Chapter 9

Bobby gave both of us sour looks when we came downstairs the following morning. "Did I or did I not tell you morons to make sure I never saw or heard anything that ain't PG-rated? I'm glad I didn't get the full effect down here, but I don't wanna know what kinda earful poor Cas here got last night!"

I blushed and hid behind my hair, while Dean mumbled a red-faced apology.

Cas meanwhile looked at all of us curiously. "I do not understand the shameful connotations humans seem to apply to sexual behavior. I thought that Sam and Dean's liaison is a beneficial thing that we all approve of, and that carnal relations are a natural and desirable outcome to such a bond?"

"Dude, I ain't gonna touch that one! I'm just gonna make breakfast," my brother declared as he moved to the refrigerator, leaving me to attempt to explain sexual mores to the confused angel.

We left Sioux Falls shortly after lunch and pulled up on the outskirts of Lawrence about six hours later. We took the Impala to conserve Castiel's energy, rather than have him teleport us there. We had to wait until nightfall to proceed, so we got dinner at a steakhouse and booked two rooms at a nearby motel.

As soon as it was sufficiently dark outside, we drove to Stull. We had less than three hours to prepare the site before Lucifer's arrival. The first thing we did was ward the perimeter of the cemetery; although we weren't able to surround it in salt and holy oil, there were other ways to protect it. Bobby cast a blessing ritual on the iron fence bordering the graveyard, while Dean and I drew sigils of various kinds in chalk on as many tombstones, rocks, and trees as possible. Cas kept a watch out for the police and other mundane intruders.

Once the rest of the cemetery was as protected as we could manage, we turned our attention to the ruined chapel. Dean and I poured as large a ring of salt and holy oil around it as we could, while Bobby drew more protective symbols on the ruins themselves. The seraph remained on guard.

I had just finished pouring the last of the oil when my phone vibrated. I pulled it out and saw Crowley on the caller ID. I thumbed Answer.

"Hullo again, Moose. I'm just outside the gates to this charming place. Fancy letting me in? Don't want to disturb the protections you've undoubtedly laid down."

"What are you doing here, Crowley? Do you have information for us?"

"No new information on the Adversary, sadly. But I did think of something that might come in handy for the upcoming showdown."

After relaying the information to the others, Cas said, "I will bring him here." He disappeared with a flutter.

When he and Crowley reappeared moments later, the demon looked almost queasy. "Well, that was unpleasant! Hello, boys."

"Save the chitchat, dude," Dean said irritably as he stuffed the empty bags of rock salt into a pile of rubble. "We're in a fucking crunch, in case you ain't noticed."

"I certainly don't plan to stay long—I'm a lover, not a fighter," Crowley responded. "As I told Gigantor here, I came across something that should prove highly useful. Doubt that Feathers has ever heard of it—I believe it's above his paygrade.

"It's called an angel-suppressing sigil. It's normally used to hobble an angel inside a host and temporarily return control to the original owner. It was used in the past by family and friends to convince the poor sap that being an angel's meat popsicle is an unwise choice.

"In Lucifer's case, his vessel is practically a zombie now. Poor Nick shuffled off this mortal coil a while back and presumably is reunited with his loving family upstairs. But the effect should still be the same—the sigil should impair Lucifer even further for a short period of time. It won't last long—he's still a bloody archangel, even in this condition."

"No, no, that's still good. Even a minute or two could be enough to push him into the Cage," I said gratefully. "How does it work?"

"Wise decision." Crowley gestured, and there was a brief flare as a large circle with Enochian writing was burned into the ground and a similar but smaller symbol onto a short piece of wall.

He continued, "The smaller one is the activation symbol. A bit of blood will set it off. Once the large one lights up, make sure to do what you need quickly. By the way, would you like me to leave Juliette here? I wouldn't set her against Old Scratch, but she can take care of trespassers for you."

Dean shuddered. "Thanks but no thanks. We got shit in place to take care of any other winged or black-eyed dicks that try to show up, and we don't need the damn thing eating some poor old lady coming to visit her husband's grave."

