Author's Note: You know how we have a dungeon now? I don't own Supernatural. Leave reviews! They are my lifeblood.
***Ember POV***
May 18
"Well, we don't have a demon," said Sam on speaker phone the following day. "But we know how to get one."
"Okay," Ember said. "Enlighten me." She had picked up pad thai for the kids, and was holding it away from herself because she hated the smell.
"You know how we have a dungeon now?" Dean asked.
"Dean, do you know how many sentences you've started with 'you know how we have a dungeon now?' " Ember asked. Dean had managed to work the newly found dungeon into nearly every conversation he'd had with Ember in the week since he'd found it.
"Do I want to know?" asked Sam.
"No," said Ember and Dean at the same time.
"This time I'm serious, though," said Dean. "Remember all of those manacles that are made for trapping demons? All I have to do is get close enough to Crowley when we supposedly surrender to him, and I can slap some handcuffs on him."
"Wait, whoa, whoa. You're going to try to cure Crowley?" Ember set the pad thai down on the kitchen table.
"He's not letting any other demon near us," Sam said. "He knows the demon trials have to do with demons and Hell and hellhounds, and he's not stupid. He's handling us personally from now on, he says."
"You're both crazy, you know that?" Ember said. "Nuts, both of you."
"Yeah, but you love us," said Dean.
"So when is this deal going down with Crowley then?" Ember asked.
"Noon tomorrow, in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. At Bobby's old place," said Dean.
"Shit!" exclaimed Ember. "Guess I'm taking off work again then." She divided the pad thai into plates and unpacked it. "Kids! Dinner!" she yelled.
"What's dinner?" said Dean interestedly.
"Pad thai," said Ember.
"You hate pad thai," said Dean.
"I was outvoted," Ember grumbled.
"Wanna come here for dinner?" Dean asked.
"I probably ought to, if you're heading north tomorrow," Ember said.
"First light," Dean said. "You'll come tonight, then? We have a dungeon now, you know…"
"Oh, for Christ's sake!" Sam said in the background.
"Yeah, as soon as the kids are done eating and we talk a little bit I'll be on my way."
-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-
The first part of the plan went off without a hitch. Dean managed to trap Crowley in manacles, and the three of them successfully took Crowley back to an abandoned church in South Dakota.
"How are you feeling?" Dean asked Sam as they prepared to begin the ritual to "cure" Crowley.
"Honestly? For the first time in a long time, it feels like we're gonna win. I'm good."
Ember squeezed Sam's hand reassuringly. She knew he was more scared than he was letting on. She was scared for him, too. She knew the trials were making him very sick.
"All right, well, no dancing in the end zone until we're finished," said Dean. "What's the good father's play book say now?"
"Well, now that we got the consecrated ground, I slip Crowley one dose of blood every hour for 8 hours and seal the deal with a bloody fist sandwich. That should do it," said Sam.
"Doesn't your blood have to be purified by confession or something?" asked Ember, remembering the ritual they had discussed with her the other day.
"Have you ever done the 'forgive me father' before?" Dean asked.
"Once, when we were kids," Sam said, avoiding their eyes. "Which is why I have no clue what to say now."
"Well, I could give you suggestions, if you want," said Dean.
"Okay, yeah, sure," said Sam.
"Well, I'm just spit-balling here," said Dean, "But if I were you, I'd start with Ruby, killing Lilith, letting Lucifer out, losing your soul, and not looking for me when I went to Purgatory, for starters."
"Dean, don't be a dick," Ember said, as Sam began to look more and more ashamed and uncomfortable.
"And how about what you did to Penny Markle in the sixth grade?" Dean yelled after Sam as he took more gear into the abandoned church. "Why don't you lead with that?"
"That was you, Dean," Sam responded.
As soon as Sam was in the church, Ember hissed, "You didn't really have to bring up all of those things."
"He asked!" Dean said defensively.
Ember rolled her eyes.
Just then, Castiel appeared. "Dean, I need your help."
"Now, Cas, seriously?" Ember said to the angel.
"Little busy, Cas, take a number," Dean said.
