"It's about 5 miles in that direction." Dean said pointing at the way the rift spat them out. "We need to hurry." He added watching everyone around. There were a lot of people, some hurt, some unconscious, not to mention a dead DDean. Despite GGabriel's deprecation, SSam healed him, and he nodded back at his son, his eyes bursting with pride.
"How are we supposed to transport all these people to the rift? Beside Sam and Jack, we are all almost depleted." Gabriel asked looking at Dean. Dean kept looking around, thinking. SSam and Jack should preserve their power, just in case, he thought. When he spotted an old bus, he shouted out "Hey, Bobby! Does that old thing work?" Bobby shrugged and went with Dean to check the bus out. Maybe they could fix it, patch it up just enough to make it to the rift.
Sam stared angrily at Lucifer for a few moments before turning to go help his brother. Jack was staring at him too, his eyes more curious then angry. But when Sam passed him by, he diverted his eyes sadly. Lucifer opened his mouth to speak, but the words never came out. Everywhere he looked, angry and disappointed eyes stared at him. All except SSam.
That is just the way SSam was like, always wanting to see the best in people. He gave him a comforting look, and tried to approach him, but GGabriel wouldn't let him. He grabbed his hand and pulled him back, his eyes ordering SSam not to intervene. That wasn't their Lucifer, that wasn't their problem.
So Lucifer approached the person closest to him. "Gabriel... I..." Gabriel didn't even spare him a glance, but simply said "Don't." Like a child caught with his hands in the cookie jar, Lucifer pocketed his own and stared down at the ground. He messed up, again. No matter what he did, he'd always mess up. "Gabriel, please..."
"Just don't. It's too little too late for any of it." Gabriel stated with his arms crossed and Lucifer could read between the lines. It was too late for him. He had two millennia of bad, of wrong behind him, and no wish; no effort could ever correct that. He thought he was just hurting the humans, daddy's toys, but he hurt his family too. He looked away as a single tear runs down his cheek, and he hides it, not wanting anyone to see.
In less than ten minutes, Dean's impressive mechanic skills were able to get the bus running, and soon everyone was running inside. With Jack's and Sam's help, GGabriel and SSam carried DDean's body in the bus. Almost everyone was in, but Lucifer didn't move. Nobody even spared him a look anymore, and he felt uninvited. They were probably going to leave him behind, and there was nothing he could do about it. He flinched when Cass set his hand on his shoulder and frowned when he heard him say "You're driving. That way I can keep an eye on you."
One very confused Lucifer sat behind the big wheel of the run-down bus and let the memories of his vessel tell him what to do. With the gear-box roaring at him, Lucifer managed to put it in first gear, and push the gas pedal. He was somewhat proud of himself when the bus started moving and he changed gears again, making the bus go faster and faster. He felt it would be too weird for him to sing out loud, not that it ever stopped him before, but this time, his hummed, singing the "Wheels on the bus go round and round" in his mind. Cass was sitting behind him, sighing and rolling his eyes the entire drive.
"Crap." was all Dean could say when they reached the place they opened the rift, only to see it gone. "Now what do we do?" Sam asked Dean looking at the place the rift was as they got off the bus. Lucifer remained seated, staring down at the pedals. This was his fault. But he didn't know. How could he? Damn, he just wanted to help, but he found he couldn't even do that right. Ough, enough with the self-pity! screamed the voice inside his head.
When the ground started shaking and clouds started gathering up, everyone was terrified. The angels were preparing another attack, that neither SSam nor Jack could stop, as they didn't know how. The three archangels with them were mostly depleted, so they couldn't help either. Lucifer tried to start the bus back up, he just banged on the starter for nothing. "Move!" Dean ordered and took his place to try and start the bus himself. The more the engine refused to cooperate, the more pissed off Dean got. He flinched when his brother called his name and he looked at the direction Sam was pointing at.
When did they ever had such luck? He saw the rift reopen and he froze for a second. He was snapped out of his trance when Lucifer shouted "Let's move it, people!"
At the big black desk surrounded by hallways after hallways of tall shelves filled with black books sat Billie, in a strict black suit, leaning into yet another book. Next to her, set against her desk was her... Death's scythe, almost mocking her. She rolls her eyes at it, thinking she never wanted the job, but couldn't help feel the perks of it. She might not have wanted it, but she sure liked it.
The ground shook again, as it did so many times in the last couple of days, making all the books drop down from their shelves into nothingness. New books appeared in the shelves and she sighed again. "Those damn Winchesters." She could feel them going over from one world into theirs and she hoped this was the final crossing. She drops the book she was reading into the bottomless trash can next to her desk, and picks up a new book from the shelf, annoyed she is going to have to start all over again.
"When are they ever going to learn?" she whispered to herself and there and then made a promise. The next time the boys open a rift into another world, she is going to teach them a lesson. A lesson about how their grand actions have cosmic consequences.
Ketch and Mary demonstrated how to cross the rift and people from that world followed one by one. Gabriel followed and Cass and Jack helped GGabriel and SSam with DDean. Dean glanced over that world and the storm forming above them one more time and as the rift started to flicker he crossed. Sam was left last, on purpose. This was going to be his moment. His turn for vengeance. Just before the rift could collapse on itself, he pushed Lucifer away and made the jump, leaving the Devil behind.
