CHAPTER FIFTY: Different Ideas

Dean scoffed which ended up turning into body-racking coughs, splatters of blood coloring his shirt sleeve. Mary walked over, wetting her thumb before using it to wipe away the scarlet around the Knight's lips.

He flinched away from the comforting action, causing the blonde to back up instinctively.

Clearing his throat, Dean shook his head. "You know you sound crazy right? Lucifer, Mom? Really?" He questioned as if he hadn't been thinking it himself.

Mary sighed, running nervous hands through her curly strands. "I know… I know. But, at this point, maybe we have to get a little crazy. You can't live like this." She stated, gesturing to the room around her.

"I have to!" The Knight closed his eyes as he tried to ignore the raging thoughts inside his head. With a shuddering breath, he locked eyes with his mom. "Raising Lucifer, Hell on Earth? I'm not worth that." Mary tried to protest but the demon plowed forward, not wanting to hear any fake encouragement. "And since none of you can kill me, this is how things gotta be." He paused, grief and sorrow seeping into his tone as he forced out the next sentence. "You guys have to stop comin' in here. You're just making it that much harder to let you guys go."

Mary was awestruck as she tried to process what she had just heard. Dean didn't want them to visit him? "So you rather have us just let you rot up here?" She yelled, damning the tears that threatened to spill. She had just gotten her son back and now he wants her to leave him in this godforsaken dungeon?

"It's for the best…" Dean trailed off as the shelves were pulled apart, revealing a very troubled plaid-wearing Sam.

Mary felt her lip start to quiver at the sight of the middle Winchester just giving up. But, she knew her son was a stubborn selfless ass who she would have to make the decision for. She left the room, thinking Sam had something important to talk to Dean about and she wasn't sure she could hold it together much longer. Closing the door behind her, the blonde had a new sense of determination about her.

Mary was going to raise Lucifer and make him remove the Mark from Dean's arm or so help her, there'd be hell to pay.

…...

"Jo, you're back." John noted as he strolled into the Bunker's Kitchen, totally forgetting that she had left.

"It was just a quick grocery run." She said casually, unloading different varieties of food from a plastic bag. "So, did I miss anything?" She asked, her tone suggesting there was a specific thing, or who, she was asking about.

The eldest Winchester just shook his head sadly, wishing he had better news. The young hunter just smiled softly as she finished, crumbling the bag in her hand before depositing it in the garbage. "Listen, I was wondering if I could go talk to him…" She began, scared that she already knew the answer.

John seemed hesitant. He wasn't sure just how many visitors Dean would be able to handle in one day. Sure, the old hunter knew that the two did have a special sibling bond, but the Knight had been here less than 24 hours and John was sure he might be feeling a little overwhelmed.

With a hint of regret, the gruff man gave her a counter offer. "How 'bout we wait till the morning? He's been through a lot today."

Jo nodded and finished putting the groceries away, making sure to leave a beer out for John before she left him to his own devices.

He had been sitting there, only three sips into his drink, when Tim came in looking flushed with a folder in his hand.

"I found something!"

…

"Hot wings, got a second?" Meg had cornered Castiel after John's meeting and the angel was looking nothing shy of uncomfortable.

Sounding bored out of his mind, Cas turned around to see the persistent demon following him down the hallway. "What could you possibly need from me?" He asked, planning on helping Tim with the research.

"You haven't heard anything from the angels recently have you?" She asked, not missing a beat. Meg watched Cas intently, searching for any sign that he knew what was coming.

"In case you haven't noticed," He began, his tone condescending and his voice gruff. "I am not on the best terms with my kind. So when you ask if I have heard from them, the answer is no."

Meg rolled her eyes at how dramatic the angel was being. Deciding it'd just be easier to lay it all out there for Castiel, she took a deep breath. "The angel's are planning on starting the Apocalypse." She deadpanned, watching as shock and fear crossed Cas's features.

"How do they plan on doing that? Without breaking the first seal-" He started only to be cut off.

"They've broken it and many others. Lilith, a demon even I don't want to mess with, has been busy while we've been distracted by Dean." She explained, crossing her arms.

The brunette watched as the dark-haired man ran a nervous hand down his face, his eyes wide as he digested the information. "We must warn the others-"

"Woah there sparky, that will only cause panic." Meg reasoned, grabbing a hold of the retreating angel's arm. "The less who know the better, and I think I know who we should tell."

