Author's note: So, how we liking it? Don't forget to R&R, folks! We've got Dean on the edge of desperation, a relationship started with Marion and Cas, and now Meg shows up to screw it all up! Warning- this is where we're gonna get some sex. Woot! Let's go!
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Meg sat on the bathroom sink with the shower running, cell phone in her hand. She hadn't been able to carry around a bowl full of blood to contact her superiors, so she was forced to do things the human way.
Dean distraught. Sam putting on a strong face. Castiel still none the wiser.
Meg turned off the shower and was getting ready to wrap her hair in a towel when she heard the door being jimmied. She opened the door just enough to see two men in masks holding shotguns on Sam and Dean. After debating whether or not to stop it, Meg decided to sit it out.
"Looking for this?" One of the men asked. There was a sound of a cartridge ejecting from a gun and then a thunk.
"Mornin'." Dean said.
"Shut up. Hands where I can see 'em." The intruder ordered.
"Wait a minute. Is that you, Roy? It is, isn't? Which makes you Walt. Hiya, Walt." Dean said, smugly.
"Don't matter." The second intruder, Walt said.
"Well, is it just me, or do you two seem a tad upset?" Dean asked.
"You think you can flip the switch on the Apocalypse and just walk away, Sam?" Walt asked.
"Who told you that?" Sam asked.
"We ain't the only hunters after you." Walt said before the sound of a shotgun pumping.
"Hear me out. I can explain, okay? Please." Sam begged. Then, there was the sound of a shotgun blast.
"Stay the hell down!" Roy shouted.
"Shoot 'im." Walt ordered.
"Killin' Sam was right, but Dean…"
"He made us and we just snuffed his brother, you idiot. You wanna spend the rest of your life knowin' Dean Winchester's on your ass, cause I don't? Shoot 'im." Walt ordered.
"Go ahead, Roy, do it. But I'm gonna warn you, when I come back, I'm gonna be pissed. C'mon! Let's get this show on the road." Dean shouted.
"Come on, already." Walt said, then there was another blast.
Meg took this opportunity to swing the door open. "What'd I miss, boys?"
Walt and Roy turned in shock, raising their shotguns. "Who the fuck are you?" Walt demanded.
"Well, that's a loaded question." Meg said, walking forward. "See, those two dead schmucks on the beds, they think I'm their sister. But really, I'm just wearing her face." Meg let her eyes go black. "It's been weeks since I got to murder someone. Thanks for showing up." Meg said, before pulling the shotgun out of Walt's hand and shooting Roy in the face. Then, she grabbed Walt by the throat and squeezed until the blood vessels in his eyes burst. Then she threw him on the floor. Surveying the scene, she pulled her phone out and hit the third speed dial.
"Hello?" Castiel's voice came through the phone.
"They're dead! Sam and Dean are dead! These hunters… they shot 'em! I- I…" Meg cried, making real tears fall from her eyes.
"Where are you?"
"Sunlight Motel, SR-80."
Castiel was beside her in half a second. He wrapped his arms around her and let her cry into his shoulder. "It will be fine. Heaven will not let them stay dead. They need them to be alive. What… what happened to the assailants?"
"I-I couldn't… they were… they came in here and killed my brothers. I couldn't let them get away with it."
"You killed them? That is understandable, Marion. Let me deal with this. Can I take you somewhere else while I fix this? Bobby's?" Castiel asked, pulling back to look her in her tear-drenched green eyes.
"I can't stay here?"
"I would rather you stay away while I fix this, Marion."
Meg nodded, sadly. "It will be okay. They'll be okay, right? You promise?"
Castiel nodded. "I promise."
Meg attempted a smile and kissed Castiel, softly.
"Please… Bobby's is fine."
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Meg sat on Bobby's couch and waited. It had only been a few minutes between Cas dropping her off and him showing back up. "Dean called. They're back. He has to tell me something. Let's go."