I looked around. "Okay, I think the area is as ready as it's going to get. Now it's Dean's turn. Come on, man."

I grabbed a small bag, and the two of us went off behind a taller piece of wall. Dean stripped quickly and stood naked momentarily, pale skin gleaming in the moonlight, before his form shimmered. He raised his head, and I suddenly found myself looking at my own face.

He'd practiced taking my shape a few times over the past week, but it was still disconcerting. I handed him a change of my clothing from the bag and stuffed his clothes in the same bag as he dressed. I then handed him my shoes and jacket.

My brother looked down at himself once everything was on. "How do I look?"

I smoothed down his hair. "This is still so weird!"

"Hey, imagine how it feels on my end! Freckle fetish? Really, dude?" He grinned at me.

"Shuddup!" I elbowed him in the ribs as we walked back to the others.

Bobby's eyebrows almost disappeared into the brim of his trucker's hat. "I ain't ever gonna get used to this! So which one of you is actually Sam, and which one is Dean?"

"This is obviously Dean. It is not difficult to see the difference," Castiel said, pointing to my brother.

"Maybe for an angel, which I ain't! Anyways, Crowley's already skedaddled, and Satan's due to show in less than ten minutes. You boys ready?"

"As we're ever gonna be. Now you two need to get outta here. Wait by Baby and make sure no one else tries to come in," Dean replied.

"What? Hell no! We ain't leaving you here to face the goddamn Devil alone!" The older hunter looked incensed.

"I must agree with Bobby. Once the holy oil is lit, I will not be able to come to your aid if you need it," Cas added. "It would be better if we remain nearby within the circle. I can conceal the two of us."

"This isn't the time or place for disagreements. Everyone needs to get into place now," I said. As Dean turned to move, I caught his hand. "You be careful, jerk."

"You too, bitch." He gave me a quick kiss.

Bobby and the angel moved out of sight. I found a hiding place near the activation sigil and put up my strongest mental shields. I painted the symbols for a stronger version of the "notice-me-not" spell we'd used at Niveus onto my forearms and also activated what Dean called my Jedi mind-trick. Both should have the effect of forcing onlookers' eyes to skip over me. Dean waited in plain sight in the center of the ruins.

It was perhaps fifteen minutes later that I saw Dean straighten from where he was leaning against a heap of stone debris. Moments after, I heard footsteps leisurely approaching the church. The presence accompanying the steps was immense.

I didn't have a clear line of sight as the archangel came into view, but I could see him via my brother's thoughts. As Crowley's contact had said, Lucifer looked bad. His vessel's skin was corpse-pale except for the bloody, seeping sores, his eyes were sunken and feverish, and his hair was dull and sparse. There was a definite lurch in what was supposed to be a confident swagger, as if his joints no longer functioned properly.

"Hey Sam. You're looking well," the Devil said pleasantly as he got within a few feet of my brother.

"I'm afraid I can't say the same. Your meat suit looks like it died two weeks ago," Dean replied with distaste.

Lucifer shrugged. "Cost of not using my true vessel—this one can't handle the extra mileage. Same thing's going to happen to your little brother if Michael keeps him too long. I'm sure you know that."

"None of us are happy about it, but there's not much we can do about it." My brother swiftly flicked his fingers, and the ring of holy oil caught fire.

Lucifer started and then looked amused. "Trust issues, Sam? Do you really expect this to hold me? Or the other wards you've put around this place? I'm giving you props for the choice of location—it's certainly poetic. But you can't expect me to not notice your little scribbles."

"They're not for you. I'm well aware the protections won't do much against something on your level," Dean replied. "But I want to keep this conversation private—no one else on your team or Michael's eavesdropping or interfering."

"Well, I've got to say, I was surprised to hear from you. You've been fighting against your destiny for so long, and now this? Does big brother know you're here?"

"I'm a grown-ass man—I don't need my brother's permission to live my life," Dean said irritably. He backed up a few steps, trying to lure the other into the suppression sigil. "But no—Dean would kick my ass if he thought I was seriously considering saying yes."

"Is that why we're here?" Old Scratch moved closer but maddeningly stopped just on the edge of the symbol.