…

"I was wondering when you'd come." Dean said dreadfully, raising green eyes to meet hazel. "Listen, Sam-"

"Save it." The youngest Winchester snapped, betrayal and grief evident on his face. "I heard the last part of the speech you gave Mom. But you know what, Dean? I don't care what you have to say."

The Knight lifted shocked brows, smirking slightly. "I'm sorry?" He asked, confused. He hoped that his brother hadn't heard what his mom and him were talking about before, the less people who could get on board with the idea of raising Lucifer, the less likely it would happen.

Sam took a deep breath as he tried to think how to word his reasoning. "I'm not gonna let you just give up."

"I'm not giving up-" Dean began, scowling when his brother interrupted him.

"Yes you are!-" Sam tried to argue, only to be cut off himself.

"I'm facing the facts!" The elder demon roared as he yanked on the shackles, eyes switching to daunting black orbs and then fixating on the shaggy-haired man standing before him. "We are all out of options!" He yelled, his control of his anger dwindling.

Sensing that he was pushing his brother, Sam thought about leaving. But he couldn't leave without saying all he needed to. "I'll track down Cain and make him remove it!"

Dean laughed maliciously, causing chills to run down the youngest Winchester's spine. "Oh that's rich. You're gonna make the Father of Murder do something? Sam, the only person who can do that you have chained to damn chair!" He spat, his obsidian orbs never wavering from his brother.

"You can't stop me, Dean! I'll track down Cain and bring him here and we will go from there." Sam tried to seem logical and calm but when the Knight clenched his fists and his eyebrows drew together, the young demon knew he had gone too far.

The taller of the two felt his stomach rise to his throat as the bound demon before him mustered a glare that could kill, his next words icy and promising. "Sam, if you try anything to save me, it'll be the last thing you do."

…

"Rufus it's good to see you." Ellen greeted as she and Bobby walked into the African American's base he was squatting out.

The aged hunter laughed nudging Mr. Singer with his elbow. "I can believe it, must be good to deal with someone else besides this miserable old cuss."

Ellen agreed, smiling good-naturedly towards Bobby who was shaking his head. "Should I get you two a room?" He said light-heartedly before squashing the small talk. "So, you said you have a demon who might know about Cain?"

"Cain?" Rufus asked as he led them into the basement where he was keeping the demon. "I thought you wanted to know about this whole Apocalypse shit."

Ellen and Bobby both shared a look as they rounded a corner to see a long, curly-haired red headed man sitting tied to a chair in the middle of a devil's trap.

"So far, Shirley Temple here hasn't given me anything useful." Rufus stated irritably as he crossed his arms, shaking his head.

The demon glanced at the three, a smug grin tugging at his lips. "I hope none of you are running for Miss America. Are all hunters this ugly?" He quipped, seeming unfazed by the people standing in front of him.

Bobby rolled his eyes before taking a step forward, taking out the enchanted knife. "Lucky for you, I happen to have one of the only weapons that can kill you. So let's try again, what's this about the end of the world?"

When all he got was a daring look, Bobby took the blade and slid it easily into the demon's torso, watching as pain and anger flashed in his eyes.

"Fine!" He hissed, breaking easier then the three thought. "I'll tell you what I know." The three hunters waited patiently after the baseball-capped man had ripped out the knife, listening intently when he started speaking. "Lilith is trying to break the 66 seals in order to raise Lucifer from Hell. By my count, she's already halfway there. When Dean broke the first seal-"

"Woah, wait. Dean as in, Dean Winchester?" Ellen clarified, feeling a pit form in her stomach when the demon nodded.

"The first seal is broken when a righteous man sheds blood in Hell." He scoffed, amused by the idea. "We were all about as shocked as you guys when a demon was proclaimed the righteous man but the fact he's half human must help." The ginger shrugged, continuing. "The real kicker is that the angel's are letting this happen, it's almost as if they want Hell on Earth just as bad as we do."

Bobby and Ellen were speechless, not knowing how Dean could've killed in Hell.

"And this is all true?" Rufus asked, seeming skeptical.

The demon eyed Bobby warily who was twirling the knife in his hand. "Yeah, it's all I know."

"Any chance you know where Cain is?" The female hunter asked, figuring she might as well take a shot not having heard Dean's warning.