Meg grabbed Castiel's hand and they were suddenly back in the motel room. All trace of her killing Roy and Walt was gone and Dean and Sam were up and moving, already packing. Meg wrapped her arms around Dean's neck. "Oh, my god! I was so worried." She cried.
"The damn Disney brothers can't keep us down. And when I find them…"
"That won't be an issue. It's been taken care of." Castiel responded. "What did Joshua say?"
Dean sighed. "You're not gonna like it."
"What did he say?"
"He said… God doesn't see how any of this is His problem. He says he's intervened enough by putting me and Sam on that plane and by bringing you back. Josh said that's all God is gonna do to help us. We're SOL with this."
Castiel looked lost and dismayed as he leaned against the partition by the door. "Maybe… maybe Joshua was lying."
Meg sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Castiel. Dean was already packed and ready to leave.
"I don't think he was, Cas. I'm sorry." Sam said, finishing his packing.
Meg stood as Castiel walked into the doorway and looked up. "You son of a bitch. I believed in-…" He searched the sky for a while, then reached into his pocket, turning to Dean. "I don't need this anymore. It's worthless."
Meg put her hand on Castiel's shoulder, trying to seem sympathetic. "Cas. Wait." Sam said, before Castiel disappeared.
"We'll find another way." Sam said.
"We can still stop this, Dean." Meg said.
"How?" Dean said, dejected.
"I don't know, but we'll find it. You, me and Marion, we'll find it."
Dean didn't believe. Meg and Sam could both see that. It was made even more clear when Dean dropped his necklace in the garbage and walked out. Meg pulled the necklace out of the trash, then grabbed Marion's bag and walked out behind him. Sam followed them out.
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Meg sat in the tavern in Blue Earth, shaking her head. She pulled out her phone and made sure Sam was busy with the owner, Paul, at the bar.
In Blue Earth. The Whore is doing a wonderful job. I'll try to make sure the Winchesters don't fuck it up. It's about to turn bloody here.
As Sam did shots with Paul, Meg got a text back.
If possible, get the Winchesters out of Blue Earth.
Not possible. They're pretty sure there's something going on. They won't just leave. I'll try to keep them out of it.
Meg deleted the sent and received messages and walked over to the bar. "Come on, Sam. Curfew's coming up soon. We gotta get back to the motel."
Sam nodded and stood. "Can't ignore the curfew."
Paul gave a small salute as Meg and Sam headed out the tavern door.
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Meg relished being in her own motel room for once. The townspeople had insisted that a woman could not sleep in the same room with two men, even if they were related. She was getting ready to sneak out and, maybe, get some time in with The Whore, when Castiel appeared in her room.
Great. More angel smooches. "Cas, you haven't been answering the phone." Meg said, bouncing off the bed and walking over to him.
Castiel didn't answer her, grabbing her arms and pulling her into a rough kiss, his tongue entering her shocked mouth. Meg could taste many different alcohols on his tongue, but tequila stood out as the most recent addition.
"Have you been drinking?" Meg asked, when Castiel pulled away and pushed her backwards onto the bed. Castiel was on top of her, kissing and biting at her neck instantly. Meg marveled at how alcohol could turn the angel into an animal.
Castiel pulled back and looked into her eyes. "God doesn't care. He doesn't care about the Apocalypse. He won't care about this." He said, reaching down to the collar of her shirt and ripping it from top to bottom.
"Cas!" Meg exclaimed.
"We are in a relationship. This is how a relationship progresses." Cas said, pulling at the button on her jeans.
"I'm not saying… this is how relationships progress and we've been together long enough to go past holding hands and stealing kisses when my brothers are out of the room. But are you sure you wanna do this?"
Castiel pulled her pants off in one motion. "I'm Fallen. I don't do things I don't want to do, any longer. I want to know what it's like. I want to do this. Now, take off your underclothes."
Why not? HEY! Mary Mary! 'bout to fuck your boyfriend!
