AN: Hey everybody, thanks for those who are continuing with this after Do You Recall. I'm hoping you guys like this chapter, it's got a couple goodies and twists for ya. Feel free to drop a comment in the little box below. ;)

The chapter title is by Journey.


What It Takes

"Feelin' that it's gone
Can't change your mind

If we can't go on
To survive the tide
Love divides,"

—Journey, "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)

II: Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)

With Castiel cut off from Heaven and much of its power, Bobby remained sour and wheelchair bound. The angel left with Dean's amulet on a quest to find God—according to his logic, the only one left besides Michael strong enough to stop Lucifer. Meanwhile, Elena tried to cheer Bobby up, but he refused to be "coddled" and wouldn't even let her stay with him in the hospital when Rufus called in a panic.

But there weren't demons in River Pass, Colorado. Just one of the Four Horsemen with a sick sense of humor. Sam cut off War's finger and Dean grabbed his magic ring, ending the crazy demon circus and saving Ellen, Jo, Rufus and Elena in the process. But by the end of it, both Winchesters came to a realization: Sam couldn't trust himself, and Dean couldn't focus on the case and get the job done right if he had to be worrying about Sam. So Sam hitched a ride out of River Pass going west while Dean and Elena took the Impala and headed east.

They spent the better part of a month on one hunt after another. It was different, just the two of them. Calmer. Neither wanted to admit things were…more peaceful. The two didn't talk about it if they could help it, just took on another case and hit another no-name bar after another. Though Elena was relieved when Dean said they'd take a bit of a break after this last one dealing with a shapeshifter. It put both of them through the ringer.

That night they checked into a motel in Portales, New Mexico and it was all Elena could do to put one foot in front of the other to follow Dean inside. The room was small even though the bed seemed a mile away from the doorway where she stood. There was nothing in her body that didn't scream in protest with every step, but she guessed that's what happened when you got your ass handed to you before being strapped to a medieval torture device.

If she didn't care much for shapeshifters before, she fucking hated them now. Them and their fetishes.

Dean wasn't much better off than her, with nearly getting drawn and quartered if he hadn't been able to reach one of his silver knives in time. But they'd cut it close. Not having Sam was putting a wrench in what had been their routine for so long. With the third pair of eyes they might've escaped in half the time. Hell, they probably wouldn't have let the shapeshifter completely get the drop on them in the first place, let alone nearly get stretched to death.

Elena's back twinged painfully when she set her bag down on the floor. Rolling her shoulders didn't help, but she lowered herself to the bed's edge and slowly removed her jacket. Dean watched her out of the corner of his eye at her ginger movements. He kicked off his shoes and socks and tossed a bottle of pain relievers within her reach.

"Want first shower?" he offered, and a generous one it was. It let her know she hadn't covered her discomfort well enough. Elena hesitated. That was an offer she wanted to take, but she honestly wasn't sure if she had the energy.

"Yeah," she said eventually. "Gimme a sec."

"You okay?"

She nodded and tried to slide her boots off. The laces were too tight for that, so she had no choice but to bend over her knees. She got about halfway there before a muscle spasm in her lower back made her stop and she couldn't quite smother the small cry it evoked. Then Dean was in front of her to make sure she stopped, and let him take them off the damn shoes for her.

"You're hurt," he said. The pain was obvious in her eyes, but she shook her head stubbornly.

"I'm fine."

He rolled his eyes and sat next to her.

"Where?" he asked.

"Dean—"

"Cut it out, Elena. Tell me where."

She sighed and gave in, muttering about the knife-like sensation near her spine and how shapeshifters should never get access to museums. When he started undoing the buttons of her plaid shirt she couldn't help a weak smirk.

"You do work fast."

Dean snorted.

"Lay down flat," he instructed and tossed the shirt onto the floor. "On your stomach."

"All right, Dr. Feelgood. Just be gentle—ah-ha!" She winced at the initial pressure against the knot they both could feel just underneath her skin. He murmured apologies every so often at the pained sounds she couldn't help, but didn't let up on massaging the muscle there until the knot loosened. By the end of it her eyes were squeezed shut with her hands clenched into the blankets. But she couldn't help a low moan when his hands started smoothing circles in a burning trail up her back.

