I've been thinkin' lately
Will the Devil take me?
Or will God protect me?
I know I ain't perfect, but you should respect me
They don't want me happy
They don't want to let me live
I'm young and I'm foolish, I made bad decisions
I block out the news, turn my back on religion
Don't have no degree, I'm somewhat naïve
I've made it this far on my own
But lately, that shit ain't been gettin' me higher
I lift up my head and the world is on fire
There's dread in my heart and fear in my bones
And I just don't know what to say
Maybe I'll pray, pray
Maybe I'll pray
I have never believed in you, no
But I'm gonna pray
99 PROBLEMS
Cicero, Indiana
Lisa's POV
Something big had happened three days ago. Whatever it was had Dean, Beth and Sam running scared. I wasn't going to lie, anything that had them scared, had me absolutely terrified. When they turned up on my doorstep, looking tired and disheveled, I knew this was more than a social visit. All that was confirmed as soon as Ben fell asleep.
"Lisa. Things are about to get really bad."
Dean was sitting at the kitchen table, beer in hand, staring at it as I poured myself a cup of tea.
"Like how?" I asked. "Like your kind of bad?"
"Worse," Dean said with a sigh. "Next few days, the crap you're gonna see on your TV, it's gonna be downright trippy. Scary. But I don't want you to worry, because I'm making arrangements for you and Ben, and Beth."
"Arrangements?"
What on Earth was he talking about? Whatever it was, it didn't sound good. I didn't like having my life controlled by outside forces. I liked knowing what was coming next, and how I was going to handle it. Dean had me downright worried now.
"Whatever happens, you're all gonna be okay. "
"What do you mean? What are you talking about?" I asked, coming to sit next to him at the table. He had the look of a man who had lost a war. Shoulders usually proud and upright were slumped over, the sparkle in his candy apple eyes was long gone, stolen by one too many dark nights of the soul.
"The people that I'm gonna see next, they're not gonna get anything from me without agreeing to a few conditions," Dean said cryptically. "I need you to keep Beth here, with you, okay? She'll keep you safe from what's out there. And… well… when the time comes, you can keep her safe too."
"Dean. Please. Whatever you're thinking of doing, don't do it," I reached out a hand to squeeze his forearm. Dean sighed, shaking his head and looking sadly into my eyes.
"I have to."
"Have you talked to Beth about this? Whatever you're thinking of doing, it sounds dangerous," I pointed out.
"I'm a father, Lisa. And I know I haven't really been around as much as I'd like, but I gotta believe I can be a better dad than mine ever was." He was rambling. None of this made any sense. He was doing exactly what he'd always said his father did to him - talking about taking off, making arrangements, it all sounded like a lot of self-sacrifice that was more selfish than anything.
"Don't run off Dean. You hated your Dad when he did that to you and Beth."
"I dunno, Lisa. For the first time, maybe I actually understand some of what drove him. For the first time I understand."
"Understand what?" I asked.
Dean took another pull of his beer, and then swallowed hard.
"What it takes to keep your family safe, truly… safe."
"Dean, you're scaring me, at least let me get Beth…"
"No." He shook his head. "No let her sleep. She hasn't slept in so long. She needs it now more than ever."
"Dammit Dean, what the hell is going on? What happened to you guys out there?"
Dean fell silent, staring down at his hands. I watched, waited, hoped that I'd finally get some answers. Too long he'd kept me in the dark about what he and Beth did out there, the darkness they pushed back against every day. I wanted to know what we were dealing with now.
"Please, tell me Dean. I need to know."
He looked up at me, conflicted, and then nodded. "Okay, but … I'm gonna warn you right now. It's a crazy story, and you're not going to want to believe me. But I'm telling you, every word of it is the truth."
3 days earlier
Dean's POV
It all started when Jefferson called us. We'd been wandering around state to state, picking fights with demons. It seemed as if there was a surplus of those suckers up on the surface, which just went to say how downhill things were going. Jefferson had set us on a path to Blue Earth, to the chapel and house that Beth and I had been given by him. He'd had a message left from a Father Gideon, a Lutheran minister in town, seeking out advice on demons. It hadn't been until Jefferson looked up the demon omens and saw the town surrounded, that he'd realised he left the return call to Gideon too late.
I was white knuckling the steering wheel, the gas to the floor as we flew down the highway trying to escape an onslaught of demons. Glancing in the rear view mirror I saw Beth's worried face as she held a compress to Sam's shoulder, both of them in the back seat.
She looked out the back window and the tone in her voice said it all. "Dean, drive faster."
I glanced at the dash, seeing the needle hit 90, grimacing. "I can't," I replied. "Is he okay?"
"Oh yeah, I'm amazing," Sam muttered.
"Have you ever seen that many?" I asked.
"No," Sam said, his breath fast and short. "No way, not in one place."
We were about to hit a T-intersection. I gripped the wheel tighter, and spun it so that we took the corner sideways, tires screeching as we slid into the new direction, and then…
Fire!
"What the hell?!" I cried out, slamming on the brakes. Behind me, Beth hit the back of the front seat, cursing.
"Jesus! A little warning…" Her voice trailed off as she saw the semi-trailer on its side blocking the whole road.
No accident, the truck had been lit on fire, and I eyed it off, feeling my heart starting to race even faster as I considered all the possibilities in an instant.
"We gotta move," Beth said urgently, echoing my thoughts as I slammed the car into reverse and started to turn us around.
I was spinning the wheel when beside me the window shattered and someone reached in to grab me.
"Damn it!" I yelled, trying to reach the knife which had flown off the seat on to the floor of the passenger side.
Demons had us surrounded! They clawed at us through shattered windows, snarling and howling as we fought them off. One of them had Beth by the hair, and was trying to drag her out the window. I struggled to get loose of the arms that held me, feeling myself pulled off the seat, half through the window. I strained, but they were strong. Demons.
Then, to my surprise, they let go. I pulled back into the car to see a stream of water being sprayed from a pick-up truck nearby, hitting the demons all over. They screamed, turning away from the car and toward the burning semi and the truck beside it. I realised from their reaction that it must be holy water, as smoke rose from their skin each time it hit them.
"What the hell is going on here?" Beth asked breathlessly, looking out the window.
A man's voice started calling out over a megaphone, speaking a foreign language, and the four demons that had been after us, writhed in pain on the road, a couple of them falling to their knees. They grabbed at their heads, howling in pain, and then finally black smoke was ejected from their mouths, the bodies falling to the ground unconscious.
"Whoa…." Sam said.
"Enochian," Beth said. "That was Enochian."
"Well that's something you don't see every day," I muttered, letting out a breath and opening the car door. On the other side of the car, Sam got out, his mouth hanging open in shock. I opened the door behind me, and Beth climbed out, looking shaken but no worse for wear.
"Are you all right?" The man who had spoken the exorcism called out, walking up to the car with a shotgun in hand.
"Peachy," I replied, frowning at the carnage around us.
"Be careful," he said. "It's… dangerous out there."
He turned to leave, and I skipped around Beth, hurrying after him. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait."
"No need to thank us," he called out, waving a hand in the air as he walked away.
"No, hold up a sec!" I said. "Who are you?" I reached the truck that they'd mounted their attack from. It was a red pick-up, a flatbed with a giant plastic water container on it. In a glance I noticed the fire pumps hooked up, one guy manning it.
The man leading them turned to look at me. He was dressed in a khaki jacket, with overgrown brown hair and a few days growth on his face. He eyed us off for a second before answering.
"We're the Sacrament Lutheran Militia."
"I'm sorry….the what?" I asked.
"I hate to tell you this, but those were demons. And this is the Apocalypse, so buckle up," he continued with a straight face. Beside me, Beth stepped forward.
"You're with Father Gideon? In Blue Earth?" She said. The man stopped dead, looking at her.
"Who told you that?"
"A friend of Gideon's, his name is Jefferson. He's a hunter, like you guys," I answered. "Like us."
"Hunter?" The guy said skeptically.
"Yeah," I frowned. "Demons, vampires, werewolves?"
They looked at me incredulously, so I turned back to the Impala, waving them over and opening the trunk. I lifted the hidden panel to reveal our arsenal, and stood back while the leader and his men looked down, their eyes widening.
"Looks like we're in the same line of business," Sam said.
"And among colleagues," I pointed out. I gestured to the shotgun the leader was still holding. "That's a police-issued shotgun. That truck is," I stopped for a second to appreciate the work that had gone into it, "...inspired. Where'd you guys pick up all this crap?"
One of the other men with short black hair and dark eyes shrugged. "You know, you pick things up along the way."
They were closed off, that was for sure.
"We're on the same team here," Sam said. "Just talk to us."
They still hesitated, even though it was clear they knew more than they were letting on. The young boy with them couldn't have been much older than I'd been when Beth first joined us. He had that bright eyed and bushy tailed look about him that I was certain had died in me the day mom was killed.
"Look," Beth said. "We're no strangers to demons. This corner of the state is off the charts with demon omens. Plus, we have a friend of ours who asked us to check on his buddy. So, if you don't know Gideon, then kindly get out of our way. Because we have somewhere to be."
