Authors note: I have been struggling with writer's block and this quarantine is really starting to get to me, so I am really sorry for the inconsistent updates.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything even remotely related to Supernatural, sadly;)
Chapter 20- We Happy Few
Sam Dean and Valerie entered the bunker to find Chuck and Lucifer standing in the map room, talking.
"So how's it going guys?", Valerie tried asking, in an attempt to relieve the tension that was very apparent in the room.
As the trio headed down the stairs with their arms full of shopping bags, Chuck turned to Lucifer.
"Look I know I've been gone for a while. And I've missed a few… million birthdays, but I'm here now", Chuck said as Sam, Dean and Valerie put down their bags.
"Yeah and as soon as your primitive apes are in the slightest bit of trouble… Boom Dad to the rescue", Lucifer said, gesturing at the trio who just stood there, in silence, looking offended.
"Excuse me, but these 'apes', as you call us, actually saved your ass", Dean said, and Valerie put a hand on his shoulder to calm him down. Lucifer scowled at the three and snapped his fingers. Sam, Dean and Valerie looked sick for a moment, but quickly realized that nothing was happening.
"Oh he can't hurt you", Chuck said, giving them a small nod.
"Oh so you're controlling me now? Is that it?", Lucifer asked, looking angry.
"It's just a safeguard", Chuck said staying calm, which earned an angry glare from Lucifer.
"Hey guys? Uh, Chuck? Lucifer… uh, Dean… Think we can try and focus here?", Sam said, trying to get the conversation back on track.
"Yeah, Y'know, end of the world, common enemy, all that?", Valerie chimed in.
"Fine. Enemy of my enemy is my friend I guess. Team Amara. Go Amara", Lucifer said.
"You don't mean that", Chuck said.
"You're really not gonna say it, huh?", Lucifer said, looking hurt.
"Say what?", Valerie asked.
"Screw you. Screw all of you", Lucifer said, before storming out of the room.
"Kids, huh?", Chuck said, turning to the trio, who just gaped at him.
XXX
Lucifer was acting like a child and being angry at Chuck, and Sam, Dean and Valerie were losing their minds. Valerie and Sam were standing outside of Sam's room, where Lucifer was blasting music, trying to get Lucifer out of there.
"Lucifer you can't stay in there forever", Valerie tried to say, knocking on the door.
"Try me", Lucifer answered, and turned the music up to drown them out.
"Lucifer that's my room-", Sam tried saying, but gave up. Valerie just looked at him and shrugged. Then they left to go and find Dean.
XXX
Valerie, Sam and Dean had orchestrated a dr. Phil type intervention to get Lucifer and God to reconcile.
"Okay you sit here", Valerie said, guiding Lucifer into a chair.
"And you sit here", Sam said, guiding Chuck into a chair opposite of Lucifer.
"Okay… so one of you is gonna have to go first", Valerie said as the trio sat down to watch the archangel and his father, "you know what? Lucifer, you agreed to have a sit-down if God would show…", she gestured at Chuck.
"Yeah. And Chuck, you said you would talk", Sam said, backing Valerie up.
"Him first. I mean, I'm the one who's owed an explanation", Lucifer said, crossing his arms, which made Chuck let out an aggravated sigh.
"Okay let's try 'I feel' statements", Dean said, and to Sam and Valerie he whispered, "Dr. Phil", which made Valerie shake her head.
"I don't know what you want from me", Chuck said to Lucifer, who was looking very much like an annoyed teenager.
"I just want an apology", Lucifer looked at Chuck with a very offended look on his face.
"Okay I'm sorry you feel that I betrayed you. That I acted without cause", Chuck said. lucifer shook his head in disbelief.
"I'm sorry you can't see you gave me no choice", Chuck said, and to the trio watching them, he said, "I'm good".
"You heard that, right?", Lucifer said, turning to them.
"Okay we know you're God, but can you maybe be a little less lordly?", Sam said to Chuck.
"But I am the lord", Chuck said.
"Here we go", Lucifer said with a sigh.
"I did what I had to do! And I had to lock Amara away. And then when the mark corrupted you, and I deemed you a threat against humanity, I did the same to you", Chuck said.
"No, you betrayed me. You gave me the mark to lock her away, and then when it changed me, you threw me in the cage", Lucifer said, sounding hurt.
"No. The mark didn't change you, it just made more of what you already were", Chuck said.
"What I was, was your son. Your child", Lucifer said.
