March 30th, 2010 - Muncie, Indiana
Dean was driving slower than usual down the dark road. Not that Amy blamed him though. She could barely see two feet out her own window with the heavy rain that was pouring down.
"Man, we gotta stop somewhere for the night," Dean complained. "I can't see crap out here."
Sam shook his head. "Let's keep going for a bit. It's not even that late yet."
"Dude, are you trying to get us killed?" Amy half-joked. "I'm with Dean on this one, I can't see anything out my own window back here."
A blurry, lit up, hotel sign came into view and Dean pulled into the parking lot. "Look," he told his brother, "we'll stop here for the night, let this storm clear out, then get back on the road first thing. Deal?"
Sam let out a heavy sigh. "Fine."
The rain drummed rhythmically on the roof of the car. Amy pulled the hood of her hoodie over her head, mentally preparing herself to sprint across the parking lot and avoid getting too wet.
"Alright," Dean said. "Get out, grab your stuff, then run."
The hunters threw open their doors and quickly got out. Amy instantly found herself soaked from the rain, including her feet inside her shoes. She ran to the trunk, catching her bag as Dean tossed it in her direction.
Dean closed the trunk and they ran towards a blue, neon sign that read 'Elysian Fields Hotel.' They hurried into the lobby, gasping as they were finally able to slow down.
Amy took off her hood. A bit of her hair was plastered with rainwater to her cheek and she could feel a small bit of water inside her shoes. She glanced up at Sam and Dean to see that both of them were also soaked head to toe.
The inside of the hotel was even nicer than the outside. There was a lounge area in front of the front desk, complete with couches, carpet, music, and a fireplace. Behind them was an open Astro bar.
"Whew," Dean said with an approving nod. "Nice digs, for once. Busy night." He led them to the front desk.
The concierge was a tall man with short, dark hair. He had a name tag that read 'Chet' pinned to the front of his blazer and a black bowtie. He smiled occasionally at the hunters as he typed away at his computer.
Dean leaned against the counter. "Busy night," he said.
Chet finished typing and turned to Dean. "Any port in a storm, I guess." He chuckled and slid a form across the counter. "If you could just fill this out, please."
"Yeah." Dean grabbed a pen and began to fill out the form.
Chet seemed to notice something and frowned. "Sir, I think you got a little-" he pointed to a spot on his own neck, then pointed to Dean, "-shaving nick there." He handed Dean a tissue.
Dean looked confused but took the tissue. He pressed it against his neck, and when he pulled it away, there was a spot of blood.
Chet held up their room key. "Your key."
"Oh. Thanks." Dean took the key, still holding the tissue against his neck. "Hey, you wouldn't happen to have a coffee shop, would you?"
"Buffet." Chet gestured towards the bar. "All you can eat. Best pie in the tri-state area."
Dean's eyes seemed to light up. "You don't say?" He turned to Sam and Amy. "Food first, then we'll get to our room." Without waiting for an answer, he picked up his bag and headed towards the buffet.
Amy chuckled slightly as she followed Dean. Of course, he'd want the pie before going to their room.
They found an empty table with three chairs and dropped their bags by each one. Sam sat at the table while Amy and Dean headed for the deserts.
Dean stood in front of the table, comparing two different slices of pie. Amy rolled her eyes and grabbed a slice of lemon meringue, her favorite.
A short man with glasses stood next to Dean, looking around at all the deserts. "Heaven, right?" he asked.
Dean scoffed. "Trust me, pal, better." He put one of the pies down and began to walk away, only to stop and grab a chocolate ball off the top of a creme pie and shove it into his mouth, before continuing.
Amy grabbed a fork and walked with Dean back to the table. She suddenly saw him stop and backtrack, and looked over to see a woman sitting at a table by herself. She was wearing a red blouse and had dark hair that cascaded down her dark skin and stopped at her shoulders.
Dean flashed the woman a charming smile. "How you doing?" he asked
The woman didn't even look up. "No."
Dean frowned. "But-"
"No," the woman repeated. This time, she gave Dean a side glance.
Dean tried again. "Oh, lady, I'm just, you know-"
The woman cut him off. She didn't look amused. "I understand. And no," she said firmly.
Dean looked like he wanted to say something else, but couldn't think of anything. "10-4," he finally said. "Yeah."
They finally made their way back to the table and sat down. Sam had an untouched plate of food in front of him and was intently staring at his phone.
Dean nodded towards Sam's plate. "Sam, unpucker, man. Eat something." He took a bite of his own pie.
Amy did the same. It had been forever since she'd had her favorite pie flavor.
Sam didn't take his eyes off his phone. "We should hit the road, Dean."
Amy stopped mid-bite and stared at Sam in disbelief. "Why would we do that?"
"Ames is right, dude," Dean agreed. "I mean, this storm, i-it's-"
Sam cut him off. "It's biblical. Exactly. I-it's friggin' Noah's ark out there, and we're eating pie," he argued.
Dean put his fork down. "How many hours of sleep did you get this week?" he asked. "What? Three? Four?"
