CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE: Game Changer

"What do we do? We lost the angel on our shoulder." Bobby said pessimistically after Mary relayed the message she heard from Castiel.

The two females were sitting on the two twin beds, each worrying at their lips. The blonde had just found out both her boys were in trouble and had no idea how to help either.

"We can't just march down to Hell or up to Heaven ourselves." John began before a plan popped into his head. "I have an idea, but you guys aren't going to like it." The group turned their full attention to the hunter who seemed to be fighting with his internal instincts on this one. "We played our angel card and came up with nothing. What if we get someone from the other team?" He suggested, gesturing with his hands as he spoke before shoving them in his pockets.

"Crowley." Mary said almost in awe before turning a prideful look towards her husband. "It's worth a shot. It'll only take a second to summon him."

"Why the hell not." Bobby stated with a breathy laugh as he adjusted his baseball cap. If you had told him two years ago that he would be willingly calling the King of Hell, he wouldn't of believed it.

Ellen just nodded, feeling a pit in her stomach that no matter what they did, they were going to be too late.

…

If Dean had to guess, he had been stuck in this godforsaken room for about four hours and he was about ready to explode.

He had tried throwing the small arm chair at the wall, hoping to put a hole in it for his escape but the wall instantly repaired itself the second he blinked.

He was in the middle of trying to get a good hold on the coffee table with his bound hands when a familiar voice ran chills down his back.

"Why don't you quit behaving like a howler monkey throwing his feces everywhere?"

The demon spun around with a furious gleam in his eyes as his suspicions were proven true. "What the hell do you want, Zachariah?" When the middle Winchester took in the angel's vessel, he had to admit it fit him to a tee. The man Zach was sporting was tall and wearing a crisp suit, but was balding with a face that slightly resembled that of a weasel.

"Dean Winchester, you haven't changed a bit." He began cheerfully, clasping his hands in front of him as he regarded the mess the demon had made. "Still as much of a neanderthal as I remember." He chastised, pursing his lips in dissatisfaction.

"Where's Raphael?" Dean demanded, taking a step away from the smug bastard. "What am I doing here?"

Zachariah seemed surprised that the demon wasn't already aware what his destiny was. "I have to say, I'm a bit shocked Castiel didn't shared details about your destiny with you. Surely by this point you know about Sam's?"

"What does my brother have to do with this?" Dean barked as he suddenly worried for Sam's safety. The Devil was in need of his vessel and with Dean gone it would be easy to nab him.

The angel seemed amused as he perched on the side of the couch, watching the demon carefully. "Your brother has everything to do with this. Dean, you are needed." He stated vaguely, not seeming compelled to continue.

The demon scoffed as he rolled his eyes, being sure to leave some distance between Zachariah and himself. "I don't give a rat's ass about what angel's could need me for."

"Let's get right to the point shall we?" The angel stood up abruptly, walking over towards the demon with anger shining in his eyes. "You're Michael's vessel and you better be ready to say 'yes' when he gets here."

Dean snorted with a cocky grin playing on his lips which soon faded when he saw the serious look Zachariah was sporting. "No way. Why would I be an angel's vessel? I mean, with Sam, it makes more sense than this!" He tried to reason, not wanting to even consider the possibility.

Zachariah acted as if he had thought the same thing. "Even with demonic filth like yourself, the prophecy still insists it's you and your brother that are the true vessels."

"I don't believe you." Dean shook his head in disbelief, not able to wrap his head around the idea that somehow he was supposed to let some angel ride around in his skin.

Zach shrugged, clearly not bothered. "It doesn't really matter if you believe me or not. You'll end up saying yes one way or another." He stated confidently, shoving his hands in his trousers. "It's a three letter word and it's not like you have much of a life to get back to anyways."

Dean smirked bitterly before his normal, snarky self decided to come out. "Sorry but, I'll pass. Life as an angel condom doesn't sound like something I'd enjoy."

"I heard a rumor that Sam has already committed to saying yes. It's just a matter of when Lucifer wants to collect." The angel said as if he was talking about something as simple as a house loan.

"Your point?" Dean questioned gruffly, noting how Zachariah kept moving closer to him.