"Why should I put you first?", Chuck said coldly.
"Do you know what it's like to argue with your father when he's God? Everything is 'because I told you so' and 'because it had to be done'", Lucifer said, turning to Sam, Dean and Valerie, who were getting quite uncomfortable watching the father and son argue.
"Okay, fine. Big picture, as God: You did what you had to do. Little picture: You sucked at being a father".
"Fine. Maybe I wasn't the best dad, but could I really have kept humankind safe with you on the board?", Lucifer just stared at Chuck, who continued, "I know about your little deal with the angels. Let me ask you, New God, what would you have done about you?".
"That's not the point here", Lucifer tried to say.
"I-I can't believe I'm actually about to say this, but lucifer is right", Sam said hesitantly, "all he want is for you to apologise to him, but you're so concerned with being right that you can't give him one. And the thing is that sometimes apologies aren't about being right. Sometimes they're just about apologizing", Chuck just stared at Sam, and so did Valerie and Dean.
"Yeah and the apologies don't even have to be sincere, I mean i tell Sam and Val I'm sorry all the time without meaning it, heh", Dean said, which made Valerie and Sam look at him, offended.
"Sorry", Dean said, then lighting up, "see?", Valerie and Sam just shook their heads.
"Okay, I've had enough of the peanut gallery", Chuck said. Then he snapped his fingers, and suddenly Valerie, Sam and Dean were upstairs. They looked at each other, then they went to go downstairs, only to see Lucifer and God emerge from the room they were previously in. Lucifer was grinning.
"So… uhh… we good?". Valerie asked cautiously, as the trio went to go down the stairs.
"Yeah, we're good", Lucifer said, Chuck and him nodding at each other.
"Great!", Dean said, "so what do we do now?".
"We put Amara back in the box", Chuck said.
"Wait, what?", Dean said, looking up.
"You were right. Amara needs to be stopped, but I wont kill her".
"Why the hell not?".
"Because… look, she's been around for billions of years, entrapped. But she had to be there, yin and yang, y'know?". Chuck said.
"Chuck, english", Dean said. Chuck huffed, then waved his hand, and they were all downstairs.
"There is a balance, a harmony to things. Light needs dark and vice versa. If you blow one of them up, then I mean-", Chuck said.
"It wouldn't be a good thing", Lucifer said.
"It would be a really bad thing. Like 'end of reality' bad".
"Okay, so we gift-wrap Amara? I mean we got the team back together, so-", Sam said.
"Not quite. We are still a few members short of the original line-up", Chuck said.
"Yeah, last time it took the combined strength of me and my brothers to weaken Amara before Daddy-O could finish her off", Lucifer said.
"And even then it was a close call. With only the two of us, we would lose", Chuck said.
"Okay so… what? More therapy with you and the archangels if we wanna have a shot?", Dean asked.
"Well, Michael is not in fighting shape, and I'm unable to bring Gabriel and Raphael back", Chuck said.
"But you restored Castiel", Sam said.
"Archangels are different. They're the stuff of primordial creation it would take time that we don't have to rebuild them".
"So, what do you need to win?", Valerie asked.
"What do you got?".
XXX
"So. What do we bring to the table to make up for archangel power?", Chuck asked.
"We could try more hands of God?", Valerie suggested.
"A little redundant", Chuck said, holding up his hands.
"There's Crowley, he's the former king of hell, I'd say that's pretty powerful", Dean said, and went to recruit him.
"We have the angels", Lucifer said, leaning back in his chair. After Lucifer had left, it was just Valerie, Sam and Chuck left in the bunker.
"And then there's Rowena", Sam said.
"Well she's a snake. But she's also pretty powerful I'll give her that. Plus, she has the Book of the Damned", Valerie said with a shrug. Then Sam and Valerie went to recruit Rowena.
XXX
"-Jaw of pig?", Rowena was saying when Sam and Valerie appeared.
"Check", Sam said, holding the pig's jaw.
"What are you two giants doing here?", Rowena said, "give it!", she motioned at the pig's jaw in Sam's hand.
"Not till we've talked", Valerie said.
"You walked right into a powerful coven-", Rowena started.
"It takes three to make a coven", the other witch said, which made Valerie snicker.
"-Witches' den, without a weapon. I will turn you into a moose, an actual moose", Rowena said.
"You can't do anything to us", Valerie said.
"She's right. Read their auras, they are under some kind of protection. I've never seen anything like it before. Hear them out", the other witch said.
"Well?", Rowena said.