Sam sighed heavily and Amy could see him roll his eyes at his brother.
"Bobby's got his feelers out, okay?" Dean continued. "We have talked with every hoodoo man and root woman in twelve states."
"Yeah, well, I'm not giving up."
"Neither are we," Amy countered.
"Nobody's giving up," Dean said. "Especially me. We're gonna find a way to beat the devil, okay? Soon. I can feel it. And we will find Cas, we'll find Adam. But you are no good to me burnt out."
Sam stared at his brother for a bit, before finally nodding. "Yeah. Yeah, okay."
"Come on, we've actually got the night off for once." Dean smiled. "Let's try to enjoy it."
Amy chuckled. "Famous last words."
Dean reached over with his fork and snatched a bite of her pie in response.
When they were done eating, they picked up their bags and left the buffet. Dean led them down the hallway to room 102.
A couple doors down, a young couple was making out in the hallway. Dean couldn't help but point and smile as the woman laughed ecstatically.
Sam scoffed. "Oh, what are you, twelve?"
"I'm young at heart," Dean joked.
The door creaked open and the hunters stepped inside their room.
Dean whistled at the sight of the large room. "Wow. Look at this. We're like Rockefellers." He put down his bag and picked up something on the pillow. "Chocolates! You want yours?"
"Knock yourself out," Sam said.
Amy set her bag on the other bed. "Dude, this place is amazing!" she said. She picked up the chocolate on her pillow and tossed it into her mouth.
"Whoa." Dean picked something else up from the nightstand. "'Casa Erotica 13' on-demand," he read.
Sam scoffed.
"What?" Dean asked.
"Isn't this place... in the middle of nowhere?"
Dean shrugged. "So?"
"So what's a four-star hotel doing on a no-star highway?"
"I don't know, Sam," Amy began. "But-
A loud thump on the other side of the wall cut her off. She sat up, expecting something to happen, but whatever it was had stopped.
The hunters couldn't help but laugh a little, but another loud thump interrupted them again. This time, several of the bricks in the wall were smashed in and the television was almost knocked off of the wall.
"Umm…should we… go see what that was?" Amy asked.
Sam and Dean exchanged a glance. "Definitely," they said simultaneously.
Amy followed Sam and Dean out of the room and to the one next door. They opened it up, only to be met with an empty room.
"Hello?" Dean called out.
Amy frowned. "They were just here, right?"
"Yeah." Dean wandered further into the room.
Sam wandered into the bathroom to make sure no one was in there. "Hello?"
Amy looked around the room. Nothing seemed out of place, not even the wall that had almost come down.
Dean nudged her. "Hey, check it out."
Amy looked down to see something on the carpet by Dean's foot. He knelt down to pick it up and she saw that it was a large, gold engagement ring.
Amy looked around again. "There's no way those guys left that quickly."
"Let's head down to the front desk," Sam suggested. "Maybe that attendant knows something."
Dean stood back up. "Yeah, good idea."
They left the room and headed back down the hallway. The concierge was typing away at his computer again and didn't seem to notice the hunters approach.
Dean leaned against the counter and cleared his throat.
Chet looked up and smiled at them. "Can I help you?"
"The, uh, the room next to ours," Dean said, "t-the couple that are, uh, joined at the lips. Have you seen them?"
"Mr. and Mrs. Logan - the honeymooners?" Chet typed something quickly on the keyboard, then smiled back up. "They checked out." Noticing the hunter's expressions, he added. "Is something the matter?"
"They checked out?" Sam repeated.
"Mm-hmm." Chet looked at the computer. "Mm, just now."
"Are you sure?" Amy asked.
"'Cause it sort of seemed like they were, uh…" Sam chuckled slightly "...in the middle of something."
"Yeah, it's kind of weird for honeymooners to, uh, check out without this." Dean held up the engagement ring.
"Oh, dear." Chet took the ring from Dean. "I'll just put that right in the lost and found. Don't you worry. Is there anything else I can help you with?" He gave them another smile that gave Amy a bad feeling.
"Uh, no. No, we're good."
"Super-fantastic."
The hunters turned around and began to walk away from the counter.
"Creepy," Sam whispered.
"You just had to say something, didn't you, Dean?" Amy asked.
Dean frowned. "Shut up."
They stopped walking and Dean turned to his brother. "All right, well, I'll scope out the joint, and you keep an eye on Norman Bates over here," he suggested. "I mean, one night off. Is that too much to ask?"
"What about me?" Amy asked.
"Take your pick," Dean said. "You can go with me or Sam."
Amy nodded towards Dean. "I'll go with you."
Dean nodded. "Meet you back here, later?" he asked Sam.
"Yeah, just be careful."
"You too."
Sam went in one direction while Dean and Amy went in the other. They got into the elevator and pushed the button for the second floor.
As they headed up, Dean pulled out an EMF meter. The elevator reached the floor and they slowly began walking down the hallway.
The meter whirred as Amy and Dean passed by each room. As they made their way past a room with an open door, something stopped them in their tracks.