"Too much?" The smirk in his voice was obvious.

"Stop and I'll hurt you," she huffed into the bed. Dean chuckled. He unclipped her bra and worked his way up until getting to her neck and shoulders, where he freed her hair from its tight braid.

"Explains why you're so tense," he remarked and pushed away her hair. She sighed in response and finally relaxed fully, folding her hands under her cheek and closing her eyes.

"There are lots of reasons for that."

He didn't have much to say to that, so he didn't say anything. Dean knew she, at least partially, meant his brother.

It was both harder and easier without Sam. Even harder to admit, and he'd tried (he really had) not to think about it. There was less drama, for sure, and more time alone than he'd ever had with Elena. Bottom line, there was less to deal with.

While Dean knew Elena wouldn't say, he knew she was thinking the same as him most times. It wasn't the same, but he was ashamed to say he needed and wanted the space, for however long it would last.

And Sam did too. He had said as much and thought it would be good for everybody, and it was.

Elena turned over and called his name softly.

"Yeah?" he said, a little distracted. She grabbed one of his calloused hands and held it.

"Thanks." She smiled when he brushed her hair away from her face with his other hand.

"You can tell me when you're hurt, ya know." He pinned her with a look that was slightly chiding. "I thought we'd been over this."

"If it gets me this every time, I will." She smiled cheekily and pulled him down to her. Dean smirked and let her. He placed a few kissed along the column of her throat while his hands wandered over bare skin, up her sides and stopping at the edge of her loose bra. He began to pull the straps down her shoulders, until he caught a flicker of movement out of the corner of his eye.

Dean's gaze snapped up to see Castiel standing in the middle of the room, shifting his stance somewhat awkwardly.

"Cas!" he exclaimed over Elena's gasp and lay over her, shielding her from view.

"I am…interrupting something."

"Damn right you are, turn around!"

The angel gave something like an apologetic look and obliged. Dean got off Elena, allowing her to fix her bra and grab her forgotten shirt from the floor and hastily button it. Dean sighed in disappointment as he stood from the bed and ran a hand over his face.

"You need to fucking knock, man," he said in frustration. "How'd you find us anyway? I thought we were flying below the angel-radar."

"You are. Bobby told me where you were," Cas replied. "Where's Sam?"

Dean shared a glance with Elena.

"You can turn around now," she told the angel sourly. Cas turned around and raised his brows expectantly, as his question still wasn't answered.

"Us and Sam are taking separate vacations for a while." Dean grabbed his jacket from the floor. "So, you find God yet? Or more importantly, can I have my damn necklace back, please?"

"No, I haven't found him. That's why I'm here, I need your help."

"With what?" Dean asked dryly. "The God-hunt? Not interested."

"It's not God, it's someone else."

"Who?"

"An archangel," said Cas. "The one who killed me."

"Excuse me?" Dean asked, his face mirroring Elena's.

"His name is Rafael."

"…You were wasted by a teenage mutant ninja angel?"

"I've heard whispers that he's walking the earth. This is a rare opportunity."

"For what, revenge?"

"Information."

Dean was less than enthused, but realized the angel was serious if he was talking about catching and interrogating an archangel. He crossed his arms and regarded Castiel with a long look.

"Give me one reason why I should do this?"

"You're Michael's vessel," Castiel explained, finally looking agitated. "No angel would dare harm you."

"Oh, so I'm your bullet shield," he said. "I doubt that's gunna extend to Elena too."

"It will, but I need. Your help," said Cas. It was the closest thing to begging both hunters had ever seen him. "Because you are the only ones who will help me…please."

Dean restrained a sigh and glanced over at Elena. She breathed deeply and shrugged.

"All right. Fine," he said reluctantly.

Castiel nodded.

"He's in Maine, let's go." He reached out two hands to touch both humans' foreheads, but Dean leaned back.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," he protested.

"What?"

"Last time you zapped me someplace I couldn't shit for a week," he said. "We're driving."

.


.

Instead of taking Cas's direct approach, they played it smart and went into the precinct deputy's office as FBI investigating the recent gas station riot and subsequent explosion. The deputy remembered one man who stood amidst the carnage without a scratch, but was now admitted to a local hospital.

Looking into his room they saw a wheelchair bound man who stared vacantly out the large windows, a vegetable.