I smirked at her, almost awestruck at the tone of voice she'd taken. The leader looked just as taken aback, but he took it like a champ, glanced at his friends, and then nodded.
"Follow us."
Present Day
Lisa's POV
"Demons?" I asked, looking skeptical at him. "The Apocalypse?"
"I told you it was bad," Dean said, taking another swig of his beer.
"Like, seriously… the… end of the world… Apocalypse?" I couldn't get my head around it. I knew they hunted some seriously bad things out there in the dark, but fire and brimstone on Earth, the Devil?
"Listen, Lisa, I wouldn't be telling you any of this if it weren't true. And I sure as hell wouldn't be trying to scare you if it weren't so damn important!"
"Okay, okay," I said with a nod, patting his arm. "I believe you. I… uh… I might think it sounds insane but I don't think you'd lie to me."
Just the same I planned to check in with Beth and make sure Dean hadn't had a meltdown. Until then…
"Okay, go on. Tell me where they took you."
3 days earlier
Dean's POV
It was coming up dawn by the time we hit Blue Earth. I was grateful we had more to go on than just headlights because if I hadn't seen it for myself, I'd have never believed it. The town was unrecognizable. Gone was the quiet little town Beth and I had grown to love in the months we'd lived there. It looked as if a war had hit it - not unlike the abandoned town where we'd lost Jo and Ellen. As we drove through the streets, following these militia guys toward the Lutheran Church that Beth had said Jefferson wanted us to check out, we saw streets blocked off with cement barriers and razor wire, check points were manned on the perimeter by men with guns, and they checked us over before waving the car through. Huge water storage containers were on every corner of the block as we turned toward the chapel. It was a war zone, no doubt about it.
Mist was creeping over the road and through the trees, making the chapel look eerie and like it belonged in a Steven King movie. The chapel itself was a white weather-boarded A-frame with a steeple at the front which housed a bell. A giant wooden cross hung on the wall below it, and again the entrance was guarded by men with rifles.
The barriers cut off the entire sidewalk, framing the street and leading you directly toward holy ground. At the entrance to the church yard was a red painted devil's trap. We had to step through it to get inside.
Without hesitation the leader - whose name was Rob we'd learned - led the way, with his son Dylan - the young boy who'd been wide-eyed and innocent, and his friend Paul, who had ridden atop the back of the truck all the way here, keeping watch.
As the young boy reached a red-haired woman waiting inside the yard, she smiled at him, but simultaneously reached out a hand and clipped him gently upside the head. "Dylan," she said. "It's a church. Headphones off."
"Yes, mom," he said, pulling the earbuds from his ears and walking on.
Inside was even more bizarre. The chapel was filled with people. At the end of every pew sat someone with a shotgun. Beth frowned, looking around in distaste, and I found myself feeling sorry for her. Demons couldn't walk on sacred ground, so she'd never felt the need to carry a weapon to church, and she's spent an awful lot of time in churches over the years to know she didn't need one. I noticed, however, that she didn't leave her pistol at the door like she usually would, it stayed tucked into the back of her jeans. It told me that she didn't trust the people here - not yet.
At the front of the chapel was a kind looking pastor in a priest's collar, but unlike all the priests I'd ever seen, he was also sporting a thigh holster over jeans with a pistol tucked inside. He held a Bible open in front of him, and looked around at the six people - three couples - gathered in front of him.
"Who would have thought the Apocalypse could be so romantic? Marriage, family—it's a blessing. Especially in times like this. So hold on to that. "
"Wedding?" Sam scoffed, shaking his head. "Really?"
"Yeah," Paul replied, coming up alongside Sam. "We've had eight so far this week."
"Demons have a way of inspiring proposals," Beth said, grinning at me. I rolled my eyes at her and shook my head.
Present Day
Lisa's POV
"Seriously, you proposed to Beth during a demon attack?" I asked, my tea forgotten now as Dean continued his story. He'd taken a side note to tell me about the way they'd been surrounded at the time he'd proposed, and he had serious doubts they'd get out of there.
"Well, it was one of those moments when everything that's important is highlighted to you, and you realise that some things have more priority."
"Like a proposal?"
"Exactly!" He said with a grin. "It was way overdue."
"Well, I can't argue with that," I said, shrugging.
"Yeah," he nodded, looking down at his hands for a while. He looked a million miles away, lost in thought.
"You okay?"
"Yeah," Dean replied, nodding. He cleared his throat, taking a couple of breaths and then collected himself. "So anyway, it was what happened next that made me realise something important. Something I've been lying to myself about for a while now."
"What?" I asked, leaning forward, curious.
3 days earlier
Dean's POV
When we finally got the chance to meet Gideon, it was clear to me why Jefferson had called us and why he'd been so anxious to get someone to Blue Earth before he could make it himself. Gideon had one of those faces, round, open, friendly - with gentle eyes and a generous smile. He wasn't all that much older, perhaps in his fifties, with greying hair, the colour reaching his beard. He welcomed us right away, like we were old friends.
"So Rob tells me you guys hunt demons," he said, smiling at us.
"Uh, yes sir," Sam replied.
"You missed a few," he joked, and I chuckled.
"Yeah," Sam smiled. "Tell us about it." He flexed his shoulder subconsciously, reaching up to rub it with his hand where the demon had hurt him earlier.
"Any idea why they're here?" Sam asked. Gideon shook his head.
"They sure seem to like us, though. Follow me," he replied, turning around and walking back into the church. He led us past the entrance into the chapel and down a narrow hallway to the back of the building, pushing through some glass doors. I couldn't take my eyes off the holster on his leg, it seemed all too surreal.
"So you're a preacher?" I asked finally, trying to make conversation because the silence was deafening.
"Not what you were expecting?" Gideon asked.
"Well, dude, you're packing," I pointed out.
"Strange times," Gideon replied with a shrug, leading us through another doorway and down into the basement.
The basement was a beehive of activity, people everywhere bustling around doing everything from bottling water - which I assumed was holy - to packing salt rounds. I stopped, staring at a boy with dark hair and dark eyes, using a device to push salt into shotgun shells. He looked like Ben, and it rattled me.
Beth glanced at me, following my line of sight, and sighed. "Is that a twelve year old packing salt rounds?" She asked, turning back to Gideon.
The preacher looked unconcerned.
"Everyone pitches in," he said, continuing to walk.
I couldn't move. I stared at the boy. That could have been me, in fact, it had been me melting down silver and making silver rounds for werewolves. Beth, after joining us, had become the salt rounds expert.
"So, the whole church?" Sam asked, moving on with Gideon, Beth not far behind.
"The whole town," was the reply.
I shook myself, pushing the discomfort I was feeling to the back of my mind, hurrying to catch up to the others.
"A whole town full of hunters. I don't know whether to run screaming or buy a condo," I commented, and it was absolutely true. Something about this was just… off.
"Well the demons were killing us. We had to do something," Gideon said.
"So why not call the National Guard?" Sam asked.
"We were told not to."
"By who?" Sam asked, but Gideon gave no reply.
Beth looked at me, frowning slightly, and then turned to Gideon.
"But you did call someone," she pointed out. "Our friend, Jefferson. He's the one who sent us here. We have the house and chapel on North Grove Street."
Gideon stopped, turning back to us. "Jim Murphy's place," he nodded. "Jefferson studied under him, but then he went on his own way. This was before Jim was killed, of course."
Beth nodded.
"So why call Jefferson?" I asked.
Gideon sighed. "Well, a long time ago I saw a demon," he replied. "Inside my wife," he added, lowering his voice. "Jim and Jefferson, and another man Patrick, they helped exorcise it from her."
Beth sucked in a breath at the mention of her father's name, but said nothing more.
"When the demons started coming, I thought maybe Jefferson could help."
"He tried to get here, but was caught up in his own thing," Beth replied. "Just as bad." Gideon nodded.
"Well, it didn't matter, we got the help we needed," he smiled. "Although we're always happy to see more who know what they're doing."
"We're not the only ones," Beth pointed out. "That exorcism was Enochian, not every day you hear that."
"You know it?" Gideon asked. Beth shook her head negatively.
"We use Latin. Enochian isn't something I'm fluent in."
"We haven't met any humans who are," I agreed, conveniently leaving out Cas. "Someone's telling you something."
"Look, I'm sorry, I, uh, I can't discuss it," Gideon said stiltedly, looking at his feet.
"Dad it's okay," a pretty young woman said, causing us all to turn and look. She had the same kind and gentle face as her father, long light brown wavy hair, and she smiled as we looked her over.
"Leah…" Gideon cautioned.
"That's Dean, Beth and Sam Winchester. They're safe. I know all about them," she cut in. I did a double take, looking her over again. How did she know us?
"You do?" I asked.
"Sure," she smiled. "From the angels."
"The angels," I said with a sigh. "Awesome."
"It's okay," she said reassuringly. "Don't worry. They can't see you here. The…marks on your ribs, right?"
I frowned, my eyes flicking from her to Beth, and Sam let out a huff, declaring his unhappiness with that little piece of information being common knowledge.
"So you know all about us because angels told you?" Sam asked skeptically.
