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Chapter 36
Bobby capped the last bottle of demon blood that they had drained from the now dead demon and placed it next to the others.
Dean was leaning against the wall of the old abandoned barn they had dragged the demon to after Amber had summoned it. Sickness was rising in his stomach as he stared at the dark red liquid filling the bottles, imagining Sam chugging all of it down.
Cas was standing quietly next to him, his fingers entwined with the hunter's.
"C'mon, we gotta get this loaded up." Bobby said gruffly to Dean. "Sam is gonna take care of the body."
Amber was helping Sam drag the body outside to the pit Dean had dug earlier. Dean thought she was holding out fairly well, until the pair got outside and he heard Amber throwing up in the bushes.
Dean grabbed two bottles and followed Bobby outside, leaving Cas in the barn.
Placing the blood in the trunk of the Chevelle, he glanced over at Bobby quickly.
"Bobby...I wanted to ask you something." he had been pondering about the situation they were facing; even though Cas said to do nothing of course he was still going to try. "Do you know any doctors, nurses even, who are...you know, aware of the fact monsters are real?"
Bobby frowned. "Why?"
"When Cas does whatever he's going to do...I need to try and help him, Bobby. I can't let him die. Not like this."
"There's one woman...she might be able to help."
"Can you call her? I can finish loading up. She can meet us at the house?"
Bobby nodded; the desperation in Dean's voice scared him senseless. He didn't know what would happen to Dean if the hunter lost both his brother and his mate at the same time. He couldn't even imagine what it would be like for Dean.
"Yeah." Bobby clapped Dean on the shoulder and squeezed tightly. "Don't worry about it, Dean. Everything will be alright."
Dean watched Bobby walk a few yards away and pull out his phone, punching in the woman's number. His heart was growing more hollow by the second as the meeting with Lucifer drew nearer. Although he knew Bobby was trying to reassure him with his comforting words, he knew there was no hope behind them.
Dean sighed and truned to go back in for the rest of the bottles.
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There was a open field away from houses and the road that Sam figured was perfect for their encounter. Bobby's house was not too far from it, either, which was good. They would need a safe place to go to when it was over. Whatever happened.
Bobby had suggested it when they were discussing where this was actually going to go down. The brothers agreed it was a good idea to be as far as possible from civilization, so they maked the field as their final battleground.
They were heading there, only a few minutes away now. Dean was in the lead with the Impala, and he had the radio on, listening to the reporters talking about updates on the huge Chicago storm. It was coming fast and evacuations weren't going as planned.
"In some kind of freak electric outage, the trains have stopped running. We have gotten reports on buses breaking down, and civilians' cars as well. It amost seems as if something is trying to prevent people from leaving the city."
Dean popped the knob on the dashboard to shut the radio off; he had heard more then enough. Bottom line was they were running out of time.
Cas was nervously jiggling his leg besides Dean as he stared out the window. Dean reached over and placed a hand on his knee to cease the movement.
"It's ok, Cas. Don't be scared."
Cas touched Dean's hand and gave a small smile. "I can't help it. We're facing Lucifer himself."
He wrapped his arms around Dean and buried his face in the hunter's shoulder. Dean hugged him close, trying not to break down. It would not help anything to lose it now.
"Stay next to me, Dean. Please. I want you with me when I- "
"You're not going to die, Cas! We don't even know what's going to happen, so just stop." Dean interrupted fiercely. "Bobby has a friend, she can meet us at the house and help you."
Cas was quiet; it was if he had already resigned himself to the fact that this was the end. Dean didn't say any more; whatever happened, he would try to save his mate. No matter the cost.
They turned onto a rough dirt road and continued down a few miles until the field loomed ahead. Cas tightened his grip on the hunter as Dean drove across the field and parked the car.
Dean made to get out and help the others get Sam ready, but Cas grabbed his hand to stop him.
"I need to tell you something."
Dean turned to his mate; fear was etched in the angel's face. Placing a hand on his cheek worriedly he asked, "What is it? what's wrong?"
Meeting Dean's eyes he said, "I'm in labor, Dean."
