Well, this is it. The final chapter. I'd like to thank everyone who read and reviewed. You have no idea how awesome it is to think that you've finished a series, then turn around ayear later to actually finish it and find that people are still interested! So, if you like what you read, drop a line. If you don't... go away. Nobody likes you and you have no friends :)
Lucifer dealt the first blow. He ran at Sam, sword raised and at the ready, but Sam blocked him effortlessly, sending a shower of sparks down to the brown cemetery dirt.
Sam flapped his wings and went up, intending to dive-bomb his opponent, but Lucifer matched him, flap for flap, leaving the more inexperienced angel at a loss. He turned and headed back to the ground, to the feeling of something solid under his feet, and Lucifer again followed.
As soon as he'd landed, Sammy spun, striking upward and stabbing the demon in the ribs. Lucifer screamed, backing off as Sam pulled his weapon from the creature's side, and slashed out, leaving a clean cut in the younger man's arm.
Sam stepped back as the Devil reared back for another attack and tripped over a jutting tombstone, sprawling out flat on his back. The demon was standing over him in a flash, the tip of his flaming word at Sam's throat. "Look at the bright side. Family reunions are always fun."
Sam kicked at the older creature's legs, sending him toppling to ground. "Bit early for a victory speech, don't you think?" he asked, scrambling to retrieve his sword as the Devil stirred.
Lucifer held out his hand and his weapon flew into it. He looked at Sammy and grinned. "All right. You're good. But give the Devil his due."
Sam rolled his eyes as they began circling each other, swords held at the ready, each waiting for the other to strike first. Lucifer made the first move, stepping deftly toward Sam and striking out at him. Sam blocked the move and before he knew it they were locked tight in battle, swords clanging, sparking, connecting and disconnecting, a battle of skill, of wit, of good and evil.
He had the upper hand, was pushing the Devil back toward the mausoleum, when the gates opened up. Every demon that had been surrounding the cemetery flooded in as Sam turned to his opponent. Lucifer shrugged. "Humans."
"You-"
"Lied, yes," he said, smiling, "and I'll do it again, too." The demons surrounded them, blocking them in, staring with black eyes and evil grins. "Face it, Sam. You've lost. Dean's dead. I've won. Nothing you do now can stop me." He raised his sword, using it to push Sam's out of the way. "Now, I believe we had a deal?"
Gulping back fear, Sam lowered his weapon. His mind was numb with shock and grief and betrayal, and his body was soon to follow suit. He'd lost. The fate of the world, of the cosmos, had been put on his shoulders and he had lost. Hell had broken loose in Georgia and he hadn't been able to stop it. It could only spread from there, until it covered the entire Earth in despair.
Above them, the red hue of the sky rippled and cracked. Every set of eyes turned up toward the top of the dome they'd been enclosed in to see a rush of light falling toward them. Sam took that as his cue.
He slapped the sword out of Lucifer's slackened grip, sending it flying across the cemetery to land in a pile of brush. The Devil seemed not to have noticed. He spread his leathery wings and took off into the sky, as if trying to repair the rip in his shield and stop the light from pouring through.
Sam followed him, gaining momentum as he flew, glancing down at the ground only long enough to see the balls of light hitting the dirt to do battle with the demons. The cavalry had arrived.
He reached out and grabbed Lucifer's leg, pulling the demon back toward him, back to the earth. He shoved the older being down as he dove, pushing him now, heading toward the stone roof of the mausoleum amidst the clatter of swords and the screams of the fallen.
Lucifer's back hit the roof hard enough to crack it, hard enough to snap the fragile bones in his torn wings. Sam leaned over him, his face mere inches the Devil's and sneered at him. "Well, you're pretty good old son, but let me show you how it's done."
The demon smirked. "You can't. You won't." He leaned up until their noses were almost touching. "I can give you your brother back," he whispered.
Sam faltered, blinking. Dean. Dean had made a deal. Dean was in Hell. Dean was dead, dead because of this thing, because of a war they had no business in being a part of, because destiny had handed them both a rotten hand, and-
He wasn't sure how it had happened, but it had happened. He was lying flat on his back, wings spread out on either side of him, his head lying in the pile of ash that had once been his brother. Lucifer stood over him, grinning like a maniac, recovered sword held aloft. "Run, boy. Run."
But Sam couldn't move. The damned thing had frozen him to his spot, had taken his only weapon, his only family, his only hope. He took one last breath, looking up at the Devil with hard, determined eyes, and waited.
A shaft of fire burst suddenly through Lucifer's middle as he prepared to kill the angel. Sam's eyes went wide as he felt the Devil's paralyzing hold loosen. The demon dropped his sword to his side as Sam scrambled out from under him. The creature hit his knees, falling forward onto his hands, revealing the person who had delivered the blow.
"Dean?" Sam whispered.
His brother stepped up beside the fallen angel and smirked. "And the Devil bowed his head because he knew that he'd been beat." He kicked the demon's sword away, off of the roof. "He laid that golden fiddle on the ground at Johnny's feet. Johnny said, 'Devil, just come on back, if you ever want to try again.'" he grabbed a handful of blond hair and pulled Lucifer's face up toward his own. "'Cause I told you once, you son of a bitch," with one swift movement, he stabbed the Devil in the back, angling the blade to detach the blackened wings from his back. "I'm the best there's ever been." The creature disintegrated into a pile of dust.
All around them, the sounds of the battle ceased as the demons possessing the townspeople died inside their hosts and the angels began the process of healing the injured. Sam turned wide eyes toward his brother. "You're alive?"
Dean grinned. "Not anymore." His sword faded from existence, and now Sam could see it, a soft light emanating from the older man, bathing him an ethereal glow, the light for the world. Dean held out his hand to help his brother up.
"He said you went to Hell."
"Come on, Sammy," Dean scoffed, "you really think God's gonna let Her perfect little soldier roast for all eternity?"
Sam blinked. "Her?"
"Yeah," the older man nodded. "Turns out that He is a She. By the way, little bit of advice, never hit on the first person you meet in Heaven."
"I'll remember that," Sam grinned, "if I ever make it."
Dean frowned, slumping his shoulders, stunningly white wings still stained with the blood of his brother dropping with the action. "Dude, no way I'm leaving you here all alone. I don't trust you enough."
"But-"
"It's over, Sammy." He glanced down at the pile of dust swirling at their feet. "He's dead. We can go home."
"Home?" Sam asked, looking up toward the sky, at the light that had filled the once bleak and dismal cemetery, "you mean…?"
"Unless you want to stay here and fight the now non-existent demons for the rest of eternity, yeah. Everyone's waiting."
"Everyone?"
Dean nodded. "The lying son of a bitch was telling the truth about dad. He got a get outta Hell free card when he saved me." He followed Sam's gaze up to the sky. "So, you ready?"
"Dude, I've been ready for the past five hundred years."
"Five hundred and four," Dean smirked, shoving his hands into his pockets, "I win."
"It's not a contest, Dean."
"If it were, I would have won."
"Fine, Dean," Sam sighed, "if there was something to win, you would have won it. Happy now?"
"Ecstatic."
Smiling, the Winchester brothers both spread their wings and flew off into the light.
Well, that's it. Thanks again for enjoying the story (at least, I hope you enjoyed it). As always, keep looking for more of my stuff. I have no life, so i'm always writing :) See ya!