"Yes," Leah said openly. "Among other things."
"Like the snappy little exorcism spell," I guessed.
"And they show me where the demons are going to be, before it happens. How to fight back." Leah responded.
"These angels," Beth cut in. "Do they have names?"
"No," Leah said. "Not that they've told me anyway."
"And you hear them… like voices?" Beth asked.
Leah looked at her, smiling slightly. "I'm not mental, if that's what you're suggesting. You of all people should know that."
"She's never been wrong. Not once. She's very special," Gideon said, rounding our little group to proudly put his arm around Leah's shoulders, smiling at her.
"Dad…" Leah smiled bashfully.
I was having some thoughts of my own.
"And let me guess. Before you see something, you get a really bad migraine, you see flashing lights?" I asked.
"How'd you know?" Leah asked, looking surprised.
"'Cause you're not the first prophet we've met," I replied, thinking about Chuck. "But you are the cutest." I couldn't help myself, I wanted to see if I could rattle her. She didn't bat an eyelid, unlike her father, who frowned at me.
"I mean that with total respect, of course," I said, holding up my hands.
"Don't worry dad, he's a flirt, but he's completely devoted to Beth," Leah said, and I couldn't help but smile and slip my arm around Beth's waist, squeezing her to me.
"Well you know," I said. "When you find someone to fight demons with… you better snap her up."
Present Day
Lisa's POV
"Oh you so didn't say that?!" I was staring at him. If I'd have been Beth, I'd have hit him upside the head and then given him silent treatment like there was no tomorrow.
"What?!" Dean asked innocently. "She knows what I'm like."
I rolled my eyes, sitting back in the chair.
"Tell me about the kid," I said; I hadn't missed him hesitate in the story retelling.
Dean let out a long breath. "That," he said. "Is why I'm here."
"This kid, he was so young! He reminded me of me, when I was just a kid and Dad dragged me into this life. I didn't know any different, not really, but this kid? He wasn't much older than Ben. And I started thinking… I don't want Ben to grow up to be a hunter, Lisa.
"I want him to enjoy being a kid! He doesn't deserve to fight this war. Not while I can do something about it. Not when I can make sure that you, Beth and Ben are safe from it all."
"And now you're back to scaring me," I said. "What makes you think anything is going to happen to Ben?"
"Because it's coming, Lisa. It might not have hit here yet, but it will. It's only a matter of time. Just like… just like the kid Dylan. And I can do something about it. I promise. You, Ben, you're going to be okay."
"Don't go Dean, whatever you're planning, stay here. Don't do anything stupid." I needed to get Beth or Sam in here to talk some sense into him. I didn't know what he was doing, but whatever he had planned sounded reckless - because that was the type of guy Dean was.
"Let me go get Sam, or Beth," I offered, standing up.
"No!" Dean said, jumping to his feet. "No, it's too late. I've made up my mind. I'm... "
"Dean…"
"Look, Lisa. I gotta go."
"No, you can't just run off Dean," I implored him.
He held his hands up. "I'll be back, Lisa. I swear. I just … I gotta take care of this now. But I promise you, and I promise Beth, I'm coming back. It's all part of the arrangements."
And with that he walked out of the room, grabbing his leather jacket from the coat hook by the door, and exiting the house. Outside, the Impala roared to life, and as the headlights flashed across the glass in the front door, I heard steps behind me, turning to see Sam walking down, half asleep.
"Was that Dean?" He asked.
"Yeah," I said, nodding. "He was telling me about Blue Earth and what happened. Then he said something about this Dylan kid…. And he took off. Sam I'm worried he's going to do something stupid."
"Dylan?" Sam asked.
"Yeah," I nodded. "Tell me what happened, I want to hear everything."
Sam nodded, then walked into the kitchen.
"I wouldn't worry about Dean, Lisa. It was a rough couple of days, but I'm sure he'll be back in a few hours. He's probably just gone to blow off some steam."
I wasn't so sure, but I nodded just the same. He knew his brother better than I did, and if Sam wasn't worried, then I could let it go for now.
A short while later, Sam was looking at me with those big puppy dog eyes of his, a smile tugging at his mouth as we went into the living room, sitting on the couches opposite each other.
"You know, Lisa. Whatever Dean told you, it's not as bad as he's making out," Sam said. "He's been through … a lot, lately, and I think it's kind of hit him hard, you know?"
I nodded, it was as I suspected, but I still wanted to hear from Sam his version of events.
"Okay, I'll take that on board, but I still want to know what happened in Blue Earth. Why has this kid Dylan got Dean so spooked?"
"Honestly, I have no idea," Sam said with a shrug. "We barely knew the kid."
"And what happened to him?" I pressed.
"Well… same thing that always happens lately. Life," Sam said, letting out a breath.
3 Days Earlier
Sam's POV
We'd been in the tavern that was run by Paul, one of the guys we'd met during the attack of demons the night before. I'd called Cas, he's an angel - albeit a technologically challenged one - to let him know where we were. And all around us people were drinking and lost in one long conversation.
I waited for the voicemail message to kick in, hearing first the automated voice: "You have reached the voicemail box of:" and then Cas's message:
"I don't understand why, why do you want me to say my name?" Followed by a bunch of beeps as he'd been pushing buttons while it was still recording.
I stifled a laugh, shaking my head at the angel's confusion, and waited for the beep to tell me to start speaking.
"Cas, hey, uh, it's me. So we are in Blue Earth, Minnesota, and um, we could use a little help. I…hope you get this," I said.
Paul walked up to me behind the bar, handing over three beers.
"Busy night?" I asked.
"I'm telling you," Paul replied, "since The End started, it's been like one long last call. That rounds on me."
I picked up the bottles and nodded at him. "Thanks." I turned around to see Beth and Dean sitting at a table at the back of the room, lost in conversation, and wandered over to them, placing the beers in the centre of the table.
"So, did you get a hold of Cas?" Dean questioned, I shrugged in reply.
"Yeah, I left him a message," I replied. "I think…. What about you Beth?"
She had a connection to Cas that wasn't really clear how it worked. Sometimes she turned it off deliberately, like switching off a radio, and sometimes she had it turned off from the other end.
She shook her head to my question and took a sip of her beer. "Nothing yet. But we don't use direct communication much these days, too much chance of someone overhearing."
Beth had shared with us once about how sometimes Cas and she communicated through her dreams by leaving messages in one of her dream scenes, she could sometimes do that while awake, but it was harder.
"So this girl, Leah?" Dean asked, taking long plug of his beer.
"Not a vessel," Beth replied. "Definitely sounds more like a prophet."
"So uh, what's your theory?" I asked, sitting back in my chair and looking around the bar. "Why all the demon hits?"
"I don't know," Dean shrugged. "Gank the girl? The prophet, maybe?"
I shook my head, mulling this over. I didn't like it, and the whole thing was sitting badly. We'd dealt with angels before in the past, even Beth had been helping them out as a vessel, but we hadn't seen anything like this yet.
"What?" Dean asked, seeing the look.
"Just these angels are sending these people to do their dirty work," I said.
"Yeah, and?"
Dean's question caught me by surprise, even Beth looked a little shocked.
"And they could get ripped to shreds," I replied. It was pretty damn clear, I thought, what was going on here and why it was a bad idea. These weren't hunters, they hadn't been trained - like us - from a young age to kill the bad guys. They had a few toys and a couple of exorcisms they could work with. Didn't make them an army.
Dean took another sip of his beer, leaning forward on the table and raising his eyebrow.
"We're all gonna die, Sam," he said plainly. "In like a month—maybe two."
"Dean…" Beth cut in.
"No, Beth, I mean it. This is the end of the world, but these people aren't freaking out. In fact they're running to the exit in an orderly fashion. I don't know that that's such a bad thing."
"Who says they're all gonna die? What ever happened to us saving them?" I asked, feeling the words mince through me. Dean's eyes flicked from me to Beth, and then down as he pondered what I had to say. I saw the doubt there, the belief that he thought we had lost.
Then he was saved by the bell. Literally.
The church bell started ringing from down the street, and everyone looked up at it's tone, starting to stand and filter out into the street, their drinks and conversation long forgotten.
"Something I said?" Dean asked, watching the quickly emptying tavern.
"Hey Paul, what's going on?" I asked of the man as he filed past us with a group of people.
"Leah's had another vision," he replied. I raised my eyebrows and watched as every last person left the building.
Dean turned to Beth and she smiled. "Wanna go to church?" She asked.
"Oh you know me," he replied with a grin. "Downright pious."
By the time we got inside, Father Gideon was standing at the front of the church, speaking.
"Three miles of Talmadge Road…" He paused as Leah took a few steps from behind him and whispered in his ear.
"Five miles," he corrected himself, getting nods from the congregation. "There are demons gathered. I…don't know how many, but a lot." He glanced at his daughter, who smiled and then took a seat. "Thank you, Leah."
"So, who's going to join me?" He asked after a second.
Rob held his hand up, first to volunteer. "Wouldn't miss it." With his truck, I could see where he was one of the lead hunters here. He was one to keep an eye on.
Paul was next to raise his hand, nodding in recognition at Rob. "Someone's got to cover Rob's ass," he said with a grin.