"I'm thinking about it. Look, Judgement Day is a runaway train—I get that now. I want to get off before anyone else I care about gets hurt. But if I do this, you've got to promise a few things first. My family stays safe during the confrontation and after, regardless of who wins. That includes Bobby and Castiel, in addition to Dean and me. And you bring back my parents." Dean crossed his arms and looked determined.

"What happens if I don't win? How do you expect me to hold up my end of this bargain?"

"We know you're going to have the advantage in the fight if I do this. Adam isn't Michael's true vessel, so he won't have access to his full power. You will. You don't need to be a genius to figure how that will play out."

Lucifer smirked. "And that doesn't bother you anymore? Letting the bad guy win, all the innocent lives that'll be lost? What happened to the old family business?"

My brother hesitated before responding. "I don't like it, but I'm tired of fighting. I never wanted any of this—I'm sure you're aware of that. And I'll do just about anything to keep my brother safe. You also know how important he is to me. So you protect him, and you let me go after, and I'll—"

The archangel sighed. "Okay, can we please drop the telenovela? I know you have the rings, Sam."

"I have no idea what you're talking about, man."

"The Horsemen's rings? The magic key to my Cage? Ring a bell? Come on, Sam. I've never lied to you. You could at least pay me the same respect."

Dean backed away a little further. "I don't have the rings, and neither does Dean. That's the God's honest truth. I'm sure you can tell if I'm lying."

We'd previously decided that it would be safest if Dean avoided outright falsehoods as much as possible, to lessen the chances that Satan would try to read his thoughts too deeply and discover something he shouldn't. I had to admire how carefully my brother used the literal truth. It certainly seemed to be working so far.

The Devil raised a skeptical brow. "Really? It's okay. I'm not mad. A wrestling match inside your noggin . . . I like the idea. Just you and me, one round, no tricks. You win, you jump in the hole and take me with you. I win . . . well, then I win. So what do you say? A fiddle of gold against your soul says I'm better than you."

Before Dean could reply, there was a sudden surge of power and the loud sound of wings flapping. Adam appeared just outside the ring of fire and salt, but it was obvious from the look in his eyes and the aura emanating from him that our half-brother was no longer in control.

"Are you truly falling for this paltry trick?" he asked contemptuously.

Lucifer turned to face the other archangel. "It's good to see you, Michael. It's been too long, hasn't it? I knew you'd try to find me sooner or later, now that you've found a vessel—even if it isn't the vessel. But if you'll excuse me, you're interrupting an important discussion."

Michael snorted scornfully. "Lucifer, really. Are you so limited now by your failing vessel that you do not realize that the creature in front of you is not Sam Winchester?"

"What the Hell are you talking about?"

"That thing you are talking to is not who you think it is. It is not even human. And you cannot even tell the difference! How the mighty have fallen, little brother," Michael sneered.

Lucifer turned back to my brother, who grinned cockily at him. Dean's form rippled again and reverted to his own shape.

"Welcome to the party, pal! Gabe was right 'bout you—you're a great big bag of dicks," Dean taunted. "Dude spent millennia trying to keep the peace between you fucknuts upstairs—which I can relate to—and then went into hiding when he couldn't handle it no more. He finally gets the guts to stand up to you, and you gank your own little brother for disagreeing with you. That's cold, man!"

The fallen angel's face darkened in anger at the shift and even more at the insulting words. He started to raise his hand, and I prepared to raise a physical shield around the other hunter.

"Hey, ass-butt!"

Everyone turned as Castiel and Bobby showed up behind Lucifer with a soft rustle. Cas held up a glass bottle of oil with a burning rag stuffed into the mouth, and he immediately threw it at Michael's feet. The archangel screamed as the bottle shattered and engulfed him in flames. He disappeared moments later.

Lucifer looked even more furious. "Castiel, did you just Molotov my brother with holy fire?"

Cas gazed back defiantly. "Yes, and I would gladly do it again. You may be my elder brothers, but I will not permit you to destroy the Earth in your pointless squabble. The holy oil will not dissuade Michael for long, but it will be long enough to deal with you."

