Chapter 14: All Hell Breaks Loose

Dean and Cas are inseparable during what's left of the time before the showdown. Gabriel uses his grace to keep track of the hybrids nearby.

"They're gathering," he announces one morning.

"Where?" Sam asks as everyone jumps up and gathers weapons.

"Outside the city."

"How long?" Dean asks.

"A few hours? They're flying in from everywhere."

"Juliet, go alert the hunters. Ariel, Adam, go with her. Have them meet us outside the city. Make sure they've settled their debts," Dean orders.

"Jules," Gabriel says, catching her arm as she rushes past. "After that, go back to our room. If we don't come back, take the twins and go home."

"What? No, I'm fighting with you."

"Jules, somebody has to take care of Bobby and Mary. And I can't be worrying about you out there."

"And who says you should get to go? Why don't you stay behind?"

"Jules, you're their mother. They need you."

"They need a father too."

"Juliet, please. Please do this for me. I'm begging you."

Juliet glares at him.

"I'll stay, but only because someone needs to protect the citizens if this goes sideways."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me. Just come home."

Dean packs up the Impala.

"Here we go again, Baby. Ready for the big showdown?"

"Time to go, Dean. You ready?" Sam asks.

"It's Apocalypse time," Dean replies. "At least we're on the same side this time."

Sam smiles.

"Here, Dean," he says, handing over a cassette.

"What is this?"

"The Ultimate Apocalypse playlist," Sam replies.

"Well, go rally the troops. It's show time."

Dean, Cas, Sam, Gabriel, Ariel, and Adam pile into the Impala; Dean, Cas, and Sam squished in the front.

Dean pulls out of the parking lot and down the street. He drives slowly down the main street.

The hunters gathered in Leona trickle slowly onto the street and trail after the Impala in the world's strangest parade.

Dean rolls down the windows and blasts Sam's cassette as loud as possible. The first song is, obviously, "Rock of Ages". The caravan of hunters begin to sing along.

Juliet is in her motel room when there's a knock at the door. She opens it.

"Jay?"

"I wanted to stop by and say 'goodbye', since I probably won't be coming back. In fact, I don't really plan to."

"Jay..."

"Are you staying behind?"

"Gabriel asked me to."

"Then I guess this is 'goodbye'. It was nice to meet you, Juliet."

"You too, Jay."

Jay turns and walks away, joining the river of hunters down the main street. Juliet watches him go before slowly closing the door.

The Impala pulls up to the edge of a field.

"Gabriel?" Dean asks over his shoulder.

"They're coming here," Gabriel confirms.

"Okay. Let's do this."

The group climbs out of the car.

"Dean," Ariel turns to him. She gestures to the hunters. They're watching the group expectantly. "Talk to the masses."

"What?"

"She's right, Dean," Sam tells him. "They're waiting on you."

"But what do I say?"

"Word of encouragement. Anything. You gathered them here; now they look to you," Castiel replies.

"Just not your 'Braveheart' speech," Sam adds. Dean looks around and swallows before nodding. He climbs up onto the Impala.

"Alright, listen up!" he calls. The hunters turn to him and are silent. "The creatures we are fighting are going to be gathering in this field. It will be an army. Now, we don't know exact numbers."

"Eight-hundred-ninety-three," Gabriel says quietly.

"There are eight-hundred and ninety-three," Dean calls to the group. "We are- slightly- outnumbered. But the monsters attacking us don't have what we have. This planet is our home. Not theirs. As hunters, we have dedicated ourselves to fighting for Earth and humanity- some of us our whole lives.

"Many of us have families, homes, and friends. Today, we're fighting for them. We're fighting to save them. Not only that, we are fighting to save our lives too.

"I am honored to fight alongside each and everyone of you. And, should it happen, I would be honored to die alongside you.

"We are humanity's first- and probably only- line of defense. We cannot let them down. And we will not.

"Now, let's show them what happens to the sons of bitches who mess with Earth!"

The hunters let up a vicious cheer.

Dean climbs down from the Impala and exhales slowly. His family nods in approval.

"They're here," Gabriel announces.

Suddenly, from the trees surrounding the field, swarms of the hybrids rise up. Several hunters gasp and the group takes a half-step back.

"Steady!" Dean calls.

They hybrids fly forward and land several yards from the hunters.

"Are you the one called Dean Winchester?" the one in front asks.

"I am."

"We have a message for you."

"And?"

"'Welcome to Hell'," he says, with a smirk. The hybrides charge forward, huge wings flapping behind them.

The hunters run to meet them, guns, knives, and anything else they have slicing through hybrids.

Dean steals one last look at Cas, before charging forward, guns blazing and a primal yell on his lips.

The hybrids fight without weapons, using hands and teeth, not that that slows them any.

The two armies meld together into one tangled mash of hybrids and hunters.

Dean and Sam fight shoulder-to-shoulder for a short time, perfectly in sync from years of fighting in tandem, like to limbs of the same body. After a few minutes, they drift apart, and in the mad chaos, it is the last they will see of each other for some time.

For a brief span, Gabriel, Ariel, and Castiel form a merciless, undefeatable, triad of whirling angel blades. Years or training side by side in Heaven destroy the hybrids before in time, even their wall of deadly angel blades is broken apart.