"We're in Padre," Dean called out as we stood against the back wall. Gideon raised his eyes to us and nodded.
"Thank you," he said.
"I'd like to offer a prayer."
As the Pastor launched into The Lord's Prayer, I saw Beth bow her head, her lips starting to sync in with the prayer. I watched as Paul sat back in his pew, the only one in the room to not have bowed his head. This didn't go unnoticed by Rob, who glanced behind him and glared at Paul, getting a shrug in response, and then Paul lifted up a hip flask and raised it in the air like a toast before taking a swig. Rob shook his head and turned back around, bowing his head.
Clearly there was a lack of mutual religious agreement between the two friends.
Dean had his head bowed, but with all the reference to our absent Lord, he shook his head. "This is ridiculous…"
"Shhhh," Beth said as Gideon finished the Lord's prayer and then started to ad lib his own.
"Help us to fight in your name. We ask that you protect us from all servants of evil." Gideon continued, and Dean leaned into Beth.
"Man this is one part of you that I will never understand…. You know God ain't listening," he whispered. Beth frowned at him and pressed her lips up to his ear, I could still hear them from where I stood slightly behind them both.
"No, but whether this is angelic driven, or something else, there are actual angels out there - like Ezekiel - legions who are fighting for us," she replied.
"Guide our hands in defeating them, and deliver us home, safely," Gideon's prayer droned on as Dean and Beth looked at each other.
"You think they're listening?" He asked.
"I have to believe they're doing something," she said as the prayer came to an end. "Amen," she said, crossing herself as Gideon closed the prayer. Dean rolled his eyes at me, and I shrugged with a smile. I didn't know where I stood with this part of the process, but if Beth, or anyone else wanted to pray to make themselves feel better, I wasn't going to stop them.
As for the actual hunt, it was the most coordinated we'd been in for a long time. I couldn't remember going into a battle with more than four of us since the chupacabra hunts before I left for Stanford.
We were with Paul, Rob, his wife Jane and their son Dylan. He was the youngest, just a baby really, though when I thought about it he was probably older than I had been when I first started hunting. Father Gideon led us to the house in question, crouching in the bushes and examining the surroundings before gesturing silently for us to start splitting up and flank the house.
Dean and Beth peeled off together, the boy Dylan following them. Gideon, Rob and Jane took the other direction. I was to pick the lock to the back door, and I had Paul backing me up.
There was movement in the house, and I heard gunshots, looking behind me. The window next to me splintered as a demon smashed through it, grabbing Paul and dragging him back into the house. The time for subtlety was over, I shouldered the door open, sending it flying with a bang and rushed forward, drawing the demon knife from my jacket and raising it up.
Paul had the demon on top of him, I didn't hesitate, driving it forward and into the back of the creature. More demons set upon us, and the front door kicked open, Rob walking through wielding his shotgun.
A demon rushed me and I sliced at him with the knife, he fell backwards on to the floor, Rob walking toward him to finish the job. Beside me Gideon rounded the stairs, shooting a woman who was coming down them. She fell down and he started to recite the exorcism, black smoke pouring from her mouth as he did.
We kept moving through the house, there were so many. I didn't know where Dean or Beth were, but Paul was at my back, gun in hand as I pushed forward and stabbed every demon I came into contact with.
To the back of the house, I slashed a demon again, and a door flew open from the force of a demon being shot. Dean stalked through the door, holding his shotgun. He looked at me, nodded, and then turned again as a demon came up behind him. Beth had this one, her gun knocking him to the ground and then the boy, Dylan, started reciting the exorcism.
It was a blood bath.
I'd been surrounded by demons before, but never quite like this. They just kept coming and coming. I was tackled to the ground, struggling to get the knife around. Beth ran up, shooting the demon in the back, and then pulled me to my feet.
"You okay?"
"Yeah," I replied. "Duck!" She didn't hesitate, and I stabbed the demon running at us in the chest, seeing the crackle of red electric energy ripple through the demon.
Dean shot at another demon coming down the stairs, and his gun clicked empty. He took the butt and smashed the demon in the head, the creature falling backwards.
Two demons ran at Dean, Beth shot one. I hefted the knife in my hand, then threw it, burying the blade in between the shoulder blades of the second one. It fell to the floor, and Dean grabbed the hilt, pulling it out and swinging it around on the demon still struggling to get up from the stairs.
I frantically looked around for more attackers, we were all doing the same - standing, panting, guns at the ready. Nothing else was moving.
Dean met my eyes and I nodded, letting out a long breath. It was over.
Present Day
Lisa's POV
"But I don't understand, everyone came out of it okay, why would Dean be worried about that?" I asked. Sam sucked in a short breath and looked down at the floor for a moment before raising his head to look at me.
"Well, things after the hunt didn't go so well," he said. "We were getting back in our vehicles, and Dylan came running up - all…well, you can imagine… he was pumped, excited, he'd taken a real shine to Dean."
Sam sighed, shaking his head.
"And I can see why. Dean is dangerous, but in that really care free way that makes it look easy. Nothing we do is easy."
"He's just been doing it so long," I said, starting to put the picture together. I knew what he meant. Dean was a type of bad boy I'd been attracted to for many years. It was why I'd gone home with him the night I fell pregnant… that edge - attractive, and dangerous, a deadly combination.
"Right," Sam said to my observation. "Well, he had asked to get a ride back with us, we had the room. The others had left, we decided to have a celebration beer, like we usually did, and Dean tossed one to Dylan, joking about how he couldn't tell his mom."
Sam stopped, running a hand across his face.
"We thought we were clear," he said after a moment. "But we'd missed one."
My eyes opened wide at the realisation of where he was going with the story.
"She'd hidden under the car, and grabbed Dylan, pulling him under. We moved fast, pulling her out and killing her… but it was too late. She'd slashed the boy's throat."
Sam dropped his head. "Dean took it hard."
"I can imagine."
"Not only that, but when we got back to town and had to explain to his parents what had happened, Jane had blamed Dean and taken it out on him."
"That's not fair," I replied.
Sam shrugged. "People grieve in different ways. She was hurting. Things would only start going downhill from there."
3 days earlier
Sam's POV
The congregation had gathered for a wedding that morning. Now we were in church as the sun started to set, for a funeral. Jane had accused Dean of being responsible for the death of Dylan. No one took failure harder than Dean. As we all moved into the church, the mood was somber and quiet. One casket lay open in front of the altar, the young boy inside of it with his hands crossed over his chest.
Gideon looked down sadly at Dylan and then started to speak, turning to the room.
"I wish I knew what to say. But I don't. I'm so sorry, Jane, Rob." He looked down at them as Jane sobbed in the front pew. "There are no words. Dylan… I don't know why this happened. I don't know why any of this is happening. I got no easy answers. But what I do know is…."
He stopped short as Leah fell into the aisle from her seat, shaking as if she was having a seizure.
"—Leah, honey? " Gideon hurried down the steps in front of him and grabbed her, holding her in his arms. "Leah, honey? Honey? It's okay sweetie. It's okay."
Leah shook for a moment and then her eyes snapped open, a gasp escaping her. "Dad, it's Dylan," she announced.
Gideon frowned, and shook his head. "Just rest a minute, huh?"
Leah sat up, looking at her father. "No, listen. Dylan's coming back."
"Jeez…" Rob said from the pew beside them, and I had to agree. What the hell was going on here?
Within moments she was back on her feet, this time it was Leah addressing the congregation.
"Jane, Rob… It's going to be okay. You'll see Dylan again," Leah promised with a smile. "When the final day comes, Judgement Day, he'll be resurrected and you'll be together again. We'll all be together. With all our loved ones. We've been chosen."
Ahead of me, Paul shook his head, and I saw his doubt as he looked around the room. Everyone else seemed to be in complete rapture of what was being said.
"The angels have chosen us. And we will be given paradise on earth. All we have to do is follow the angels' commandments."
"Huh," Beth said, crossing her arms, her eyes narrowing slightly.
"Starting to doubt?" Dean asked quietly, leaning into her.
"I don't like faith and salvation built on ultimatums," she said. Beside her, Dean frowned as if he didn't like what she was saying.
Present Day
Lisa's POV
"Dean said something about paradise on Earth, about us all being together again once he beats this whole… end of the world thing," I said after listening to Sam's story.
"Yeah, but it's all lies," Sam said, leaning forward and resting his arms on his knees. "Paradise on Earth? This place is going to burn if we don't figure out a way to stop the Apocalypse."
I must have paled, because Sam quickly stood up and came around to take my hand. "I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have been so blunt."
"No," I shook my head. "It's…. Well I need to know exactly what is going on Sam. I can't keep living in the dark. Not now."
"I know," he said with a nod. "And you gotta know. Me, Beth and Dean, we will do whatever it takes to keep you and Ben safe."
"That's right," Beth said from the arch that led into the hallway. I looked up with a smile, waving her in.
"Come sit with us Beth, Sam's filling me in on everything."
Beth nodded, Sam stood up.
"I'll make coffee," he said, getting a grateful smile from Beth. Then Beth looked at me, almost apologetically.