"Already?" The color drained from the hunter's face. Instinctively Dean glanced down at Cas' stomach. There was a very faint light surrounding the bulge there.
"Everything happens faster with angels."
Dean tried to control his rapidly beating heart and asked, "Since when, Cas? Just now?"
"No, since the barn." Cas looked down, as though ashamed of his answer.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Dean pulled him into a hug again, and he was surprised to feel the angel trembling uncontrollably.
"Because I knew you would try and do something stupid. But there's no time left. We need to do this now." Cas pressed his lips firmly to Dean's, his tears wetting his mate's cheeks, before pulling away.
Dean stared at him in shock as he threw the Impala door open and got out. Why was it everything had to happen at once with them? Could they never get a break?
He followed his mate, keeping his eye on Castiel as they went over to the Chevelle. There was a determined expression on Cas' face, although his breathing was very erratic and he gave a sharp gasp and wince every so often.
Bobby and Amber were waiting on the side of the car; Sam had asked them to leave while he downed the demon blood.
"How's he doing?" Dean asked Bobby, nodding toward the rear of the Chevelle. The trunk was open, so they couldn't see Sam, but there was no masking the horrble noises of Sam swallowing the blood.
"Like you would expect. He's ready to go." Bobby said quietly.
Amber was watching Cas, her eyes wide. He was trying his best to hold it together, but apparently the labor pains were getting the best of him. Leaning against the Chevelle, he closed his eyes and tried to steady his breaths.
Amber glanced quickly at Dean, who met her gaze and nodded slightly, answering her unasked question.
Bobby frowned and followed Dean and Amber's eyes, which were trained on the angel. One glance told Bobby everything.
"Shit. Don't tell me...he's in labor?" There was no reply, but Bobby took that for a yes.
"Dean, should we do something for him?" Amber said quietly, looking concerned.
"What are we going to do?" came Dean's simple reply. "I'm doing what Cas wants me to do."
Cas gave a small gasp, and Dean went over to cradle the angel in his arms. "Can you see how much longer Sam is going to be?"
Amber nodded to Dean's query and scurried around the back of the car. Dean rubbed Cas' stomach gently as the angel gripped him tight, pressing his face into Dean's chest.
Kissing Cas' flushed face, Dean whispered soothingly in his ear, but it was like Cas couldn't even hear him. He was taking short sharp breaths now, and Dean could almost feel the pain he felt.
Sam was just wiping his mouth of some blood that had dribbled down his chin when Amber came to get him.
"How's it going back here, champ? Almost done?"
"Finished it all." Sam threw the empty bittle he was holding into the trunk and slammed it shut.
"We gotta get going then, Sam." Amber took his hand, squeezing it tightly. She was scared for him, scared what would happen once Lucifer invaded his body.
Sam must have sensed it, because he drew up into a hug. "Sorry, I would kiss you but I just drank an ass-load of blood."
"Yeah, I'm good without the kiss." Amber laughed, but it came out choked. Tears were burning in her eyes. She hadn't realized how much she really cared for Sam.
"Everything will turn out ok, Amber. Don't worry." Sam ran a hand through her hair and she shivered.
"What if it doesn't? We never even had a chance to have sex." Amber joked as tears ran down her cheeks.
"It will, and we can find a motel afterwards and have sex all day long if you want." Sam teased, hugging her again.
"I will keep you to that promise, Sam. Now let's go and get this over with so we can get to the sex part." Amber pulled him towards the others, even though she could barely walk. For all her words, she still felt like this was the last time she would ever hold Sam's hand.
Amber gave Sam one last grin before alerting the others to their prescence by saying, "Sam's ready."
Dean turned to see Amber standing with Sam, who looked extremely confident. Probably all the demon blood, Dean thought wryly.
"Call him then." Dean said quietly.
Sam nodded quickly and stepped further out into the field. "Lucifer! I'm ready! I'm ready to say yes."
There were a few moments of silence where nobody spoke. Sam turned to his friends and shrugged. He opened his mouth to try again, but suddenly felt a chill up his spine. There was no noise; no birds, no leaves rustling.
"Hello Sam."