"If you say yes before your brother does, Michael can put a stop to Lucifer before he can even lay a finger on Sam. Let's call it… the loophole you so desperately need." He stated, trying to sound persuasive as he spoke. The demon couldn't help but compare him to a slimy salesman.

Dean shook his head with disgust as he remembered something Raphael had said. "You feathered dicks want this thing to happen. You don't plan on stopping the devil until he's possessing my brother so this whole big macho showdown is done right!" He yelled, clenching his fists as his lip twitched with aggravation.

"I can assure you, Michael and I don't feel the same as the other angels." Zach began to explain slowly, trying to make the demon understand. "We don't want the Apocalypse to happen but as you can see, it is going to happen anyways. Might as well make sure we come out on top." He said, now only a foot away from the short-haired being.

Dean paused to consider his options, his eyes searching the angel's for any trace that he was being lied to. He turned away from Zach, needing to collect his thoughts but unable to do so with his scrutinizing gaze on him.

What if he did say yes? Maybe the dickwad had a point. If he could keep Satan from possessing his brother, that would fix all their problems. But, there was the off chance Zachariah was lying and that was the reason Dean stuck with his original answer.

"No, I can't." He breathed, a hint of regret in his tone as he turned to face the angel head on with a guarded expression.

Something switched in Zachariah's expression. His reasonable features turned to aggression and impatience as he spat his next words with malice and accusations. "Who would you rather have ruling Earth? Angels? Or a bunch of blood thirsty demons who are being led by the devil? There's a reason you aren't loyal to him."

"No." Dean answered more sternly, growing tired of the back and forth and before he could say anything else, Zachariah's hand was around his neck and pressing him up against the wall.

"I was afraid you were going to say that. Oh well, guess we will have to do it the hard way." He stated, no real reluctance in his voice. Instead, there was a trace of excitement and pleasure as he released the demon.

The next thing Dean remembers is his head getting slammed into the wall.

…..

Sam was five injections in and it wasn't looking good for him. He was sweating profusely, his skin had paled dramatically, and he was babbling.

"Jo, I'm so sorry we got you into all this." He apologized, earning a snort from the restrained blond.

"Sam, in case you didn't notice, I do whatever I damn well please. There's nothing you could've done, at any point in time, that would've kept this from happening." She cracked a grin, hoping to lighten the mood but the demon just looked away guiltily.

"What are we gonna do? We need to get out of here." The youngest Winchester stated obviously, realizing that help might not be on the way.

"Can you move your feet at all?" The hunter asked as she eyed the discarded syringe lying haphazardly on the floor by the chair Sam was stuck in. If he could just kick it towards her she could pick the lock.

But, the demon tried and they barely budged an inch. Although, that was more than what they were doing two hours ago. Before he could respond with another tactic, the door opened.

"Sammy, how we doin'?" Matt quipped with a wicked smirk on his face. He was holding yet another needle which would make this the sixth injection.

Only two more to go.

Jo knew she couldn't let anymore injections happen so with all the strength she could muster, she lashed out with her feet, knocking the demon on the ground and sending the syringe flying across the room until it shattered when it hit the floor.

"You bitch!" He growled before backhanding her across the face. Jo's head snapped to the left and she merely grunted in response.

Without any warning, Matt pulled a small knife from his waistband and stabbed it into Jo's abdomen.

Sam froze, not knowing what to do when Jo inhaled sharply as pain pulsed from her torso throughout her body.

Matt stood up after tearing the blade from her skin, clearly satisfied as he took another syringe from his pocket. "You're lucky I always come prepared." He told her smugly before walking over and jamming it into Sam's neck and yanking it out viciously.

The second the demon was out of the room, the youngest Winchester brought frantic eyes to Jo whose features had gone white as blood seeped from the wound.

"Jo, it's gonna be okay, alright? I promise." Sam tried to soothe, although he wasn't sure exactly how he was going to pull that off.

He only had two more visits from Matt before Lucifer would come knocking and with Jo losing blood, and fast, time was most certainly running out.

…

It didn't take long for Mary to get everything ready and to paint a devil's trap on the floor, being careful to stay out of it herself, before she was ready to summon Crowley.

With one last look around to the group, she lit a match and dropped it into the bowl.

"Oh bullocks. What could you four possibly want?"