"You have to understand, Lisa. If we could protect you from this, we would… but we're running out of time. For a lot of things."
Three days earlier
Beth's POV
The situation in the town started going downhill quickly after Leah's announcement. Suddenly, we found ourselves leaving the church, with a list of do's and don'ts - the new angel commandments - and it just wasn't sitting right with me. I felt like if I could go and read through some of my Dad's old journals, perhaps we could get to the bottom of what was going on in Blue Earth. Why here? Why now? But it wasn't going to be as easy as walking out of there…
We exited the church alongside the rest of the town members, and Sam snickered, walking up behind us.
"No drinking, no gambling, no premarital sex. Dean, they basically just outlawed ninety percent of your personality," he joked.
Dean smirked, shaking his head as he looked around.
"Yeah, well, whatever. When in Rome," he said, I tossed him a surprised look.
"Really?" I asked.
"You're uh… you're cool with it?" Sam echoed.
"I'm not cool. I'm not, not cool," Dean said with a shrug. "I'm just, look man, I'm not a prophet. We're not locals. It's not my call."
That was so far off beat for Dean that I hardly even recognised him. Dean had an opinion about everything and anywhere else, any other time, this would have had him acting out in rebellion.
I exchanged a confused look with Sam, and started to contemplate my exit from this part of the town.
"Well," I said, wanting to lighten the mood. "At least we're married." I grinned at Dean and slipped my arms around his waist, sidling in closer. "Don't have to rule out everything."
Dean chuckled, leaning in to kiss me slowly, I felt his breath catch in his throat as his hand slid up into my hair.
"Mmmm, that is true, guess I got something right," he said when he pulled back.
"Listen," I said, looking around to ensure we wouldn't be overheard. "I'm going to our house."
"What?" Dean asked. "You can't. They've got all the roads blocked off past three blocks. No one goes in or out."
"Beth?" Sam asked. "Why?"
"I don't know," I shrugged. "But I want to get a couple of my Dad's journals from the basement. Maybe they can help."
"We have been through those journals already, you, me, Jefferson," Dean said, frowning. "There's nothing that is going to stop the Apocalypse in there."
"Well, maybe we missed something!" I countered.
"Beth…"
"No, don't. I … I want to see our house, Dean." I insisted.
He sighed, running a hand over his face.
"We could get in and out of here without too much issue," Sam said, looking at me with his big puppy dog eyes. "Are you sure?"
"No," Dean said. "We're safe here."
"We're not safe anywhere, you said it yourself, the world is ending," I cut in.
"Yeah, so don't you think we should go talk to Leah? Get a feel for whether she is actually on the level?" Dean asked.
I frowned, looking at him. "Leah?" I asked. "Why?"
"Well, she is the prophet around here."
"I think she's said enough already, Dean," Sam said, looking around at the town. "This place is in lockdown. You know where things go next."
"She's just telling it how it is," Dean replied. "Trying to keep everyone safe."
"Yeah, well, I don't care," I said. "I'm going home."
"No, you're not," Dean said, taking my arm. "Back to the motel room, now."
It was with such a tone that I dare not argue. As soon as we got to the motel, I locked myself in the bathroom, sulking, but also biding my time. After a while, Dean left, and Sam followed him, arguing about how stubborn Dean was being.
I took the moment to slip back into the room, taking the demon knife from Sam's jacket on his bed, and then sneaking out the door and around the corner of the building. As soon as I was free and clear of the boys, I made my way toward the barriers, intent on my next few actions.
The town was devoid and empty of life once I cleared the barriers, skirting around a few look outs. I made my way to the chapel adjoining the house that had once been Pastor Jim's, then Jefferson's, and was now mine and Dean's. It was a familiarity that stirred hope inside of me. This was where we'd come when my mother died, this is where I'd met Dean, where we'd married, where I'd come to pray and look for a way to break him out of Hell. It had more importantly been our home for the few months when we'd quit hunting, when we'd tried to get away from this very moment.
Inside the chapel, I lit a couple of candles on the altar, kneeling before the angel statue that had been there for as long as I could remember. I stared at its feet, recognising that inside the cabinet on which it stood were the ashes of my baby boy. I lost myself in my thoughts, praying to a God who, if he was even listening, wasn't going to act to save us.
Suddenly, a noise sounded behind me and I whirled, instantly on my feet with the knife in my hand. I looked around the dimly lit room, and then sighed when I saw a familiar face, the angel leaning against the door from the chapel foyer.
"Gabriel."
"You know, you and those two meat-heats of yours are impossible to find these days," Gabriel smirked, stepping into the room and clapping his hands. Above us the lights turned on and he smiled, "that's better."
"What do you want?" I asked, tucking the knife into the back of my jeans and crossing my arms over my chest. "Surely you're not here to actually help."
"Oh, I'm hurt," Gabriel feigned his distressed, a hand coming to cover his heart. "That you think, so… little… of me."
"Please," I muttered, rolling my eyes.
Gabriel looked at me, and then his face straightened, all business, as his hands dropped to his side.
"You got me," he admitted with a nod. "I'm here on business."
"Of course."
"You lot of knuckleheads have been busy," he said. "Destroying the world and all."
"You could help fix that," I pointed out. "These are your brothers wanting to have a pissing match on our planet."
Gabriel laughed, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. As he fell silent, he looked at me with a sadness I hadn't seen before.
"I'm not here to fight," he said. "I am trying to help, but my mission is bigger than Michael and Lucifer."
"Your mission?" I asked, confused. "What's bigger than stopping the Apocalypse?"
"You make it sound like my darling big brothers are the only way to stop it," he grinned. "Oh no no no my dear Beth, I've got better plans."
"What are they?"
"And spill all my secrets?" Gabriel tisked. "No. No this is super secret Mission Impossible stuff, if anyone… anyone … knew what we were up to…" He made a whistling sound like a bomb flying through the air, and then gestured with his hands like it hit something, making an exploding sound. "Boom. Game over," he added.
"Fine, whatever," I said, shrugging. "You're gonna do what you want anyway. So why are you here. How did you even find us?"
"Oh, well that was easy - the tall one left a message with Cas. He told me how to find you." Gabriel looked pleased with himself, taking a seat in one of the pews and resting his feet up on the seat in front of him, his arms spread out to either side as he reclined.
"Cas is here?"
"You could say that…" he nodded. "He's with the tall one. I need something from you."
I frowned at him, eyes narrowing. "What?"
"Dean's amulet," he answered. "Cas has apparently had it with him all along. If I'd known, I wouldn't be here now. But he tells me he gave it back to Dean."
I nodded.
"It doesn't work anyway," I said.
"Well, not to find God," he laughed, shaking his head.
"Then who?" I asked.
"What part of secret angel business didn't you understand?!" Gabriel groaned.
"Well, I don't have it, neither doesn't Dean," I said. Gabriel straightened up, frowning.
"Then where is it?"
I shrugged. "In a landfill somewhere, I don't know. Dean threw it in the trash."
"And you let him?!" Gabriel shouted, jumping to his feet. "Don't you know how…" He stopped, composing himself.
"Okay, that's… okay, no problem. I can still find it," he said, his eyes alighting on my chest. "I'm gonna need… that," he said, pointing.
I looked down, eyes falling to the silver chain around my neck. On it hung a St Anthony medallion that Dean had given me before he went to Hell.
"Yeah, I don't think so," I shook my head.
"Beth, please," Gabriel stopped, shaking his head and walking closer. "Look at me, I'm begging. I'm begging, Beth. This is important, kiddo."
"Why?"
"St Anthony is the lost patron of lost things," he said. "The medallion of a true believer… it can lead you to anything with the right spell."
I hesitated, my hand lifting up the silver medal. Suddenly it was clear how I'd managed to connect to Dean so easily when he was in Hell. Gabriel nodded as if he was reading my thoughts.
"But he's back now," he said gently. "You don't need it anymore. Even still, I'll bring it back when I'm done."
"Promise me this is worth it," I said. "That you're not just playing some game.."
"It's not a game, Beth," he replied, cutting me off. "I swear it. Ezekiel is working with me, but he couldn't come himself."
I wanted to believe him. Desperately hoping for something, other than our futile search on how to stop Lucifer, that could bring about an end to this madness.
"Okay," I said finally, slipping the chain from around my neck and putting it in his outstretched hand.
"Thank you," he said somberly, nodding.
He looked my in the eyes, probably the most serious I had ever seen Gabriel before. He was no longer playing the guise of Loki - in this moment he was a majestic angel, strong, honest, like Cas.
"I hope you find what you're looking for," I said.
"Me too," he whispered. "And Beth?"
I tilted my head questioningly at him.
"Congratulations," he smiled, his eyes dropping down to my stomach. "I told you it was going to happen."
My eyes widened, hands coming to my stomach.
"No… I can't … I'm on the pill."
"Yeah well," Gabriel shrugged, his cheeky grin returning. "Destiny always finds a way."
With that he snapped his fingers, and with the sound of fluttering wings, he was gone, and I was alone.
Present Day
Lisa's POV
"You….you're…. You're pregnant?" I stuttered. Beth sat opposite me on the couch and nodded, beside her Sam smiled and reached out to squeeze her hand.