Meg smirked and pulled the scraps of her shirt off, then focused on her bra, while Castiel pulled her underwear down. He stared down at her for a few moments. "You are beautiful." He whispered.
"Thanks. How about we get those layers of cloth off of you?" Meg responded, pulling at his trench coat and trying to kiss him, simultaneously.
Once she got him naked, she took a second to admired him, too. Castiel had picked a good vessel in Jimmy Novak. She made an appreciative sound before grabbing his ass and flipping them so she was on top. She started kissing down his chest, spending a bit of extra time showing her appreciation to his abs and hips. As Meg got to her target and started to do things with her mouth that Marion wouldn't have known how to do, Castiel's hands found her hair. His moans picked up and Meg pulled back and sat up.
"Shh. Motel walls are notoriously thin. And we're the only ones staying here. Don't want my brothers, Dean especially, to know."
Castiel grabbed her shoulders and pushed her to the bed. As Castiel followed what his instincts and his many years of watching humans told him to do, Meg wondered if she should pretend to be hurt when Marion's virginity was taken. She decided to forget the pain and just roll with the pleasure of fucking an angel.
It was no time at before Meg had forgotten about the thin walls of the motel and was moaning loudly. Castiel, however, was only letting out a grunt every once in a while. Castiel put his left hand on the wall to steady himself, and put his right hand on her shoulder to keep her from moving. With a quick last few pumps, Castiel pulled his hand off the wall and wrapped Meg in a tight embrace, collapsing on top of her.
"That was… better than it seemed to be, watching from afar." Castiel whispered.
"Well, I've never watched it, but… it was better than primetime television made it seem." Meg answered. She had to say, it was definitely something amazing to do it with an angel. She sat up, quickly. "Oh, my god! I was so loud! What am I going to tell Sam and Dean?"
"Tell them it was the television. I have to go talk to them." Castiel said, standing. He was almost immediately fully clothed again.
"Okay. I'll talk to you later." Meg was barely able to finish her sentence before Castiel disappeared. "Wow. I was just wham-bammed by an angel."
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Meg grabbed her phone to text her contact that Castiel had completely gone off the reservation and was not a strong supporter of God. She then took a long shower. Meg threw away her ripped shirt and pulled another out of Marion's bag. Then, she headed out the door and over to Sam and Dean's room. As she opened the door, she heard Dean speaking.
"What's starting? Where the hell have you been?"
"On a bender." Castiel replied, his eyes jumping up to meet Meg's, then looking down.
"Did he- did you say 'on a bender'?" Dean asked.
"Yeah. He's still pretty smashed." Sam replied.
"It is not of import. We need to talk about what's happening here." Castiel said. He seemed pissed.
"Well, I'm all ears." Dean said.
"Me, too." Meg said.
"Well, for starters… Leah is not a real prophet." Sam began.
"Well, what is she, exactly?" Dean asked.
"The Whore." Castiel said, bluntly.
"Wow. Cas, tell us what you really think."
Castiel seemed to be getting more annoyed. "She rises when Lucifer walks the earth. 'And she shall come, bearing false prophesy'. This creature has the power to take a human's form, read minds. Book of Revelation calls her 'The Whore of Babylon'."
"Well, that's catchy." Dean responded.
"The real Leah was probably killed months ago." Sam said somberly.
"What about the demons attacking the town?" Meg asked.
"They're under her control." Castiel confirmed.
"And the Enochian exorcism?" Dean asked.
"Fake. It actually means, 'you, um, breed with the mouth of a goat'." While Meg gave a little giggle, Sam and Dean just stared at him. "It's funnier in Enochian."
"So, the demons smoking out, that was just a con? Why? What's the endgame?" Dean asked.
"What you just saw, innocent blood spilled in God's name." Castiel answered.
"You heard all that Heaven talk. She manipulates people." Sam said.
"To slaughter and kill and sing preppy little hymns. 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." Castiel explained.
"All right. So, then, how do we go Pimp of Babylon all over this bitch?"