"Is this what I'm looking at if Michael jumps my bones?" Dean asked.

"No, not at all," said Cas. "Michael is much more powerful. It'll be far worse for you."

Elena looked up at Dean and wasn't able to cover her worry. He didn't really meet her gaze, but steered her down the hall with a hand against her lower back.

They drove to a rundown empty house on the edge of the city, vacated by the recent riots. Dean and Elena were forced to wait the long hours of the night while Castiel disappeared, only to return with a vase of oil, supposedly from Jerusalem. He said they had to wait out until sunrise for Rafael.

"Do we have any chance of surviving this?" Dean asked point blank. Cas sat down at the table in the kitchen.

"You two do."

"So come tomorrow you're probably a dead man."

"Yes."

"Wow…well, last night on earth. What are your plans?"

"…I just thought I'd sit here quietly."

"Dude, come on really? No booze, women?"

"Really?" Elena deadpanned, giving Dean an exasperated look. He raised his hands, placating.

"For him."

Cas looked down and away from Dean.

"You…have been with a woman before. Or an angel at least?"

The angel scratched the back of his head and still wouldn't meet Dean's gaze. The latter leant down near him.

"You mean to tell me you've never been up there doing a little cloud seeding?"

"I've never had occasion, okay?"

Elena rolled her eyes and covered her eyes with her hand as Dean started putting his jacket on. She knew she'd live to regret this, but there really wasn't much she could do when he got that look on his face.

"Let me tell you somethin', there are two things I know for certain. One: Bert and Ernie are gay. Two: you are not gunna die a virgin."

Dean looked over at Elena, who leaned against the wall with her arms crossed.

"I think I'll just stay here, if it's all the same," she said dryly. She knew he was going to find the skeeviest bar he could find (if it was a bar he was planning on going to), and she'd rather not. He grinned and slipped an arm around her waist.

"Not on your life, babe. Who else is gunna drink with me?" He teased, "It'll be like a date."

She cracked a smirk.

"Yeah, because helping an angel get laid is every girl's idea of a date."

.


.

"Would you relax?"

"This is a den of iniquity. I shouldn't be here."

"Dear God," Elena muttered. The poor guy was so afraid and uncomfortable it hurt to look at him.

"Dude, you full on rebelled against Heaven," said Dean. "Iniquity is one of the perks."

"Cas," said Elena, for the first time using his nickname and at the same time earning the angel's attention. "You can relax. They'll…show you what to do. They're professionals."

But Castiel wasn't really paying attention as a young woman in a white negligee sauntered over to their table with an easy smile.

"Hi. What's your name?"

His fear was overwhelming his ability to speak. Elena had to bite her lip to hide her smile as she shared a look with Dean, who finally had to answer for him.

"Cas. His name's Cas. What's your name?"

"Chastity," she replied cheerfully, while the angel began to chug his beer.

"Chastity?" Dean repeated, inwardly chuckling at the irony. "Is that cool or what, buddy? Huh?"

Cas almost finished the beer off in one sip.

"Well, he likes you and you like him, so…have fun!"

Chastity's smile broadened and she grabbed Cas's hand.

"Come on, baby," she said, and led him to his feet. Cas sent Dean one more panicked look, but followed her into the back room after taking the wad of money and helpful tips Dean offered him about keeping his "order" simple.

Dean returned to the table and sat opposite of Elena, who sipped her fruity drink through a straw. He raised suggestive brows and leant forward.

"Time to have our own party."

She huffed a short laugh.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this."

"Aw, come on. Where else can you get this kind of ambiance?"

"A brothel."

"…Nah, they don't set up as fancy."

"…I'm going to pretend that didn't come out of your mouth."

Dean laughed genuinely and sipped at his beer. It was the most carefree she'd seen him in a long while.

"I'm just kiddin', Lena."

She just rolled her eyes, but couldn't help a smile at his antics as she bit indelicately on her straw.

"Have we ever been on a date?" Dean asked after a few beats of comfortable silence. Elena wracked her brain.

"Uh…no, I don't think so," she said. Her gaze shifted away from his face. "We've never really had time."

"Or been alone for that long," he finished for her. Besides recently, that is. Her smile fell as her eyes drifted back to his face.

