybe it doesn't have to," Sam conjectured. "We're brothers, and Lucifer and Michael are brothers, but nothing says the vessels have to be brothers.”
“Or dudes,” Dean said. Sam furrowed his brow. “What?” Dean asked. “Just saying.”
"So,” Sam continued, “there could be who knows how many possible prom dresses running around there for Lucifer to choose from."
"And we got no idea who they are, where they are or when this is all gonna go down," Dean concluded.
"They're removing us from the equation, more or less," Sam agreed.
"No they're not," Alex piped up. "They're trying to force your desperation. What's the only thing that would be worse than you two being the keys to starting and stopping the Apocalypse?"
Sam and Dean thought for a moment. "Not being involved at all," Sam concluded.
"You guys are maybe the only two human beings who know what's supposed to happen here. But they can't find you. So they're flipping everything on its head to draw you out," Alex thought out loud.
"Then why bring us back at all? What is so damn important back here?" Dean asked, exasperated.

Sam and Dean continued rattling off options. Should they call their Dad? Check to see if any vessels were in the city? They vacillated for a bit until Alex suddenly dropped her coffee cup, shattering it and sending hot liquid flying. The boys ducked back for a moment and then grabbed their napkins to start wiping it up.

"They're coming," Alex said, "I can hear them."
Dean stopped cleaning. "Hellhounds?" he asked.

She nodded. Dean and Sam traded a quick look. Sam slammed the laptop closed and quickly shoved it into his bag. Dean grabbed Alex by the arm and the three of them ran out just as one of the back windows of the diner smashed inwards. They ran through the parking lot and over onto the next street. Dean whipped out his gun and shot backwards towards invisible targets. It didn't do any good. They ran to where the Impala had been parked. It was gone.

"Sonofabitch!" Dean cried in frustration.
"Dean," Sam called from car not too far away. It was a late-model sedan. Someone had left the keys inside. Dean helped Alex over. They jumped in and sped off.
"Do we have anything left? Any provisions at all?" Dean asked frantically.
Sam poked through his bag. "Uh, two guns, shots, Ruby’s knife, and some goofer dust."
Dean nodded. "We need holy ground. Now."
"There's a church on Middlefield. Two minutes away!" Sam said, watching the side rearview mirror. Not that it mattered since they could not see the dogs.
Alex was gasping for air in the back.
"Maybe they'll get caught up at the tolls," Dean said.

They raced around corners and over sidewalks to make better time.

"Line the doors with some goofer dust and then meet me inside," he said to Sam as they pulled up in front of the church.

Sam nodded and practically opened the door before they stopped. Dean drove right onto the curb and slammed the brakes. He got out and threw open the back door, pulling Alex out of the car.

"It's covered in Devil's Traps," Alex noted as Dean led her up the stairs.
"Might not matter if that half-angel half-demon things shows up," Dean replied.

He kicked the church door in and stumbled inside. He found stairs going up and down and, after a moment of consideration, decided on up. They raced up 3 flights and settled on one of the rooms overlooking the main hall. He closed all the doors and locked them. There was a window inside but he didn't think the dogs would be flying up to break in. Alex set herself down on a pew as Dean called down to his brother. Sam raced in with two shotguns, Ruby’s knife and the goofer dust. The brothers shut the door and locked it. Sam lined the doorway with the dust, then raced over to the window for good measure.

Dean grabbed his cellphone from his jacket pocket and quickly dialed Castiel. The phone rang but dumped Dean into voicemail. “Dammit!” Dean said and hung up.

A hellhound barked from outside the room, blowing the dust as it sniffed under the door.

"They know I'm here," Alex replied. "They'll kill you to get to me."
"They can't get in," Dean said. "We just gotta hang tight."

The hellhound outside started launching itself against the door, trying to break in. Sam backed away and brought his gun to the ready. Then they heard scratching at the wall. Another dog trying to claw its way in.

"It's not worth your lives too," Alex said. "You need to be the ones to stop it. You need to let me go."
"This is what we do!" Dean insisted.
"And how well has that worked out? Sacrificing yourselves at every turn? How many times are you guys going to have to die before you realize that's not the answer?!?" she said, from somewhere outside herself.

Dean was quieted. He was frustrated and angry; she was right. He reached to his neck and took off his amulet. He put it around her neck.

