March 19th, 2010 - Cicero, Indiana
"Do you even know where we're going?" Amy asked for the third time since the night before. "We've been driving for over a day."
"Trust me." Sam gripped the steering wheel of their stolen truck tighter. "I know exactly where he is."
Amy read a sign as they sped by it. "Cicero?" she asked. "You think he's here?"
Sam nodded. "Dean's got a friend here. Her name is Lisa Braeden."
"Oh, yeah, I know who you're talking about," Amy said thoughtfully. "She's got a son named Ben, right?"
Sam nodded. "Trust me. If Dean's gone anywhere, it'll be to her."
Amy didn't reply. Instead, she turned her head to look out the window at the night sky.
Mike's Travel Inn
Sam drove until they reached the first motel in town. As soon as it was in view, Amy spotted the all-too-familiar black Chevy Impala. She let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "He's here," she said in relief.
Sam pulled the truck into the parking lot, right next to the Impala. "Call Cas," he instructed.
Amy pulled out her phone, dialing the angel's number. "Hey, Cas," she said once she was sent to voicemail, "we found Dean. He's in Cicero, Indiana at Mike's Travel Inn."
She closed her phone and followed Sam out of the truck. "How will we know what room he's in?"
Sam pointed up to the second floor, where a single light was turned on. "There." He started running towards the stairs. "Come on!"
Amy hurried after Sam, taking the stairs up two at a time. He led her to the door and crouched down to pick the lock.
Finally, Sam pushed open the door and they walked inside.
Dean was standing in front of a mirror with his back to the door. On the bed, Amy noticed a box that was taped shut and had the name 'Robert Singer' written on the top. Sam and Amy stood next to the room divider as Dean poured himself a glass of whiskey.
As the older Winchester brought the glass to his mouth, Sam spoke. "Sending someone a candy-gram?" he asked dryly.
Dean spun around. He looked between Sam and Amy in shock. "How'd you find me?" he finally asked.
"You're going to kill yourself, right?" Sam asked. He slipped the car keys into his pocket. "It's not too hard to figure out the stops on the Farewell Tour. How's Lisa doing, anyway?"
Dean looked down at the glass. "I'm not going to kill myself."
"No?" Sam asked. "So Michael's not about to make you his Muppet? What the hell, man? This is how it ends? You just…walk out?"
"Yeah, I guess." Dean sounded defeated. He downed his glass, then turned and poured himself another one.
"How could you do that?" Sam was getting angry now.
"How could I?" Dean repeated angrily. "All you've ever done is run away."
"And I was wrong," Sam shouted. "Every single time I did."
Amy could feel her heart ache as Sam let out a long breath. If Cas didn't get here soon, this could turn out bad.
"Just…please," Sam continued, a bit calmer. "Not now. Bobby is working on something."
"Oh, really?" Dean asked. Amy could tell from his tone that he didn't believe Sam. "What?"
Sam looked down, unable to answer his brother.
Dean scoffed. "You got nothing and you know it."
"You know I have to stop you."
Dean set his glass down on top of the box. "Yeah, well, you can try. Just remember, you're not all hopped up on demon blood this time." He balled his fist.
Behind Dean, Cas appeared and Amy saw a look of relief cross Sam's face for a brief second.
"Yeah, I know." Sam nodded behind Dean. "But I brought help."
At Sam's words, Dean turned to see Castiel. The angel placed two fingers on Dean's forehead and he fell to the ground.
"Thanks, Cas," Amy said.
Sam hurried over to Dean and began searching his pockets. He pulled out the car keys, holding them up in relief.
Amy walked over to the box. She pulled out her knife and sliced the blade through the tape. Opening it up, she found Dean's leather jacket, his gun, and a note. She took the jacket and gun, leaving the note behind.
"Cas," Sam said. He pointed down at Dean. "Can you get him?"
Castiel nodded. He bent down and picked up the unconscious hunter like he weighed nothing at all, throwing him over his shoulder.
"Alright," Sam looked around the room. "Is that everything?"
"I think so," Amy said, looking around as well.
Sam led them back out to the Impala and opened the back door. Cas placed Dean across the backseat as Amy got into the passenger side.
"Thanks, Cas," Sam said.
Without a word, Cas vanished once more. Sam walked around to the trunk and opened it up, obscuring Amy's view. After a moment, he closed it back up and walked back to the backseat.
Leaning into the backseat, Amy now saw what Sam had been doing. He took a pair of handcuffs and handcuffed Dean's hands behind his back.
"What's that for?" Amy asked.
"In case he wakes up before we get to Bobby's." Sam closed the back door and got into the driver's seat. He started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.
March 20th, 2010 - Sioux Falls, South Dakota
They reached Bobby's house early the next morning. Dean was still unconscious when they arrived and Sam carried him into the house.