What sounded like an elephant trumpet came from the room they had just walked by. Amy could have sworn she had seen an actual elephant in the room as well.
The two hunters backed up to look in the room again. The only thing they saw, however, was a large, black man wrapping a towel around himself.
"This ain't no peep show, man!" The man roughly slammed the door closed.
Dean and Amy stood there for a few moments.
"Please tell me I'm not the only one that saw an elephant in that room," Amy finally spoke.
Dean was still staring at the door, a look of confusion on his face. "Yeah, no, I, uh...yeah," he managed to say.
"Okay, so, I'm not going crazy."
"Maybe we both are," Dean joked.
Amy let out a small laugh. "That's not funny."
"Then why are you laughing?"
Amy rolled her eyes. "So, uh, you think that's weird enough or should we keep going?"
Dean looked down the hall, then back to the elevator. "Nah, let's get going," he decided. "Sam might be waiting for us."
Amy nodded. Dean pocketed the EMF meter and they got back into the elevator. It brought them back down to the first floor and as they got out, they ran into Sam, who was coming from the other hallway.
"Dude, we just saw an elephant," Dean whispered quickly as they approached Sam.
"An elephant?" Sam asked as they walked back towards the lobby.
"An elephant," Amy repeated.
"Like, an elephant?"
"Like, full-on Babar," Dean added.
"So what the hell is…" Sam trailed off as they reached the lobby. It was completely empty. "Where is everybody?"
Sam walked towards the lobby doors and pulled on them. They didn't open.
Dean sighed in frustration. "Let me guess - it's locked. So what - the roaches check-in, they don't check out?"
"Oh, god, it's like Hotel California all over again," Amy muttered.
"Think about how we got here," Sam said. He walked back over to the others. "That detour on I-90? The friggin' hurricane?"
"You saying we were led here?" Dean asked.
"Like rats in a maze."
"What the actual hell," Amy muttered. She looked around the empty lobby again. "Okay, wait, so, where is everyone else, then?"
Sam and Dean exchanged a look. "Kitchen," they said at the same time.
"Kitchen it is, then."
The hunters headed back down the hallway and through the doors labeled 'Kitchen' to find that it was empty as well.
A red liquid bubbled in a pot on the counter.
"Please be tomato soup," Dean muttered. "Please be tomato soup." He lifted the ladle to reveal two eyeballs and grimaced. "Motel hell."
Amy groaned in disgust at the sight. "I might never eat tomato soup again."
Sam began walking towards the freezer door. He bent down and looked through the window, only to jump back as a hand from inside hit the surface.
"Help us! Get us out!" A man inside the fridge pleaded.
Sam quickly reached into his pocket and pulled out his lock picking kit.
"Here, Sam," Amy said, quickly hurrying up to the door. "I can get it open."
Sam stood up and turned towards her to step out of the way. "Okay, just hur-" Sam stopped short.
"There's somebody behind us, isn't there?" Dean asked.
Amy turned to see three men standing behind them, wearing suits. "Uh, hi there."
One of the men roughly grabbed Amy by the arm and forcibly spun her around. The other two men grabbed Sam and Dean as well and the three hunters were dragged out of the room.
They were dragged through the lobby and down another hallway, until being pushed through a pair of large double doors labeled 'Grand Ballroom.' Inside were three tables pushed together to make a 'U' shape. Four red, velvet chairs lined two of the tables and had small lamps in front of them.
A few people stood in the room, many of which Amy didn't recognize. One person in the room, however, she did recognize. The woman Dean had tried flirting with earlier. Everyone was wearing a nametag, and Amy was able to make out a few of them. Ganesh, Odin, Kali, and Baldur.
"Oh boy," Amy whispered.
"Something tells me this isn't a Shriner convention," Dean said.
Chet, or as his nametag read, Mercury, pushed a dinner cart into the room. "Dinner is served." He lifted the dome cover to reveal a platter of various human organs and a severed head in the middle.
Amy felt sick to her stomach. "I'm never eating again," she muttered.
Everyone else in the room applauded. Bright lights suddenly turned towards the hunters and Baldur gestured towards them.
"Ladies and Gentleman, our guests of honor have arrived."
Three chairs slid up from behind the hunters, forcing them to sit down. The gods in the room sat down around the table, with Baldur and Kali at the head.
Baldur held up a champagne glass and clinked a fork to it. "Ladies and gentleman, thank you for coming. Although in all my centuries, I never thought I'd see this. This many gods under one roof."
"Gods?" Sam muttered.
"Now, before we get down to brass tacks, some ground rules," Baldur continued. "No slaughtering each other. Curb your wrath. Oh, and uh, keep your hands off the local virgins. We're trying to keep a low profile here."
"Oh, we are so... so screwed."
Baldur kept talking. "Now we all know why we're here. The Judeo-Christian apocalypse looms over us. I know we've all had our little disagreements in the past. The time has come to put those aside and look toward the future. Because if we don't, we won't have one. Now we do have two very valuable bargaining chips." He gestured towards the hunters. "Michael, and Lucifer's vessels. The question is, what do we do now? Anybody have any bright ideas? Speak up. This is a safe room."