"That's…such a coupley thing to do," she mused and smiled again, slightly. It didn't reach her eyes.

"We are, aren't we?" Dean asked. She blinked.

"Well yeah, but…you've never talked about something like that before."

"Hasn't really come up until now." He said it as he realized it, and the table fell in a silence that wasn't so comfortable.

Until both of them were startled by the feminine scream that came from the back. At seeing a furious Chastity come storming out of the room the two were on their feet. Cas came out, his coat and tie half undone—the picture of confusion as the woman yelled obscenities at him, and then at Dean and Elena as they passed to get to their friend.

"What the hell did you do?" Dean hissed.

"I simply looked into her eyes and told her it wasn't her fault that her dad left," said the angel. "He just hated his job at the post office."

Dean laughed, despite himself.

"Aw man, this kind of place thrives on absent fathers. It's the natural order…" But at seeing the two bouncers heading toward them, Dean pushed both Castiel and Elena outside through the back. Elena was embarrassed for Cas, but Dean's rare full body laughter was too infectious not to bring a smile to her face. They'd just gotten kicked out of one of the skeeviest gentleman's clubs in the area.

.


.

In the morning they snuck into the man's room in the hospital, and Castiel poured the holy oil around him.

"When the oil burns, no angel can touch or pass through the flames, or he dies."

"Okay, so we trap him in a steel cage of holy fire, but how the hell do we get him here?"

"There's, well, almost an open phone line between a vessel and his angel. One just has to know how to dial."

Castiel spoke an incantation into the man's ear, ending with a little taunt for Raphael for good measure. Dean wondered aloud how long it would take for Raphael to hear, to which Cas simply answered, "Be ready," and lit a match to the oil.

They spent the whole day in that hospital room, but the archangel never showed. Eventually they gave up and drove back to the house. It was just their luck that Raphael was waiting for them, possessing his vessel with a state of power that blacked out not only the room, but the eastern seaboard. Outside, it thundered and rained.

"Consider it a testament to my unending mercy that I don't smite you here and now," said Rafael. His voice was low and rumbling, not unlike the thunder. Castiel positioned himself in front of the two humans while Dean stepped in front of Elena.

"Or maybe you're full of crap," he said, earning the angel's attention. "Maybe you're afraid God'll bring Cas back to life again, and smite you in your candy ass skirt."

The angel raised a brow, and Dean smirked.

"By the way, hi, I'm Dean—"

"I know who you are." Rafael chuckled slightly. "And now thanks to him, I know where you are."

"You wouldn't kill him," said Cas. "You wouldn't dare."

"But I will take him to Michael."

"Well that sounds terrifying. It does," said Dean, walking toward the cooler of beers he left by the fireplace before they left. He twisted the cap open on one. "But I'm not going anywhere with you."

"Surely you remember Zachariah giving you a heart attack," said Rafael. Dean took a swig from the bottle and turned back toward the archangel.

"Yeah. That was…hilarious."

"Yes. Well, he doesn't have anything close to my…imagination."

He stepped forward in small, intimidating steps.

"I bet you didn't imagine one thing," said Dean.

"What?"

"We knew you were coming, you stupid, son of a bitch."

He dropped his lighter on the circle of holy oil, efficiently trapping the archangel. Rafael looked at the surrounding flames, and then up at the rest of them with obvious steely anger. Elena drew near Dean subconsciously.

"Hey, don't look at me," Dean said, and nodded toward Castiel. "It was his idea."

Cas looked over at him with a deadpan expression before turning toward Rafael.

"Where is He?"

"God?"

Castiel nodded.

"Didn't you hear?" said Rafael. "He's dead, Castiel. Dead."

"No," Cas refuted. He wouldn't, couldn't believe it.

"There is no other explanation. He's gone, for good."

"You're lying."

"Am I? Do you remember the twentieth century? Think the twenty-first is going any better?" said Rafael. "You think God would've let any of that happen if he were alive?"

"Oh yeah?" asked Dean. "Then who invented the Chinese Basket trick."

Elena sent him a warning look. He had a penchant for mouthing off at all times that was going to get him killed one day.

"Careful," said Rafael. "That's my father you're talking about, boy."