"You can't tell Dean, Lisa," Beth continued. "Not yet."
"Why?!"
"Because something's going on with him," Beth said. "I don't know what yet, but I know Dean. And he's on this whole keeping his son safe thing right now."
I nodded, that had definitely been the conversation that occurred between us, but something was niggling at me, something about what he'd said… I couldn't put my finger on it though so I shook my head and looked at Beth and Sam.
"If he knew about the baby," Beth continued. "He'd sideline me, Lisa. And I can't let him do this alone."
"I'm not sure I completely disagree with the sidelining," Sam said, frowning slightly.
"Sam…." Beth growled. "We've talked about this."
"I know!" He said, shaking his head. "But come on, I don't want you to… well, I'd never forgive myself if anything happened to this baby, or you."
"I'm a month along, at best," Beth said. "Let's deal with one catastrophe at a time."
"A baby isn't a catastrophe," I said gently, feeling for the girl in front of me.
"Isn't it?" Beth asked sadly. "I'm not so sure about that."
3 Days Ago
Beth's POV
By the time I got back to the town, it was fully dark, and the streets were practically empty, even for the safe zone. I hurried toward the motel room only to see a crowd of people headed down the street. One of them, Rob, was wielding a baseball bat. It had a feel of something serious, and given the mood of the town from earlier in the day, I knew I had to follow.
I recognised a few of the faces among the group - Rob, Jane and Father Gideon.
"Jane, what's going on?" I asked, and she turned to look at me.
"Angel business," she snapped, "you should leave."
"What?" I asked, frowning. They didn't stop to say more, and I continued to follow them all the way into the tavern.
"What's going on here?" Paul asked, looking at the group as we all filed into the room.
Rob, looked at him and shook his head. "Sorry Paul, you gotta leave."
"What?!" Paul scoffed.
"The angels, they've spoken to Leah, and they say… they say you're stopping all of us from getting to Paradise."
"You're a corruption," Jane said.
Rob walked up to the bar, waving the baseball bat around, and Paul grabbed at it, trying to pull it over to his side of the bar.
Everyone erupted into shouting and argument, Father Gideon pushing his way into the fray.
I looked urgently about, doing the math, and I didn't like what I was seeing. If it came down to a fight, even with me, Paul was going to lose.
"Please, guys, guys, guys!" Gideon pleaded, trying to push them apart. "Take a breath, both of you!" Gideon ordered.
"You come onto my property, spouting some kind of crazy— "
Paul's words were cut off by his friend shouting back at him. "Sorry, Paul. There's no other way!"
"Come on! What country is this?! Huh?" Paul countered, and I saw Rob hesitate.
"Need a hand Padre?" Dean's voice sounded behind me and I turned to look at him, breathing a sigh of relief. He was staring at the scene in front of us. Gideon shook his head, using the distraction to push Rob back from the bar, placing himself between Paul and Rob, his hand pressed to Rob's chest.
"Just, everybody cool down for a minute!" Gideon said.
""Cool down," hmm? My friends are trying to run me out of town. Do you think I should cool down?" Paul asked, looking from Dean to me.
"I'm sorry, Paul. It is not our choice," Rob said.
"Oh, come on. That's bull," Paul said, his lips trembling with anger.
"You've got to go—for everyone's sake!" Rob said, and his eyes were steadfast. He believed it, they all did.
"We grew up together. I stood up at your wedding!" Paul replied.
"Yes, you did," Jane said. "But that was then. And now you're standing against the flock."
I didn't like the finality in her voice. That little bit of zealotry that was one step away from going over the edge. Her face was emotionless, completely glazed over like she'd been brainwashed.
"That's not true. I fight with you," Paul said.
"This is a town of believers, Paul. You are not a believer," Jane countered. The people around her nodded and murmured their agreement. Gideon said nothing.
"Don't make this hard for us," Rob pleaded.
"Hard for you?" Paul scoffed. "No. This is my home." He walked around the bar and into the open, issuing Rob a challenge. "You want me out of here? You'll have to drag me out."
"Wait," I said, stepping forward and in front of Paul. "Everyone, just think about this."
"Get out of my way," Rob said, stepping forward. He went to shove me, but Dean was faster, circling him and blocking Rob's arm.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, you don't want to do this," he said.
"Get out of my…." Rob went to push past Dean again and the latter lashed out, punching Rob square in the face. Rob staggered back and then went for the baseball bat.
"No, no, no!" Gideon was shouting as everyone started to talk at once.
As Dean and Rob wrestled by the bar, I started to push Paul back toward the bar, he was standing next to me, watching the others when out of nowhere Jane pulled a pistol and, before I could react, shot Paul in the chest.
"No!" I yelled, turning as he fell back against the wall.
"No one's gonna stop me from seeing my son again," Jane said. Dean let Rob go and ran up to me, kneeling next to Paul opposite me.
"Oh my god," I said, shaking my head, seeing the blood seep out of his chest and pressing on the wound, knowing at the same time it was useless. I looked into Dean's eyes and saw the shock registering, the recognition that this town was quickly deteriorating into a lynch mob.
"Let's go," he said, pulling me to my feet. Jane was still standing there with the gun, she swung it toward us, and I caught my breath, feeling Dean go deathly still beside me.
"You don't want to do that," Dean warned her, his eyes dark. He let me go, and we stepped apart slightly, making it harder for her to pick a target. It wasn't the first time we'd had a gun pulled on us, but she didn't know that. I looked at Rob, frowning.
"Call your wife off, Rob, before she gets hurt."
Jane scoffed. "I'm the one with the gun here."
"So what are you going to do, Jane? You going to shoot a believer?" I asked, stepping forward, getting myself in range.
"Jane!" Gideon called out. "Put the gun down!"
"No!" Jane shouted. "They got my son killed!"
"A demon killed your son," Dean said.
"One you let get past you!" She said, turning the gun toward Dean. It was the wrong move.
I took my opportunity, stepping sideways and bringing my elbow down on her arm, simultaneously disarming her with my other hand. She looked at me, shocked, and I elbowed her in the face, knocking her out.
"Like I said," I held the gun up at Rob, who had moved toward me. "You people need to calm down before someone else gets hurt. We're leaving, and you're all going to let us. Okay?"
Rob held his hands up in the air, seething, but nodded shortly.
"No one follows us," Dean added. "Understand?!"
Gideon nodded beside us, speaking for everyone. "Yes, go. Go!"
Exchanging a look, Dean went first to the door, with me bringing up the rear, pistol in hand. No one moved to stop us.
Present Day
Lisa's POV
"Oh...my...god!" I whispered. "You guys!"
"We know," Sam said gently with a nod. "But this is what we're talking about Lisa. If we can't stop what's going on, then the whole world will go this way. Or worse."
"I've seen it worse," Beth said, her eyes growing distant. "Trust me, no one wants that." I didn't know what she meant by that, and I desperately wanted to ask. There was so much for me to learn now. But, one story at a time.
"So how did you get out of there? Is the town still crazy?" I asked, needing to know.
"Well, it's not as bad as it was," Sam said with a sigh of relief.
3 Days Earlier
Sam's POV
While Dean and Beth were off doing their own thing, I had been left alone at the motel - not by choice. Dean and I had been arguing over what to do next. He said he wanted to talk to Leah, get some more information about what was coming out of her, I didn't think it was worth it. During that time, Beth disappeared. As soon as I went back into the motel room, I saw the missing knife and I knew. I started to go after her, and then Castiel stumbled into the room.
"Cas?" I asked as he leaned heavily on the privacy wall by the door.
"I got your message," he slurred. "It was… long. And I find the sound of your voice grating." He was looking up at the ceiling, and around the room, anywhere but directly at me.
I did a double take. What?
"What's wrong with you?" I asked as he stayed where he was, clearly struggling to stand upright. "Are you drunk?"
"No!" He retorted, attempting to right himself but failing.
"Yes," he admitted.
"What the Hell happened to you?"
"I found a liquor store," he said, taking a few steps and leaning against the wall, his head bumping against it.
"And?" I asked.
"And I drank it," he staggering further into the room.
"Whoa," I said, grabbing at him to steady the angel. "There you go," I said, helping him get his balance. "Easy. Are you okay?"
Cas grabbed me by the shirt and pulled me closer, leaning into my ear. "Don't ask stupid questions." He let me go and sat back against the bench along the wall.
"Just tell me what you need," he said with a sigh.
"T-there have been these—these demon attacks. Massive, right on the edge of town. And we can't figure out why they're…"
"Any sign of angels?" He cut me off.
"Sort of. They're speaking to this prophet," I answered. Cas looked sharply at me, a frown creasing his brow.
"Who?"
"This girl, Leah Gideon." I supplied.
"She's no prophet," he announced without hesitation.
"I'm pretty sure she is. Visions, headaches—the whole package." Cas rolled his eyes at me, looking up and over at me.
"The names of all the prophets, they're seared into my brain. Leah Gideon is not one of them," Cas said snarkily. This shocked me.
"Then what is she?"
The door to the motel opened, and Beth came through, hands covered in blood, Dean right behind her. I crossed the room, instantly concerned.