One of the gods, Zao Shen, stood up. He began yelling something in a language Amy didn't recognize.
"Oh, I don't like his tone," Dean muttered jokingly.
Ganesh laughed. "Kill 'em?" he asked. "What, so the angels can bring them back again?"
"I don't know what everybody's getting so worked up about!" Odin said as Zao sat back down. "'Cause, it's just a couple of angels having a slap fight! There's no Armageddon. Everybody knows, when the world comes to an end, the Great Serpent Jormungandr rises up, and I myself will be eaten by a big wolf!" He finished off with a laugh.
Zao Shen sighed, muttering something in response.
"Oh yeah?" Odin asked. "And why is that? Because your beliefs are so much more realistic? The whole world's getting carried around on the back of a giant turtle? Ha! Give me a break!"
Zao fired back a string of words. "Don't mock my world turtle."
"What are you gonna do about it?" Odin threatened.
Zao angrily yelled something back.
"Somebody's mad," Amy whispered.
"You watch your mouth when you talk to me, boy!" Odin warned.
Zao said something back.
"No one's ever proved that."
As the two gods argued, Amy felt Sam nudge her on the shoulder. She looked at him and he darted his eyes towards the door. Giving him a tiny nod, the hunters slowly got out of their chairs and moved towards the door.
Before they had stood up all the way, a large chandelier fell to the ground in front of them with a loud crash.
"Stay."
The hunters slowly turned back around to see the Kali standing up, staring at them coldly. "We have to fight," she said to the other gods. "The archangels - the only thing they understand is violence. This ends in blood. There is no other way, it's them, or us."
"With all due respect, ma'am," Mercury spoke, "we haven't even tried talking to them." He stopped talking as he suddenly began to choke. He pulled at his collar as blood began coming out of his mouth.
"Kali!" Baldur snapped.
Mercury stopped choking instantly. He leaned across the table, gasping for breath.
"Who asked you?" Kali asked.
Amy heard the doors swing open behind them, and then heard a very familiar voice.
"Can't we all just get along!"
The hunters turned to see Gabriel stroll into the room. He was wearing a burgundy shirt with a light green jacket with sleeves that were too slightly too long for his arms.
Amy instantly flashed the archangel a smile.
"Gab-" Dean was suddenly cut off as Gabe waved a finger and took away his voice.
Gabe walked further into the room. "Sam! Dean. It's always wrong place, worst time with you muttonheads, huh?" He turned to Amy. "Hi, Ames," he whispered, giving the girl a smile.
"Hi," Amy whispered back.
"Loki," Baldur spoke from the table.
Gabe snapped his attention towards the god. He stepped between the hunters and in the row between the tables. "Baldur. Good seeing you too. I guess my invitation got lost in the mail."
"Why are you here?" Baldur demanded.
"To talk about the elephant in the room." Gabe held up a finger as Ganesh began to stand. "Not you. The Apocalypse. We can't stop it, gang. But first things first."
Gabe turned back to the hunters. "The adults need to have a little conversation. Check you later." With that, he snapped his fingers and Amy felt the familiar sensation of being teleported somewhere.
The next second, Amy found herself standing in their hotel room with Sam and Dean. She took a seat on the couch.
"Okay, did that," Dean stammered, trying to find his voice. "Holy crap!" he finally managed to say.
"You can say that again," Amy muttered.
"Yeah, tell me about it," Sam said. "By the way, next time I say let's keep driving, uh, let's keep driving."
"Okay, yeah. Next time," Dean snapped.
"Alright, so what's our next move?" Sam asked.
Dean ran a hand through his hair. "I-I-I... I don't know. Grab those poor saps outta the freezer, I guess? Bust 'em out? Gank a few freaks along the way if we're lucky?"
"And when are you ever lucky?"
Amy looked over to see Gabriel sitting casually on the couch next to her.
"Well, you know what, bite me, Gabriel," Dean challenged.
"Maybe later, big boy."
"Hey, Gabe," Amy said, giving the archangel another smile.
Gabe smiled back. "Hey, kiddo."
Dean rolled his eyes. "I still can't believe you two are BFFs. I mean, I should've known. This had your stink all over it from the jump."
Gabriel frowned. "You think I'm behind this? Please." He stood up. "I'm the Costner to your Houston. I'm here to save your ass."
"You wanna pull us outta the fire?" Dean asked suspiciously.
"Bingo!" Gabe said. "Those guys are either gonna dust you, or use you as bait. Either way, you're uber-boned."
Amy stood up as well, joining the others. "Thanks, buddy," she said sarcastically. Gabe smirked.
"Wow, 'cause a couple of months ago you were telling us that we need to play our roles," Dean reminded the archangel. "You're uber boning us!"
Gabe whistled. "Oh, the end is still nigh. Michael and Lucifer are gonna dance the lambada, but not tonight. Not here."