"Yeah, who would be so proud to know that his sons started the friggin' Apocalypse."

"Who ran off and disappeared? Who left, no instructions, and a world to run."

"…So Daddy disappeared. He didn't happen to work for the post office, did he?"

Castiel and Elena looked over at Dean with similar expressions of incredulity.

"Is this funny to you?" asked Rafael. "You're living in a Godless universe."

"And? What, you and the other kids decided to throw and Apocalypse while He's gone?"

"We're tired…we just want it to be over," he said. "We just want…Paradise."

"So what, God dies, you become the boss and you think you can do whatever you want?" Dean exclaimed.

"Yes," said the archangel, the fury returning to his eyes. "And whatever we want, we get."

His power sent the windows exploding, to which Castiel acted fast and covered both Dean and Elena from the blast. It let in the rain that soaked them, but fortunately didn't extinguish the flames.

"If God is dead, how did I survive?" Castiel asked. "Who brought me back?"

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe Lucifer raised you?" said Rafael.

"No."

"Think about it. He needs all the rebellious angels he can find. You know it adds up."

After a moment, Cas shook his head.

"Let's go." He turned and headed toward the door, but was stopped by the archangel calling his name.

"I'm warning you. Do not leave me here," he said. "I will find you."

Castiel glanced over at Dean and Elena, then back to his former brother with the slightest smirk on his face.

"Maybe one day. But today, you're my little bitch."

.


.

"I'm glad you told Cas not to give up," Elena said. The Impala sped seventy miles an hour on deserted highway, well into the night.

"Poor guy needs to believe in something," he said. "Let's just hope the ninja turtle stays put for a while."

"Yeah…but did you really mean…what you said about Sam?" she asked. "I mean…"

"Lena…for once, I don't have to be cleaning up after his mess or wonder if I'm being lied to," he said. "We can spend more time together…mostly uninterrupted, and I don't have to be distracted on the job half as much."

"Will you still feel that way a couple months from now?" she asked. "A year?"

"I don't know, maybe," Dean snapped. "But I feel better now than I have in months."

"I know. Believe me, I do. And don't get me wrong. Being with you? It's great." Elena held her gaze on his profile as she said, "But I know you, and I know Sam. Yeah, right now you two need your space from one another. All I'm saying is, don't shut the door all the way."

Dean was quiet, but finally looked over at her.

"Look…Sam hurt you. He hurt me too," she said. "I'm not saying I know exactly how you feel, but…I do know what it's like to be chained to your family. Or at least, what it's like to feel that way. And I know what it's like to be shut out by them. Either way, it isn't a picnic."

His eyes met her earnest, grey gaze, and eventually he nodded and turned back to the road ahead. After a while she turned on the radio at a moderate volume level, and after an hour Dean could hear her breathing slow and even out in sleep. He thought about what she said and could admit she had a point.

But he wasn't calling his brother. Not anytime soon.


Sixteen hours later they stopped at a motel in Kansas City and dragged themselves into the room. Elena was on the phone with Bobby while Dean got a call from Castiel, wherever he was, talking about the Colt. Though the angel still thought the idea of killing Lucifer was ludicrous, the gun currently in the hands of the demons was their only shot. But the Colt could wait until tomorrow, after a few hours of sleep.

Elena was still on the phone when Dean hung up on Cas.

"Forgive me but you don't exactly sound fine," she said, and sat down on the edge of the bed, crossing one arm under her elbow.

"What's the matter?" Dean asked. Her brows furrowed at whatever the old man was telling her.

"Well excuse me for giving a shit, Bobby! Next time I won't bother." Elena snapped the phone shut and tossed it next to her. Dean raised his brows at her.

"He's prickly at the moment," she sighed.

"You don't say."

"I just…wish I could do more, you know?"

Dean moved the phone over and sat beside her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. She leaned against him and took in the smell of his leather jacket. The one he slung on the side of a chair but it still lingered on his clothes and his skin. It always made him smell like the old cologne and gun powder so ingrained in the leather. She'd come to know that smell like Dean could sniff out pie.

"Yeah I know."

His voice though. It still managed to rumble through her, down her spine and sometimes all the way to her toes.

Elena exhaled through her nose and realized how tired she was, not for the first time that night. But after sitting in a car for so long, she needed the grime of the road off her skin.

