What if Bobby didn' t get possessed?

Bobby drove up to the boys' motel in the Impala. He shook his head as it seemed Dean had been more worried that his car was still safe and sound than that the Apocalypse had started. At least he was back with Sam, though.

He walked up to their room and knocked on the door. "Bobby," Dean said and pulled him into a hug. Bobby was surprised. Dean wasn't much for hugging and he had just seen him yesterday. But a lot had happened in that one day. A lifetime of things had happened.

Sam hugged him next. "Sorry, Bobby."

Bobby figured he meant for knocking him out with his own gun. "That's OK," Bobby said. He could forgive these boys anything.

"Were you followed?" Dean asked.

"You mean by angels, demons, or Sam's new fan girl?" Bobby asked, recalling the story Dean had told him over the phone. It had been good to hear Dean laugh, but the laughter had only lasted a few seconds.

"You heard about that?" Sam asked, embarrassed.

"Yeah, I heard about it," Bobby said. "So, Michael's sword," Bobby said, changing the subject to why they were here.

"Do you think Chuck was talking about the angel Michael's actual sword?" Dean asked.

"You'd better hope so," Bobby said, pulling out a book. "This is Michael," he said pointing to a picture.

"He's wearing tights," Dean pointed out.

"Well, I wouldn't want to run into him in a dark alley," Bobby commented.

"So, what do we do?" Sam asked.

"Divvy up the books and start reading," Bobby suggested.

Sam got up and walked towards the stack of books Bobby had brought with him. Then he just stopped and froze. It was all too much to handle. He had single-handedly started the Apocalypse. He was supposed to save lives and he had just killed thousands, probably millions, of people.

Bobby looked up and noticed Sam just standing there. Dean had said Sam was clean of demon blood, but maybe he was wrong. Maybe Sam was feeling the need, or having some after effects. "You OK, kid?"

"No, actually, I'm not."

Dean looked up at that. Sam had been beating himself up since it happened. Part of him figured he should be beating himself up, but on the other hand what's done is done. He wanted to forgive Sam and move on, but he wasn't having an easy time of it. Sam wasn't having an easy time of it either.

"Lillith didn't start the Apocalypse."

"Sam," Dean said in a warning voice. Bobby was like a father to them, but this wasn't something anybody else should know. Not even Bobby. The more people who knew, the more dangerous it would be for Sam, and the harder he would have to work to overcome it.

Sam ignored Dean. Bobby deserved to know the truth. He couldn't lie to Bobby. He had been like a father to them. Sam had attacked him just a couple of days ago, though it seemed like a lifetime ago. He couldn't accept his friendship and support without telling him the truth.

"Lillith was the last seal. I killed her and let Lucifer free."

"What?" Bobby asked stunned. He hadn't been expecting this. He thought Lillith had just broken the last seal before Sam had killed her.

"I'm sorry. You guys tried to warn me about the blood, but I didn't listen."

"You're right, you didn't listen. You were arrogant." Bobby remembered what he had thought a few moments ago, that he could forgive these boys anything. He had been wrong. "Something like this don't get forgiven. If by some miracle we survive this, I want you to lose my number."

Sam hung his head down.

Dean watched on in silence. He had tried to warn Sam not to say anything. He couldn't really argue with Bobby, though. Sam had messed up big time. Maybe he would calm down in a few hours. After all, this was the man who had been harassing him to call Sam and reach out to him.

"I'll go to the church down the street and check out their lore books," Sam said and backed up towards the door.

"You do that," Bobby said, itching to get rid of him.

SSS

Dean and Bobby had been reading for a couple of hours. "You know. I never thought your Daddy would turn out to be right."

Dean looked up confused. They hadn't spoken since Sam had left and he couldn't recall his father ever saying anything about Michael. "What do you mean?"

"John said you either had to save Sam or kill him. I think maybe we tried to hard to save him."

"Bobby," Dean said, realizing the implication of what Bobby had just said. That they ought to have killed Sam.

"All I'm saying is that he ended the world and we couldn't stop him. That's on us." Bobby loved Sam. He did. But Dean was his favorite. Always had been. Sam's actions always affected Dean and usually in a negative way.

When Sam had left for Stanford Dean had been crushed. He had taken it as a personal rejection instead of seeing it for what it was. A rejection of hunting and of their father's not being a good father.

When Sam had gotten himself killed at Cold Oak, Dean had sold his soul to save him.

When Sam had been drinking demon blood all year, Dean knew that something was wrong, but didn't know what. Dean had his own issues with getting out of Hell and all, but had had to shelve all that to deal with Sam.

Bobby loved Sam, but sometimes he hated him for what he did to Dean.

Dean realized something. "Dad."