"Give me a minute." Castiel disappeared and then reappeared with a large wooden stake. "The Whore can be killed with that. It's a stake made from a cypress tree in Babylon."
"Great. Let's ventilate her."
"It's not that easy."
" 'Course not." Meg said, sarcastically.
"The Whore can only be killed by a true Servant of Heaven." Castiel finished.
"Servant, like…"
"Not you. Or me. Sam, of course, is an abomination. Marion… not likely." Castiel said, pointedly avoiding looking at her. "We'll have to find someone else."
"What about Pastor Gideon? I mean… I know that sucks, cause she looks like his daughter, but…" Meg suggested.
"That's actually a pretty good idea." Sam agreed. "Cas, can you go get him? I'm pretty sure we'll be shot if we're seen out after curfew."
Castiel sighed, heavily. "Fine."
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Meg made sure to stay out of the fight. She couldn't risk getting splashed with some of the holy water that was sitting on the table or get nicked by any of the silver around the church. She grabbed one of the parishioners, just one, and pulled her out of the room while Dean, Sam and the pastor took care of the Whore, and Jane and Rob. She let the woman get a few punches in, then choked her until she passed out. She got back just in time to watch the Whore shaking and pouring black smoke through a hole in her chest.
Guess your bro's back on with his pledge to the angels. The Apocalypse will go just the way they want. Time to give a sit-rep and get the heck out of here.
As Sam and Dean grabbed Castiel and Pastor Gideon, Meg excused herself to the bathroom. She pulled out her phone and dialed the number she had been texting.
"Their little angel is broken, distraught to learn that God just doesn't care. Not even acting like an angel anymore. Sam's still trying to find his footing but he's nothing without Dean, and Dean is this close to saying 'yes' to Michael. He's breaking down. So, can I please leave this detail?"
"Let me ask Lucifer." The voice on the other end said. "Come on back."
"Thank you! I'll be back within the next few hours."
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Meg sat on the bed in her motel room. She heard Dean take off and Sam call after him, figured it'd be the perfect time to disappear. She threw her head back and left Marion's body.
Marion woke 20 minutes later, in control of her body for the first time in a month. She started sobbing, loud enough that Sam bust her door open.
"Mare! What happened?" Sam asked, sitting next to her and trying to coax her to turn over.
"She said you wouldn't notice, that you couldn't tell. And none of you did. Not one!" Marion sobbed.
"What are you talking about? Didn't notice what?"
"Me!" Marion turned over. "A demon has been wearing me for a month and none of you noticed! Not Dean. Not you. Not even Castiel." Mentioning Castiel made her cry even harder.
"Oh, my… a month? How could we not know?"
Marion pushed her brother's chest, trying to get him away from her. "I don't know! But you didn't. Just… leave me alone."
"No. Sit up." Sam pulled Marion into a sitting position. "I've been possessed. Not nearly as long as you were, but I know. You're in there, screaming, watching while your body is used to hurt the ones you love, to kill. Why… why did the demon stay so long? Was it here to keep tabs on us?"
"Recon. Meg called it 'recon'. She wasn't here to hurt anyone but me. None of you knew."
"We couldn't have. If a demon… wait, we've been in churches. You helped with an exorcism last week. I mean… the demon did. How?"
"Stupid amulet. Meg could act more human. Not be detected."
"Meg?! Meg possessed you?"
"Just like you. Couldn't think to get me some protection from possession? Never crossed your minds, did it?"
"Look, I'm gonna get Cas back here. We need to find Dean and get you to Bobby's."
"No! Please. Please. I don't want to see Castiel." Marion begged.
"Mare. I know you gotta be upset. I was too. I'm upset for you. But we need Cas to take you to Bobby's. We need him to help me find Dean. Can we just do this? And then, you can ignore him like you usually do."
Marion stood and walked into the bathroom, locking the door behind her and turning on the water to splash her face.
"Yeah, Cas. I need you back here. Marion's room."
"I just left." Castiel's voice came through the door.