John turned his gaze on the Scottish man who was admiring the work on the carpet with disdain.

"Really? I thought we had more of a trusting relationship." The former King stated, sounding hurt.

"This isn't a personal call. We need you to figure out where Sam, Dean, and Jo are and bring them here." Ellen chimed in, taking a threatening step towards Crowley with something dangerous in her eyes.

The crossroads demon seemed amused as he could practically smell the anxiety in the room. "So, you let the three stooges go off on their own and now you want me to clean up your mess for you?" He raised a bemused brow, noting the looks of irritation form the group of four. "What's in it for me?"

"What do you want?" Bobby questioned with a narrowed gaze.

A sly grin crept across the former King's face before he spoke. "None of you can try to kill me. Ever." He stated simply right before sounds of protest were heard. "It's either that or no deal."

Mary locked gazes with Crowley, determination oozing from her in waves. "Deal."

"Mary-!" John tried to intervene but just got a dismissive hand gesture from his wife.

"Find them and bring them back. If you don't hold up your end of the bargain, then we don't have to." She stated, leaving no room to argue before crouching down and scratching away some of the paint.

With a quick wink in Mary's direction, Crowley was gone.

…

Castiel wasn't sure how much of his message got through to Mary, but he prayed it was enough for her to realize the danger her son was in.

The angel hadn't even taken a moment to worry about what was going to happen to him after all this was over. He wasn't sure if his brothers and sisters would just keep him locked up in here for the rest of time but he hoped they could forgive him for his sins.

"I've only ever heard rumors about you."

Castiel's eyes widened at the gruff voice that seemed to come from the cell next to him. He approached the bars and tried to lean his head as close to the one next to him to get a better look.

Within a moment, another angel revealed himself. He was tall with his hair cut short and was wearing a simple black t-shirt and dark jeans.

"I am afraid I don't know you." Cas stated slowly, not able to put a name to the face he was seeing. "What was your crime against Heaven?"

"My name is Ezekiel." He stated, as if that was all the dark-haired being needed to understand.

Realization dawned on Castiel as he stared at the angel that started it all. "You let the serpent into the garden." He growled accusingly, feeling disgust for the abomination.

Ezekiel sighed with regret and despair, hating to be reminded of his mistake all those centuries ago. "It was an accident. But, I am repenting for my sins. I've been here for the entirety of time and will most likely remain here till the end of it." He paused, shaking his head sadly. "Tell me, Castiel, am I wrong to assume you've made mistakes as well?"

Cas' internal bashing of the angel next to him halted. He was right. He had made mistakes. If he expected his fellow angel's to forgive him for his wrong doings, shouldn't he give the same curtesy to Ezekiel?

"You're right, brother. I have." He didn't know what else to say as he considered his biggest sin was allowing Dean to fall into the hands of Raphael.

...

"You aren't going to like this." Crowley said simply, putting his hands in his trouser pockets after reappearing in the dingy motel room.

The group of four turned their attention towards him, predicting the worst.

"I've found all of your missing party. Samantha and Jo are both being held down in Hell and Squirrel and Castiel as under lock and key upstairs." He said, relaying the information he had found. When he got confused stares from the hunters, he rolled his eyes and elaborated. "Lucifer is ready to have Sam hold up his end of the deal and by what I've heard, Luci is curing Sam of his demon nature to make him weaker." He took a moment to let that sink in as looks of horror were found on each of their faces. "The angels want Dean because he's supposed to be Michael's vessel. They've got Castiel locked in Heaven's Prison which is why he wasn't of any help and you lot had to call little ole' me."

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife as everyone took in the information, emotions raging as they tried to come up with a plan.

"Can you take us to either of them?" Ellen asked hopefully, greedily hoping he could bring them to Jo.

"If I try to mess with Lucifer's plan, I'm dead before I could get you as far as out this door. I could possibly get you to Heaven, but that's about it." The former King explained.

"That'll have to be enough." Mary stated, meeting everyone's gazes before training her eyes on Crowley. "Let's go."

…

Dean woke up hanging from the ceiling by his wrists in a small, completely empty room that only had one door. His boots were barely scraping the floor as he hung there, the chains that were holding him up beginning to dig into his wrists.