"What about him?" Bobby asked.

Dean got up and went over to his duffel.

"What are you doing?"

Dean found what he was looking for and pulled it out. "Dad's storage locker. Chuck said the Michael sword was in a castle on a hill made of 42 dogs. Castle Storage, 42 Rover Hill."

"You think John had the sword this whole time?" Bobby asked in amazement. He didn't know why anything about John would amaze him anymore, though. He thought the man had thoroughly used up all his shocks.

"I don't know what else to think," Dean said.

"Ok, good enough for me. Let's go."

Sam walked in. "I couldn't find anything," he said, avoiding Bobby's eyes.

"We did," Dean said and explained what they had just found.

"Great, let's go," Sam said.

They went out to the car. Bobby got in the front side passenger seat. Sam noticed Dean didn't say anything, so he got in back. The last time he got in the back seat was after that case they had worked with Jo. Ellen had gotten in the front seat and he hadn't dared say anything then, either.

SSS

They walked cautiously into their father's storage space. "Glad you could make it," Zachariah said and threw out his hand and closed the door behind them.

"Oh, thank God, the angels are here," Dean said sarcastically.

"Glad to see you figured it out. We may have planted that particular piece of prophecy in Chuck's head, but it was true. We really did lose the Michael Sword. Didn't know where it was. Until now. Thanks for bringing it to us."

"We don't have anything," Dean said, confused.

"It's you, chucklehead," Zachariah said and rolled his eyes.

"What?"

"You're the Michael sword. Or more precisely, his vessel."

"So, why are you telling me all this instead of just nabbing me? Michael needs my permission, doesn't he?" Dean asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Zachariah affirmed.

"Well, the answer is no." They had just spent hours reading about Michael and the sword, and the Apocalypse, and he knew that if he said yes, millions of people would die. There had to be another way. Besides, after what Zachariah had pulled, he wasn't going to trust some other angel.

"I'm sick of your attitude," Zachariah said. "Maybe this will change your mind. He pointed at Dean with his finger.

"What are you going to do with that? Shoot me with your finger?"

"I was, but I changed my mind," Zachariah said, pointed at Sam's knee and said, "bang."

Sam yelled and went down to the floor.

Dean looked back at him in amazement. He knew they were angels, but still, he hadn't actually thought that they could shoot with their fingers.

All Bobby could think was that Sam was going to mess it up for Dean again. Dean would agree to be Michael's vessel to save Sam. That would probably be worse than dying, trapped inside your own body, while someone else steered the ship.

"No," Dean said. He couldn't do this. Not even for Sammy. Too many lives were at risk. He looked back at him again.

Sam gave him an encouraging nod. He would not be the cause of any more furtherance of Armageddon.

Zachariah knew Dean. Knew the way to get to him was through Sam. Everybody knew that. "Well, let's see how he does without his lungs."

Sam was gasping for breath. But he couldn't get any. He had heard Zach say he was taking his lungs, so it made sense. That was how you got air.

Bobby was mad at Sam, but he didn't want him to die. If it was possible to throttle an angel, he would do it. But he knew of no weapon that would work on an angel.

Suddenly, there was the sound of flapping of wings and Castiel appeared in front of them.

"What? You're dead," Zachariah protested.

"I was. I'm not anymore."

"But how is that possible?"

"God must have brought me back," Castiel said simply.

"No, that can't be," Zachariah protested. God was on his side. He wouldn't thwart him like this.

"You know it has to be. He also put Sam and Dean on that plane. Now, put Sam back together and leave. I won't ask again."

Zachariah hesitated for no more than a second. If God did bring Castiel back it wouldn't do to cross him. He disappeared.

Dean immediately turned to Sam to see if he was breathing.

Sam took a deep breath. And another one. And another one. He would never take breathing for granted again.

He stood up tentatively.

"You should be more careful," Castiel said.

"Yeah, I'm getting that," Dean said.

Castiel placed on of his hands over Dean's rib and the other over Sam's. They both grunted out in pain.

"What did you do to them?" Bobby asked.

"An enochian sidgil. It will hide them from angels."

"Did you brand us?" Dean asked. That had really hurt.

"No, I carved it into your ribs." Then he disappeared.

"Look, Sam. I'm sorry for what I said earlier. When I just saw you, dying, gasping for breath, I realized…," he trailed off.

"Thanks, Bobby," Sam said. He couldn't have lived with Bobby hating him.

Dean was relieved. He didn't want to have to choose between Bobby and Sam. His father had made him make that choice and he had chosen his father only because he thought Sam didn't want him. Now, he knew he would have had to choose Sam. Sam needed him. But, he didn't want to lose Bobby.

"Well, we got work to do," Bobby said.

The End