**Supernaturally**
-Chapter One-
Dean watched from the corner of his eye as Sam sat down beside him on the couch, the scent of rotting wood and stained carpets filling his nostrils. Even for their standards, this particular motel was about as close to sleeping in an abandoned warehouse as it got. The only thing he could think to make the moment even worse was maybe a Wi-Fi shortage. Or ravenous ferrets.
Sam let go of a tight breath. "So," he began, his voice hoarse. "What are we going to do?"
At that moment, Dean honestly had no clue. Cas was absent. Bobby wasn't picking up his phone. Chuck was at another Supernatural convention. Things were looking quite grim. Lucifer's words kept repeating over and over in his mind. A horrifying echo that wouldn't seem to stop.
"Bring me Sam Winchester or I'll have my Blood Hounds dine on human flesh for the main course. Your choice."
Dean felt ready to boot.
"Okay, so we know he has the building surrounded. It wouldn't make sense for him to show up at the Grand Central manor unprotected," Sam thought aloud.
"Not that he needs any protection," Dean felt compelled to grumble. Irritably, Sam's jaw bone flared as he clenched and unclenched his teeth. It was a nervous habit of his that Dean had picked up on long ago.
Leaning back in the couch, Dean dragged both hands down his face, unraveling at the seams. They had two options that Lucifer made painfully clear. Either bring Sam, his vessel, to the manor where he kidnapped over forty innocents. Or he'll feed the John and Jane Does like dog food to his Hell Hounds. Having known from experience how it felt to be torn to shreds by Hell's evil bitches, Dean wasn't exactly on board with ignoring the Devil's request. But he felt cornered. In no means, did he at all, want Sam anywhere near Lucifer. The fate of the world, literally, rested in his hands. But what was he to do?
Sam, again, interrupted his quiet contemplation. "Maybe we can get in there, make a few demon traps, bring the knife and then distract the demons and Lucifer until the people can get free. We can probably blast in through the back and—"
"And what, Sam? Become human speed bumps for the Devil to walk all over and hope that miraculously the captured people run in the right direction? We're talking about humans, Sam. A bunch of trapped, scared and idiotic humans. We'd be lucky to live long enough to see them even try to run for the doors."
"Then what are we going to do? We can't just sit here doing nothing! Innocent people are going to die, Dean!"
"I know!" Dean roared, raising his voice for the first time. "You think I don't know that?"
There was another thick silence. One that felt even heavier than the last. If that were even possible. Dean's palms hurt from the crescent shaped cuts lining the bottom of his hand. His fingernails were digging into flesh. But the pain was only a distant throb. A quiet mewling from the back of his mind, reminding him that he too, was only human.
Sam sighed again, looking down at the ground and letting his hair fall victim to gravity. It shielded his eyes from Dean's quick glance, making him wonder if his brother was angry or scared. Maybe both. A crackle of lightning broke the silence and it graced brief light over the dark hotel room. A rumble of thunder followed. They had exactly twenty four hours to make a decision. Twenty four long and fear-filled hours.
"I have to go, Dean. Lucifer won't stop until he gets what he wants. I've watched too many people die because of me. At the very least, I owe them this." Sam's words chilled Dean to the bone, enough to make him growl.
"Oh no you're not. You're staying here, right where I can see you," Dean said, standing up and stuffing his hands into his pockets. Sam stood up, too, his eyebrows narrowing. The dark brown of his eyes was pitch black in the dimness. "I wasn't asking for your permission. And you can't stop me," he snapped. "My mind is set. No one else is going to die because of me. This is it. I've had it with Lucifer's stupid games. If it's me he wants, then so be it."
Dean watched as Sam ripped his jacket off the back of the chair and yanked it over his arms in determined frustration. Dean's eyes widened.
"And what, you think he'll just let everyone else walk demon-free after you show up? You can't be serious, Sam, this plan is crazy. Not to mention suicidal and, pardon my French, but stupid as hell."
Sam didn't reply. He only continued to frown and pack supplies into a bag. Another roar of thunder commenced, causing Dean to nearly jump out of his skin as Castiel's shape appeared across the room. At least he wasn't popping out of space right in front of his face anymore, but still. That dude really needed a bell.
"Dean is right, Sam. You cannot give into Lucifer's wishes," Castiel tried to reason. His hands were tucked into his trench coat pockets and his face showed the lines of exhaustion. Dean couldn't help but wonder if angels ever got tired or worn. But it seemed by the look on his friend's face, it might actually be the case.
Sam stopped his angry packing and whipped around to face the level-headed angel. "So we're just going to leave everyone to die? They didn't ask for this. They don't deserve this. It wasn't their fault that they're in this mess. I opened the door. I broke the last seal. I let Lucifer free. Not them. They don't deserve death."
Castiel refused to show an ounce of, well, anything as Sam yelled at him. Dean was about to jump back into it when he was interrupted.
"The death of the few, although unjust and unfair, does not outweigh the life of the many. Sometimes sacrifices must be made to achieve great peace." Castiel's face revealed no spite in what he was saying. In fact, if Dean didn't know any better, Cas was trying very hard to speak with remorse. But he couldn't ignore the obvious. Dean saw the resolved look in his eyes, lighting up electric blue as a wave of white light erupted in the room. The thunder seemed to shake the building itself.
Dean wanted to believe Castiel's words. They were true. He knew it. But Sam had a point. They couldn't just turn their heads as countless innocents died for no purpose, but evil blackmail. It was wrong and it went against everything they believed in.
Sam's eyes sparkled with emotion. "You might be okay with pretending nothing is happening because you can choose to disappear or reappear at any time, but I'm not you. I'm not some emotionless jerk who can't see right from wrong. This is wrong. The death of innocents is wrong. And I won't sit back and do nothing while blood is spilled in my name," Sam hissed.
Castiel's eyes narrowed. "And you would prefer to give yourself up to the Devil and have him shed blood personally? I see no more reason in your idea of a solution than my supposed 'wrong' ideal of action."
Sam clenched his hands into fists and took steps to stand face-to-face with the angel. "You heartless winged piece of—"
Dean finally felt compelled to intercede. "Sam, enough. Cas is right. You're not going. Your plan is ridiculous."
Castiel crossed his arms over his chest, almost appearing smug. But Dean knew better. Cas wasn't one to gloat in petty victories.
"We're going to rescue the captives together," Dean said levelly.
Both angel and brother turned to stare at Dean, who tried not to appear as if he just dropped the F-bomb. When, in fact, he had uttered the T-word he tried very hard not to use. Asking for help wasn't exactly the Winchester way, but if they wanted even a chance against the Devil, then Dean and Sam would need every ounce of help they could get. And Cas just so happened to be their only angelic hit man.
Author's note: Welp, this is my very first FanFiction EVER. Not my usual writing work, but I just can't help it. Supernatural is really an epic series. The characters, the story, the dialogue. *sighs* It's a work of art. Of course, I'm only in the middle of the fifth season (currently watching them on Netflix religeously) so don't tell me anything! O.o Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed. Any and all reviews are greatly appreciated. I'll post the next chapter ASAP!
