These next few chapters are short, I know, but this chapter is the entire reason I wrote this over 130 page Fan Fic so I kind of wanted it to be separate.

Chapter 36

"No way," Dean mumbled, "Is this supposed to be some kind of sick joke?"

Ruth obviously thought so because she began to laugh, "We're not being cruel or anything, this is just where the prophecies said you'd say yes."

"And you're afraid that if you take me somewhere else it won't happen," Dean concluded.

"You have to understand. After last time, when you said yes, stabbed Zachariah, and ran, we can't exactly trust you. "

"But last time was different. Then saying yes was condemning millions to death. Now, hopefully, the only one who is getting ganked is Lucifer. And he kind of deserves it."

Ruth's only reply was a nod as she pulled up a chair and sat down. "I assume you have conditions." To Dean's surprise she didn't sound annoyed but more like she was saying he'd be a fool NOT to have conditions.

"So I give you my terms, say yes, and Michael has to follow through with them?"

Ruth leaned in close before responding, "Do you honestly think Lucifer would have let you go if he didn't have to? I'm acting as the middle-man. If you offer up a term Michael can't agree to I will work out a compromise. Agreed?"

Dean nodded. "First things first. Michael isn't getting a piece of me unless he goes straight to Lawrence and summons Lucifer."

Ruth smiled at an unheard comment, "That is acceptable. Anything else?"

"Plenty. Charlie said Ben really is my son. Is that right?"

"While his blood is not 100% Abel he does have enough Winchester in him to be an adequate vessel"

"Michael is to go nowhere near him. I don't care if Ben could save the wold by saying yes. Michael, or any other angel by that matter, is never to ask. And if for some God-forsaken reason he offers they are not to take it. Ben is off limits. Agreed?"

"Michael doesn't like it, but if that is one of your terms he will, of course, oblige."

"Good because I'm not compromising. Now Cas's grace, Michael has it?" Ruth nodded. "He gets it back right away. Full angel privalages."

"Your choice. Though to be honest I think Castiel is enjoying being equal to you."

"Doesn't matter. Michael hands over the vile. If Cas doesn't want to break it that's up to him. "

"Is that it?" Ruth asked starting to get impatient. "We do have an apocalypse to stop."

"Two more. One. Michael leaves me as soon as we get into Eden."

"And what if Sam fails to open Eden?" Ruth sounded more curious than anything else.

"That won't happen," Dean spoke with gritted teeth. "I believe in him."

"I know you don't want to consider it, but getting Lucifer to tempt Sam, even with Michael's help, is next to impossible. I'm trying to help you by closing a convenient loophole."

"Fine," Dean resigned. "If, and only if, Eden is not opened within the week Michael can fight Lucifer on earth with me as a vessel after assuring Cas, Sam, and Charlie Bradbury, Lisa, and Ben are well out of the way. If Michael wins then he leaves me. If he doesn't win… well there won't be much of me for him to leave now will there? So… no problem there."

"Michael says 12 hours for Sam to open Eden. People are dying."

Dean thought for a moment, "24 hours. In case he needs a second chance." They both knew Lucifer would assure that Sam didn't live to have a second chance, but Dean would never admit that possibility. There was no way that after all this Sammy could still die. Not even the Universe could be that cruel.

"You said you had one more condition?"

The final term was, in Dean's mind, the most trivially important one of all, "Michael fixes Charlie."

"You don't think Michael would have forced Lucifer out of Charlie ages ago if he could? Be reasonable Dean there are something even Michael can't do. I don't even know if God could do that."

"You misunderstood. I don't mean get her free from Lucifer. I mean make her human again.

Ruth smiled knowingly, "Unfortunately, that is another thing that not even an archangel can do. Still, I wouldn't worry that much about it. Trust me."

Dean had no idea what she meant but still nodded in reply, "Fine. If he can't fix Charlie at least have him stop ignoring her once this is all over. Between Michael and God ditching her she's going to end up looking to Vassagio as a father figure. Is that what we really want?" Dean hoped Charlie had learned her lesson, but even after all this she was still just a girl who celebrated her sweet 16 days ago. She would make mistakes again, but between Michael and her brothers guiding her hopefully they wouldn't be this big again.

Ruth laughed as she repeated Michael's reply, "He will do his best to guide Charlotte in the future."

"Well then," Dean said taking a deep breath. "Come on you son of a b*tch. Yes!"