"And why do you care?" Dean asked.
"I don't care," Gabe said hesitantly. "But, me and Kali we, uh, had a thing. Chick was all hands." At the hunter's looks, he added, "What can I say? I'm sentimental."
"Do they have a chance?" Sam finally asked. "Against Satan?"
"Really, Sam?" Dean snapped.
"You got a better idea, Dean?"
"It's a bad idea," Gabriel argued. "Lucifer's gonna turn them into finger paint. So let's get going while the going's good, hmm?"
"Okay, great, why don't you just zap us outta here then?" Dean asked.
"Would if I could, but Kali's got you by the short and curlies," Gabriel explained. "It's a blood spell. You three are on a leash."
Amy frowned. "Wait, I don't think they got me. At least, not that I'm aware."
"No, they definitely did." Gabe stepped forward and pulled her sleeve up, revealing a small cut that she hadn't noticed, as well as a spot of blood on the edge of the sleeve.
Amy frowned, "How did I not notice that?"
"Okay, but," Dean spoke, "what does this mean?"
"It means it's time for a bit of the old black magic." Gabe pulled out a breath spray and spritzed it into his mouth.
"Really?" Amy asked.
Gabe put the spray away. "Really."
"Okay, yeah. Well, whatever," Dean said dismissively. "We're gonna take the hors d'oeuvres in the freezer with us."
"Forget it." Gabe scoffed. "It's gonna be hard enough sneaking you mooks outta here."
"They called you Loki, right?" Dean recalled. "Which means they don't really know who you are?"
"Told you. I'm in witness protection."
"Okay, well then how about you do what we say, or we tell the, uh, legion of doom about your secret identity," Dean threatened. "They don't seem like a real pro-angel kinda crowd."
"I'll take your voices away," Gabriel countered, taking a menacing step forward.
"We'll write it down."
"I'll cut off your hands."
"Okay, Gabe, just know that I'm not on board with the whole 'tell the pagan gods who you are, thing'," Amy cut in, "but everyone in this room knows I don't need hands to write a note." She used her powers to make a pen float through the air between them, to prove her point, before letting it fall to the ground.
Gabriel sighed heavily. "Fine," he finally agreed. A second later, he disappeared.
"What now?" Sam asked.
"Now, we find a way to get the other guests out of that freezer." Dean led the way out of the room.
Sam and Amy followed Dean down the hallway, and back towards the kitchen. As they entered the lobby, they heard a man scream for help from the employee entrance.
The hunters ducked out of sight as Odin, Zao Shen, and another man dragged one of the guests out of the room and forced him on top of the counter. Amy recognized him as the man who had begged Sam for help earlier.
Dean moved to help the man, but Sam stopped him. "It's too late."
The man continued screaming for help as he thrashed around on the counter. Zao Shen brought a clever down, separating the man's head from his body.
The gods put the body and head on a cart and rolled it out of the room, just missing the hunters as they walked right by them.
"That was too close," Dean said, once the coast was clear.
"Yeah," Sam agreed. "Come on, we don't have a lot of time before they return."
They hurried into the kitchen and made their way to the freezer, where more screams could be heard.
"I got it," Amy said quickly. She held out her hand, only to be instantly interrupted by a loud crash on the other side of the room.
She spun around to see that Dean had been thrown into a metal shelving unit by Zao Shen. The god turned to Sam and Amy and grabbed them by the necks with one hand each, pinning both of them to the freezer door.
Amy struggled against the tight grip while Sam did the same next to her. If she could focus for just a second, she might be able to throw something at the god to distract him.
All of a sudden, Dean pulled a wooden stake from his jacket and ran forward. He shoved the stake into Zao Shen's back, and the god flickered before collapsing to the ground dead.
"Where the hell is Gabriel?" Dean asked loudly.
The next second, the kitchen doors burst open and the other two gods from earlier entered. They looked down at Zao Shen's dead body, then grabbed the three hunters roughly and dragged them out.
Sam, Dean, and Amy were dragged back down the hallway and shoved into the ballroom once more. Inside, Gabriel was sitting in a chair as Kali stood over him.
"How long have you known?" Amy heard Gabe ask.
"Long enough," Kali said.
The Winchesters and Amy were pushed into three of the red, velvet chairs. Amy's chair was right next to Gabriel's.
"You okay?" Amy whispered. Gabe gave her a small, not very convincing, nod.
"How's the rescue going?" Dean asked Gabe.
"Well, surprise, surprise," Kali said, addressing the other gods in the room. "The Trickster has tricked us."
"Kali, don't," Gabe begged.
"You're mine now." Kali sat down on the archangel's leg. "And you have something I want." She reached into the inside of his jacket and pulled out Gabriel's archangel blade. "An Archangel's blade. From the Archangel, Gabriel." She stood up and backed away.
"Okay, okay! So I got wings, like Kotex. But that doesn't make me any less right about Lucifer."
Kali shook her head. "He's lying. He's a spy."
"I'm not a spy," Gabe argued. "I'm a runaway."
Kali scoffed.
