Chapter 3

I thought hard about what it meant that Sam and Dean were together. I knew how they acted and as usual, they weren't dealing with the issue at the center of it. It didn't matter that Sam had been tricked, what would matter the most to Dean is that Sam chose to go with Ruby instead of staying with him. I sighed heavily and shook my head. I felt the air shimmer behind me and I frowned.

"Why aren't you with Bobby?" Joshua asked.

"I spoke to Bobby, and I think that it's better that I stay here," I said pointedly.

"Hmm," Joshua murmured. "You already know what's going on with Bobby."

He made it a statement and not a question.

"Unfortunately," I sighed. "Am I allowed to do something about this?"

"No," Joshua shook his head. "You're going to have to remain outside of it. The orders are for you to let it all unfold the way that it must. When you're needed to intervene, then you shall."
I turned to him and arched an eyebrow. I was being relegated to active observer and that was never a good position to be in. I hung my head for a moment. I was no longer imprisoned but my hands were effectively chained. I felt Joshua's hand on my shoulder.

"What?" I asked him.

"Come," he smiled. "Let's go watch the show. No one will know that we're there."

I frowned but followed him into the house.

Sam and Dean cautiously picked their way through the wreckage that was the ground floor of Chuck's house. There was blood spatter everywhere and showed that there was an obvious battle between angels. I frowned as they looked at each other and then Sam was suddenly hit in the head with a golf club. It was Chuck, who appeared to be frightened and I shook my head in dismay. Joshua placed his finger to my lips and I scowled at him.

"Geez!" Sam exclaimed as he moved backwards away from the golf club wielding Chuck. "Ow!" he yelled.

"Sam?" Chuck lowered the weapon.

"Yeah," Sam answered.

"Hey Chuck," Dean called to him.

"You're okay," Chuck said breathlessly as he came forward to see that they were indeed in front of them.

"Well my head hurts," Sam said as he rubbed his forehead and looked annoyed at Chuck.

"No, in my last vision, you were like full on Vader. Your body temperature was 150, your heart rate was 200," Chuck paused, "your eyes were black."

"Your eyes were black?" Dean asked in a distant tone.

"I didn't know," Sam replied softly.

Dean nodded as though he was filing the information away for further thought. I perched on an overturned chair and waited.

"Where's Cass?" Dean asked to direct Chuck to the obvious reason they came.

"He's dead," Chuck said sadly, as he struggled to breathe properly. "Gone, the archangel smote the crap out of him."

Dean stared at him stonily.

"I'm sorry," Chuck whispered.

"You're sure," Dean pressed. "Maybe he vanished into the light or something."

"No, no," Chuck insisted. "He like exploded. Like a balloon filled with chunky soup."

I arched my head at the simile and then remembered that the prophet fashioned himself a writer and sighed heavily.

Dean turned away and Sam exhaled. He looked at Chuck for a moment and then indicated to Chuck that there was something in his hair. After a moment, Chuck pulled a molar out of his hair. It was obviously Jimmy's, Castiel's human vessel.

"Oh God," Chuck exclaimed as he pulled the tooth out of his hair and stared at it. "Is that a molar? Do I have a molar in my hair." He sounded at the point of tears and I felt Joshua's hand tighten on my shoulder.

"This has been a really stressful day," Chuck choked back tears as Dean's face reflected his sadness.

"Cass you stupid bastard," Dean cursed.

"Stupid?" Sam challenged. "He was trying to help us."

"Yeah," Dean agreed. "Exactly."

"So what now?" Sam pressed.

"I don't know," Dean snapped.

Chuck got a strange look on his face. "Oh crap," he exclaimed.

"What?" Dean asked.

"I can feel them," Chuck stated.

"I thought we'd find you here," Zachariah's voice sounded from behind Sam and Dean before they could ask who was coming.

They spun to face Zachariah who was flanked by two other angels. He kicked at the rubbish on the floor.

"Play time's over Dean," Zachariah said. "Time to come with us."

"You just keep your distance, asshat," Dean pointed at Zachariah from across the room.

Zachariah looked at him a bit puzzled. "You're upset," he sounded surprised.

"Yeah," Dean confirmed. "A little, you sons of bitches jump started judgment day."