Dean and Sam arrived last only to find everyone frozen in fear. They moved in front of the crowd next to SSam and GGabriel and looked at Rowena and the man next to her in fear and confusion. How the hell was he here?
They didn't know why, but Rowena seemed exhausted. She was using her own power to keep the rift open for as long as she could and almost passed out on her efforts. She lost her focus and the rift closed when a handsome looking man by her standards startled her. His dark brows rising as he inspected the room, his dark eyes widen when he saw the bowl with ingredients. She shared an apologetic look and he quickly went over to the bowl, cut his own neck and let some of his grace drop in it. This scared Rowena, but at his nod, she chanted the same spell she's been using to keep the rift open. She smiled brightly seeing it reopen.
And now everyone was staring at this man with anger, resentment, fear and she had no idea why. And for a few minutes everyone stood like that, frozen in time until the man next to Rowena smiled brightly at GGabriel and SSam saying "I was getting worried."
"Jesus, Michael, you scared the crap out of us." GGabriel said with an eye roll. "We just escaped the world you terrorized." Pretty soon it was clear to the others which MMichael stood before them. Ketch, Mary and Bobby slowly moved the people, settling them in a few spare rooms in the bunker. They didn't need to see this. MMichael's face went from a bright smile to a sad frown "What happened to Dean?" He asked knowing which Dean it was just by seeing the look in his brother's eyes.
MMichael approached his dead vessel set down on the cold floor and looked at him with curiosity. He crouched down next to him and placed his hand on DDean's chest. "Don't!" GGabriel almost screamed and then went around his son's body. He pulled up his sleeve and the confusion on MMichael's face disappeared when he saw the Mark. He could heal nor revive someone who bore the Mark without succumbing to its effects.
Dean watched the same man who was responsible for the dead body at their feet turn sad at these news and it took him a few minutes to process it. This version of Michael was so different, so compassionate, and Dean couldn't quite comprehend that straight away. Sam broke his trance when he nudged him and Dean finally spoke. "We can fix this. – and all eyes turned to him – we just need a few things."
"Like what?" GGabriel asked with interest. He was curious how this Dean knew so much about the mark and even had a first blade of his own, yet no Mark and no cold behaviour that came with it. They must have found a way to remove it without breaking the lock, GGabriel though, and he couldn't have been more wrong.
"A few gallons of blood, a priest and a secure room. We could use the dungeon, - Dean said more to Sam – maybe we could move a bed there." Cass stepped forward "Jack and I will move the bed." he nodded at the confused kid and they went about their task. "And the blood..." Dean got interrupted by Sam "I'm on it."
Gabriel stood aside, feeling like he didn't belong. He looked at this MMichael and wished his brother was more like that. The concern he had for a human that was nothing more than a vessel was so unimaginable. At yet, there he was, crouching down next to DDean worried and sad. Gabriel glanced at his double and couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. That Gabriel had it all. He had a son, his family and... Gabriel sighed heavily. "It's always something with these boys, huh?" he heard a woman's voice speak up next to him, and he forgot everything he was thinking when he meet those hazel eyes behind a strand of red hair. Needless to say, Gabriel was mesmerised.
"How do you know so much about all of this?" GGabriel just needed to know and again everyone's attention was on Dean. He ran his hand over his face with a slight sigh before he spoke "I had the Mark too. And I was killed. And... – he glanced at Rowena – someone brought me back. The king of Hell, actually."
"My son, Fergus." she stated with sadness in her voice. "Yeah, Crowley... – Dean added in the same tone – but I didn't come back as me." As much as they all wanted to know the rest, Cass interrupted Dean's explanation with a proclamation that the bed was set. And as soon as they moved DDean there Sam arrived with the blessed blood and only stated "I've stocked up just in case." at everyone's questioning looks.
"What are you doing?" MMichael asked when they started chaining the dead body to the bed. Sam proceeded whilst Dean turned to them "The Mark is corrupting his soul. We can bring him back, but his soul... It will be tainted." Dean said and just for a moment he was confused how he managed to sound more like his brother then himself. The old Dean would have just spit it out. "What do you mean tainted?" GGabriel asked and Dean just couldn't get the words out.
He remembered his time with the Mark and what it did to him. What it made him. He gave Sam a thankful look when Sam answered for him "Demon. Dean is going to come back as a demon." He didn't know why, but all Dean wanted was to assure them all it will be ok. "Don't worry, we can fix that too. We know how to cure demons."
"But it might be for the best if you let us do this alone. It might be... Disturbing." Sam said with compassion, but flinched when he heard SSam yell "No! I am not leaving my brother. Not ever again!" If there was anybody in any world that understood that, it would be Sam and Dean. And so, with a heavy heart, the boys proceeded at their task.
As he is known to do, Ketch stood aside, hidden behind the doorframe, listening in. He couldn't help the thought that crossed his mind. The boys were turning into the real Men of Letters. Not even the British chapter knew how to cure a demon, little lone anything about the Mark of Cain. At yet, their actions were focused on saving lives and not just blindly following orders. And Ketch knew he made the right choice by taking their side and trying to be more like them.