"We've got two big problems. One, Dean took off. I'm pretty sure I know where he went, but after he's done saying goodbye, I'm pretty sure he's either gonna kill himself or he's gonna say 'yes'."
"This is bad. What other problem is there?"
"Yeah. This one's even worse. Marion just told me that… she hasn't been herself for the last month. The demon, Meg, has been possessing her since… probably the zombie outbreak in Sioux Falls."
There was silence on the other side of the door as Marion turned off the sink and leaned against the wall by the window.
"Marion." Castiel called out.
"Please. Go away, Castiel. I'll stay here while you go find Dean."
Marion turned around when a whoosh of air told her Castiel had bypassed the door. "We need to talk."
"Talk?! I can't even look at you, right now!" She said, turning toward the tiny bathroom window.
"Marion… I didn't know." He whispered, putting his hand on her shoulder. She flinched away.
"If there was anyone that should know I was possessed, it's you."
There was a moment of silence as Castiel moved his hand from her shoulder to her hair, finding a piece and twirling it between his fingers. "I couldn't see her true face. I should have been able to. I found some of her actions odd, but I just attributed it to your rapidly changing situations and…"
"Dean's memories. She told me that you'd all think it was because of the memories changing me." Marion whispered.
"I'm sorry. For not knowing. For…"
"For taking my virginity in a drunken haze while she was in control of my body?" Marion asked, turning and pushing him away at the same time.
Castiel looked away. "Yes. I didn't know. I'm sorry."
"I hope you feel as dirty and low as you've made me feel, Castiel." She said, wiping at her eyes. "Take me to Bobby's and go find my brother."
As Marion opened her eyes in Bobby's study, she looked in Castiel's eyes for the first time. "Do not… ever touch me again."
Castiel nodded in sad understanding and disappeared.
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Marion sat on the couch in Bobby's study, a large glass of lukewarm Coke in her hand. She'd filled it halfway with Jack Daniels when Bobby wasn't looking and hid the bottle where she could easily get to it.
"Soda can't mask that smell, girl." Bobby rolled up in front of her. "I get that you're a bit messed up right now and I can understand picking up the bottle, but don't try to hide it. You, maybe, wanna talk about it?"
Marion looked up. "I don't know if I'm even gonna be able to talk to my brothers about this."
"Maybe it's better to talk to someone aside from family."
Marion sighed, taking a drink from her cup, then sitting forward. "A few weeks before Meg took me, Castiel and I… we decided to… to pursue a relationship, in secret, of course. We didn't want Dean to know. It was innocent. A few kisses, no tongue, a bit of snuggling when Sam and Dean were already asleep." She tapped her fingernails against her cup. "After she took me, it didn't really change much. Meg wasn't big on… 'angel smooches'. But Castiel got a bit bolder as the month went by… and then he found out that God didn't care. He was made bold by alcohol and Meg was up for a new experience so…"
"You don't need to finish, Marion. I get where you're goin' with this. I understand why you're so upset. Is there anything I can do?" Bobby asked.
"No. It's not something that can be helped. I just… have to get over it."
"I know you're mad… but none of us knew. That amulet made it impossible for us to tell. I wish we had been able to tell, but there really was no way to. I'm not saying you need to forgive the angel, but… it wasn't his fault."
Marion stood up, towering over Bobby in his chair. "She killed two hunters. I would never- and he didn't second guess it. He didn't care. He cleaned it up for her!"
"Roy and Walt?" Bobby asked.
"Yes! He thought that I would take my brothers' deaths as an excuse to murder two hunters. That should have been a bigger red flag than her cutting my hair in the middle of a zombie outbreak. I may forgive him for having sex with her… someday, but I will never agree that it wasn't his fault, because he should have known."
Marion's eyes jumped up as Castiel arrived with Dean in his arms and Sam next to him. Castiel dropped Dean on the couch and stepped aside. Dean started to wake up and immediately looked pissed.