Lucifer was standing there, his mouth turned up in a grin. "How are things?"
"I want to say yes." Sam blurted out, facing the angel.
"Right to business, huh? Don't you want to catch up?" Lucifer gazed behind Sam at the others. "You can tell me what you all have been doing. Other then collecting the Horsemen's rings, of course."
Sam took a step back, his heart jumping in his chest at the shock of Lucifer's statement.
"He knows...thats not good." Bobby whispered to Dean.
"Doesn't matter." Dean replied. He knew, for some strange reason, that Lucifer would not zap away. "He's going to see it as a challenge. He's so full of himself, he doesn't realize."
"I know what you're planning to do, Sam. Let me inhabit your body then jump into the pit. Your entourage will cheer and clap at my demise, and the world will be saved." Lucifer walked around slowly, examining him. "You;re just radiating with power, Sam. Did you drink a whole demon? Just for me?"
Sam finally spoke, quietly but with determination. "So you know. It makes no difference to me. We can make it a battle of wills, then. You win, you get my body. You lose, you go into the pit."
"And you would be joining me in the pit, of course, Sammy, don't forget that little detail." Lucifer laughed, a chilling laugh.
"That dude is really creepy." Amber whispered; she had sandwiched herself between Bobby and the Chevelle for protection, but still kept her vision clear so she could watch Sam. He seemed to be holding himself together well; if she was in that position she probably would have peed her pants by now.
Dean tightened his grip on Castiel; he was pretty much supporting the angel now. Cas was sweating, the salty beads dampening Dean's clothes. The angel gave a soft cry and clutched at his stomach suddenly.
"Dean, I can't focus much longer...the pain is overwhelming. I won't be able to control my Grace."
"Cas..how long do you think it will be before the baby comes? Maybe we can wait and-"
"I don't know, Dean...and we can't wait on this...not now." Cas clutched Dean's shirt and tried to steady himself for his role.
"Do you want to play this game then, Sam? Get the ball rolling?" Lucifer stepped up to Sam, looking him straight in the eyes.
Sam didn't blink or back away. He stared Lucifer down and replied. "Take your best shot."
The remark didn't seem to phase Lucifer. Instead it made him smile. "Okey dokey Sam. So what do you say?"
"Yes. Lucifer, I said yes."
There was a blinding white light surrounding the two figures in the field.
Bobby hurried to grab the rings from his pocket and the old parchment with the incantation for opening the cage.
"C'mon Cas. It's time." Dean whispered, and put an arm arouns his mate's waist to keep him upright. Pain was rolling through Cas' body in strong waves, but he tried to block it out and focus on his Grace inside of him. Though he couldn't use it's power, he could still direct it once it was removed from his body.
Cas was growing heavy in Dean's arms, and Dean lowered him to the ground, where he got on his hands and knees. Dean kneeled beside him, a hand on his back, and Amber got on the other side.
Cas was muttering in Enochian, speaking so fast Dean couldn't catch any of the words. His eyes began to glow with whitish blue light, and he opened his mouth. The light was coming from his mouth now, growing brighter as Lucifer's light dimisshed.
Dean looked up to see his brother standing and Lucifer's vessel sprawled on the ground. Sam dropped to the grass, digging his hands into the earth and clearly fighting an internal battle. Bobby threw the rings on the ground, and spoke the incantation to open the cage.
The last of the light left Castiel, and formed a swirling bluish orb above their head. Cas focused intently on the ball of light, and it shot toward Sam, hitting him in the chest.
He screamed as it disappeared through his clothes. Amber ran toward him; he looked dazed and confused.
"Amber, I got him. I can feel him fighting...I can't hold him for much longer."
"Bobby, hurry up!" Amber cried at the older hunter , who finished the incantation hurriedly.
There was a roaring noise, and suddenly the earth and grass around the rings was sucked down, creating a gaping endless hole.
Everyone looked toward Cas. He was the only one that could finish it now.
The angel was whimpering in Dean's arms, but he managed to look up, staring intensely at Sam. Gasping, he pointed at the younger Winchester and Sam was tugged forward by some unseen force. Cas made a fist, yanking it toward him, and the whole area exploded in light.
