They stopped in the kitchen to grab some snacks for the road, the three of them debating about who would take on the Mark when the spell was complete. "You can't do it again," Cas told Dean, watching him stuff his pockets with granola bars and bags of chips. "That leaves Grace and I."

"I'll do it," Grace offered as she filled a travel mug with coffee. "I'll be fine."

"No." She and Cas turned to look at Dean, who flatly refused to hear the idea. He had grown even more serious, refusing to listen to anything otherwise. "Gracie, you've seen what that thing does. I'm not letting you do that to yourself."

"I was the Warrioress of Hell, remember?" she reminded him, trying not to raise her voice. There was no way she'd let him take the Mark again. "If I could control her, I can control the Mark, and with her help, I can do it indefinitely."

"It's not the same," Dean objected. "It even ate away at Cain. It'll do the same thing to everyone who takes it on, no matter how strong they are. No matter what they are. At least I've done it before. I know how to handle it."

"You didn't handle it, Dean," she pressed. 'You turned into a demon. I'd hardly call that handling the situation. Definitely not handling it well. It'll corrupt me, sure, but at least I can't turn into a demon."

"Gracie, you'll want to - you'll have to kill until you can't stop yourself anymore. You'll look up one day and find yourself standing over a body with no idea how you got there, and there's almost no coming back from that. It's a miracle I came back. I'm not letting you do that."

"If it's a miracle you came back once, then there's no way you can do it again without -"

"Let me." Cas was the decisive voice, interrupting their argument. "I'm sorry, but I'm an angel. I'm naturally stronger than both of you. It only makes sense that I take it on. I can hold it off for a lot longer than you can. I'll take the Mark, but that means one of you is going to have to break the orb that traps him."

The three of them were quiet on the drive, Dean speeding towards the casino as Grace navigated, telling him where to turn and where to watch out for police. She held his hand the entire way there, both of them worried about what was going to happen. Sure, they had the spell from Michael. They'd done everything right so far. But they were going up against Chuck. They'd faced the Darkness with Chuck on their side, but facing someone as powerful as him without any other help was beyond anything they had ever imagined.

The casino was eerily empty, machines still playing their loading music and all of the bright, flashing lights still on. Otherwise, it was silent. Cas drew his angel blade, Grace clutching hers tightly. "Sam," Dean whispered, running over to untie his brother. Grace was at his heels, keeping an eye on the machines surrounding Sam. Chuck could be hiding behind any one of them. "Sam, where -"

Eileen ran at them from behind a slot machine, Cas tackling her before he could reach the others. "He's controlling her. He's got to be close." Tears streamed down Eileen's face as she struggled, not wanting to hurt any of them but being compelled to lash out no matter how hard she fought.

"We can't finish the spell," Sam coughed, pulling at the ropes he had been tied down with. "I've seen it. Without Chuck, the monsters would win."

"Well, there they are. The rest of the gang gets here just in time." Chuck stepped out behind them, everyone suddenly freezing. "Hey, guys. I don't think you're going to need that." He nodded to the orb in Dean's hand, dissolving it instantly. "You see, I didn't show Sam glimpses of the future, not until just now. I've been showing him other versions of all of you, and you know what? No matter what universe, no matter what happens, they all do the same thing. No matter what, they finish the story. Winchester killing Winchester. And you will too."

"No." Dean stood, dusting himself off. "Not this Sam. Not this Dean. You can take your other universes and go screw yourself."

"Hmm, we'll see," Chuck smiled, snapping his fingers and disappearing.

Everyone finally allowed themselves to breathe again. Eileen started to apologize for what she'd done under Chuck's control. Dean apologized for letting him get the orb. Cas apologized for not sensing Chuck sooner. All of them talking over each other got nowhere, Grace finally stopping them all. "We did what we could do. Now we need to get out of here before he changes his mind. Eileen, Dean, Cas, none of us blame you. If Sam believes it… I believe him. We can't kill Chuck, and we can't trap him, but we can get the hell out of here. Cas, take Sam. I've got Eileen." She looped her arm around her friend, helping to support her weight. Eileen was still somewhat in shock, but managed to thank her. "Dean, I need you to drive like our lives depend on it. Let's go."

Cas stared out of the window, watching miles of farmland fly by. Sam and Eileen eventually fell into restless sleep in the back of the car, Grace still clutching Dean's hand as he drove. They used to drive like that all of the time, but back then it was different. Dean would keep one hand on the wheel and hold her hand as they made their way to the movies, to dinner, or during a lazy drive around the countryside. Even when they went hunting together, even when they had a witness or a victim in the backseat, if one of them reached out, the other one was always there. It had taken Dean some time to get used to not reaching out for her after he had left. By the time Sam started hunting with him, he was pretty much used to it, but he would still occasionally turn to say something to her and find his brother there instead. Now they held onto each other for some measure of comfort when the rest of the world was spiraling out of control. If they could still do that, still bridge the gap between their seats, not everything had fallen apart.

The others noticed. They always did. Every time they hit a bump or a rough curve in the road, Sam or Eileen would wake up, sleepily looking into the front seat and seeing the two of them there. They would know that they were safe, that they could fall asleep and nothing would go wrong. Cas would occasionally glance at them, smiling to himself. Despite their rough history, he was glad his friends were happy. If anyone could find any joy in a world that was quickly falling apart, he would be glad to see it.

Everyone split up when they got back to the bunker. Grace went to shower, Dean heading to get a drink before waiting in line to use the shower next. Eileen went to pack. She insisted on leaving, fearful of what she had done and finally being hit with the realization that there was almost no way for her to know what was real anymore. It had been eating away at her for a while, but this pushed her over the edge.

Half an hour later, Sam walked into the kitchen to find the others sitting around the table. Dean had a drink in his hand, Grace leaning on his shoulder. Normally she would have objected to his "there's a problem, so I'll drink about it" mindset, but she was wiped out. Honestly, she could have done with a drink herself, but it was enough to be there with the people she loved. She'd hardly let go of Dean since they left for the casino. Understandable, Sam thought. Take what comfort you can get, I guess. "Hey. Look, I'm sorry. That was our only shot, but I believe what Chuck showed me. We can't trap him, and we can't kill him. If we do, the monsters would win. I - I've seen the future without Chuck, and it's not a future I want to live in. It's not a future any of us would want to live in."

Dean swirled his drink, staring into the glass. "We'll find another way, then. We have to."