"I'm afraid this can't wait," Castiel said. "Naomi has taken Metatron."
Ember looked at Dean. "Wait, the Scribe of God? I thought you said that dude was in deep cover in Colorado?"
"How do you know Metatron?" Dean asked Castiel.
"I've been working with him on the angel trials," Castiel said.
"The what?" said Ember and Dean.
"We're gonna shut it all down," said Castiel. "Heaven, Hell, all of it."
"Metatron?" Dean asked in disbelief. "The guy who was full-on crazy, cat-lady-hoarder angel yesterday – now he wants to save Heaven?"
"Yes, he wants to," Castiel said. "But I'm the only one who can. I can't fail Dean, not on this one. I need your help."
"Are you sure, Cas?" Ember said. "This sounds like another half-cocked plan to me."
"Metatron is the Scribe of God," Castiel said, turning to her. "He knows what's on the tablet. Don't you think the angels should stay in Heaven for awhile? They're all fighting up there in Heaven, and eventually if Heaven isn't sealed, it's all going to spill over on Earth."
"Look, Cas, that's all well and good, okay, but you're asking me to leave Sam. And we've got Crowley in there tied and tressed. Now if anybody needs a chaperone while doing the heavy lifting, it's Sam," said Dean.
"You should go," said Sam, walking up behind them. "Seriously."
"What, and leave you here with the King of Hell?" asked Dean.
"I'll be here," Ember said. "Nobody's going to escape this time, trust me."
And so it was decided. "Start the injections," Dean told them. "If I'm not back in 8 hours, finish it. No questions, no hesitation." And so Dean and Ember kissed each other goodbye.
-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-
Ember was glad she stayed. After the second of 8 injections, Crowley bit Sam's arm. While Sam was washing up, Crowley spit out Sam's blood and attempted to call another demon, but Ember covered him in holy water instead, threatening to cut his arm off if he tried it again.
After the fifth trial, it became obvious to Ember that Sam was getting weaker and weaker as the trials continued.
"Sam, you know there is a strong likelihood these trials will kill you," Ember whispered.
"I know," said Sam. He looked at her carefully. "I've known for awhile."
"What does Dean think about this?" Ember asked softly.
"Dean still thinks I'll pull through," Sam admitted with a guilty look. "But Ember, if I finish this – if I make up for all that crap Dean mentioned earlier – it'll all be worth it."
Ember wound her arms around Sam, who was sitting crosslegged on the floor in the corner of the abandoned church. "Sam, nobody blames you for any of that stuff anymore. You don't have to make up for any of that stuff."
"I know," Sam said. "But it's more than that. You and Dean can have a happy life together, you know? I mean, I want that… I almost wish I'd stayed away after I fell into the cage, except… I didn't enjoy the cage much."
"Sam, Dean was never truly happy when you were in Hell. You must know that," Ember told him. "We tried that, remember?"
"Well, yeah, but at least part of that was because I was in Hell," Sam pointed out. "You've said so yourself. Plus, me and Dean, we've both been to Hell, and we've both been to Purgatory, now, and we've even both been to Heaven. I know which one I prefer, and I don't know when I'll get another chance. I'm not taking the tour again. I want it to be over, Ember. I want to be up there, with Bobby, and Mom, and Dad. I'm sick, and I'm tired of all the pain. I mean, sure, living would be great, but if I can put the demons back in the box, for good? What more can a hunter ask for?"
Ember hugged him, tears in her eyes.
"Ember, you have to promise me," Sam said. "Promise me you won't let him try to bring me back. Not this time. Not from Heaven."
"I can try," Ember said. "But you know Dean as well as I do."
"I know," Sam said. "Just… try, okay?"
Ember hugged him. "I'll try," she said. Then she added, "I wish you'd let me kill that stupid hellhound."
"I don't," said Sam.
"There's nothing I can do to talk you out of this, is there?" she asked him, begging now.
"No," he whispered.
Ember wished that Dean was back. She called him… but there was no answer.