During the fighting, the Winchesters sometimes catch glimpses of each other, but they are brief.

Dean is locked in a fierce struggle with a hybrid until his blade is knocked out of his hand. In the momentary lull, he glances around and realizes the hunters have been over taken. Only a few are still fighting; the rest are weaponless.

And he can see reflected in their stunned eyes, "We lost".

Juliet is pacing back and forth in her motel room. Suddenly, the door swings open and hits the wall behind it. Juliet is thrown against the wall behind her.

"Well, hello," the person in the door way smiles. A person with yellow eyes.

"Azazel," Juliet snarls.

"Juliet. Right?"

Juliet continues to glare at him.

"I suppose your brothers told you about me? Don't you know not to believe everything you hear?"

"I didn't just hear it from my brothers."

"Ah, yes, Ariel, the angel. I suppose she still blames me for the whole Sandalphon incident?"

"Can you blame her? You killed her soulmate."

"But think how much better her life is now. She met your brother. She had a purpose for years."

"You killed the man she loved. Sandalphon had friends, family-"

"Ah, yes. Family. The Winchesters most beloved word. Let me ask you, have any of you ever met Sandalphon's twin brother?"

"No."

"His name is Metatron. He is an insane, self-centered- egotistical angel. I think he deserved a little punishment."

"In the form of his brother's murder?"

"Well, the two just happened to coincide. Now, it'll be a miracle if he pulls himself together."

"And that's a good thing?"

"It's a great thing. The angel's a recluse now. No one ever needs to meet him."

"What are you here for?"

"Building up my army."

"With what?"

"I've come for the twins. The children of an archangel? The last archangel. Think how powerful they'll be."

"They won't be ready to fight for years. And by then, my brothers will have crushed your little uprising."

Azazel moves to her and places a hand around her throat, but doesn't squeeze.

"Silly girl. Your brothers and their 'army' are being decimated even as we speak. And as for the time it will take to raise my army, how old do you think my current hybrids are, hm?" Azazel asks. "The eldest is six. They age so much faster than you would believe. And their mental capacity is fantastic. So, I'm going to take your dear twins, does them up on demon blood, and create the new leaders of my army. But first, I need to get you out of the way."

Azazel clenches his hand on Juliet's throat. She struggles against him.

"Oh, don't struggle. I'm in no rush, and you'll only kill yourself faster."

"Suddenly, Mary Jo starts crying. Strength flows through Juliet and her eyes narrow. Azazel barely has a second to register the danger he is in before Juliet fits her fingers under his hand. She twists his arm away from her neck and rotates until his arm snaps.

"You just made the biggest mistake of your life," Juliet tells him, kicking him in the chest. Azazel drops to his knees. "You made my baby girl cry."

She dives for the demon knife on the table. Azazel jumps up behind her as she turns and drives it into his chest. Azazel gasps as the blade stops his heart.

"Have fun in Purgatory, bitch."

Dean looks around at the hunters left. Maybe half of them are dead, many bloody and disoriented and all of them disarmed, except for one.

Surrounded by hybrids, Jay is holding his own against five of them.

Dean is about to run to him and help, when a swarm of the hybrids descend on Jay. When they move away, and Dean can finally see, Jay is lying on the ground, so still there is no question about his life.

The hybrid who first spoke to Dea flies into the air.

"Humans! You have lost. Many of your number are dead. Many require medical attention. Surrender now, and we shall let you mourn your dead and tend your wounded. Continue you to resist, and we will be forced to kill you all."

"Dean," Adam murmurs to him. He wipes the blood flowing from a gash on his forehead. "We have to surrender."

Dean looks at his younger brother, then turns back to the hybrids.

Suddenly, there is a crash of thunder and lightening crackles across the sky.

A swarm of flying creatures fly over the humans' heads. The hunters begin to scatter in terror. Dean stares up, wide-eyed.

"The angels! It's the angels!" he exclaims to the hunters.

"Did you miss me?" Balthazar asks, landing before the hunters. He winks. Then he turns, and with a flourish, bellows to the angels, "Charge, my brethren! Remind them that wings do not make an angel. Let the Winchesters be in our debt!"

The angels dive forward towards the hybrids. The hunters, emboldened, race forward with them.

The battle is finished quickly. The hybrids, not expecting added resistance, are easily destroyed. The final few turn tail and run. Balthazar dispatches some angels after them to track them down.

After he is sure the fighting is over, Dean trudges through the chaos of hunters searching for family and mourning loved ones.

He approaches the Impala, prepared to search for his family. Leaning against the car are Sam with a bloody nose, Adam with a broken arm, Gabriel, Ariel, and Balthazar, and, supported by Gabriel, a very bloody, but beaming Castiel.

"We made it," Dean says, awestruck.

"Shockingly enough," Balthazar replies.

"Let's go home," Sam says.

A/N: Haha! We made it! Yay. Two more chapters guys. Chapter title season 2 episodes 21 and 22. And look at the unexpected hero of the day, our own lovely, snarky, Balthazar. I had more fun writing this chapter than almost anything.

So, now you know Metatron's backstory. What do you think? I wanted to go more into detail with it, but yeah.

Mama Bear Juliet, wooh!

Angels saving the day, oh yeah!

I enjoyed this chapter a lot.