"Are you okay?" I asked, and she nodded before moving toward the kitchenette in the room.
"It's not her blood," Dean said, closing the door behind him. "Paul's dead."
"What?!" I gasped.
"Jane shot him," Beth said with a dark tone to her voice.
"It's starting," Cas said, crossing to sit on couch with a sigh. Both Dean and Beth stopped short, seeing the angel for the first time.
"What's starting?" Dean asked. "Where the Hell have you been?"
"On a bender," Cas said, his voice raspy.
"Did he - did you just say 'on a bender'?" Dean asked.
"Yeah," I breathed. "He's pretty smashed."
"It's not of import," Cas said, waving his hand around dismissively, "we need to talk about what's happening here."
"Talk nothing," Beth said. "We're getting out of here before we're next. This town is mad."
"No, we have work to do," Cas said.
Dean scoffed. "Pretty sure the angels are screwing things up enough for all of us here."
"There's no angels involved here," I said. "For starters, Leah is not a real prophet."
Beth was rinsing her hands in the sink. Dean looked at me, frowning. "Then what is she?"
"The whore," Cas announced.
"Wow," Dean said, shocked. "Cas, tell us what you really think."
Cas shook his head. "She rises when Lucifer walks the Earth," he looked at Beth. "Revelation 17:5" Beth paused, thinking it over and then her eyes widened.
"The Whore of Babylon?" She asked, Cas nodded.
"Well that's catchy," Dean smirked. Cas pointed to one of the books I'd had open on the table, reading it as he traced the words with his finger.
""And she shall come, bearing false prophecy." This creature has the power to take a human's form, read minds," Cas said.
"The real Leah was probably killed months ago," I offered, that familiar feeling of guilt hanging over me like a dark cloud. This was all my fault. Everything.
"What about the demons attacking this town?" Dean asked.
"They're under her control," Cas replied.
"And the Enochian exorcism?" Beth asked, reciting it for Cas to hear.
He giggled to himself and then wiped at the corner of his eye. "That's fake. It actually means, "you, um, breathe with the mouth of a goat."
We all stared at him as he continued to chuckle to himself. "It's funnier in Enochian."
"But we saw demons smoking out of their hosts," Beth said.
"Yeah, is that a con?" Dean added. "Why? What's the endgame?"
Cas shrugged and looked at us. "What you just saw," he answered. "Innocent blood spilled in God's name."
"You heard all the Heaven talk," I said. "She manipulates people."
"To slaughter and kill and sing preppy little hymns?" Dean asked skeptically. "Awesome."
"Her goal is to condemn as many souls to Hell as possible. And it's…just beginning. She's well on her way to dragging this whole town into the pit," Cas announced. Beth looked a little pale at the announcement, then she steeled herself, her eyes going dark and angry.
"Yeah? Well she picked the wrong town to mess with," she said. "This is my town, she needs to leave."
Dean nodded. "Right. So, then, how do we go Pimp of Babylon all over this bitch?"
Cas disappeared for ten seconds, and then suddenly reappeared, slapping a wooden stake down on top of the book we'd just been reading. It looked smooth, like a piece of driftwood, and the stick was whittled down to a point.
"The whore can be killed with that," he said, crossing to the sink and pouring himself a glass of water. "It's made from a cypress tree in Babylon."
Beth was running her fingers along it, thoughtful.
"Great," Dean said. "Let's ventilate her."
"It's not that easy." Cas said, turning around to sip tentatively of his water.
"'Course not," Dean replied, rolling his eyes.
"The whore can only be killed by a true servant of Heaven," Cas said.
"Servant, like…?" Dean questioned
"Not you," Cas replied. "Or me. Sam of course is an abomination." I felt that stab me hard, but he wasn't wrong.
"Beth?" Dean asked, nodding toward the only one left in the room not on that list. She picked up the stake, shaking her head.
"No," she said. "I don't know."
"You have doubts," Cas said.
"About Heaven, and serving?" Beth asked. "Yeah. Just like you. They want to use my family and my planet as a gladiatorial arena. No. I'm no servant to those angels."
Cas sighed. "We'll have to find somebody else."
Present Day
Lisa's POV
"Whore of Babylon? This just gets more insane the further we get into it!" I was hearing it, and if I hadn't seen some of what Dean did in the past, I wouldn't believe a word of it. But Sam and Beth looked spooked, and angry. I couldn't say that I blamed her. I was starting to feel angry at these demons myself.
"So what happened next?" I asked. "Did you find someone to kill her?"
3 days earlier
Beth's POV
Something was going on at the church, I'd gone looking for Gideon, slipping into the back of the church, going mostly unnoticed by anyone who knew I wasn't supposed to be there anymore. At the front of the room Leah was standing in front of the remaining congregation - the real zealots.
"What you did was for the greater good," Leah was saying to Jane, who was sobbing in the front pew, grasping desperately at Leah's hands.
"Yes," Jane said, stiffening her back. "Yes."
"We all liked Paul," Leah said, turning her sickening smile to the rest of the room. "But he was a sinner, and he would have taken us down with him." She turned back to Jane. "You saved us."
"Thank you."
"How can that be okay?" Gideon asked, shaking his head. "She killed him. That sin is so much greater…"
"It's not a sin to strike down evil," Leah said, cutting him off.
"How can the angels…"
"You always taught me we have to have faith," Leah cut in again, silencing the pastor. I knew then that we had found the right man for the job. Gideon had his doubts, he knew that things were out of control. Now we just had to convince him to do something I wasn't sure I could ever do, if I had been in his shoes.
"The angels," Leah continued. "I don't know why they've chosen us. But they have. And today…Today, they told me the most important thing yet. Tonight, at midnight…" Her eyes got all teary, and she stumbled over her words, finally smiling.
"I'm sorry. It's just that we knew this day would come, and it's here—the final judgement. Now, we need to do this right. We don't have much time. They angels said we're not ready. There are still a few elements that need to be taken care of." She paused, then hammered the final nail home. "Sinners."
Pastor Gideon's eyes widened in horror at the hidden meaning behind that one word. He'd seen first hand what had happened earlier. I swallowed hard, looking down at my clean shirt, remembering Paul's face as he lay dead against the wall.
"Now, uh, now, everybody calm down. Just hold on," Gideon said as the people in the room started to murmur among themselves. I took the opportunity to move down the aisle, Gideon's eyes widening as he saw me coming and I stepped up beside the Pastor.
"Now, I don't want us to panic, but we have to hurry," Leah continued with her pep talk, ignoring my presence.
"Father, she's scaring these people," I said softly, receiving a glare from Jane. "Hasn't there been enough killing tonight?"
Gideon nodded, stepping up to Leah. "Stop it," he said.
"I've been given names, instructions," Leah kept going, ignoring her father.
"Wait," Gideon said, grabbing Leah's arm. "Let's go. What are you doing?"
Leah growled at him, pulling at his grip on her. "Let me go," she said under her breath, glaring at Gideon and then me. "Or the next sinners I name will be the pair of you."
"Leah!" Gideon said in horror, dropping her arm.
I took the opportunity to guide Gideon out the back door, avoiding the people who were starting to get excited. "We need to go, now."
"But… my daughter," Gideon argued.
"That's not your daughter," I said, seeing Sam and Dean waiting in the room we stepped into. The three of us escorted Gideon out of the church and into the car park where Castiel was waiting.
"Pastor David Gideon," he said.
"Yeah?" He asked. "Who are you?"
"I'm an angel of the Lord," he announced.
"Yeah, sure," Gideon scoffed.
Within seconds we were standing back in the motel, Cas having teleported us there. I felt the familiar sickness to my stomach, but I was used to it - Gideon on the other hand stumbled back, looking around in amazement.
"What the hell was that?" The pastor asked.
"Yeah, he wasn't lying about the angel thing," Dean said, gesturing to the couch. "Have a seat Padre, we gotta have a chat."
It didn't take long to explain the situation. Even after everything he'd seen and heard, he was still resistant to what he was being told about Leah. He stared at the stake on the table nearby and shook his head.
"No," he said, his voice barely a rasp. "She's my daughter."
"I'm sorry, but she's not. She's the thing that killed your daughter," I said softly, sitting beside him.
"That's impossible…"
"But it's true. And deep down, you know it," I replied.
"Look, we get it—it's too much," Sam cut in. "But if you don't do this, she's going to kill a lot of people. And damn the rest to Hell." Gideon struggled with his emotions, holding a fist to his mouth, shaking his head.
Dean reached out, picked up the stake from the table, and placed it in the hand of the devastated Pastor.
"It's just…. Why does it have to be me?" He asked.
"You're a Servant of Heaven," Cas replied. Gideon looked up at him and frowned.
"You're an angel!"
"Poor example of one," Cas said, sighing.
3 days earlier
Sam's POV
It went down pretty much as you'd expect after that. We moved on the church basement where the congregation were busy turning on their own. Townspeople had been herded up and Leah was guiding them into a storage unit. It had all the makings of an old western movie where people were locked in a barn and then it was set on fire.
The crowd was pushing and shoving, trying to get out.