"Hey, Bobby," Amy greeted as Sam placed Dean on the couch.
Bobby rolled his wheelchair closer and nodded towards Dean. "What happened to him?"
"Cas," Amy said.
"We found him down in Cicero," Sam explained. "Had to call Cas to help get him out of there before he hurt himself."
Amy leaned against the wall. "Did you find out anything, Bobby?"
Bobby grunted in response. "Nothing we didn't already know." He wheeled over to a stack of books and papers on his desk. "Still got all this to go through, though."
Sam and Amy exchanged a glance before reluctantly grabbing a book or paper and sitting down to read.
A couple hours later, Dean was finally awake, and they still had no useful information. Castiel had reappeared pretty soon after and was currently watching the hunters research.
"Yeah, no, this is good." Dean had been pacing around the study. He folded his arms and leaned against the wall. "Really. You know, eight months of turned pages and screwed pooches but tonight, tonight's when the magic happens."
"You ain't helpin'," Bobby said bitterly.
"Yeah, well, why don't you let me get out of your hair, then?" Dean asked, almost hopefully.
Bobby took his eyes off his book. "What the hell happened to you?" He asked Dean in disbelief.
"Reality happened," Dean snapped. "Nuclear's the only option we have left. Michael can ice the devil, save a boatload of people."
"But not all of them," Bobby argued. "We gotta think of something else."
Amy glanced up from her book as Dean and Bobby argued. She saw Dean's eyes flicker over to hers and quickly turned her attention back to the book.
"Yeah, well, that's easy for you to say," Dean continued. "But if Lucifer burns this mother down, and I coulda done something about it, guess what? That's on me."
"You can't give up, son."
Dean scoffed. "You're not my father. And you ain't in my shoes."
"Dean…" Amy said quietly.
Bobby held up a hand to stop the young girl. He opened the top drawer of his desk and reached inside.
The hunters and Cas watched as Bobby held up his artillery gun. He placed it on the desk in silence, then pulled a bullet out of his pocket and examined it.
"Bobby please don't tell me that's what I think it is," Amy said with a shuddered breath.
"What is that?" Dean asked.
"That's the round that I mean to put through my skull," Bobby said.
Amy let out a quiet sigh and closed her eyes. "Bobby…"
Bobby set the bullet down on the desk, keeping his eyes on it the entire time. "Every morning, I look at it. I think, maybe today's the day I flip the lights out." He turned to Dean. "But I don't do it. I never do it. You know why? Because I promised you I wouldn't give up!" he yelled.
There was a brief moment of silence before Cas suddenly grabbed his head and hunched over in pain.
Amy quickly stood up, her attention now on the angel. She moved closer to him, putting a hand on his shoulder and leaning down to see his face, which was scrunched up in pain.
"Cas?" she asked quietly.
"You okay?" Sam asked.
"No," Cas groaned. He slowly took his hand away from his head and straightened up.
"What's wrong?"
"Something's happening."
"Where?" Dean asked.
Instead of answering, Castiel vanished, causing the papers to blow around the room.
Dean groaned in frustration. "Great."
"Alright, well, I don't know about you all, but I'm hungry," Amy said. "Gonna go make myself something to eat."
Amy made her way to the kitchen and opened the fridge. He didn't have a lot in the way of food, but it was often enough to just get by. She studied the food in the fridge, finally deciding that she didn't want anything from it.
Grabbing the milk from the fridge before closing it, she grabbed a box of cereal and poured herself a bowl. Hopping up onto the counter, she grabbed a spoon and began to eat.
While Amy was eating, Sam and Dean joined her in the kitchen.
Sam stood in front of the refrigerator door, reading a book. He didn't seem to notice Dean walk up to him.
"I'm gonna get a beer, do you mind?" Amy heard Dean ask.
Sam moved out of the way and Dean opened the fridge. Before he got a chance to close it, there was a strong gust of wind in Bobby's study.
Papers flew around the room and Cas reappeared, carrying what appeared to be an unconscious body that was covered head to toe in dirt.
"Help," Cas called out.
"Boys!" Bobby yelled. "Amy!"
The hunters hurried into the study as Cas lay the person on the cot. As the angel backed away, Amy was able to get a better look at who it was.
"Who is it?" Bobby asked.
"That's our brother," Sam said, voice quiet in disbelief.
"Adam," Amy added.
"Wait a minute. Your brother?" Bobby asked. "Adam?"
"Cas, what the hell?" Dean asked.
Cas set two angel blades on the desk. "Angels."
"Angels?" Sam asked. "Why"
"I know one thing for sure." Cas walked over to Adam. "We need to hide him now." He lowered a hand over Adam's chest. A glowing light emitted from his palm and Adam arched off the bed in pain.