"I need a shower," she murmured. Dean turned his head to where hers rested against his shoulder and kissed her hair.

"Me too." She felt his grin as he pressed his lips to the top of her head, and couldn't help but smile herself.

"Only if you have the party box," she remarked, to which he leant down to rifle through his bag to find what she was talking about. He usually stowed a box of condoms deep in the trunk of his car for good measure, but he'd forgotten to do some grocery shopping and started using that box instead. After this he would have to, though.

"Last one, babe." His brows waggled and she smirked, despite herself.

"You better hope we don't run out of hot water," said Elena. Dean chuckled and pulled her to her feet, until their bodies aligned, her chest against his. She kissed him and let him continue to lead her into the bathroom. This time there were no intruding angels with quests or red alarms to stop them, though they did end up running out of hot water.


They went to sleep more exhausted than they were before, but for a better reason. Then Dean's cell phone just had to ring after two solid hours. He almost didn't hear it, but Elena stirred in his arms and that finally woke him enough to grab at the phone.

"Damn it, Cas. I need to sleep," he growled.

"Dean, it's me."

His eyes opened, glancing down at Elena's peeved expression.

"Sam?" he asked. Elena's annoyance dimmed to concern and curiosity.

"It's quarter past four."

"This is important."

Dean sighed, but stretched widely and rolled onto his back. At least his muscles were lax from a better workout than weights could've ever given him. Elena went with him as he shifted and his hand lowered to the small of her back.

"All right. Shoot."

His little brother proceeded to tell him what had happened to him in the past few days, all of it culminating in Lucifer visiting him in his dreams to tell him that he was the archangel's true vessel.

"Just when you thought you were out, they pull you back in, huh, Sammy," Dean mused.

"…That's it? That's your response?"

"What do you want?"

"Uh, I don't know…a little panic maybe?"

"I guess I'm a little numb to the earth-shattering revelations at this point," said Dean. "Plus I'm half asleep."

"What are we gunna do about it?"

"What do you want to do about it?"

"I want back in, for starters."

Dean shook his head and again glanced down at Elena, who was close enough to hear the conversation and wore a frown.

"Sam…"

"I mean, I'm sick of being a puppet to these sons of bitches…I'm gunna hunt him down, Dean."

"Oh, so we're back to revenge then, are we?" said Dean. "Yeah, 'cause that worked out so well last time."

"Not revenge…redemption."

"So we're just gunna walk back in and we're going to be the dynamic duo again?"

"Dean, I can do this. I can," said Sam. "I'm going to prove it to you."

Elena looked up at Dean hopefully. He closed his eyes.

"Look, Sam. It doesn't matter, whatever we do," he said finally, sitting up against the headboard. "Turns out we're the fire and oil of the Armageddon. On that basis alone we should just pick a hemisphere and stay away from each other for good."

"Dean, it doesn't have to be like this. We can fight it!"

"Yeah, you're right, but not together," said Dean. "We're not stronger together, Sam. I think we're weaker. Because whatever we have between us: love, family, whatever it is, they are always going to use it against us, and you know that…we're better off apart. And we've got a better chance of dodging Lucifer, Michael, and this whole damn thing…if we just go our separate ways."

"If you're gunna go by that logic," said Sam, "What about Elena?"

"What about her?" Dean asked, annoyed that he would bring her into it.

"You really don't think they'd try to use her against you?" Sam's voice was gentler, without resentment or accusation, but it still annoyed Dean even more. It was different with Elena. She wasn't anyone's vessel, first of all, and Cas had said that Dean's status as Michael's vessel should protect her…though he was beginning to wonder how that exactly made any sense.

But Dean swallowed that worrying line of thought for later. The point that his brother failed to see was, Dean wasn't ready to be "Sam and Dean" again, driving down Route 66 and ganking "Monster of the Week." Maybe not ever.

"At least she doesn't lie to me."

The silence on the other line made him want to hang up already, because Dean could picture the look on his brother's face and didn't want to continue seeing it behind his eyelids when he closed his eyes.

"…Dean," Sam pleaded. "Don't do this."

"Goodbye, Sam."

He clicked the phone shut and was eventually met by Elena's disappointed frown.