"Low-level demons like me tend to stay away from the guy. Last I heard he was topside on some farm in Missouri." The demon told them, looking genuine.

With a satisfied look, Bobby stepped forward and stabbed the demon through the heart with a flash of orange and black.

…

"What'cha got Bobby?" Sam asked, holding his cell phone up to his ear.

"I got bad news and good news, take your pick." The whiskey-drenched man said on the other end of the line, riding shotgun while Ellen drove them to Missouri.

The youngest Winchester sighed, not surprised that there was bad news. Walking into the Bunker's empty kitchen, Sam grabbed a beer and took a swig before replying. "Might as well hear the bad first." He said hesitantly, not sure if he even wanted to know.

"The demons and angels are workin' on startin' the end of the world." He stated plainly, not in the mood to sugarcoat things. "But that's not all Sam, we know where Cain is."

The young demon paused, conflicted by the two sets of news he heard. "Where are you guys? I'm coming with." He demanded even though he could still hear Dean's threat echoing in the back of his head. When Bobby rattled off a location, it took only a second for the demon to appear in between the two hunters. "So, what's this Apocalypse crap?"

…

"I found something!" Tim said enthusiastically, Allison just on his heels as he plopped down across from John at the Kitchen table, opening up the folder and showing the contents to the old hunter. "It took hours of digging and when I came across this I thought it wasn't reliable but then I found these tapes-"

John interrupted the obviously excited Man of Letters, not completely understanding. "Explain slower." He stated, watching as Tim took a deep breath to calm himself.

"So, the Men of Letters did these trials on demons, they believed that with the right amount of blood and some words of Latin later, they could eventually cure a demon." He explained, gesturing with his hands as he spoke. "I found these old tapes and Ally and I played them and we saw all the different times they actually tried this procedure."

"And?" John asked in disbelief, trying to not let himself get to hopeful.

"And, the last tape was cut off. So, if it worked or not, I'm not sure but I have the entire procedure and I figured, might as well give it a shot." Tim finally finished, shrugging causally.

The eldest Winchester gazed over the different papers that the legacy had set before him, gauging whether or not this was worth it. But, maybe Tim was right, desperate times call for desperate measures. With a small smile, he glanced up at Tim, slightly impressed. "Why the hell not. Let's try it."

…...

"John you can't be serious." Mary began, shaking her head wildly after her husband had explained everything to her. "There's no way Dean would ever agree to that."

John rolled his eyes, not worried about it. "He won't have a choice. He's bound-" He started, shocked by his wife's abruptness.

"We are not doing anything against his will, John! Plus, just because we cure him of being a demon, the Mark will still remain which is the problem." She tried to reason, feeling like she was talking to a brick wall.

The hunter seemed defeated as he slouched in his chair in the library of the bunker, knowing deep down Mary was right. "Fine, I won't try it unless Dean's okay with it. I just…" John trailed off, not used to showing emotion especially in times of trouble. "I want to help him Mary…"

"I know." She soothed, grabbing one of his hands and holding it with both of hers as she scooted closer in her chair. "We will figure something out. I actually have an idea."

Before Mary could share, John's phone began ringing. With an apologetic smile, the hunter picked it up and was surprised to see it was Sam. "Where are you?" He instantly asked, not knowing the demon had left. "You what? Hey, slow down." He paused, listening while the youngest Winchester explained everything Bobby had told them. "Alright, hold on. Your mom and I are on our way."

The blonde gave him a quizzical look as he stood up and shoved the small device back in his pocket. "Bobby and Ellen know where Cain is."

Without further delay, the two stood up and packed the essentials. The pair was already on the road when they realized they hadn't even bothered to tell Meg, Castiel and Jo where they were going.

…

"Jo, just the girl we wanted to see." Meg greeted, earning a strange look from the blonde who was sitting sideways in a chair in the room designated as hers.

The hunter glanced between the odd pair that had barged into her room, Castiel looking extremely uncomfortable. "Cas, what's wrong?" She asked, sitting up straight.

The angel looked at his counterpart with nervousness, worried Jo wouldn't listen to them. "We need your help." He said vaguely, the hunter standing up as she sensed something was amiss.

She chuckled slightly but stopped when she realized they were serious. "A demon and an angel need my help? You guys must be in trouble."

Meg smirked, making her way over to the bed and sitting down. "You have no idea."

…..

TBC

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