"Who exactly do you think you are? No one dicks with Michael but me!"

The Devil snapped his fingers, and the seraph exploded in a rain of blood and tiny bits of flesh. Dean and I both flinched as Lucifer and Bobby were sprayed with the chunky red mist.

The older hunter seemed unshaken, however, as he raised his shotgun from his lap. He shot the archangel in the chest, and the force of the unexpected blast staggered Lucifer back a step. Bobby fired once more, knocking him backward again, right into the center of the angel-dampening sigil.

Lucifer straightened and made a twisting motion with his hand. Bobby's head jerked violently to the side with an audible snap, and he slumped in his wheelchair. Dean cried out in anguish as our surrogate father slowly toppled to the ground. I desperately wanted to join my brother in mourning, but instead I quickly cut my palm and pressed it to the activation symbol on the wall above my hiding place.

Satan glanced down in surprise as the inhibition symbol under his feet flared to life with a fiery glow, and then he reeled as he felt the sigil's effects. He snarled, "What have you maggots done to me?"

Dean smirked through his tears. "It's an angel-suppression sigil, cocksucker. It's supposed to kick you feathery bastards outta the driver's seat, give the rightful owner a chance to evict you. In your case, that poor sucker's left the building already, but we figured it'll still fuck you up."

"You think you're pretty smart, huh? This thing may have weakened me some, but I'm still the goddamn Morningstar!" Lucifer lifted his hand once more, and several large pieces of broken stone flew towards my brother.

I swiftly interposed a barely-visible energy shield between Dean and the Devil, and the rocks bounced off harmlessly. I then stood, dropping the concealments on myself, and walked over to my brother. I put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed comfortingly, before looking at the fallen angel.

"Give it up, Lucifer. You're never going to beat us, because unlike you angels, my brother and I put each other before our pride, anger, self-righteousness, and the rest of that crap," I said calmly as I pulled the Horsemen's rings out of my pockets.

Dean added, "You dumbasses are so obsessed with following your fucking lines like a buncha goddamn lemmings, and you expect us to turn on each other just 'cause you did. What you sonsofbitches need to learn is that there ain't no fate but what we make for ourselves. We're Team Free Will, and we're ending this damn story our way. Show 'em, Sammy."

I brought the four rings together on my palm, where they interconnected with a noisy clink. I tossed the key, using my telekinesis to guide it to land on the stone floor behind Lucifer, just outside the dampening sigil. I then chanted, "Bvtmon tabages babalon."

The Devil's eyes widened as a gaping hole opened up underneath the key and began sucking in the air around it. I grasped my power as tightly as I could and pushed. It was like shoving at an enormous wall, and sweat broke out on my forehead as I drew upon more of my energy.

Lucifer looked astounded as his body inched backwards. He tried to take a step forward and said, "Let's not be hasty now, Sammy. There's so much more I can do for you besides protecting your family. Riches, power, women—you name it!"

I gritted my teeth at the effort as I spoke. "It's Sam, asshat. And you don't know anything about me if you think that is going to tempt me to let you go."

Old Scratch's eyes narrowed as he braced himself, and the wall started to push back. I groaned at the strain, and then I felt my brother link his mind securely with mine. I reached toward him and pulled in his strength, and we watched as our opponent was inexorably pressed closer to the opening.

Michael abruptly reappeared outside the ring of holy fire and shouted, "It is not going to end this way! I have to fight my brother—it is my destiny!"

I'll take care of this, Sam. You keep shoving this asshole back in his box, Dean told me as he disengaged his abilities from mine. He dashed around Lucifer and the gate to the Cage, leapt over the fire, and barreled into Michael with a cry of, "Yippee-ki-yay, motherfucker!"

I knew I had to hurry. Even with his enhanced strength and speed, and Michael being hampered by a lesser vessel, my brother wouldn't last long against the archangel. In addition, the angel-suppressing sigil under Satan could fail at any moment. But without the additional energy from Dean, I wasn't strong enough to overpower the fallen angel, even in his weakened state.