After a moment, Raphael and Zachariah walked in, the taller of the two holding a pistol.

"You guys must be desperate if you think bullets are gonna work on me." Dean quipped, trying to maintain his usual sass.

The pair shared a malicious look before Zachariah raised the gun and aimed it at the demon's thigh.

Dean couldn't help but cry out in pain and astonishment as agony coursed through his body after the shot had rang out, the sound reverberating off the walls. With a bewildered expression, the demon brought hate-filled, black eyes to the two standing by the door with satisfied expressions. "What the hell was that?" He spat, his right leg feeling as if it was on fire.

"It was a shame, but obviously it proved effective." Raphael began, stepping towards the bound demon. "We melted down one of our angel blades and made them into bullets. I have to say, that was the best idea you've ever had, Zachariah." He stated, shooting his partner in crime an almost pride-full glance.

"I'm not saying yes, no matter what you do so you might as well just kill me!" Dean barked, growing tired of the games. He also had to admit, being in the same room as the two in front of him was putting him on edge. The last time this had happened…

Four years ago…

Dean was running.

In the corner of his mind he knew that this was a futile attempt to get away but he saw no other option.

Sam wasn't with him to just zap them out of here.

He ran the best he could with half of his leg torn into through an empty corn field. At this point he was panting as sweat dripped down his forehead and soaked his shirt. The blood that was on his face along with multiple cuts and bruises was beginning to dry as he raced through the stalks of corn.

He couldn't even hazard a guess of how long he had been running but when he rammed into something hard and solid, he felt panic and shock surge through him as he fell backwards on the ground.

"The great Dean Winchester is running from a fight?" Raphael sighed with disappointment, shaking his head sadly. "I guess he's finally found his match."

The demon was about to stand up when he felt a swift kick to his back, knocking the wind out of him as he fell forward, barely catching himself.

"I have to say, I'm not impressed. From what you told me about last time, I expected a challenge." Zachariah chimed from behind him, causing chills to run down the middle Winchester's back.

Suddenly a chuckle escaped from Dean's lips. The demon sounded hysterical as laughter bubbled in his gut, making the two angels stare at him with confusion. "I'm never going to do what you guys want. No matter what it is." He managed to get out in between fits of chuckles.

"What is the matter with-" Raphael couldn't even finish his sentence before an angel blade was being stabbed through his foot.

The archangel howled in pain as Dean released his grip on the silver blade, figuring if he was going to die, might as well fight back.

"You're going to pay for that." Raphael snarled, motioning for Zach to pick Dean up.

The angel complied, hoisting the demon up by his armpits and holding him in place.

A strong punch to the stomach followed by a right hook caused Dean to grunt with pain but the middle Winchester refused to give his attackers anymore satisfaction.

"Hey, douche nozzles. Two against one isn't very fair is it?"

Dean's face scrunched with puzzlement but he didn't have time to register who had shown up before a bright white light flashed.

Suddenly, Dean was on the ground, the firm grip that was holding him up vanishing abruptly. When he opened his eyes, he was alone.

Dean was pulled out of the memory by another shot firing off, this time the bullet making its new home in his lower abdomen. He ground his teeth together and squeezed his eyes shut, willing himself to be quiet.

Raphael approached the demon's hanging form and gripped his face, forcing him to make eye contact. "That's just the thing, Dean. You will say yes and I think it'll be much sooner than you think."

…..

"Crowley, why are we at a playground?" John asked warily, his original idea to trust the former King starting to seem like a bad one.

The Scottish demon turned to face the skeptic Winchester after he finished drawing a symbol in the sand box. "I am opening Heaven's portal for you. Would you like me to stop?" He questioned sarcastically, knowing that was the exact opposite of what the scruffy hunter wanted.

After a few mumbled complaints from the oldest Winchester, Mary returned from the car with two duffel bags full of what they may potentially need to rescue Dean.

"I grabbed some Holy Oil and two angel blades from my trunk to add to what we already have." The blonde demon explained, handing Bobby and Ellen each a silver weapon. "Worse comes to worst, just shoot them in the chest. It won't kill 'em but it'll show them down."

The pair nodded, tucking them in their waistbands before turning to Crowley.