As Cas straightened up, Adam opened his eyes. He sat up in a panic, looking around the room, eyes finally landing on Sam, Dean, and Amy.
"Where am I?" Adam demanded.
"It's okay," Sam said calmly. "Just relax, you're safe."
"Who the hell are you?" Adam asked.
"You're going to find this a little…" Dean trailed off for a moment, "a lot crazy, but we're actually your brothers."
"It's the truth," Sam added at Adam's disbelieving look. "John Winchester was our father, too. See, I'm Sam-"
Adam cut him off. "Yeah, and I'm sure that's Dean, and that's Amy. I know who you are."
"You do?" Amy asked.
Sam frowned. "How?"
"They warned me about you," Adam said.
"Who did?" Dean asked.
"The angels." Adam raised his voice, now getting angry. "Now where the hell is Zachariah?"
"Okay, okay, hey," Sam said. "Why don't we get you cleaned up, and then we'll help you any way we can."
"Yeah, no, Sam's right," Dean agreed. "Okay? There's a shower upstairs you can use and I've got a spare change of clothes you can borrow."
Adam darted his eyes back and forth between the hunters, Cas, and Bobby. Finally, he nodded. "Alright."
Adam stood up and Sam led him upstairs.
Half an hour later, Adam was back downstairs. His hair and face were no longer covered in dirt and he was wearing a clean set of Dean's clothes. He saw back down on the cot.
Dean handed Adam a glass of whiskey and straddled a chair, resting his arms on the back of it. "So why don't you just tell us everything? Start from the beginning," he suggested.
Adam rested the glass on his knee. "Well, I was dead and in Heaven," he began. "'Cept it—it uh, kinda looked like my prom and I was making out with this girl, her name was Kristin McGee-"
"Yeah, that sounds like heaven," Dean interrupted. "Did you get to third base?"
"Dude!" Amy cried out as Sam cleared his throat.
"Just uh, just keep going," Sam told Adam.
"Well, these…these angels," Adam continued, "they popped out of nowhere, and they tell me that I—I'm chosen."
Sam frowned. "For what?"
"To save the world."
"How you gonna do that?" Dean asked.
"Oh, me and some archangel are going to kill the devil," Adam said nonchalantly. He turned to Dean with a smug expression on his face.
Dean frowned this time. "What archangel?"
"Michael," Adam replied. "I'm his uh, sword or vessel or something, I don't know."
"Right," Amy muttered. "'Cause Dean didn't wanna do it so now they're trying to find someone else."
Dean looked back and forth between Adam and Amy. After a moment, he chuckled. "Well, that's insane."
"Not necessarily," Cas spoke.
Dean turned to Cas. "How do you mean?"
"It's like Amy said," Cas told him, nodding toward Amy as he said her name, "they're moving on from you, Dean."
"Well, that doesn't make sense."
"He is John Winchester's bloodline, Sam's brother," Cas explained. "It's not perfect, but it's possible."
Dean rubbed his eyes. "Well, you gotta be kidding me."
"Why would they do this?" Sam asked.
"Maybe they're desperate," Cas guessed. "Maybe they wrongly assumed Dean would be brave enough to withstand them."
"Alright, you know what? Blow me, Cas," Dean snapped.
"Look, no way. After everything that's happened?" Sam chuckled. "All that crap about destiny? Suddenly the angels have a Plan B? Does that smell right to anybody?"
"No, I think Sam's right," Amy said. "This does seem to be coming out of nowhere."
"You know this has been a really moving family reunion, but uh, I got a thing, so—" Adam set his glass on the ground and stood up.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, no, no, no," Sam said quickly, standing up as well. "Sit down. Just listen, okay? Please."
Adam shook his head in disbelief. "It's unbelievable." He reluctantly sat back down on the cot.
Sam sat on the corner of Bobby's desk. "Now, Adam…the angels are lying to you," he said harshly. "They're full of crap."
"Yeah, I don't think so," Adam said.
"Really." Sam scoffed. "Why not?"
"Um, 'cause they're angels," Adam said loudly.
"You don't know the angels like we do," Amy said. "Trust me when I say most of them don't care about you or anyone else on this planet."
"They tell you they were gonna roast half the planet?" Sam added.
Adam shrugged. "They said the fight might get pretty hairy, but it is the devil, right? So we got to stop him."
"Yeah, but there's another way," Sam argued.
"Great. What is it?"
Dean rolled his eyes at his brother. "We're working on the power of love," he joked.
"How's that going?" Adam asked mockingly.
Dean shook his head, smiling. "Mmm. Not good."
Sam sighed in frustration. "Look, Adam, you don't know me from a hole in the wall, I know. But I'm begging you. Please, just trust me. Give me some time."