"Did you even listen to a word I said to you?" she asked, her voice a coarse whisper, still thick with sleep.

Dean shook his head. "I can't."

Her eyes were sad.

"You're afraid he'll turn on you again."

He gave her a tired look.

"Wouldn't you be?"

Her gaze fell to his chest, almost involuntarily avoiding his eyes. Because how could he not be? Even Sam agreed that his brother had every right to be angry, resentful even. That didn't mean she had to like seeing them like this, or keep pretending that everything was fine when it wasn't. But for him, she could continue trying to help the only way she knew how to.

"Okay," she said at last. Her hand rested against his chest, feeling muscle just underneath soft cotton. "I get it."

Dean nodded in appreciation and once again coiled his arm around her during his attempt of finding a comfortable position. He was determined to get another few hours in before morning hit. Elena was tired enough and wrapped so warmly in Dean and blankets that sleep wasn't very far away.

.


.

When she woke the right side of the bed was empty. The clock on the nightstand read 9:11, so she'd sort of slept in, which was weird considering Dean getting up usually woke her right away. But the shower wasn't running. The curtains were still drawn closed.

Something's not right.

Elena sat up and looked over the side of the bed where his duffel was and found his keys to the Impala in the front pocket. Nor did she find the grey shirt and black shorts he'd slept in the night before, so he hadn't gone outside. Not in that torrential, frigid downpour without the coat that hung off the side of a chair in the kitchen. His phone was on the nightstand, so calling it was a pretty moot point.

Time to call Cas.

Or, at least she would have, if she hadn't blinked and found herself dressed and not in the motel room anymore.

It looked like a dining room in the most opulent mansion she'd ever stood in. The floors were marble and pristine as the decorated walls and seemingly hand-carved trim. A sofa was the only large furnishing against the wall, opposite of a fireplace on the other side. The place looked of old wealth, but not a speck of dust stained a single ornamental vase or statue.

"It's interesting in some respects, the human mind." Zachariah's voice came from behind her, and his douchey grin was there when she turned around. "How one view of this place differs from one to the next."

"Is this supposed to be Heaven?" she asked.

"A part of it," he allowed. "Think of it as…the lobby."

Hey, Cas…your buddy Zachariah took Dean somewhere…he got me too, she thought. I don't know where I am, but if you could try and find me that'd be great…I think I'm in Heaven's lobby, wherever the hell that is.

"How did you find us?"

"You have your allies, we have ours." The angel clasped his arms behind his back and slowly began to pace the room. "You were spotted, put it that way."

Elena crossed her arms in front of her and regarded him coolly.

"Okay. Have we gotten to the part where you tell me why I'm here?" she said. "Where's Dean?"

Zachariah glanced up at her and smiled.

"Not that I have to tell you anything, but Dean…he's on a little trip," he said, and raised a hand when she tensed. "But don't worry. He'll be back. He just needs…a taste of what the future holds if he stays on his path of resistance."

Elena raised her brows incredulously.

"You mean your fucked up War to End all Wars? You mean to tell me you sent him in the middle of all that?"

"Not exactly," the angel said cryptically. "But hopefully he'll get a good look and come to his senses."

"What, you're hoping he'll suddenly think getting possessed is a good idea?" Elena laughed humorlessly. "I'm sure letting your psycho brothers end the world is going to turn out great for everyone."

"And you think it'll be a basket of roses if Lucifer goes unchecked?" asked Zachariah. "What do you think will be the outcome?"

"Sam's his true vessel right?" she said. "If he can't get to Sam, then he can't complete his grand master plan."

"Come on, Elena," Zachariah drawled, stepping closer to her. "Considering what's already happened, don't you think it's just a matter of time?"

The angel was nearly in her personal space when he leant toward her, that insufferable grin making her wish she had a knife to stab it with.

"Sam knows better," she replied tersely.

"You wanna bet money on that?" he asked drolly. "Or better yet, your life? Dean's? The world?"

Cas, I think right now would be a pretty good time, she thought, and cautiously backed up a couple steps.

"So what's next?" she asked, swallowing to work out the nerves from her voice. Best to keep him talking while she discreetly looked for a weapon, or better yet, an escape hatch. "Unless there's something you haven't told me, you don't need me to be some dickbag's meat suit, so again, why am I here?"