"You sure you want to do this? For all you know, Squirrel and Castiel could be dead by now." The former King stated unsympathetically, earning glares from the party. After raising his hands in a placating gesture, he motioned for the group to step into the sand box. "This is where I get off. Good luck and have fun."

In a blink, the group was no longer standing in the middle of a playground, but in an almost obnoxiously white hallway.

"We should split up." Bobby offered, adjusting his cap. "We have no idea where to start so might as well cover more ground."

The group nodded, Mary and John taking off down the left side of the hallway while Bobby and Ellen made their way down the right side.

…..

"She's going to bleed out!" Sam roared after Matt took the seventh syringe from his neck. Jo's face had begun to pale as the puddle of blood she was currently sitting in grew larger.

Matt rolled his eyes dramatically as he glanced at the blond hunter. "Well, you only have one more injection to go. By that time, if you say yes then I'll be sure the little whore gets some help."

The youngest Winchester tugged at the ropes that were now securing him to the chair. His captor had taken this extra precaution because he knew that the closer Sam got to being human, the less the devil traps would work. Unfortunately for the shaggy-haired demon that had been the only escape plan he had had in mind.

Sam's lips twitched in anger as Matt retreated, leaving the pair alone.

"What… what are we gonna do, Sam?" Jo asked softly, trying to adjust her position. With her arms still above her head, she had no way of putting pressure on the stab wound Mat had inflicted, causing her to lose more and more blood.

The demon sighed deeply, as dread overwhelmed him at the sight of Jo. She had become a little sister to him and it seemed every time they were alone, something like this happened.

"I'm so sorry." He said regrettably, wishing he could take it all back.

He wished he and Dean had never decided to stay with the hunters. His brother had wanted to leave but because Sam had been selfish and wanted a taste of what having a family was like, they stayed and ended up putting the people they love in danger. That was something the youngest Winchester would never forgive himself for. Now Jo could possibly die, Satan was going to possess him and probably roast the planet, and there was not a damn thing he could do about it.

…

Castiel and Ezekiel had talked for a little while longer, the dark-haired angel talking about his experiences on Earth and describing it in detail for his brother who had never been down before.

They had been sitting in silence for about an hour when they heard the door open.

"Bobby? Ellen?" Castiel said with surprise as he approached the bars to see the pair of hunters standing there with looks of relief.

"Have you seen Dean?" The baseball capped hunter asked with urgency as he grabbed the keys that were conveniently hung on a hook on the wall. He quickly unlocked Cas' cell, earning an appreciative pat on the back.

"I'm sure we can find him. But we must hurry, they're trying to get him to say yes and they told him I was dead to help convince him." The angel stated hurriedly, about to walk out with the pair when Ezekiel spoke out.

"Good luck, Castiel. I hope your friend is well." He said sincerely, causing Cas to turn to face him.

With a split second decision, Castiel took the keys off of the hook where Bobby had replaced them and he released Ezekiel, wanting to give him a second chance to atone for his sins.

…

When Zachariah walked back into the room, Dean could immediately tell that things were different.

The smug bastard sauntered over to Dean with a devilish grin on his face, looking as if he had a secret he was just dying to spill.

"Have you changed your mind yet? I've got plenty more bullets if you need more convincing." He stated, the demon noting how light shined off of his bald head.

"Cram it with walnuts, ugly. I'm not saying yes." Dean spat, earning an overly exaggerated eye roll from the angel.

"You sure about that?" Raphael spoke from the doorway, crossing his arms. "Because I think you're going to say yes within the next five minutes." He stated confidently, worrying the middle Winchester.

"No way." He denied, shaking his head.

"Really?" Raphael said mockingly. "Alright, well what if I threaten to kill your family that was stupid enough to try to come and rescue you?" He questioned, knowing he had hit a sore spot when Dean flinched.

"You're lying." Dean tried to convince himself. How would they get up to Heaven?

Zachariah snickered as he walked in the hallway and mumbled something to someone Dean couldn't see.

And then the game changed.

Being dragged kicking and screaming were Mary and John, his mother's eyes enveloped with black as she tried to fight against the strong grips of two angels. His father was equally pissed, spouting every insult in the book at his own two winged nuisances.

"Let them go! This has nothing to do with them!" Dean insisted, his voice breaking at the end.