"Give me one good reason."
Sam thought for a second. "Because we're blood," he said finally.
Adam glared at Sam "You've got no right to say that to me," he snapped.
"You're still John's boy," Bobby spoke.
"No, John Winchester was some guy who took me to a baseball game once a year," Adam argued. "I don't have a dad. So we may be blood, but we are not family. My mom is my family. And if I do my job, I get to see her again. So no offense, but she's the one I give a rat's ass about, not you."
Sam nodded. "Fair enough," he agreed quietly. "But if you have one good memory of dad, just one, then you'll give us a little more time. Please."
Adam let out a heavy sigh. He looked around, eyes landing on everyone in the room, before coming back to Sam. "Fine," he said. "Now do you think I could get something to eat? I haven't had any food in almost a full year."
Sam turned to Bobby, who nodded. He stood up. "Come on, then."
Adam followed Sam into the kitchen, leaving Dean, Bobby, Cas, and Amy in the study.
"Dean, I think it would be better if you were to go downstairs," Bobby said.
Dean furrowed his brows. "What? Why?"
"Because Zachariah is looking for both you and Adam right now and it seems both of you want to give up," Bobby snapped. "So until we can figure out a way to stop this, we need a way to keep both of you from running out."
Dean looked between Cas and Amy in disbelief. Neither of them said anything. Finally, he turned back to Bobby. "You can't be serious."
"Oh, but I am." Bobby turned to Cas. "Cas, can you take care of that?"
Castiel nodded in response. He walked towards Dean and grabbed his arm. There was a gust of wind and both he and Dean were gone.
A moment later, Cas reappeared without Dean. "He's in the panic room," he assured them.
Amy sat down on the chair Dean had been using. In the kitchen, Sam had given Adam a sandwich, which Adam was now eating.
Amy and Cas stayed in the study with Bobby while the old hunter researched. No one spoke for a long time.
Bobby turned his wheelchair around to look for a book on the shelf behind his desk. After a couple seconds, Amy heard small footsteps in the kitchen.
"Going somewhere?"
Amy snapped her attention to the kitchen, where Sam could be seen standing across from Adam, who was near the door.
"Out," Adam said hopefully, "for a beer."
Sam clapped his hands together. "Great. We got beer." He pointed to the table. "Have a seat."
Adam reluctantly walked back to the table and sat down. "You know, you pitch this whole dewy-eyed bromance thing, but the truth is I'm on lockdown aren't I?"
Sam placed a beer bottle in front of Adam. "Adam, you might not believe it, but dad was trying to protect you." He sat down across from Adam. "Keeping you from all this."
Adam scoffed in disbelief. "Yeah, well, I guess the monster that ate me didn't get that memo."
Amy frowned and stood up. She walked into the kitchen as Sam spoke.
"You remember that?"
Adam nodded. "Oh, yeah."
"Adam, I'm sorry about that," Amy said, "really, I am, but you have to trust us."
Sam nodded in agreement. "The one thing worse than seeing dad once a year was seeing him all year."
Adam stared back at Sam. "Do you know how full of crap you are?"
"What?"
"Really," Adam continued. "You see, it was me, and it was my mom. That's it. She worked the graveyard shift at the hospital, I cooked my own dinners, I put myself to bed. So, you can say whatever you want about our dad, but the truth is, I would have taken anything. All right?"
Sam nodded slightly. "Look, if we had known we had a brother-"
Adam cut Sam off. "Well, you didn't, so…"
"We would have found you," Sam continued. "Look, I can't change the past. I wish I could, but from here on out-"
Adam cut him off again. "What? We gonna hop in the family truckster?" He asked in a mock-southern accent. "Pop on down to Wally World?"
Sam scoffed and leaned back in his chair. "Tell you one thing, attitude like that. You'd fit right in around here."
Amy smiled in agreement. "Hell yeah, he would," she muttered.
"Sam, Amy."
Amy turned to see Cas standing in the kitchen entryway. "Cas? Everything okay?"
"It's Dean," Cas explained. "He wants to talk to you guys."
Sam and Amy exchanged a look. Finally, Sam stood up. "Okay," he said. He turned to Adam. "Stay here."
They followed Cas down the stairs. Sam unlocked the door to the panic room and it swung open to reveal Dean standing in the middle of the room.
Dean's gaze went directly past Sam and Amy and landed on Cas. "Well, Cas, not for nothing, but the last person who looked at me like that…I got laid," he joked dryly.
Sam and Amy stepped into the room. Amy turned to the angel to see him glaring at Dean. The angel shifted his weight, gaze intensifying.
Sam turned to Cas. "Uh, why don't you, uh, go keep an eye on Adam?" he suggested.