Lucifer looked triumphant. "You can't do it, not all by your lonesome, can you? Give it up, Sam, and I'll be merciful. I won't hurt you, and I'll let Dean live too. Heck, I'll throw in Mommy and Daddy and this old drunk here for free!"

I ignored him and turned to the last gambit we'd prepared. In his arrogance, Lucifer had overlooked that not all the symbols we'd drawn in and around the chapel were protective. Hidden among the wards were runes designed to siphon some of the life-force around them and funnel that power to me. I activated those sigils, which in turn latched onto the trees and grass, insects and rodents, and other living creatures in the cemetery. The amount taken from each being was small, not enough to hurt them, but all those little packets of energy added up as I gathered them in.

Now almost thrumming with power, I stretched out my telekinesis and grabbed the Devil roughly. "You should've learned better by now than to underestimate me, douchebag. Now say goodnight, Gracie."

With that, I thrust Lucifer into the hole. As he fell with a rage-filled roar, I recited the second part of the spell, "Chdr bvtmon tabages babalon." The gate rapidly closed, and I picked the key up from the ground.

I immediately turned my attention to outside of the circle of holy fire. Dean was lying on the ground, unmoving, while Michael stood over him with a bloody fist raised. I hurriedly erected another protective barrier around my brother, then yanked the energy from the fire and used it to shove the archangel back.

I ran to Dean, dropped to my knees beside him, and pulled him into my lap. His face was bloody and swollen, one arm and several fingers were bent at unnatural angles, and his clothes were torn and soaked with blood in numerous spots. His breathing was faint and wheezy and his pulse thready and weak, but more importantly both were still there. I threw all the power not maintaining the energy shield over us into bolstering his healing ability.

Michael stomped over in a rage. "How dare you interfere? This is not how the Apocalypse is meant to end! It was my destiny to defeat my brother and usher in a new Paradise! What gives you—you insignificant cockroaches the right to stop that?"

As Dean started to stir, I looked up. "Give it up, man! It's over. We were never going to let you two duke it out like a pair of petulant toddlers having a tantrum because Daddy wasn't paying enough attention to you, which is all your so-called destiny really was. Your fight would have destroyed half the planet, and it's our home, not yours. That's what gives us the right! We put our love first—for each other, for our family and friends, for everyone around us—and we won."

Michael's face turned purple, and he lifted a bloody hand. I braced the force field against his imminent attack, then had to cover my eyes as a bright light fell over the archangel from above. He turned his face up skyward and froze.

While the angel was otherwise occupied, I checked over my brother. Dee? Dee?

Dean groaned softly. Fuck! Remind me to never do that again! Did you do it, Sammy? Did you lock Satan up again?

I did, and I couldn't have done it without you. But we've got to get out of here now. Michael's still here, and he's pissed. Can you move yet?

He shook his head slightly. I'm starting to heal, but I'm still in pretty bad shape. If you gotta leave me, do it. No need to let him take both of us out.

No way! I'm not letting it end like that! We just defeated the goddamn Devil, so we can figure out how to deal with fucking Michael too. I wrapped my arms around him to show I wasn't leaving him.

Before Dean could argue, Michael turned to face us, the light still shining around him. "You are fortunate. My father commands me to return and leave you unharmed. He says this was partly his doing, in that he made you soulmates and gave you the strength and determination to forge your own way. He wanted an alternative to letting his sons kill each other."

Dean coughed to clear his throat. "If you're done here, let Adam go. You don't need him back in Heaven, and he deserves better than to be your fucking angel condom."

"Your half-brother is dead—he died when Castiel immolated me in holy fire. Just as Jimmy Novak died a year ago when Castiel was obliterated by Raphael for interfering with the prophet," Michael replied. "We angels can heal much damage to our vessels, but even we cannot keep the host alive when the body is completely destroyed. I could bring him back to life if you truly wish. But he is in Heaven with his mother now."

I looked down at my brother and sighed. "He's better off where he is. All he ever really wanted was to be with his mom again. We can't take that from him."