"We need your help", Sam said.
XXX
"We're gonna play the God card", Sam said.
"Gods back? You've tricked me before, Samuel. Why would I believe a word you say?", Rowena said.
"It would explain their auras of protection, not regular magic", the other witch said.
"Clea dear, is this what it's going to be like with us in Crete?", Rowena said and Clea rolled her eyes, then she turned to Sam and Valerie, "and even if God is back, why should I care? I serve magic, not God. Sorry, I am not interested".
"I am", Clea said, "what? I can't serve both?".
"No", Rowena said.
"Ro, you brought me a plan to escape, they brought me an opportunity to fight and maybe win", Clea said.
"She's right", Sam said.
"Nobody is talking to you, Big and Tall", Rowena said to Sam.
"I can enlist others. Sister witches", Clea said.
"You're mad. We don't stand a chance", Rowena said.
"Yes, we do", Clea said, holding up the sun card she just drew.
XXX
They were all back in the bunker.
"So, we've assembled our band of brothers. We hit Amara with everything we've got, and then when she's weakened…", Sam said, gesturing at Chuck.
"I finish her off", Chuck said.
"So a page from the original playbook, only this time with demons and witches instead of archangels. What could go wrong, heh?", Valerie said.
"Exactly", Lucifer said.
"I still don't like this", Dean said, "why trap her, when we can kill her, y'know? I mean there's a lot less room for error of you shoot to kill, right?".
"I explained why"; Chuck said.
"Right. But keep her in play? So she can escape and we can do this all over again?".
"Dean, what is this about?", Sam asked.
"It's about her, Sam. It's about his girlfriend", Lucifer said.
"Shut up", Dean said.
"I mean, think about it. Dean Winchester meets the biggest evil in the universe, and he takes a pass? Come on. Now he wants Dad to do what he wasn't able to", Lucifer said.
"Is he right?", Sam asked, turning to face Dean.
"Oh I'm not getting into it with him. Not gonna happen", Dean said.
"Hey, Dean. Come on, what's good for the goose is good for the gander. We opened a vein for you two", Lucifer said.
"I did try to kill her. And it didn't work", Dean said.
"Maybe didn't work because you didn't want it to. Maybe you don't want to kill her", Chuck said.
"You want God to kill Amara because you don't want to kill her?", Sam said.
"Yeah, maybe there's a part of me that can't kill her, but if she's already dead…", Dean said.
"Then she's already dead. Right", Sam said.
"Well that got weird", Lucifer said.
"Dean… We always sweat this stuff, these choices. But, for once, we have God on our side. I mean, for once, we can actually just do things his way", Sam said.
XXX
Sam, Dean, Valerie, Crowley and Lucifer were in an abandoned power plant. Crowley and Lucifer were discussing Crowley's captivity or something, Valerie had stopped listening ten minutes earlier, when Rowena entered.
"Hey, Red. Looking as gorgeous as ever. Listen, I think an apology is in order", Lucifer said.
"Oh please, you can't think you're the first man ever to try to kill me"; Rowena said, which made Crowley roll his eyes, "Hello, Fergus", Rowena said.
"Mother", Crowley acknowledged. Then suddenly, in a flash of light, Chuck appeared.
"Him? Really?", Crowley said when he realised who Chuck was.
"Crowley, Rowena. It's good to finally meet you", Chuck said.
"Sorry about… well everything I've ever done in my entire life", Rowena said, "really y-you can't have been a fan".
"Oh yeah I've been quietly rooting against you two for quite some time now. Although I can't deny you're one of my guilty pleasures", Chuck said.
"Oh, God", Rowena giggled.
"Oh, God", Crowley scoffed.
"Okay no flirting. And no fighting", Dean said.
"Yeah and no deals. No talk about who owes who what if we survive this" Sam said.
"Nobody likes each other. It doesn't matter", Valerie said.
"We only have the fight ahead", Sam said.
"Amara is looking for me. But I'm warded against her, for now. The second I drop the warding, she'll show. She'll be expecting a fight, and well give it to her. Shock and awe. Shock, and awe. You have your troops in position?", Chuck said. Rowena raised her hand.
"Yes, Rowena?", Chuck said, clearing his throat.
"Fabulous plan, God, but doesn't this strategy strike anyone as a wee bit un-strategic? Shouldn't we at least try to catch her off guard?", Rowena said.
"Is that sequence set in stone? Demon, angel, witch power? Seems to me that the first response should come from the most disposable force", Crowley said.