Cas waved a hand, still glaring at Dean, and the door slammed shut.
"Is this really necessary?" Dean asked Sam.
Sam chuckled. "Well, I mean, we got our hands full, Dean," he said. "A house full of flight risks."
"Adam already tried escaping," Amy added.
"I'm not letting him do it," Dean said quietly.
"Who, Adam?" Sam asked. "No, I'm... I'm not, either."
"No, you're not getting me." Dean turned his back and walked towards a corkboard with several photos and news clippings pinned to it.
"Oh, no, no, I 'get' you perfectly," Sam insisted. "But I'm not letting you do it, either."
Dean sat on a table under the board. "That kid's not taking a bullet for me," he said quietly.
"Well we're not letting you take one for us," Amy argued.
"Amy's right," Sam said. "Look, Dean-"
Dean cut his brother off. "I'm serious. I mean, think about how many people we've gotten killed, Sam. Mom, Dad, Jess, Ash, Pamela. Should I keep going?"
"It's not like we pulled the trigger," Sam said.
"We might as well have," Dean argued. "I'm tired, man. I'm tired of fighting who I'm supposed to be."
Sam nodded. "Well, do you think maybe you could take half a second and stop trying to sacrifice yourself for a change?" he asked angrily. "Maybe we could actually stick together?"
Dean looked away. "I don't think so."
"Why not?" Sam asked. When Dean didn't respond, he continued. "Dean, seriously. Tell me. I—I want to know."
"I just…I—I don't believe," Dean said hesitantly.
Sam frowned. "In what?"
Dean stared at his brother. "In you," he admitted. "I mean, I don't. I don't know whether it's gonna be demon blood or some other demon chick or what, but…I do know they're gonna find a way to turn you."
Sam nodded. "So you're saying I'm not strong enough."
"You're angry, you're self-righteous," Dean said. "Lucifer's gonna wear you to the prom, man. It's just a matter of time."
"Don't say that to me," Sam said quietly. "Not you...of all people."
"I don't want to," Dean continued. "But it's the truth. And when Satan takes you over, there's got to be somebody there to fight him, and it ain't gonna be that kid." He chuckled. "So, it's got to be me."
Sam scoffed. Without a word, he turned and walked out of the panic room. Amy quickly followed, leaving Dean alone once more.
They headed back upstairs to find Cas and Bobby in the study. Adam was asleep on the cot while Cas watched him.
Bobby wheeled closer as they approached. "How's he doing?"
Sam shrugged and scoffed in response.
"How you doing?" Bobby asked next. He looked over at Amy. "Both of you."
Sam nodded slightly.
Amy shrugged. "Honestly, though, I'm a little tired. I might turn in for the night."
Sam nodded in response. "Alright," he agreed. "I'll wake you if anything happens."
"Sounds good," Amy said. "I'll see you guys in the morning."
Amy headed upstairs and into her bedroom. She got into her usual sweatpants and t-shirt, before climbing into the creaky bed and falling asleep.
March 21st, 2010
The next morning, there was a loud knock on Amy's door. She jumped slightly at the noise and sat up. "Yeah?"
"Dean's gone." Sam's voice was in a panic.
Amy jumped out of bed and pulled open her door. "What? How?"
"Angel-banishing sigil," Sam explained. "Cas went to check on him last night. He's gone too."
Amy gestured out of the room and the two of them hurried downstairs.
"Where's Cas?" Bobby asked.
"Blown to Oz," Sam explained.
"Look, we'll get Dean," Sam said, nodding towards Amy. "He couldn't have gone too far. Just watch Adam."
"Let me go get my shoes on," Amy said. Without waiting for a response, she ran back upstairs. Not bothering to change out of her pajamas, she slipped on her tennis shoes and grabbed her jacket, before running back downstairs.
"Let's go." Sam quickly led Amy outside and to the Impala. They got in and sped away from the house, down the road.
"Where the hell would he have even gone?" Amy asked.
"I've got no clue," Sam admitted.
They spent almost an hour driving around, looking for Dean. Eventually, though, they had to give up.
Sam drove them back to Bobby's house. His hand was gripped tightly on the steering wheel, turning his knuckles white.
"We'll find him," Amy assured the other hunter quietly. "I know we will."
Sam sighed. "Somehow, I doubt that."
They headed back inside the house. As soon as Amy stepped over the threshold, she knew something was wrong.
Bobby wheeled into the hallway. "Please tell me you two found Dean," he said frantically.
Amy shook her head. "No luck."
"Bobby, is everything okay?" Sam asked.
Bobby shook his head. "Adam's gone."
"What?" Sam ran past Bobby into the study.
Amy hurried after him to find the cot Adam had been sleeping on now empty.