The archangel nodded, and the light flared almost blindingly. Dean and I swore and covered our eyes again. When the light faded, Michael was gone. But standing in his place was Castiel, with the same rumpled hair and stubbled face but now wearing a clean, shorter trench coat and wrinkle-free suit.

Cas walked over to us, bent down, and touched Dean on the forehead. My brother gasped as his wounds disappeared, as did the blood on his face and clothes.

He staggered to his feet and looked at the seraph in shock. "Cas? You're alive!"

Cas smiled. "Hello, Dean. I am better than that, actually."

He then walked over to Bobby's body and crouched. He touched the corpse on the forehead, and Dean and I both gaped as Bobby took a deep breath and opened his eyes. Cas stood and helped Bobby get to his feet.

Bobby stared down at his legs with wide eyes. "Well, I'll be damned!"

I stood as well and stared at Cas in awe. "Cas, are—are you God?"

Castiel smiled again. "That is a nice compliment, but no. Although he did bring me back, new and improved."

Dean and I looked at each other, then we rushed forward and pulled the others into a giant group hug. We all laughed and cried and pounded each other on the back for several minutes (except for Cas, who stood stiffly in our embrace and awkwardly patted us on the shoulders).

After we finally broke apart, Dean wiped his face. "I dunno what to say! I didn't expect to see either of you again!"

"I'm certainly glad to be back!" Bobby exclaimed. "There was this sharp pain and the stereotypical white light, then I found myself in a goddamn waiting room of some kind. Suddenly this voice pronounced, 'This is not your time,' and POOF, here I am. Alive and actually kicking! When I get home, I'm gonna spend a day just going up and down the damn stairs!"

"It's awesome to see ya back on your feet, Bobby. It . . . it wouldn't have felt like a real win without you," Dean said earnestly.

I looked over at Castiel. "Is what Michael said about Adam true, Cas?"

The angel nodded. "I am sorry, Sam, but I had no choice. I did not wish to harm your brother, but there was no other way to get rid of Michael and distract Lucifer. He is happy where he is now, if that is any help."

"It's okay, man. I think we all understand. We knew there'd be losses in a fight like this." I gave him a squeeze on the shoulder.

I then pulled the key apart and put Death's ring back in my pocket, before handing the other three to Castiel. "We promised to return his ring to Death, but we need to ensure no one can ever use the rest to release Lucifer or summon the other Horsemen again. So Cas, can you drop each one into a different active volcano as soon as you get the chance?"

"Shades of Mount Doom—I like it, Sammy. Though maybe drop one down the deepest part of the Marianas Trench for variety," Dean added. "We got anything else we need to do here?"

Bobby glanced at Dean and me shrewdly. "Cas, why don't we walk over to the car? Let's give the boys a few minutes of alone-time before we all go back to the motel."

"Yes, I understand." Cas turned to face us. "The local police officers I had to put to sleep earlier should not wake up for another hour at least. That should give you ample time to fornicate, though I imagine your motel room would be more comfortable."

"Cas!" we hissed in unison, our faces beet-red.

"Idjits!" Bobby laughed fondly as he led the seraph away.

After they moved out of sight, Dean cradled my face in his hands and pulled me down for a long kiss. He then rested his forehead against mine. We did it, baby boy! We got our happy ending!

I slid my arms around his waist and pressed him against me. I know, I can barely believe it! What are we going to do next? Go to Disneyland like I suggested years ago?

He stepped back and gazed at me seriously, taking my hands in his. Listen, you know I ain't good at talking 'bout—'bout feelings and shit like that. We ain't been a—a couple for too long, but we've always been the most important person in each other's lives. I didn't wanna say anything earlier, but now that this Apocalypse crap is finally over . . . It's uh, time to change things up.

I looked at him in concern. This isn't the "we should see other people" speech or something, is it?

What? No! Dammit, are you trying to kill the fucking mood or something? His expression was exasperated. Just lemme get this out, okay?

Sorry! Please, go ahead.

Dean closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, his green eyes were full of love and hope and determination. He moistened his full lips with the tip of his tongue and then, still holding my hands, slowly sank down on one knee.

"Samuel Henry Winchester, will you marry me?"