"Maybe we let it happen, but we didn't start anything," Zachariah winked. "Right Sammy?"

Sam looked taken aback.

"You had a chance to stop your brother," Zachariah taunted. "And you couldn't. So let's not quibble about who started what. Let's just say it was all our faults and move on."

Dean appeared as though he'd like to actually hit Zachariah. I was amazed at how obtuse he was. Joshua merely shook his head beside me.

"Cause like it or not," Zachariah continued. "It's Apocalypse Now and we're back on the same team again."

"Is that so," Dean challenged.

"You want to kill the Devil and we want you to kill the Devil," Zachariah explained. "It's synergy."
"And I'm just supposed to trust you?" Dean scoffed. "Cram it with walnuts ugly."

"This isn't a game, son," Zachariah lectured. "Lucifer is powerful in ways that defy description. We need to strike now, hard and fast, before he finds his vessel."
"His vessel?" Sam interjected. "Lucifer needs a meat – suit?"

"He is an angel," Zachariah chuckled. "Them's the rules. And when he touches down, we're talking, four horsemen, red oceans, fiery skies, the greatest hits. You can stop him Dean, but you need our help."

"You listen to me, you two – faced douche," Dean huffed angrily. " After what you did? I don't want jack – squat from you."

"You listen to me boy!" Zachariah roared. "You think you can rebel against us as Lucifer did?" he stopped and caught sight of Dean's bleeding fist. "You're bleeding." Zachariah stated.

"Yeah," Dean acknowledged. "A little insurance policy in case you dicks showed up."

Dean pulled the sliding wooden door out of the wall and on it was the banishment sigil. He slammed his bloodied hand over the mark and the bright light sent Zachariah and the others away as Zachariah screamed 'no!'.

"Learned that from my friend Cass, you son of a bitch," Dean swore to the empty room.

Dean turned to look at Chuck. "This sucks ass," Chuck said.

Sam shook his head.

Dean reached for his phone and punched in a number. I felt my pocket vibrate and shook off Joshua's hand. He nodded for a moment and left the house.

"Yes Dean," I answered him as I appeared in the room.

Chuck pushed his head forward. "How come she didn't vanish too?"

Dean snapped the phone shut. "Probably has to do with the intent behind the spell. Kelsey wasn't a part of my intent so she would have been unharmed."

I nodded in agreement.

"Are you leaving her here?" Chuck smiled at me.

Sam pushed him behind his body. "Chuck, she'll kill you."

"Oh yeah," Dean nodded.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Lucifer needs a vessel?" Dean pressed.

"Yes," I confirmed. "He must locate an adequate vessel to hold him to corporeal form."

"Why are you different?" Sam asked.

"Probably because she wasn't a part of the whole rebellion," Chuck interjected.

I arched an eyebrow.

"Come on," Chuck shrugged. "She's completely unreadable. Which means that she has access to things that the others don't."

Sam shook his head. "I'm serious Chuck, she'll hurt you."

"She's not waving a pitchfork," Chuck shrugged.

"The prophet is sounding a bit omniscient," I gritted.

He took a step backwards and Dean waved his hand.

"Kelsey?" he said.

"Yes," I sighed. "Lucifer has to find a vessel that can house him. It'll be difficult, because of the amount of power that he exudes."

"Why?" Sam frowned.

"Not every vessel can house an archangel," I sighed. "Remember that above all else, Lucifer is an archangel. But unlike others of his kind, he thinks like a demon."

"So he'll wear the body out," Dean nodded.

"Not intentionally," I shook my head. "But it's the same result in the end."

"So we're basically screwed," Sam said.

"Not necessarily," I sighed. "I must confess that the complicity of the angels in Lucifer's escape has put a giant spoke in the wheel, but there is nothing we can do about that now."

"Can you help us?" Sam asked.

"Sam!" Dean hissed.

"Not in the way that you'd like Sam," I exhaled sharply. "I have orders that I must follow."

"Who gave you those orders?" Sam pressed.

"The Father," I explained. "I have a very defined role. I can't deviate outside of it unless He wills it."
"The others figure that God checked out of this whole situation a long time ago," Dean stared at me.

"The ways of the Father are unknowable," I murmured. "I am an angel. I must obey in all things."

"I understand," Dean nodded.