Sam turned back to the old hunter. "Bobby, what do you mean, Adam is gone?"
"Should I say it in Spanish?"
"He's gone how?" Sam snapped. "What the hell, Bobby?!"
"Watch your tone, boy," Bobby warned. "He was right in front of me, and he disappeared into thin air."
There was a gust of wind and Castiel reappeared. He was supporting a beaten, bloody Dean. "Because the angels took him."
"What the hell?" Amy asked at the sight of Dean.
"Cas, what happened to him?" Sam asked.
"Me." Cas dropped Dean on the bed. The hunter had a small cut on his lip and the side of his cheek.
"What do you mean, the angels took Adam?" Bobby asked as he wheeled into the study. "You branded his ribs, didn't you?"
"Yes. Adam must have tipped them," Cas guessed.
"How?"
"I don't know." Cas looked away. "Maybe in a dream."
"Well, where would they have taken him?" Sam asked.
"The Greenroom," Amy realized. "That's where they took Dean and I when they were trying to get Sam to kill Lilith."
Cas nodded. "That's where they'd take Adam."
"Okay," Sam said. He pointed to his brother. "We need to get him back downstairs."
"I'll handle that." Cas picked Dean back up, tossing him over his shoulder like a rag doll.
"Cas, wait," Sam said. He handed the angel a pair of handcuffs. "Put these on him. Cuff him to the bed in there. We need to make sure he can't get out again."
Cas nodded. He took the cuffs from Dean and vanished from the room.
Amy stared at the spot the angel had just been standing. "I'm gonna go get dressed," she said decidedly. She headed upstairs, back towards her room.
Amy closed her door and sat down on the edge of her bed. So much was happening right now. How much longer did this season have? A month? A week? She wasn't sure anymore. It was only a matter of time before the big showdown happened, whether she liked it or not. She didn't think there was anything she could say or do to stop it this time around.
Finally standing up, Amy opened her duffle and pulled out a pair of jeans, a fresh t-shirt, and a black hoodie. She got dressed, pulling her shoes back on afterwards.
Once she was dressed, Amy headed into her adjacent bathroom. She ran a brush through her hair and pulled it into a low ponytail, before heading back downstairs.
"You wanna do what?" Amy heard Bobby ask loudly as she reached the first floor.
"Bobby, you and I both know I can't do this alone," Sam argued.
Amy jumped down the last couple of steps. "Oh, god, what did I miss this time?" she asked jokingly.
"Sam wants to take Dean to the Greenroom with you guys."
"You wanna what?" Amy asked, turning her attention to Sam.
Sam sighed in frustration. "Look, I don't think he'll say yes," he argued. "But there's bound to be a ton of angels there and we can't take them on by ourselves."
Amy put her hands together and brought them to her face. She closed her eyes and let out a frustrated noise. "So, let me get this straight," she began. "After Cas has to beat Dean unconscious because he was about to say 'yes', you want to take him with us to confront the very same angels he almost said 'yes' to not ten minutes ago?"
Sam nodded.
"That's the dumbest idea I've ever heard," Bobby snapped.
Cas walked in from the kitchen. "Bobby is right," he agreed.
"See?" Amy asked, gesturing to Cas. "Even Cas agrees with me. Look, I get you guys are brothers and all that but does common sense just fly out the window when you're a Winchester?"
"Just…" Sam shifted on the spot, "let me talk to him, alright? Maybe I can talk some sense into him."
"I-" Amy looked around at Bobby and Cas. "Guys?"
"Cas, you went and checked out the Greenroom, right?" Sam asked. "What did it look like in there?"
Cas hesitated for a moment. "It was crawling with angels," he finally admitted.
"There, you see?" Sam asked triumphantly.
"It's a stupid idea," Bobby repeated angrily. "But fine, if you think you can talk some sense into that brother of yours, then have at it."
Sam let out a huff, then turned and headed down to the basement.
Amy sat down on the cot. "We really doing this?" she asked Cas.
Cas leaned against the doorframe. "We have to."
Amy pulled her knees to her chest and sighed, not saying anything in response.
A couple of minutes later, Sam walked back into the study, accompanied by Dean.
"Hey," Dean said as he looked around at everyone. "So, we doing this?"
Cas didn't say anything, but Amy could see him glaring slightly at Dean. She stood up and joined the others as Cas reached out and touched Dean on the forehead.
Van Nuys, California
The next second, Amy found herself walking on a sidewalk outside, next to an abandoned warehouse. She blinked a few times as her eyes adjusted to the sudden bright light.
"Where the hell are we?" Dean asked.
"Van Nuys, California," Cas said. He was walking slightly ahead of the hunters.
"Where's the beautiful room?"
Cas nodded towards the warehouse. "In there."