"Dean really goes for the mouthy ones, doesn't he?" the angel sighed to himself. "But you're right. You're pretty useless, in and of yourself."

That threw her for a loop.

"So why—"

The walls beginning to shake cut her off, and while the angel stood impassively she stumbled as she lost her footing. But when she looked up, Castiel was there to help her up. He then pushed her behind him to stand in front of her, his blade brandished as he regarded his brother coldly.

"So nice to see you again, Castiel," Zachariah said, his smile deepening. "Doesn't take much to bring you out of hiding, does it?"

Castiel kept his eyes on him, but addressed the wide-eyed woman behind him.

"Elena, you need to wake up."

She looked up at him in confusion.

"What do you mean I need to wake up? I'm right here!"

"No," he corrected. "Zachariah infiltrated your mind."

"Wasn't all that hard," said the other angel. "Finding you on the other hand, Castiel. Now that took some work. We should've thought of this first."

"Just shake me awake then!" Elena exclaimed.

"I can't," said Cas. "You've been locked deeply within your in your mind. I am prevented from bringing you out of consciousness."

That meant she actually wasn't in Heaven's lobby, or whatever con Zachariah had been trying to pull.

"Then how the fuck do I wake up?" she asked desperately.

"If you manage to climb out of here, and that's a big 'if,' by the time you do, the Winchester brothers will have accepted their fate," said Zachariah. "And then the real fun can start…until then, are you going to come quietly, brother?"

"What do you think?" said Castiel, tensing in his stance. Zachariah sighed.

"Worth a shot."

The angel disappeared, leaving Elena and Cas to stare blankly at one another.

"Where did he go?" she asked finally, breaking the silence.

"Neither of us were actually here—I am not," he explained. "I'm in the motel, warding your room for protection against my brothers while you remain asleep."

"But isn't he after you?"

"Yes," Cas nodded, "Which is why I have to leave. When I finish these wards I will not be able to reach you in here."

"But how am I supposed to get out of my own head?" she said. "What am I supposed to do?"

"Without the full extent of my power I cannot bring you out, but you might be able to escape," he said hurriedly. "You must take back control."

"How?" she exclaimed in exasperation. "I can't Jedi-mind trick myself!"

"Think of it as crawling out of a pit, or walking through a maze," he said. "Look for a door—"

But Castiel vanished, leaving Elena hanging on his unfinished instructions.

"What door?" she asked belatedly. "Cas!"

She made an agonized sound of frustration and slapped a hand to her forehead.

"Shit."

.


.

"So what, Zack zapped you up here to see how bad it gets?" asked Dean. Or more accurately, Future Dean. Dean from 2009 rotated his wrist from where he was handcuffed to an iron ladder. He looked up at his double with a light shrug.

"Yeah I guess."

Future Dean continued packing his array of guns and confirmed the Croatoan virus as Lucifer's endgame for destroying the world.

"It's efficient, it's incurable, and it's scary as hell. Turns people into monsters," he said. "Started hitting the major cities about two years ago. World really went in the crapper after that."

"What about Sam?"

It was a long time before his older self looked up at him and answered, "Heavyweight showdown it Detroit. From what I understand, Sam didn't make it."

Dean paused, his brows furrowing in confusion.

"You weren't with him?" he asked.

"No," the man replied. "No, me and Sam haven't talked in…hell, five years."

"…We never tried to find him?"

Future Dean's gaze drifted skyward before falling back to his younger counterpart.

"I had other people to worry about."

"…Then Elena, where's she?"

Again, Future Dean hesitated, his face darkening. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"Hey, where are you going?" Dean asked. The other man grabbed his gun from the table in front of him.

"I gotta run an errand."

"Whoa, whoa—you're just gunna leave me here?"

"Yes. I've got a group of twitchy trauma survivors out there with an apocalypse hanging over their heads. The last thing they need to see is a version of the Parent Trap," Future Dean snarked. "So yeah, you stay on lockdown."

"Okay, all right, fine," Dean conceded. "But you don't have to cuff me, man."

Future Dean ignored him and headed straight for the door.

"Oh come on, you don't trust yourself?" Dean smirked. Future Dean looked back at him with raised brows.

"No. Absolutely not."