A/N: Hello everyone! I hope you all are having a happy New year so far! I'm back with another update on HSMB. For those still

waiting patiently to see what happens next, thank you for your support and patience. To anyone who is newly following this story or me, welcome and Thank you!

Chapter 30

"You're...you're serious?" Sam stammered slowly seating himself into an open seat at the table Chuck had been inhabiting. The prophet nodded.

"See what happens if you stop poking at me?" He asked proud of himself.

"Well, what do we have to do to close those fire gates then?" Dean questioned crossing his arms over his chest.

"So far from what I've gathered, it's a series of trials? I think that's the right word. This thing is not easy to read or like, get."

"Trials? What do you mean by trials?" Sam inquired. "Like court trials?"

"No, not quite. More like completing tasks that prove that you're worthy kind of trials."

"Ok, so, what do we need to do?" Sam asked with a determined demnor.

"Hold on Sam," the elder Winchester cut in. His eyes searched the prophet as though trying to get something more from younger sibling's own gaze was focused on Dean. "There's something more that you aren't telling us," he insisted. "What aren't you telling us Chuck?"

The writer scrunched up his face. "I told you all I know so far. I haven't finished it yet. I told you that thing -"

"Isn't easy to read," the elder brother finished the older man's sentence.

"Yeah, exactly."

"Dean, what -"

Dean put up a hand to silence his sibling. "I'm assuming these trials are dangerous?"

"I...don't...know," the writer countered. "I haven't gotten that far."

"And so what if they are?" Sam spoke up. "We are talking about a way to stop the apocalypse here, Dean. And not just the apocalypse but anything that lives in Hell. Demons, ghosts, whatever. Gone, forever. We have a chance to make this happen. To make the world a better and safer place for everyone. To prevent what happened to me and Bobby...what happened to you and-and mom, from ever happening again. Well, I mean, stop any of them that aren't already here."

"I know, Sam," Dean responded gently turning his attention to his brother.

"Then, why do I get the sense that you aren't on board?" The younger man questioned. Dean sighed.

"Because we don't know what these trials entail."

"No, but we do know what will happen if we don't do anything at all," the younger man argued before turning to his friend. "Bobby, what do you think?"

The hunter who had been standing quietly listening to the conversation raised an eyebrow. "Whatda mean, what do I think? It's either we all die bloody or we possibly die tryin', maybe live. What's it gonna matter about the trials bein' dangerous if we're already dead?" Sam smiled in appreciation to Bobby before looking back over to Dean.

"Let me think about it some more," the elder brother requested.

"Yeah but, Dean -"

"I said let me think, Sam. I'm not so willingly going to let you throw yourself into something like this without understanding more. I want to stop Armageddon too, but I want to know my options. Chuck, I need to know what trials God's talking here. The sooner the better."

Sam sighed and met eyes with Bobby who nodded his head in a silent agreement. Dean threw a quick glance at Bobby then Sam before shaking his head and leaving the hotel room. Once outside and far enough away from the hotel that he felt he wouldn't be found, he pulled his phone from his jean pocket and dialed. The elder Winchester didn't give anyone the chance to speak, the moment the other line picked up he spoke.

"It's Dean, I need to talk to you."

"You are talking to me," the angel responded.

"Meet me at Hills Park as soon as you can. But be discreet." "I'm here. I don't see you."

"What? What do you mean you're...nevermind forget it. I'll meet you there in a minute." Dean rolled his eyes and headed over to the park that was meant to be the meeting spot. He was relieved to see no one seemed to have noticed a man just appear out of thin air, given that no one appeared to even notice the angel was standing there."Castiel," Dean called out as he jogged over to the trench-coated celestial being.

"You said to meet you here. Where were you?"

"I said to be discreet," the man snapped. "Popping out of thin air isn't discreet." The angel simply stared at him causing Dean to shake his head and continue on. "Have you ever heard of a way that the Gates of Hell can be closed permanently?"

"No. Why?"

"That hunk of rock that can be read only by a prophet, Chuck says that he read in it that there is a way to close the gates."

Castiel nodded his head. "Then why did you want to speak to me if you were already told the answer to your question?"

"I wanted a second opinion on the matter. I figured an angel may know if it was even remotely possible."

The angel squinted "you don't trust what the prophet is telling you?"

"I mean, would you? There is something about the guy that I just don't trust. I don't know what it is."

"Well, if anyone knows anything that has been written on the tablet, it would be him. He's the only one besides God that would be able to tell you what it says."

"So that's it then? I have no choice but to trust the guy?"

"It seems like it. Yes."

"But you have never heard of it being possible?"

"I haven't. But it doesn't seem impossible either. If the prophet is telling you this is possible, then, it must be possible." It was silent between the two of them. "What did he say you have to do to make this work?"

"Trials. What kind, we don't know. But my money's on them not being something simple and painless."

"I'm inclined to agree with you." The two fell silent again. The angel looked up at the sky for a moment and then back to the man in front of him."So, you're plan is to prevent the devil from rising by closing the Gates of Hell?" "That's the plan, yeah."

"That sounds reasonable."

"Does it?" Dean asked out loud. "Because none of this makes any sense to me. All my life I've believed that monsters and the devil and angels weren't real. That they were all made up." Almost as though he had been suddenly shocked he quickly added "don't breath a word of this to any of the other angels. If you do, so help me..." Dean was lost for words. He'll what? Kill him? Torture him? Make him wish he'd never been born? He was threatening a celestial being. What exactly could a human do to an angel?

"Don't worry Dean, it's not my intention to share any information to anyone. I'd like to help you in anyway I can."

The man raised an eyebrow. "Thanks, Cas. I still don't know if you're really on our side, but thanks. My brother, Bobby and I, we're just humans. Just humans that are trying to fight a war with demons and angels. I don't know if or how we could win, but I'll fight. I mean, I'm not exactly suppose to be alive anyways, right?" The angel continued to stare at him making Dean feel even more venerable and out in the open. "Dude, stop staring. I can feel you trying to burn into my soul or whatever. It's weird." The angel nodded and then disappeared. The elder Winchester looked around to see if anyone had seen the angel exit and then quickly headed back towards the hotel. A few feet before he reached the door to their room he stopped and instead headed towards the nearest book store.

A/N: Thank you for reading this chapter!