Title: The Hail Mary Pass

Rating: T for language

Summary: Slightly AU- "…I just know we're all we've got. More than that, we keep each other human." Zachariah devises a plot to get the brothers to say yes to their destiny. If Dean + Sam = human, what does Dean - Sam equal?

A/N: In this story there is no Adam and no Castiel.

A/N: This chapter is going to be a little short. It's kind of a prologue- setting things up. I hope you enjoy it enough to come back for the rest!

Thanks to Mikey for the beta of this story :D

Just get him to say yes.

Seemed pretty simple. Straightforward. Just one little word, three even smaller letters. Really, how hard could it be to get Dean Winchester to say that one tiny word?

A word so common. Dean Winchester probably threw it around several hundred times a day without even realizing it.

Yes, I'll have another cup of coffee.

Yes, let's turn here.

Yes, we need more rock salt.

Yes, yes, yes. And each time playing into destiny. Never really realizing that's what he was doing but nevertheless, each yes led him right to where he was right now.

But now instead of saying yes, he was saying no.

And it threw everything into confusion. This isn't how the story goes. Dean says yes to Michael, Sam says yes to Lucifer, Lucifer and Michael throw down, Michael wins and ushers in Paradise. End of story. Or not. Rather, the beginning of story. Of course there is the minor detail that millions, perhaps billions, of humans would die, caught between Michael and Lucifer's fists, but everyone has to sacrifice something for the greater good. And baby, Paradise is as good as it gets.

Why this was a concept that Dean Winchester couldn't get through his thick, addled brain was beyond Zachariah's comprehension. But Zachariah was nothing if not persistent. Nothing if not aggressively determined. All his life he had been the guy least likely, the kid left standing when teams were being chosen. Passed by. Forgotten. Unseen. This was his chance- his big break. He had a major chip on his shoulder and something to prove so when Dean thumbed his nose at him and told him to go screw himself Zachariah took that as merely a minor setback.

Dean and Sam Winchester were disasters of apocalyptic proportions. Screwing fate at every turn. Damn the consequences. Why the man upstairs had chosen them for his story, why they had been chosen as the vessels was beyond Zachariah. They didn't seem to understand that by refusing to go along with the script, the master plan, they ruined things for everyone. With every turn they somehow managed to knock over a domino that led to the disruption of the natural order on a monumental scale. People who were not meant to be born were born. People that were not meant to die kicked the bucket before their time. The stock markets rose, the stock markets fell. Harley Davidson motorcycles went out, skinny jeans came in. Saying yes or no to fate was in many cases the difference between life and death, The Beatles and Justin Bieber. No one, not even the angels knew what was going to, what was supposed to happen next.

By saying no, the great big fate train to the Apocalypse had been derailed and now there was only one thing to do and that was operation get the train back on the track. And if we're allowed to continue to use the train metaphor, Zachariah figured that the angels still had a leg up- the train may be off the rails but the conductor was still alive and pissed. Michael would have his way. Oh yeah, Dean would say yes… it was just a matter of what buttons to push. And damn it all if Dean didn't have one really big button. He wore it right on his sleeve, there for everyone to see.

And that button was Sam Winchester.

Zachariah was a man with a plan. Or rather, an angel with a plan. It was a brilliant plan, if he were to be modest. No, it wasn't Plan A, or Plan B, or hell, even Plan C but it would work. It would get the job done and that's all that mattered.

Of course he wouldn't admit this to the higher ups, but he couldn't take complete credit for the plan. It was partly Dean's idea. And Dean didn't even realize it. That's what was so brilliant! Zachariah shivered with barely contained excitement. Sometimes there were some incredible advantages to being an angel. Namely, being able to eavesdrop on human conversations. To be that proverbial fly on the wall.

You see, Dean had been sent five years into the future. He had seen how things ended. He had seen that Sam had said yes to Lucifer and he had seen the utter devastation his arrogance, his stubbornness and insubordination had caused. But for all that he still thought he could withstand Michael. He still thought he could say no to Michael and come out the winner. He still thought that he and Sam together could fight destiny.

Dean and Sam had split up. Done the unthinkable and went their separate ways. But after Dean's little trip to the future he had been shaken. Dean had called Sam, asked him to return. He had said, "…I just know we're all we've got. More than that, we keep each other human."

Oh yes, so heartwarming it made him want to puke. And that's when it struck him. The Plan.

If Dean + Sam = No, then the simple math of the matter was Dean - Sam = Yes.

Yes, yes, he knows. Dean and Sam had tried the whole break-up thing and it hadn't worked for them. They were brothers- family. That was destiny. It had been part of the plan. But seeing as destiny had already been screwed to hell by these two, perhaps a little bit more screwing would be necessary to get the natural order back on track. Zachariah didn't plan on trying the whole break up thing again, that wouldn't work. No, his plan was a little more permanent. Went a little deeper than just cat fights and short fuses. Deeper than betrayal and distrust. Those things would never permanently tear the brothers apart because they had too much shared history. Needed each other too much. But what would happen if he took away their shared history?

No, he wouldn't change history- he would merely change their perception of history.

You feeling it yet? Oh yeah. This was going to be epic.

Finally Zachariah would be recognized for his brilliance. All those self-help, how to succeed in a dog-eat-dog world, books would pay off.

And the best part? It was a two for one sale. Not only would Dean say yes to Michael but Sam would say yes to Lucifer. Of course, Sam Winchester was not really Zachariah's or the angels' concern- that was up to Lucifer to get him to say yes, but he figured it could only help his street-cred to get a yes out of Sam as well as Dean. Oh yes. Life was beautiful.

It was not a fool-proof plan, it was better. It was a Winchester-proof plan.

Because if they didn't have each other, who did they have? If they didn't have each other they were nothing but weak, maggot infested, meat suits.

D+S

"I mean come on man, we're angel proofed! I say we find some cave to hide out in and wait till this thing blows over. I know it not perfect. It's got holes but come on, if you've got a better plan, share it with the class!"

Sam sighed heavily, ran his hand through his hair. "Look. That's just delaying the inevitable. Even if they don't find us, they'll find some other way to draw us out. I don't know, take hostages. Find other vessels."

Dean sat on the edge of his bed, shoulders slumped and head in hands.

"I don't know. All I know is that right now delaying the inevitable sounds really good…. Because seriously, the longer we can put off the Apocalypse… I don't know, it's just… that's gotta be a good thing, right?"

"I'm just so damn sick and tired of this weight. Of the fate of the entire world resting on every little decision we make."

Dean nodded hopelessly. It just felt like any decision they made was just going to take them to the same place. All roads lead to Rome and all that crap. Frankly, getting back together with Sam was sort of a Hail-Mary Pass. He'd seen how the story ended, he just prayed to God that somehow together it would be enough. That somehow them back together as brothers would change the future.

Dean, "All I know is that whatever we decide we need to get the hell out of here as soon as we can. I'm pretty sure the angels know where we are. Let's just find somewhere that we can regroup, figure things out and decide what our next move will be."

Sam nodded bleakly.

Neither realized that their move had pretty much already been decided for them. Wheels had been set in motion and when they woke up the next morning, the rug would be pulled out from under their feet.