-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-SPN-
After the seventh injection, Sam was looking horrible. Ember was running cold towels back and forth from a creek outside just to keep his fever down enough to finish the trials. It was almost over though… and Sam would be dead. She had been so busy with the children. How could she not have realized it had gotten this bad? But it was Sam's choice.
Suddenly, just as Sam was about to finish the third trial, Dean burst back through the door. "Sammy, stop!"
Sam froze, his hand to Crowley's mouth. They were so close. Crowley was showing signs of repentance, and Sam's arm was glowing white…
"Easy there," Dean said. "Okay. Just take it easy. We've got a slight change in plan."
"What?" Sam asked. "What's going on? Where's Cas?"
"Metatron lied," Dean said. "If you finish this trial, you're dead, Sam."
Sam looked at Ember, then back at Dean. "So? Look at him. Look at him! Look how close we are! Other people will die if I don't finish this!"
"Think about it," said Dean. "Think about what we know. Pulling souls from Hell, curing demons, hell, ganking a hellhound! We have enough knowledge on our side to turn the tide here. But I can't do it without you."
Ember was caught in the middle. She knew what Dean was doing. He didn't want Sam to die. She didn't want Sam to die, either, but she also wasn't sure if that ship had already sailed. She knew there was a strong possibility that if they stopped the trials now, Sam would still die, and it would be for nothing. And she desperately wanted the trials completed.
"You can barely do it with me!" Sam exclaimed. "I mean, you think I screw up everything I try. You think I need a chaperone, remember?"
"Come on, man, that's not what I meant," Dean said, looking at Ember for support.
"No, it's exactly what you meant," said Sam. "You wanna know what I confessed in there? What my greatest sin was? It was how many times I let you down."
"Sam," Ember said gently.
"I can't do that again," Sam said, still insistent.
"Sam," Dean said.
"What happens when you've decided I can't be trusted, again?" Sam asked. "Either of you? I'm a… I'm a third wheel! I always take… I always drive you away from each other, somehow or another, with… with secrets, with demon blood, or just by showing up! Do you have any idea what it's like to watch two people who so, so deserve to be happy, just keep missing it, because I keep screwing up? And… who are you gonna turn to next time you break up, instead of me? Another angel, another… vampire?"
Ember was shocked. He had hidden all of this from her? She had thought he was her best friend, that he understood that they no longer held any of those things against him…
"Hold on, hold on!" Dean said. "You seriously think that? Because none of it – none of it – is true. Listen, man, I know we've had our disagreements, okay? Hell, I know I've said some junk that set you back on your heels. But Sammy… come on."
Ember had run to hug him, and was crying into his lapels. "Sam, I thought you knew… I thought we talked about this? This isn't what I want! This isn't what Dean wants! Don't do it because of that!"
"I killed Benny to save you!" Dean was yelling. "I'm willing to let this bastard, and all the sons of bitches that killed Mom walk because of you. Don't you dare think that there is anything, past or present that I would put in front of you! It has never been like that, ever! I need you to see that! I'm begging you!"
Sam was crying now, and Ember was crying, too. Slowly, though, he let the blood run out of his hand. He was breathing hard, and his fever was raging; Ember could feel it through his clothing. She wanted to say something to Dean, to tell him she wasn't sure if Sam wasn't beyond saving, but it was happening so fast. She wished she'd been able to stall Sam for longer, but she'd barely been able to make things take this long.
"How do I stop?" Sam asked.
"Just let it go," Dean said.
"I can't," Sam said. "It's in me, Dean, you don't know what this feels like."
"Dean," said Ember, "Feel him. Dean, I'm not sure if, even if we stop now…"
But Dean was determined. "Listen, we will figure it out. Okay? Just like we always do." And he tied a rag around Sam's hand. Sam was struggling to keep upright; his weight was mostly on Ember. Dean pulled him into a hug, though, and Ember almost staggered back as the weight left her abruptly.
"Dean, can you feel him? Dean, maybe it-…" Ember started.
Suddenly, Sam doubled over in pain. Dean and Ember each took one of his arms, and together they raced outside. "Castiel! Castiel!"
But outside, Ember saw why Castiel was not appearing. All around them, coming from the sky, were the angels… falling to Earth.