Gabriel continued. "I'm trying to save you." He leaned forward. "I know my brother, Kali. He should scare the living crap out of you. You can't beat him. I've skipped ahead, seen how this story ends-"
Kali cut the archangel off. "Your story. Not ours. Westerners, I swear. The sheer arrogance. You think you're the only ones on earth? You pillage and you butcher in your God's name. But you're not the only religion, and he's not the only God. And now you think you can just rip the planet apart? You're wrong." Her voice began to break as she leaned forward and lightly touched Gabriel's cheek. "There are billions of us. And we were here first. If anyone gets to end this world it's me. I'm sorry."
Before Amy could process what was happening, Kali shoved the archangel blade into Gabriel's stomach.
"Gabe!" Amy couldn't stop herself from calling out her friend's name. She watched helplessly as Gabe's eyes and mouth flickered with a bright, white light, before collapsing lifelessly in the chair.
Gabriel was dead. Amy felt her breath get caught in her throat as she stared at the archangel's body. He couldn't be dead, he just couldn't.
"This is crazy," Amy heard Mercury say. She couldn't bring herself to take her eyes off of Gabe's body.
"They can die," Kali informed them. "We can kill Lucifer."
Dean stood up. "Alright you primitive screwheads, listen up."
"Are you outta your mind?" Sam muttered.
"I'm outta options," Dean whispered. He turned back to the gods. "Now on any other given day, I'd be doing my damndest to, uh, kill you. You filthy murdering chimps. But, uh, hey, desperate times."
Amy was still looking at Gabe when she saw Dean walk into view as he spoke. She couldn't bring herself to look away, afraid he'd just disappear.
"So even though I'd love nothing better than to slit your throats, you dicks, I'm gonna help you," Dean offered. "I'm going to help you ice the devil." He poured himself a drink. "And then we can all get back to ganking each other, like normal. You want Lucifer, well, dude's not in the Yellow Pages. But me, Sam, and Amy, we can get him here."
"How?" Kali asked.
"First you let those main courses go," Dean ordered. "Then we talk. We can either take on the devil together, or you lame-ass bitches can eat me. Literally."
Kali and Dean glared at each other for a moment.
Finally, Kali turned to Mercury. "Release them," she ordered.
"But-"
"Release them," Kali said firmer.
"Yes, ma'am." Mercury stood up and began walking out of the room.
"I'd like to see them out, if you don't mind," Dean said. It was obvious he didn't trust the god.
"Fine," Kali relented.
Dean began walking towards the exit but stopped by Amy's chair. She felt him pick her up and start walking with her to the doors.
Amy began to protest. "What are you doing?"
Dean walked out of the room and put Amy on the ground. "I saw you in there," he said. "You wouldn't take your eyes off of Gabriel's body. I had to get you out of there, get you focused on something else."
"But-"
"No buts," Dean argued. "You can grieve later, but right now, Sam and I? We need you."
Amy nodded slowly. "Fine," she whispered.
"Good," Dean said. "Now let's go get everyone out of here."
Dean and Amy hurried to the kitchen, arriving just in time for the guests to run out of the kitchen.
"Come on!" Dean called. He ran to the door and pushed it open.
The guests ran out as Dean held the door open for them. Amy followed the crowd, joining Dean outside.
"Come on everybody! Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go." As the last guest ran through the door, Dean let it close and followed them through the parking lot. "Alright, alright, go, go, go! Get outta here!"
"Psst! Dean!"
Amy heard the voice from the car. She walked closer and froze. Gabriel was sitting in the backseat with the window down partway.
"Don't look at me!" Gabe hissed. "Act natural. Get in."
Dean and Amy exchanged a quick look, before running to get in the car.
Amy slid into the passenger seat, instantly turning to Gabe when the door closed. "You're alive?"
"There is nothing natural about this at all," Dean told the archangel. "We thought you were dead."
"Yeah," Amy agreed quietly.
Gabriel looked at Amy apologetically, before turning back to Dean. "You think I'd give Kali my real sword? That thing can kill me!"
Dean slowly turned his head back to the hotel before pointing at it. "Then what do they have in there?"
"A fake!" Gabe said proudly. "Made it out of a can of diet orange slice. So, uh, go snag our blood, would ya?"
"What?"
"I heard you in there," Gabe said. "Kali likes you. You can get close. Lift the plasma, then we vamoose."
"What?" Amy asked. "Just leave?"
"No," Dean said coldly. "Hand over the real blade. Better yet, why don't you sack up and help us take down Lucifer."
Gabriel slid closer down the seat. "You can't be serious?"
Dean nodded. "Deadly."
"Since when are you butt buddies with a bunch of monsters?" Gabriel asked. "That's all they are to you, aren't they?"
"Alright, you know, Sam was right," Dean said. "It's nuts, but it's the best idea I've heard, so unless you have a better one?"
Gabe scoffed. "Well, good luck with that. Me? I'm blowing Jonestown. Those lemmings wanna run off a cliff, that's their business."
