Chapter 2.
"Shut up, Sammy."
"Why not, Dean? You don't have enough faith in me? I'm your brother – you should trust me."
"It's not an issue of trust. You're just…incapable of fighting off Lucifer. He's gonna wear you to the prom, and that's not what I want for my little bro. After all these years I've spent looking after you, you think I'm gonna change it all now?"
"So how else are we going to get Lucifer in the cage? If you're so reluctant to let me do it, at least have a plan B."
"I will, Sammy, just give it time…" Dean said sternly, although his eyes told a different story – they were bleak, desperate, as both Sam & Dean knew that there was really no alternate option. Sam would have to become Lucifer's vessel and somehow, find enough power to win control of his body. As much as Dean loved his little brother, he knew the chances of that happening were slim to none. "For now, let's just go over to Bobby's and see what he says." Sam nodded in agreement, and then looked over the seat of the Impala to find Castiel sleeping in the back. No wonder he was so quiet, Sam thought. But it pained Sam to see him so vulnerable and human. Sam thought back to a hunt they were on, a year or two ago…
"SAM! BEHIND YOU!" Dean shouted, eyes wide as he saw the demon sneak up behind his brother. In a blink, Sam swiftly swiveled his body and lashed out at the demon with holy water. He watched as the demon burnt, the water more like acid, corroding it.
"The knife! Dean! Where's Ruby's knife?"
"YOU HAVE IT!"
"No. I gave it to YOU!" Panic rose in both the brothers' voices as they realized they had ended up in the midst of a pack of demons, unarmed, with their favourite weapon probably in the trunk of the Impala or the hotel room. The demons – there must have been six or seven – circled menacingly around the duo, closing in on them, their midnight black eyes fixated. Could this really be the end? After all that they've hunted, they were about to be killed by a few demons? Well, there seemed to be no way out. Bruises and cuts were the majority of the brothers' bodies and after the intense battle they'd just been through, they were too weak to defend themselves any longer. Just when they had given up, retreating into the black, allowing themselves to be engulfed, a vivid bright line shone in the distance, becoming brighter still as it drew closer. Then followed a high-pitch sound, shattering the windows and other glass objects, in what seemed to be an explosion. Knowing what it really was, Sam & Dean shut their eyes tightly with relief, waiting for the light to fade and the noise to silence. When it did, they opened their eyes to find their favourite angel standing over them, his face right up next to theirs, staring deeply at them, wearing his usual long brown trench coat.
"Perhaps, my father had made a mistake when he chose you, Dean."
"The only mistake he made is your face!" Dean retorted.
"Don't be silly. Angels don't have faces."
"Huh. Well, thanks anyway for saving us. Let's get out of here, Sammy."
"Where are you two going?"
"It's four a.m. See, we humans need a little something called 'sleep', remember?"
"Ah yes. The inevitable weakness of you humans – making you as vulnerable as a newborn. How pathetic."
"Yeah? So what are you gonna do now then?"
"I'm…not sure. I feel, perhaps, while I'm here on Earth, I may as well do some good."
"Oh, like that time you told the prostitute it wasn't her fault that her Dad left and then she ran off crying? Real good you did there."
"Yes. Perhaps I should have been more subtle. Would girls prefer it if I told them shirtless? That is the point of those kinds of places, isn't it?"
"Not with those love handles, honey."
"Love handles? Is that some kind of curse from Cupid?"
"Goodbye, Castiel."
"Wait, before you go..." Castiel raised his fingers and touched the brothers' foreheads and watched as their bodies fully healed. He then nodded and disappeared, vanishing into thin air.
Now, here was Castiel, sleeping in the back of their car. Sam smiled sympathetically at him and then swung his head back forwards, watching the Impala conquer metre by metre of the unlit road laid before them, heading into the darkness of the night.