"Just let me get them away from here," Alex said.
"We'll get you out of there," Dean promised.
"If there's a way, I know you guys will find it."

Alex and Dean leaned into each other for a quick hug. Then she got up slowly. Sam handed her a knife.

"Sam, you guys take care of each other. You hear me?"
He nodded at her. Then he grabbed the lock on the door. He cocked his gun; Dean did the same.
"Let us stall for you," Sam said.
Alex nodded. Dean nodded that he was ready too.

Sam swung the door open with one tug of his gigantic arms. Dean immediately started shooting, and one of the hellhounds wailed. Sam joined in, advancing into the hallway to shoot down the stairs. They emptied their entire first rounds. It was time for Alex to go. She looked to each of them briefly in thanks and then ran out. They heard her fly down the stairs and then, a few seconds later the barking as the remaining hellhounds gave chase. Not too long after that the front door of the church opened and then slammed shut.

It went quiet in the church storage room. It was an eerie silence Sam and Dean knew all too well.

******

The Winchesters were tracking Alex so they could find her body. She needed to be buried. It was a surprise how far she'd made it. They followed a slight trail of blood into Eleanor Pardee Park. There was a small cluster of old trees. They found Alex underneath one, face-down. As was always the case with hellhounds she was torn to shreds. Sam winced at the sight but Dean couldn't hold it in any longer. He doubled over to compose himself. Sam picked the body up. He noticed the amulet was gone. He didn't mention it.

"There's a huge open space park north of here," Sam said. "We should take her there." Dean just nodded.

******

A few hours later it was done. Sam was calling Bobby and Dean was staring off into space. Castiel re-appeared and strode up beside him.

"I'm sorry," the angel opened.
"I take it you can't just go in there and pluck her back out," Dean said by way of acknowledgment.
Castiel watched Dean’s face for any emotion, but saw none. "The blood spell isn't broken yet. Now we need to kill Ipos."
"I thought you said..."
"If she were still alive he would have tortured her. It might have broken you." Castiel cut him off.
"God, you are such a dick sometimes!" Dean said, exasperated. "So instead she rots down in hell? And where was she for the past five years in the life I knew?"
"Missing," Castiel said forcefully. "Lost. Unrecoverable. If you don't think you've made a difference you're wrong."
Dean refused to believe he'd been any help. Sam joined the duo.
"Bobby says word through the grapevine is that there's a whole group of demons holed up in Goodland. I think that might be the center of all of this."
"I know you want to help Alex. This is the way," Castiel said. And then he was gone.

The boys silently got into the car. Dean checked the time. Well into the morning. Curiosity getting the best of him, he drove back to Sam's old apartment. They saw the flames before they saw what was left of Sam’s apartment. The sirens, the crowd. To everyone else it was the odd second fire on a strange night. To Sam and Dean, it was a sad realization. The fire had still happened. Just a few hours later than they remembered. The brothers slowly exited the car.

“I can’t believe this,” Sam said slowly. “We were here. We were waiting…”
"You know we get the demon who did this," Dean cut him off, realizing that the major details of their lives were still the same. “It’s like Cas says, you can’t change the past.”
“So what? Mom still died? We didn’t change a damn thing,” Sam said, exasperated.
“Cas said an angel brought us back, right? There must be one hell of a thing we still have to fix,” Dean said, coaching his younger brother.
Sam, eyes still on the fire, just nodded. Then he reached into his coat where the Colt was neatly tucked away. He pulled it out.
"As long as I have this, Dad won't find it," Sam said.
"It took us awhile to find it," Dean argued gently. "Guess now we know why."

The brothers were silent for a minute or two.

"We should get that knife Bobby told us about," Sam said after awhile.
Dean was pleased by that idea. After everything Sam was still ready to move forward. He was too. "Yeah, maybe grab a couple hours sleep and try to get it before morning."
Sam nodded. Then he saw something. He elbowed Dean. "Look," he said, motioning past the crowd. "They grabbed the Impala back."

Dean followed Sam's eyes, though he couldn't see over the crowd as well. He spotted the Impala. Then he saw himself and Sam making their way towards it. Dean popped the trunk. He and Sam spoke briefly and then got into their rightful seats of their rightful car. The Impala sped off. Dean and Sam knew what they'd said -- we got work to do.

"What they said," Dean said to Sam.
Sam nodded again. "No time like the present."