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."