"Great. This is just great. This the part where we try to talk me out of this?" Dean asked.
"No. This is the part where we tell you we're not going to let you do this." Sam said.
Dean looked from Sam to Bobby, then Marion, who was looking at the ground. "Mare? You seem… way sadder about this than everyone else. Everybody else looks pissed."
Marion looked up just enough to catch Dean's eyes. "They are. They're pissed that you are trying to give up when they've been doing everything they can to keep going. I… I could not care less what you do. This is what you were born for. And I've spent the majority of my life locked up away from the real world, so what does it matter if Michael and Lucifer destroy half of the world in their fight? And if you were to leave… at least then, you wouldn't be here to notice that I'm not the girl you've gotten used to."
Dean looked at Bobby and Sam, confused. "What's she talking about?"
"I'm talking about a demon wearing me for a month with no one noticing. I'm talking about my hands being used to strangle the life out of a fellow hunter, to shoot another in the face. Talkin' about my hair, that I had sentimental attachment to, being cut, and my body being used and defiled."
"A demon? For a month?"
"Don't. Don't ask how you didn't notice. And don't apologize for not noticing. I've heard it all from these three. Meg took me when I was looking for signs of zombies. She cut my hair because it was in her way. And then, she spent the next month reporting on you to Lucifer. She killed Walt and Roy after they shot you and then… Castiel cleaned up her mess."
"Why would he…"
"Because I thought I was doing it for Marion." Castiel interrupted.
"You thought you… you covered up two murders for Marion?"
Castiel chose to look off out the window.
"Am I missing something?" Dean asked, standing up.
Bobby, Sam and Castiel all looked away, but Marion caught his eyes again, almost daring his mind to catch up to the rest of the class.
"Wait. You said your body was defiled… Virgin Ying?" Dean asked, quietly.
Marion gave a slight nod, which was enough for Dean to dart over to Castiel and punch him, doing more damage to his own fist then Castiel.
"My sister, Cas?! My damn sister?!" Dean yelled.
Marion grabbed Dean's arm and pulled him away. "We were already in a relationship before Meg took me. Meg was pretending to be me. She had to go along with the… advances."
"You hear that? She didn't even want it?" Dean shouted.
"Stop. I would have… I'm sure. In time. But not under the circumstances. But just like you, just like Sam, just like Bobby, Castiel couldn't tell that she wasn't me. He thought he was experiencing something new with his… girlfriend. And he was drunk."
"Wait. This was yesterday? It wasn't the tv, was it? It was Meg and Cas… this is just so frickin' wrong!"
"I agree. But there is nothing we can do about it now. And you won't have to worry about me forgiving Cas, because you're about to give up and you won't be here to see it if it happens." Marion turned to Bobby. "I can't watch this. I can't see my brother throw everything away. I don't want a front row ticket to the End of the World. Can I borrow one of your cars?"
"You know how to drive?" Bobby asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I remember how to. I'll be fine. Please."
Bobby rolled out of the room as Dean glared at her. "Where do you think you're gonna go? You don't know anybody."
Marion sighed, heavily. "I might not know anybody, but I know somewhere safe I can go. And just like you can't be convinced to stick around… I refuse to watch you kill yourself."
Bobby came in and handed her a set of keys. "Be careful." Bobby whispered.
"I will. You take care of… everyone." She said, kissing Bobby's cheek.
"It's a rusty Mustang. Half a tank of gas."
Marion grabbed her bag and headed out the door. As she tossed her duffel in the shotgun seat, Sam walked over. "Where are you going?"
"I'm not going to tell you either, Sam. I love you, bro. And I love Dean, but… I cannot be here when he… gets what he wants. There's no way you'll be able to keep him from saying 'yes'. And I can't be here for that. I've got my cell. Keep me updated."
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Marion smoothed out her shirt as she walked up to the door. He hand shook a little as she pushed the doorbell. The door opened and a bearded man in sweats answered.
"Yes?"