"The beautiful room is in an abandoned muffler factory in Van Nuys, California?" Dean asked disbelievingly.
"Where'd you think it was?" Cas questioned.
"I—I don't know," Dean stammered. "Jupiter? A blade of grass? Not Van Nuys."
"Tell me again why you don't just grab Adam and shazam the hell out of there," Sam said as they stopped at the warehouse door.
"Because there are at least five angels in there," Cas reminded him.
"So?" Dean scoffed. "You're fast."
"They're faster." Cas stripped off his tie and began wrapping it around his palm.
Amy raised an eyebrow. "What are you doing that for?"
"I'll clear them out," Cas said. "You three grab the boy. This is our only chance." He turned and began heading towards the door.
"Whoa, wait," Dean said quickly. "You're gonna take on five angels?"
"Yes."
"Isn't that suicide?"
Amy nodded in agreement. "Cas, they'll kill you," she said.
"Maybe they will." Cas turned to Dean. "But then I won't have to watch you fail. I'm sorry, Dean. I don't have the same faith in you that Sam does." The angel pulled something with an orange handle out of his pocket. He flipped a blade out and Amy realized it was a box cutter.
"Cas, why do you have a box cutter in your pocket?" Amy asked.
"What the hell are you gonna do with that?" Sam added.
Cas didn't respond. Instead, he pulled out the two angel blades from earlier. Handing one to Sam and the other to Dean, he turned back to the door. "Five minutes," he instructed. With that, he opened the door and stepped inside.
Three minutes later, Dean opened the door and they walked inside the warehouse. Sam went in one direction, while Dean and Amy went in the other.
Amy followed Dean down a dark hallway. They rounded a corner and came across an angel dead on the ground.
Next to the slain angel was a small room with a closed door and boarded-up windows. They quietly approached the door and Dean pushed it open.
Despite the outside of the room looking like it could fall apart at any second, the inside looked like the familiar room Amy and Dean had been brought to the year before.
Amy quickly spotted Adam unconscious on the floor across from them. "Dean," she said quickly.
The two hunters hurried over to Adam.
"Adam, hey." Dean put a hand on Adam's shoulder to get his attention. "Hey."
Adam sat up with a gasp. He looked up at Dean. "You came for me."
Amy smiled slightly. "Of course, we did."
"You're family," Dean added. He put Adam's arm over his shoulder and helped him up.
"Dean, Amy, it's a trap," Adam groaned.
Dean nodded. "I figured."
Dean took one step, then stopped in his tracks. Amy spun around to see Zachariah standing directly behind her.
"Dean, Amy, please," Zachariah said. "Did you really think it would be that easy?"
"Did you?" Dean countered.
Behind Zachariah, Sam ran up with his angel blade. Zachariah quickly turned and grabbed Sam's arm. He slammed the hunter's arm down on the table, knocking the blade out of his hand, before throwing him against a screen on the other side of the room.
"Sam!" Dean and Amy shouted.
"You know what I've learned from this experience, Dean?" Zachariah asked. "Patience." He waved a hand and Adam began coughing violently. Amy could see blood coming from his mouth.
"Adam?" Dean let go as Adam fell to the floor. He glared at the angel. "Let him go, you son of a bitch."
Zachariah continued. "I mean, I thought I was downsized for sure. And for us, a firing...pretty damn literal. But I should have trusted the boss man. It's all playing out like he said. You, me, your hemorrhaging brothers." He raised a fist and Sam began to cough up blood as well.
Amy took a step forward, towards Sam. Zachariah didn't take his eyes off Dean as he waved a hand.
The next second, Amy found herself flying across the room towards a wall. She hit the wall with her back and slid down to the floor.
"You're finally ready, right?" Zachariah asked Dean. He twisted his fist and Amy found herself coughing up blood as well.
Amy could barely open her eyes. She held her stomach as she continued coughing, blood pooling on the ground underneath her mouth
"You know there's no other choice," Zachariah continued. "There's never been a choice."
"Stop it," Dean demanded. "Stop it right now!"
"In exchange for what?" Zachariah asked.
There was a brief paused before Dean answered. "Damn it, Zachariah," he said quietly. "Stop it, please. I'll do it."
"I'm sorry," Zachariah teased. "What was that?"
"Okay, yes," Dean said, a little louder. "The answer is yes."
"Dean!" Sam yelled. He had somehow been able to stop coughing long enough for him to sit up.
Still coughing, Amy struggled to push herself up on her arm. "Dean, don't," she said weakly.
"Do you hear me?" Dean's voice broke. "Call Michael down, you bastard!"
"How do I know you're not lying?" Zachariah accused.
"Do I look like I'm lying?"
Zachariah turned away and began speaking in Enochian. "Zirdo noco abramg nazpsad fgaosga."