"I see right through you, you know that?" Dean snapped. "The smart-ass shell, the whole "I could give a crap" thing? Believe me, it takes one to know one."
"That so?"
"Yes," Dean continued. "And maybe those freaks in there aren't your blood but they are your family."
"They just stabbed me in the friggen' heart!" Gabe argued.
Dean lowered his voice. "Maybe, but you still give a crap about 'em, don't you?"
"Dean-"
Dean cut Gabe off. "Now they're gonna die in there, without you."
"I can't kill my brother," Gabe said softly.
"Can't or won't?" There was a long, silent pause. "That's what I thought." Dean turned to Amy. "At least do it for her," he said softly.
Amy looked over at Dean in shock. "What? Why me?"
"Gabriel, man, look, I saw you that time, when she almost died," Dean said. "You looked terrified that something bad was going to happen to her."
Gabe and Amy exchanged a glance. Amy could see a tiny flicker in Gabe's eyes that said what Dean was saying was true.
"Now, I may not be completely accepting of the fact that you two are friends behind Sam's and my back," Dean continued, "but I know you care about her and want to keep her safe. Probably more than you do any other human."
"Gabe?" Amy asked quietly. "Is that true?"
Gabe didn't reply for a moment. Finally, he gave a small nod.
"Then help us," Dean finished. "We need you." He opened the driver's door and stepped out of the car, leaving Amy and Gabriel alone.
As soon as the door was closed, Amy climbed over the bench seat and into the back. She pulled the archangel into a tight hug. "I thought you were dead." She felt tears welling up inside her eyes.
"I know." Gabe hugged the young girl back. "I'm so sorry, Ames. I saw you in there with the fake body. I didn't mean to hurt you."
Amy pulled away from the hug and sniffled. "I'm just glad you're okay." She wiped the tears from her eyes. "Hey, uh, all that stuff Dean was saying, was that true?"
Gabriel smiled. "Later, okay? We gotta get you back inside."
"We?" Amy echoed. "So, you'll help up?"
Gabe nodded. He opened the car door and gestured out. "Shall we?"
Amy chuckled softly as Gabe slid out of the car. She followed him out and he closed the car door.
They headed back towards the hotel and entered the empty lobby.
"Alright," Gabe said. "I need to take care of something first. Get back to the others and I'll meet you there in a bit."
Amy nodded. She gave the archangel another hug before running down the hallway towards the ballroom. Sam, Dean, Kali, and Baldur were in the ballroom when she entered.
Dean turned around as Amy ran through the doors. "Where were you?"
"Talking to Gabe," Amy explained quickly. "He said he'll help us."
The lights in the room began to flicker.
"What's happening?" Baldur asked.
"Nothing good," Amy muttered.
"It's him," Sam said.
"How?" Kali asked.
"Does it matter?" Dean argued. "Shazzam us outta here, would ya?"
"We can't." Baldur walked towards the now open doors, where Lucifer had just entered.
"Of course you can't," Lucifer drawled. "You didn't say 'mother, may I?' Sam, Dean, Amy, good to see you again."
Lucifer looked almost the same as the last time they had seen him, but the face of his vessel had a few scarred patches on it.
Baldur stepped forward as the hunters stepped back.
"Baldur, don't," Kali warned.
Baldur ignored her. "You think you own the planet?" he asked Lucifer. "What gives you the right?" He angrily walked forward, towards Lucifer.
Amy jumped back as Lucifer suddenly jammed his hand clean through Baldur. The devil's bloody hand could be seen through the god's back. He pulled his hand out and threw Baldur's lifeless body to the ground.
Sam, Dean, and Amy ran for cover as Kali's arms began to engulf in flames, but Lucifer seemed unfazed. Kali threw the fire at Lucifer as the hunters ducked behind a table.
As the flames died down, Lucifer still stood there, completely unharmed. He punched Kali with an uppercut, sending her flying through the air.
"Where the hell is Gabriel?" Dean asked frantically.
"I don't know, man." Amy was admittedly beginning to worry a little bit. "He said he had to take care of something first."
Dean groaned in frustration.
"You okay?" Sam asked his brother.
"Not really," Gabriel answered, suddenly appearing next to Dean. "Better late than never, huh?" He handed Dean a copy of Casa Erotica 13. "Guard this, with your life."
Gabe stood up to go face off against his brother, but Amy grabbed his arm, stopping him in his tracks. She knew what was about to happen, for real this time.
He turned back to see a tearful expression on Amy's face, then turned his attention to Sam and Dean. "Keep her safe for me." He gave Amy a final smile, before pulling his arm out of her grasp and walking away.
A few seconds later, there was a loud crash from the other side of the room. The hunters peeked out of their cover to see Lucifer on the ground in front of Gabriel, who stood with his archangel blade in hand.
"Lucy, I'm home," Gabe taunted.
Lucifer stood up and began to walk towards his brother.
Gabriel held up his archangel blade. "Not this time," he warned. He backed up, keeping his eyes on Lucifer, and helped Kali to her feet. "Guys! Get her outta here.""