"Mr. Shurley. I know we've never met, but I'm pretty sure you know who I am." Marion said, sticking her hand out to shake his.
Chuck gave a short handshake and walked back inside. "You're the sister, the one who was written out of the book in prequel."
Marion followed him in and shut the door. "Um, Marion. Marion Winchester. I got written back in."
"Not by me." Chuck mumbled, sitting on his couch. Marion sat next to him. "So… where's safer than the house of the Prophet, right? That's why you're here?"
Marion nodded. "My brothers are about to go into a huge fight… a fight that I have nothing to do with. I'm nobody's vessel. So, while my brothers say 'yes' and take out half of the world, I'll be here."
"I knew you were coming. I don't have a guest room, but I changed my sheets and pillow cases. I never make it up there, anyway."
"Thank you, Chuck."
"And… you… you probably don't want to know this but… Dean's not gonna say 'yes'." Marion started to smiled and ask why she wouldn't want to know that, but Chuck took a drink and continued. "But Sam will… and Adam will, too."
"Adam? Adam's dead."
"He was. These are the angels we're talking about."
Marion leaned forward, shaking her head, slightly. "How far ahead have you seen?"
"I've seen the fight. But you really don't wanna know."
"You can't… Chuck, if you don't tell me how this turns out, I will call upon every bit of my brother that's in me until I get my answers."
Chuck sighed, heavily. "Dean is going to interrupt Michael and Lucifer before the fight. Castiel will throw holy fire at Michael… and Lucifer will… blow him up like Zachariah did last year. Then… Bobby goes, too. And then… Lucifer starts beating Dean to death. Until Sam, finally gets control back and after that…. I'm not quite sure. But Dean lives, the world survives."
"Sam and Adam?"
"I didn't see that part, yet, but… I don't think so." Chuck said, sadly shaking his head.
Marion stared down at her lap. Everything would be okay, except her family. The World would be safe, but her family wouldn't be.
"Thank you for telling me, Chuck." Marion whispered.
Chuck stared at her, expectantly. "You aren't going to tell anybody? You aren't gonna do anything with the information?"
She shook her head. "If I told them, they wouldn't go through with it… and that would get rid of the World's happy ending."
"Wow. You're a lot nobler than I thought you'd be. Especially after being possessed for so long. I thought you'd be bitter and angry and more… like Dean."
Marion looked up. "You know about that?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Of course, you did. You probably knew before I even got possessed. And you… you couldn't let anyone know? You couldn't even give a hint to anyone? It's not like Meg being in my body changed the timeline. All she did was report on them."
"I'm constantly being watched. I can't just pick up the phone and call your brother. She was just watching them, ya know?"
"And killing hunters! And fucking…" She let her anger taper off. "I was trapped inside myself for a month, Chuck. It was… a kind of Hell that you will never understand… but it's okay that you didn't tell anybody because she was just watching them." Marion stood and grabbed one of Chuck's bottle from his desk.
"I'm sorry. I should've said something before she… before Castiel…" Chuck started.
"This isn't about that! That hurt… but that's not…" Marion twisted the top off the whiskey. "I would rather not talk, anymore. I'd rather just drink and try to not think."
Chuck nodded and turned on his tv.
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Marion walked down Chuck's stairs and sighed when she saw Castiel. "It's only been 2 weeks since I got here, Castiel. What do you want? And how'd you know where I was?"
"It made sense. You were either coming to the Prophet for safety, or to the Cornwells' home for familiarity."
Marion looked over at Chuck who was passed out on the couch, then headed to the kitchen. Castiel followed. Marion opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of orange juice. "Fine. I'm predictable. What do you want?"
"Sam had a plan, to say 'yes' and then jump into the Pit."
"It backfired, right? Sam couldn't take back control?" Marion said, pouring herself a glass of juice. "Lucifer is wearing my brother to the prom."
Castiel looked confused. Marion wasn't sure if it was because of the Prom comment or because she knew about the plan. "Yes."