Dean looked around at Sam, Adam, and Amy as Zachariah summoned Michael. When the angel was done, the room began to shake violently.
"He's coming," Zachariah whispered triumphantly.
Amy saw Dean give Sam a small smile and wink. Zachariah's power had worn off and she had stopped coughing, now lying weakly on the floor.
"Of course, I have a few conditions," Dean spoke.
Zachariah turned around in shock. "What?"
"The few people whose safety you have to guarantee before I say yes."
"Sure, fine," Zachariah said reluctantly. "Make a list."
"But most of all," Dean continued, "Michael can't have me until he disintegrates you."
Amy couldn't help but smirk as Zachariah looked at Dean in disbelief. "What did you say?" the angel asked.
"I said," Dean said a bit louder, "before Michael gets one piece of this sweet ass…he has to turn you into a piece of charcoal."
Zachariah chuckled nervously. "You really think Michael's gonna go for that?"
Dean took a menacing step forward. "Who's more important to him now? You…or me?"
Zachariah lunged forward and grabbed Dean by the shirt. "You listen to me," he warned. "You are nothing but a maggot inside a worm's ass. Do you know who I am…after I deliver you to Michael?"
Dean smirked. "Expendable."
Zachariah chuckled. "Michael's not gonna kill me."
"Maybe not. But I am." Dean suddenly grabbed the angel blade Cas had given him and stabbed Zachariah through the chin.
Zachariah's eyes and mouth flashed with a blinding white light. Another bright light exploded out of the angel as he died, knocking Dean back onto the ground.
The room was shaking even more now and a bright light began to fill the room.
Dean quickly turned to Adam. "Can you walk?"
Adam nodded. "Yeah."
"Okay, come on." Dean quickly helped Adam up, then ran to his brother.
Knowing there was no time for Dean to get to her, Amy pulled herself to her feet.
Dean put his brother's arm over his shoulder and stumbled towards the door. Adam and Amy were close behind, with Amy slightly ahead of Adam.
"Come on, move it!" Dean yelled over the noise. He opened the door and hurried out of the room.
As soon as Amy had stepped through the door, it slammed closed behind her.
"Adam!" Amy cried out. She backed up as the light inside began to seep through the cracks.
Dean quickly sat Sam down on a nearby bench, then ran back to the door. Every crack in the wall and the doorframe had the piercing, bright, light coming from it now and the door handle could barely be seen anymore.
On the other side of the door, they could hear Adam pounding his fist on it. "Dean, help!" he begged. "It won't open!"
Dean reached out to grab the door handle, only to let go as it burned his palm. "Hold on!" he yelled through the door. "We'll get you out. Just hold on. Adam! Can you hear me?!"
The light faded and Dean cautiously reached out and touched the doorknob. It didn't burn him and he swung the door open. The Greenroom, Zachariah, and Adam were all gone and in their place was an abandoned office.
"No," Amy whispered.
"Adam?" Dean asked.
Sam staggered over to them, still clutching his stomach. "Is he-?"
"He's gone," Dean said sadly.
They waited a few more moments before Dean put Sam's arm over his shoulder again and led them towards the exit. They walked outside, where the sun was beginning to set.
Dean helped his brother into the car as Amy got into the back. He slid into the driver's seat and started the engine, driving away from the warehouse. Amy lay down across the backseat, still feeling a bit weak.
"You think Adam's okay?" Sam asked.
Dean shot his brother a quick glance. "Doubt it. Cas either. But we'll get 'em," he promised.
"So…" Sam trailed off.
"So, what?" Dean asked.
"I saw your eyes," Sam said. "You were totally rockin' the 'yes' back there. So, what changed your mind?"
"Honestly?" Dean shook his head. "The damnedest thing. I mean, the world's ending. The walls are coming down on us, and I look over to you and all I can think about is, 'this stupid son of a bitch brought me here.' I just didn't want to let you down."
Sam nodded. "You didn't. You almost did. But you didn't." He chuckled slightly.
"I owe you an apology."
Sam shook his head. "No, man. No, you don't."
"Just...let me say this," Dean continued. "I don't know if it's being a big brother or what, but to me, you've always been this snot-nosed kid that I've had to keep on the straight and narrow. I think we both know that that's not you anymore."
The car was silent until Dean continued. "I mean, hell, if you're grown-up enough to find faith in me," he added, "the least I can do is return the favor. So screw destiny, right in the face. I say we take the fight to them and do it our way."
Sam looked at his brother. He gave him a small smile before nodding in agreement. "Sounds good."
Amy propped herself up on her arm. "I like that plan," she agreed.
Dean nodded. He turned back to the road and Amy leaned against the window as she watched the night sky pass by.