Sam was screaming, Amber kneeling besides him as power exploded from him. In a split second, Sam was limp on the ground and the battling lights that came from his body were being pulled toward the black pit.
Cas cried out, fighting to keep control of his withering Grace; Lucifer was extremely strong. Blood trickled from his nose, and he closed his eyes, concentrating everything on the Grace. He yanked his fist again, and the lights jerked toward the hole, getting closer and closer.
Cas cried out again, tears running from his eyes, mingling with the blood dripping from his nose and now his mouth. "Dean..I can't! I can't do it!"
"You can, Cas! You can do it! Please Cas hang on." Dean pulled Cas up higher, hugging him tightly to comfort him, but the angel was beyond comfort at this point. Dean's throat burned and he felt the tears coming, running down his cheeks as Cas struggled to breathe.
Feeling Dean's warmth gave Cas the strength for one last tug, and then the lights were hovering over the hole. It was as if time stopped; there was no sound, nothing was moving...and before they knew it, the lights were sucked into the pit and the ground closed up. The grass and dirt were all intact, with the horseman's rings sitting on top. It was like the hole ad never been thhere.
Amber was crying above Sam, who was motionless on the ground. Shaking him roughly, she commanded him to get up. "Sam, you promised me it would be ok. You can't lie to me!"
Bobby was hovering worriedly over the younger Winchester as well. "He's not breathing. Maybe Lucifer dragged Sam's soul with him..?"
Sam suddenly popped up, wide-eyed, and scrambled away from Bobby ad Amber, taking in deep breaths of air.
"What happened? Is he gone?" he stumbled to his feet, glancing around.
"Yes, he's gone Sam. Thanks to you." Amber threw her arms around him. "How about that kiss now?"
Sam dipped his head down to press his lips against hers. She smiled into the kiss, relieved that Sam was ok. Bobby grinned as Sam looked up.
"It's over, Bobby. It's really over." Sam felt lighter then he ever had in his whole life, and he took Amber by the hands and swung her around. She giggled as they danced across the field.
"Where's Dean?" Sam questioned, finally noticing the absence of his brother. All three looked around toward the cars; they had forgotten about the hunter.
Cas was lying on the grass, blood coating his lips. Dean kneeled above him, doing CPR to try and get him to breathe again. He pressed his mouth on the angel, breathing air into him and checked his pulse again. Still nothing.
Clasping his hands together, he brought them to Cas' chest, ready to do compressions yet again. Tears ran down his cheeks as he cried and dripped onto Cas' face, shining on his pale skin.
"Dean," Sam was next to his brother in a heartbeat. Dean ignored him while he pressed on Cas' chest, and leaned to breathe into his mouth. Still no pulse.
"Cas, come on damn it!" Dean screamed, and grabbed the angel's shoulders, shaking him. "You can't do this to me! Breathe, damn it!"
"Dean, you can't do anything for him." Sam grabbed his brother's arms and pried him off the angel.
"No! Cas." Dean sobbed as Sam pulled him a few feet away so that Bobby could look at the angel.
Bobby pressed two fingers to Cas' neck. Nothing. The skin was so cold already. Holding his hand above Cas' nose, he felt for flutters of breath..but nothing. Cas' face was covered in blood, and his empty blue eyes stared up at the sky.
The only thing that showed life was the bulge of Castiel's pregnancy, which was glowing weirdly.
"The baby." Amber inhaled sharply. "We need to..to get it out."
"There's someone at my house who can help..she should be there by now." Bobby turned to Sam, who was still holding back the sobbing Dean.
"Sam, we need to get Cas back to the house. We need to save the baby. Try and talk some sense into Dean. Sober him up."
Sam pulled Dean further away so he couldn't see Cas' body. "Dean, you need to stop and focus. We gotta get Cas back to the house."
When Dean didn't respond, Sam shook him roughly. "Snap out of it! Cas is gone, but you still have the baby, Dean. We need to save the baby. That's what Cas wanted you to do."