"Get the kerosene," Leah said to Jane, who hesitated for a moment. Leah turned to the woman and looked steadfastly at her.
"There are kids in there," Jane pointed out. Leah looked innocently at both Jane and Rob.
"The angels named them for a reason Jane… your son needs you to do this." She then left the room, presumably going back to the office upstairs near the chapel, where Gideon had identified she liked to go when recovering from a vision.
We followed Leah, leaving the congregation to continue their heinous duty, while we did ours.
Cas went first into the room, the rest of us following. Leah was looking in the mirror, her face distorted and twisted - her true face and not of the girl she was now hiding behind. Cas grabbed her from behind, turning her to face the rest of us as Gideon stepped up brandishing the stake.
"Daddy don't hurt me!" Leah begged, eyes wide. Gideon hesitated.
"Gideon, now!" I said forcefully.
Leah started to chant in Enochian. "Pizin noco iad…"
"Aaah!" Cas cried out, grabbing at his head and releasing the demon. Leah smirked and held out her hands, pushing Gideon into Dean and Beth, knocking them both to the floor, then waving her hand and sending me flying into a wall too, my breath escaping my lungs. Gideon was on his feet, running after the escaping girl.
"Gideon! Wait! No!" I called out, stumbling to my feet.
Leah ran to the basement, her father right on her heels and the rest of us not far behind. She bashed through the doors into the room, crying out.
"Help me! He's a demon!"
The people reacted immediately, stepping in to grab the Pastor by both arms, one of the men throwing a punch and in the scuffle the stake flew from Gideon's hand. We all jumped into the fray as Leah hurried to the back of the room where Rob and Jane were standing.
"Light the kerosene," she instructed Rob.
"Come on, come on!" Dean said to Beth, and they punched their way through, running for Leah, Rob and Jane. Beth got there first, leaping through the air and tackling Rob to the ground before he could light the kerosene. She lashed out at him a few times before Jane grabbed a bat, wrapping it around Beth's neck and pulling her back.
Leah pushed out with her power again, and Dean was hit square in the chest, knocked to the floor and then she jumped on top of him, her hands around his neck.
I saw Beth starting to lose consciousness, trying to get a better grip on the bat, and ran forward to grab Jane her by the arms, forcing her to drop the bat and let Beth go. I pushed Jane back toward the corner in the room, trying to get a look at Dean - seeing him reaching for the stake that was just inches away from him on the floor.
Leah smirked. "Please," she said. "Like you're a servant of Heaven."
"Let me go!" Jane struggled in my arms, but I was too strong for her.
"This is why my team's gonna win." Leah said, confident of herself. Behind her, Beth kicked the kerosene across the other side of the room, then backhanded Rob unconscious. Leah ignored her, staring at Dean.
"You're the great vessel?" She mocked. "You're pathetic, self-hating, and faithless. It's the end of the world. And you're just gonna sit back and watch it happen."
Dean got his hands on the stake, pulling it into his grip. Dean didn't even hesitate, swinging his arm around, punching Leah in the face and then ramming the stake into her chest.
"Don't be so sure, whore," he uttered, twisting the stake and causing Leah to groan loudly. He shoved her off him and then leaned over her, shoving the stake even further into her chest.
Leah looked shocked, and then her body shook, the stake started to smoke and then catch fire. Leah flailed on the floor, groaning before the stake exploded, leaving a burning hole where it had entered her body. The creature slumped to the floor, dead.
I was stunned, he'd done it! He was a Servant of Heaven... and just as that thought hit me, I wondered. What does that mean? How did he do it?
"I don't understand," Jane said in front of me. "How are we supposed to get to Paradise now?"
Dean stood up, wiping blood from his mouth. "Sorry, pretty sure you're headed in a different direction," he said.
Present Day
Lisa's POV
"Dean is a servant of Heaven?" I asked.
"Apparently so," Sam shrugged, looking at Beth.
"He says he just got lucky," Beth mused. "But I don't know. Something changed out there in him. He had given up on everything, right Sam?" Sam nodded in reply. "It was scary."
"I don't think that's the case now," I said, thinking back to the earlier conversation I'd had with Dean.
"I know," Beth said. "He's determined to come up with something … to protect Ben, and you. Which is why he can't know I'm pregnant, not yet. Because I don't want him to worry about me."
I paused, thinking that over, and something Dean had said. "And you can look after Beth, when the time comes."
"I hate to be the bearer of bad news guys, but I'm pretty sure Dean already knows," I said, getting a look of surprise from Beth and Sam, the pair of them looking at each other questioningly, then shaking their heads.
"He said to me, that he wanted you to stay here with Ben and I, Beth. He said it was for our protection, but then he said I had to help you too. It made no sense at the time, but now…"
Beth bit her lip, dropping her head into her hands.
"He told me he loved me," she groaned.
"What?" Sam asked. Beth raised her head.
"Before I fell asleep, he leaned over, kissed me and told me he loved me," she said as if that gave us a better explanation. I shrugged at Sam, none of that seemed out of the ordinary to me.
"He hardly ever says the words," Beth continued. "Not unless…"
"He's going to do something stupid," Sam said, his face falling.
"We don't know that for sure," I said.
"No?" she said, looking up. "Then where is he? He's gone, and he's left us here. He's going to Michael…"
Sam scowled, standing up and shaking his head. "Dammit, we need to stop him!"
"We need to find him!" Beth said. "Sammy, he can't… he can't…" Her breath caught and I jumped up, catching her in a hug.
"It'll be okay Beth, we'll find him," I reassured her, looking over her shoulder at Sam who looked pained. "You guys will find him."
An hour away
Dean's POV
Leaving had been the hardest thing I'd ever had to do. It killed me not to discuss it with Beth, but she would only try to talk me out of this. I kept playing in my head the conversation I'd had months earlier, in the past, with Michael when he'd been possessing Dad. He wouldn't leave me a drooling mess like Raphael had done to his vessel. I could do this, I could be Michael's champion, and then when it was all said and done, I could come back to her - back to our family.
My mind drifted back to three days earlier, as we'd been moving on the church to take on Leah. Cas and I had gone to the Impala so I could get some weapons.
I reached into the glovebox of the car, pulling out a bottle of aspirin. "Head's up," I said, tossing it to Cas who was sitting on a bench, rubbing his temples in pain.
Cas looked at the bottle with a frown. "How many should I take?"
I pondered, we were talking about an angel who'd by his own admission just drunk a whole liquor store. "You? You should probably just take the whole bottle," I replied.
"Thanks," Cas said.
"Don't mention it, I've been there," I said, patting him on the shoulder. "I'm a big expert on deadbeat dad's. So yeah, I get what you're feeling."
"How do you manage it?" He asked, looking up at me.
I took the safety off my pistol, and tucked it into my waistband.
"On a good day, you get to kill a whore," I replied, raising my eyebrows at him.
He nodded, looking up at the stars above.
"I suppose it helps, knowing you get a chance to be a better dad."
"Wha…?" I stopped dead. "What?"
Cas looked at me, his head tilting to the side. "She hasn't told you?"
"Told me what?"
"Beth. She's pregnant, Dean," Cas said.
My world dropped away, everything slowing to a crawl. Pregnant? Why hadn't she told me? I thought it over in an instant. It didn't matter, maybe she didn't know, angels could tell things that she wouldn't know - right? I made excuses, she would tell me, we'd just been through a lot lately, she was probably waiting for the right time. Was there ever a right time?
"You get a chance to be a better dad…" Cas's words echoed in my mind.
I'd done my best with Ben. And I couldn't be the one to put Beth in danger again, not after the last time. It had all made sense after that.
I would take my role, I would be what Michael needed me to be - and in doing so I would protect my family - all of them. Ben, the baby, Sam… I would achieve what Dad had failed to do. What God was failing to do. I had to, there was no other option for me. No matter what happened to me, I would keep them safe.
I would end this.
Author's Notes
Song for this chapter is Sam Smith's - Pray (remix with Logic)
I know there aren't many fans of Lisa out there, particularly where Dean and Beth are concerned, but I've addressed this in the past enough that I feel I need to mention it here too: I always liked Lisa. I always commented that the relationships that didn't work for Dean (like Jo) were with people who were very similar personalities to him. He needed someone who could just nurture him as he is. Lisa (in canon) did that. Beth does that here. Beth and Lisa are similar personalities - which is of course WHY Dean was drawn to her when he and Beth weren't together.
And to address another issue that some people don't like - I'm sorry if you aren't happy about my decision to make Ben the son of Dean in this version of Fanfic, but I have my reasons, and it just makes sense to me. Ben's here to stay guys, so strap yourselves in. There is PLENTY of other fanfic out there if you don't like it.
This was a bit of a mix about from the original. I think it's giving us a good look into all three of our main characters, plus a bit more of a look at their friendship with Lisa.
And finally - it's been a while, but I promised you all Beth would get pregnant again. The timing sucks - but this is SPN! The timing ALWAYS sucks :D My poor beautiful couple, nothing ever seems to go right for them.
Lots more to come :) Stay tuned! And as always please let me know what you thought of the chapter - I hope you all enjoyed it.