Raphael scoffed as he returned his attention to his captive. "I plan on doing the exact opposite, Dean. See, if you don't say yes, I'll kill them. Along with Robert Singer and Ellen Harvelle. Yes, they're here too."

"You can't. You're supposed to be angels! Aren't you feathered dicks programmed to help humans?" The middle Winchester challenged, his eyes full of guilt and sorrow.

Zachariah guffawed at just the statement. "We don't care about the disgusting pigs that live on your planet. You have us confused with Castiel."

Dean focused on his parents. John was sporting a split lip and a black eye and Mary had a nasty cut along the length of her forearm along with a bloody nose.

He couldn't let them die.

He only had two options in this situation and one of them included his family getting killed and he wasn't sure he could live with himself if that happened.

"What'll it be, Dean?" Raphael asked one final time, before everything went to hell.

…

Sam had to admit, the final hour went by much faster than he had wanted.

He wanted it to go by slowly, hoping it would give him enough time to come up with a plan to save himself and Jo.

But, the door opened and Matt walked in holding the final syringe.

"You ready?" Matt asked with too much enthusiasm, acting as if they were just going to Disney world or making dinner.

"Listen, you don't have to do this." Sam tried to get through to the demon that was now standing over him with a feral look in his bottomless eyes.

Matt seemed bored by it all. "Yeah, sure. Why don't I just stop and tell Lucifer to shove it up his ass?" The demon said cheerfully before his face twisted into resentment. "Sorry, but I'd rather not die today."

The youngest Winchester glanced towards Jo whose eyes had drifted shut, her breathing slowing tremendously.

"Just… just do it." Sam relented softly, knowing there was nothing he could do to save himself but maybe he could save Jo.

So, Matt did exactly what the shaggy-haired demon asked and plunged the final needle into his neck.

He took it out tentatively, not sure what exactly is supposed to happen. "Do you feel any different?" He asked, worried it might not have worked.

Sam's eyes switched to black as he looked up at his captor, for a second causing panic to surge through Matt. But then, all the darkness evaporated from his eyes, leaving nothing but hazel irises.

The demon took a flask from his back pocket and splashed it at Sam, smiling wickedly when holy water didn't cause the youngest Winchester to flinch.

"Well, there we have it. Congratulations Sammy, you're human." Matt spread his arms out, chuckling softly. "You poor bastard."

"You promised you'd help her." Sam reminded the demon, ignoring his comment as he nodded at Jo.

Matt held up one finger, shaking his head. "No, I said once you said yes I would." He retorted, earning a scowl from the shaggy-haired man.

"Fine! Get Lucifer." Sam insisted before he had time to change his mind.

…

Dean knew he needed to save his family. It's always been his job to protect Sammy and it wasn't any different with Mary, John, Bobby, and Ellen.

Sam wanted to save Jo. He figured that if he could do one last thing, one last good thing, he might as well do it. She was losing blood fast and clearly didn't have a lot of time left.

But, could Dean really just give his body over to an angel? If he does this, the Apocalypse will happen. Billions of people will die. But, if Lucifer goes unchecked, everyone will die.

Sam was through with being selfish. It was because of him that Jo was in this position so he had to be the one to get her out of it.

Dean wished he had never stuck around. It had been about a year and half he had spent with Bobby, the Harvelle's, and John and he had enjoyed it. But, that was no excuse to put innocent people in danger. He couldn't do that anymore. He also had a chance of saving his little brother.

Sam had made his bed, it was time for him to lie in it no matter how much he didn't want to. But, it was for the god of the people around him and that was enough.

…

He took a deep breath and as he released it, he felt every last doubt he had about his decision out with it. He leveled his gaze with the person in front of him, waited one last second to prepare himself, and then uttered the one word that will change everything.

"Yes."

…

TBC

Guys, this chapter is about twice the length I normally write but I managed to get it up in about the same time as the past two or three chapters. I hope you enjoy it. I knew exactly what I wanted to fit into this chapter and I did and lucky you guys who get an extra-long chapter. Who do you guys think said yes? Sam? Dean? Both? Ah, the possibilities. Let me know as well as how you're liking it and your predictions. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart, and have a great rest of your week lovelies.