"Remember, Cas. I'm sleeping in the Prophet's bed. Of course, I know. What are you doing here?" She asked again.
"You know, then, that Dean intends to walk right into that fight between Lucifer and Michael, to try to appeal to Sam?"
"And you and Bobby are going to follow him. You still haven't answered my question."
Castiel looked into her eyes, sadly. "Lucifer and Michael… they are very powerful. Even being in the vicinity of the fight is incredibly dangerous. We, most likely, will not survive."
Marion bit her lip. "They're powerful. But I have faith in you guys."
"I… appreciate the faith, but that is not why I am here." Castiel grabbed her hand. "I would deeply regret going to my death with you so upset with me. I came to… beg your forgiveness."
She felt he was quoting something someone had told him to say, but it didn't matter. Castiel may have assumed he was going to his death, but Marion knew he was.
She nodded. "I forgive you. Please. Keep my brother safe." Marion said, getting on her tip toes a bit to kiss his cheek.
Castiel leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on her lips. "Thank you." He said, before disappearing.
"Must've been hard to just let him go to his death, like that." Chuck said, behind her.
Marion turned to him, glass in her hand. "Well, I couldn't fuck up the ending, now, could I?"
"But it still had to suck. I know how you feel about him."
"Look, Castiel had to go. He had to do his thing and help Dean survive. I can't interfere with that."
Marion reached her free hand into her pocket as a burning pain hit her leg. As she pulled out Dean's amulet necklace, which Meg had saved from the garbage can, she realized that it was burning hot. Her eyes moved from the amulet and settled on Chuck. He looked much different than the alcoholic that she'd seen passed out of the couch a few minutes before. He had well-groomed facial hair and his hair was combed. He was wearing all white and, for once, was giving off a holy feeling.
"Chuck? You look…"
"Listen, Marion, it's very important that I write the ending today. Dean is going to need you… to leave. He'll be heading to Lisa's. He'll call you a few times over the next few weeks, but then, he'll settle into a routine there. He'll have the kind of life that Sam wanted. He'll assume the angels got to you. Everything will fall into place. But you can't be there. You don't belong there."
"Because… you wrote me out of the book?" Marion asked, silently asking him to confirm what the amulet was telling her, what her heart was telling her.
Chuck nodded. "You won't have to go back to the original storyline, of course. It's changed, already. You'll go get your GED and go to college in a little town in Northern Florida. You'll get a Doctorate in just a few years and become an expert in the fields of Cryptozoology and American History. You'll get to live a real life, too. You just have to go, start over, and never track down Dean. Do you understand?"
"This is the same thing Lucifer said."
"Lucifer wanted something in return. This is purely for you. You can go to college, make friends, fall in love and start a family with a normal man. Forget that your first love was an angel. This is a golden opportunity, Marion. All you have to do is drive East."
"And never look for him again?" The thought of leaving her twin should have caused her more pain, more pause in the very least. But she knew that Dean would never have a normal life if he had a constant reminder of his old life. And she knew that Dean would never let her have a normal life, either. She could see herself as a college student, as a wife, as a mother. But not in this life, not as a hunter.
"Precisely. What do you say?"
Marion tried to swallow the lump in her throat, but her throat was too dry. She set her glass down and bit on her left hand thumbnail. She sighed and offered her hand.
"It was an honor to meet you… Chuck." She emphasized his name.
"Not very many people get to, Marion. Not many who know who they're meeting, anyway." Chuck said, with a small smile.
"It'll be a neat little story that I'll never be able to tell anyone, ever." She started to get teary as she released Chuck's hand. "Thank you. I know I never did anything to deserve this second chance at life, but… I never stopped believing. You… Oh! Before I go and you invariably disappear again… thank you. For saving Castiel, for putting my brothers on that plane, clearing Sam out. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Now, go. I've got some writing to do."
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Author's Note: Well, that was a nice long chapter. That's gonna be the end of season 5. Woot! Woot! Read and Review, lovely folks.