This brought on a fresh wave of tears from the hunter, but he nodded through them trying to focus. Sam had never seen him cry so much, not even when their own father died. Sam clapped him on the shoulder.
"Are you alright?"
"Yeah." Dean choked out. "We need to go...I have to make sure the baby's ok-"
They went back to the others. Amber was in the Chevelle, crying silently into her sleeve. Bobby was waiting by Cas. He has closed the angel's eyes and tried to wipe some of the blood from his face, for Dean's sake.
"I'll take him in the Imapala." Dean said through his tears. "Sam can drive."
He bent next to his mate, and hauled him up, one arm under his legs, the other under his back. Cas' head flopped back, hanging limply. He was so cold in Dean's arms...the hunter almost lost his stomach right there.
Sam opened the back door of the Impala for him and he got in, cradling Cas on his lap. Pressing the angel close to him, he buried his face in Cas' hair. He heard Sam start up the car, felt him driving across the bumpy field.
Dean's hand found Cas' stomach, and he massaged the area lightly. "I'm coming for you, baby. We're gonna get you out. I will hold you in my arms and I'll never let you go. I swear to God I will never let anything happen to you. For Cas."
Dean began crying into Cas' hair again, and Sam in the front seat almost broke down himself.
The guilt he was feeling was terrible; it was his fault that Cas was dead. This should have been his sacrifice to make, not the angel's. But they could not ignore Death's warning.
Sam sped up a bit when they were on paved road, and within ten mintues he was pulling into Bobby's yard. The Chevelle was only a second behind them.
Sam held the door so Dean could get out while Bobby went inside to greet the guest. Dean had stopped crying but the tears still sparkled wetly on his cheeks. Now the shock was setting in, and Dean's whole body felt numb as he carried his mate up the steps and inside the house.
"Bring him upstairs," Bobby was waiting at the foot of the staircase, and gestured at them. "Pat is waiting in the spare bedroom."
Dean's feet felt like lead as he struggled up the stairs with Cas' heavy body. It felt like those damn stairs were never going to end but he finally got to the top and went into the spare room down the hall.
A short brunette in blue scrubs was waiting for him. She had an emotionless expression on her face; Bobby had warned her a minute ago that she would be working on a dead patient.
"Dean, my name is Pat." She moved over so Dean could get to the bed. "You can put him down on the bed, ok?"
Dean obliged, setting Cas on the crisp sterile sheets. Pat sat on the edge of the bed, gently lifting Cas' shirt so she could see skin underneath. She pulled out her stethoscope and placed it on the bulge, listening intently.
"The baby is ok, Dean. There is alot of movement going on in there." She put the stethoscope aside and began removing Cas' coat and shirt.
Dean made a noise, and Pat turned to him. "Do you want to wait outside until I'm finished, Dean? Would that be easier for you?"
"Can I stay?" Dean said hoarsely, and Pat nodded. Her heart almost broke for the man. Bobby had gone into the details only breifly over the phone, but she could tell Dean loved Cas with all his heart.
"Are you sure you'll be ok in here?"
"Yeah. I just need to be with him." Dean dragged a chair from the corner of the room over to the head of the bed and sat down. "I need to be here for the baby."
"Ok. If it gets to much, don't hesitate to leave, alright?" Pat said softly, patting him on the back.
She pulled up a chair herself and moved the table that had all her instruments on it closer. She had set everything up so it would ready. Bobby had told her over the phone he didn't know what shape Cas would be in, so be prepared, and that she was.
Dean pressed his forehead to Cas and closed his eyes, blocking out the world. "I'm sorry Cas. I'm sorry this happened. I'm sorry our life didn't turn out how you wanted it."
He took in a shuddering breath as the tears came again. "I'm sorry."
Pat grabbed a scapel and began her work, cutting precisely. Dean's words cut through her like her scapel through the skin; they were full of pain.
Dean began singing softly to the angel as she worked.
"Hey Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember, to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better
Hey Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better
And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder"
Pat smiled to herself; despite the situation, despite how sad she was feeling even though she had just met this people, the song made her feel better. She could not wait to place the baby in Dean's arms...maybe then he would feel better too.