Amy quickly followed Sam and Dean out of their cover. Gabe shielded them as they walked Kali out of the room.
Knowing she couldn't stay long, Amy gave Gabe one final look before walking through the doors. There was nothing she could do, though.
"Over a girl," Lucifer said as the hunters and Kali left. "Gabriel, really? I mean I knew you were slumming, but I hope you didn't catch anything."
The two archangels' voices faded away as the hunters and Kali hurried down the hall. They pushed open the lobby doors and stepped out into the parking lot.
"I'm not getting in that thing," Kali said, looking at the Impala.
"Just get in the car, princess," Dean snapped.
Sam opened the door for Kali while Amy got into the other side. Kali got into the backseat next to her and, once Sam and Dean were in the front, they drove away from the hotel.
March 31st, 2010 - Muncie, Indiana
They dropped Kali off a few miles from the hotel. She got out of the Impala and walked away without a word.
"You're welcome," Dean muttered as Kali disappeared from view.
"Hey, what was that thing Gabriel gave you?"
Dean reached into the car and pulled out the copy of Casa Erotica 13. "This."
Sam frowned. "He gave you a porno?"
Dean shrugged. "Should we watch it?"
"Now?" Amy asked.
"Why not?"
Sam let out a heavy sigh. "I-fine." Dean handed him the keys and Sam opened the trunk to get his laptop from his bag.
They loaded the DVD into the laptop and set it on top of the Impala. Dean hit play and a red background filled the screen as cheesy porno music played in the background. A warning about how all actors were over eighteen and had consented to this showed at the bottom of the screen, before fading away.
The title card showed up on the screen, and the scene switched to show a woman in lingerie lying down on the bed, writing in a diary.
"Dear Diary," an inner monologue said, "being a high-powered business president is super-fun. But so exhausting. Sometimes, I just need to relax. I need Casa Erotica."
"Okay, listen," Amy said, "you boys watch this all you want but I just...I can't"
"Yeah, okay," Dean said as there was a knock on the door in the film. "That's fine."
Amy walked away from the computer. Sam and Dean stayed by the laptop to continue watching the DVD. She kicked a pebble around near the road while she waited for Sam and Dean. They were on the side of the road, and there weren't any buildings nearby she could duck into for a bit.
"Uh, Ames?" Dean called. "You might want to come see this."
Amy frowned. She walked back over to the Winchesters. "What is it?"
Dean pointed to the screen and Amy looked to see Gabriel standing in the doorway. He was carrying a silver platter and had on a fake mustache and service waiter's outfit.
"What the hell?" Amy asked.
"I've got the kielbasa you ordered," Gabriel said.
"Ooh. Polish?" the woman asked.
"Hungarian." Gabriel threw the dish to the side and lunged forward.
Amy looked away as Gabe was shown on screen passionately kissing the woman.
"What the hell's going on?" Sam asked.
At that moment, Gabriel turned directly to the camera. "Sam, Dean, Amy," he said, speaking directly to them. "You're probably wondering what the hell is going on."
Gabriel took off the fake mustache and tossed it to the side. "Well, if you're watching this, I'm dead."
"No," Amy's voice was small. Maybe he had faked his death again, maybe he was still alive. There was no way he was dead. Not again.
"Oh please!" Gabriel said on screen. "Stop sobbing, it's embarrassing for all of us." He sat down on the bed. "Without me, you've got zero shot at killing Lucifer, sorry! But can trap him."
"Oh, that's right," Amy whispered. "The cage."
"The cage you sprung Lucifer from?" Gabriel continued. "It's still down there. And maybe, just maybe, you can shove his ass back in. Not that it'll be easy. You gotta get the cage open, trick my bro back into it. And uh, oh yeah, avoid Michael and the God Squad. But hey, details, right?" He shrugged. "And here's the big secret, Lucifer himself doesn't even know. The key to the cage? It's out there. Actually, it's keys, plural." He held up four fingers. "Four keys, well, four rings. From the Horsemen. You get 'em all, you got the cage. Can't say I'm betting on you three. But, uh, hey! I've been wrong before."
There was a bit of a pause before Gabe spoke again. "And, uh, Sam, Dean? Do me a favor? Make sure Ames is okay through all of this. You were right, Dean, I did care about her. She was my best friend and my death is really gonna hurt her emotionally. And Dean, you were right. I was afraid to stand up to my brother, not anymore." He stood up from the bed. "So this is me, standing up. And this is, me, lying down."
Amy looked away in disgust as Gabriel spun around and threw himself and the Casa Erotica woman onto the bed. She heard Sam shut his laptop, and looked back up.
"Horsemen, huh?" Dean asked. "Well we got War's, we nicked Famine's." He held up two fingers. "That's two down. Collect all four? All we need is Pestilence and Death."
Sam scoffed. "Oh, is that all?"
"It's a plan."
"It'll work," Amy said quietly. "I know it will."
Sam nodded. He grabbed his laptop and the hunters got into the Impala. Dean started the engine, and they drove off.