"Right! Good argument, Doggie. Demons first, it is", Lucifer exclaimed.
"The weakest should go first. Naturally that means the witches", Crowley said.
"Enough", Sam said.
"After that, it's Lucifer's turn. Physical attack. One-on-one", Chuck said.
"Wait, what about Cas?", Dean asked.
"Oh don't worry. Your pet's safety is my number one concern", Lucifer said, and at Deans glare, Lucifer rolled his eyes, "trust me, he's on board".
"Once she's weakened I'll take back the Mark from Amara and use it to seal her away. You ready?", Chuck said.
"Yeah", Sam said.
"Wait what?!", Dean said and Valerie looked at Sam with a shocked expression.
"Chuck and I talked about it. Someone has to bear the Mark", Sam said.
"That's a horrible plan!", Valerie said.
"Yeah I agree with Val. Transfer it to me. I've had it before, I'm damaged goods", Dean said.
"Exactly. I can't transfer it to you. You've been tainted. Sam volunteered", Chuck said. Dean pulled Sam a few feet away to talk to him, and Valerie felt like this was something to be resolved between the two brothers, so she stayed back just quietly observing. Lucifer and Crowley were once again bickering, when Sam and Dean returned. Sam and Dean gave Valerie a nod, letting her know that they'd come to an agreement, and she nodded back, letting them know that she respected their decision even if she didn't agree with them.
XXX
It had been a while, Rowena had gone to take her strike at Amara, and the other were waiting. Suddenly, Amara staggered through the door to the room they were in.
"Hello brother", Amara said, panting, "you cheated. Again. But-", before Amara could finish her sentence, Lucifer charged up behind her, and speared through her. Amara cried out and fell to the ground, but before Lucifer could stab her again, Chuck called out.
"Ah! Son", Chuck yelled. Lucifer backed off as Amara whimpered. "I'm sorry. For this. For everything", Chuck said.
"An last. An apology. What's sorry to me? I spent millions of years alone, crammed into that cage-", Amara said, breathing heavily, and as she spoke, Dean closed his eyes and shook his head "-hoping and wishing for death, because of you! And what was my crime, brother?".
"The world needed to be born! And you wouldn't let me! Amara, you gave me no choice!", Chuck said.
"That's your story. Not mine. The real reason you banished me, why I couldn't be allowed to exist you couldn't stand it. Yeah, we're equals. We weren't great or powerful because we stood only in relation to each other. You think you made the archangels to bring light? No. You made them to create lesser beings, to make you large. To make you Lord. It was ego! You wanted to be big!", Amara said, struggling to her feet.
"That's true. But it isn't the whole truth. There's a value, a glory in creation that's greater and truer than my pride or my ego. Call it grace, call it being! Whatever it is, it didn't come from my hands. It was there waiting to be born. It just is, as you and I just were. Since you've been freed, I know that you've seen it"; Chuck glanced, then nodded at Dean, "Felt it", he said. Amara looked at Dean, who looked down.
"It didn't have to be like this, brother. I loved you", Amara said, and Chuck at least had the decency to look remorseful. "Well, you've won again", Amara laughed bitterly, "finish it. Kill me", Amara said.
"I'm sorry", Chuck said. Amara looked down in shock as the Mark began to burn away from her chest, "no! no! no!", she said. Sam grunted in pain as the Mark started to be transferred to him.
"I'm so sorry", Chuck said to Amara.
"No! Not again!", Amara lunged forward, grabbing Chuck and using her powers to hoist him aloft, and in the process of doing so, she hit Valerie, who was knocked out.
When Valerie woke up again, Sam was crouched down next to her, calling her name.
"Val! Hey, you're okay, you're okay", He helped her to stand, and they turned to the others.
"No. Amara what have you done?", Dean said, and that's when Valerie saw Chuck's lifeless body on the ground.
"He's dead. God's dead", Sam said, as Valerie leaned on him, still groggy from being passed out.
"Not dead. Dying", Amara said, "my brother will fade away into nothing. But not until he sees what comes next. Not until he watches his world, everything he created, turn into ashes. Welcome to the end", the she disappeared, leaving Sam, Dean and Valerie in the abandoned power plant with Chuck and Castiel's unconscious bodies.
Authors note: Holy hell this chapter is long! I didn't realise how long it was until I looked at the word count, and I was kinda surprised. Oh well, think of it as an apology for updating so inconsistently:) Until next time:)