Part Two

The Winchesters and Rose entered the art room hesitantly. Sam had done some digging and found out that Tracy had been suspended for a fight with a teacher recently. The three had quickly changed into their suits and headed out to the school to talk with the teacher. Then after Rose had turned her charm on the school secretary, they'd been directed to the art room with the promise that the teacher would be on his way shortly.

The art room was full of masks made by the students. Most hung along a wall to dry, others from the ceiling. Dean froze when a mask caught his eye. The mouth was hanging, frozen in a look of torture. While the eyes were hallow and black, contrasting against the paleness of the skin. Screams echoed from around the room, heat rose from the floor. The intensity of the temperature melted the soles of Dean's shoes, suffocated him.

Rose took his hand.

Dean breathed in a deep, shaky breath and turned slowly to the woman. Her eyes were warm, not hot like the memory of hell. She raised her other hand and gently rubbed Dean's arm. He smiled at her gratefully as he squeezed her hand.

"Bring back memories?" Sam asked, entering the room after them. He noted the hand holding but said nothing of it.

Rose smiled. "Oh yeah, art class was definitely not my thing."

Sam laughed. "Yeah I was more of a sciences and maths kid, a little english. Oh and history too I guess."

Rose and Dean turned and gave Sam a look. "Yeah," Rose said with a nod, "had a bit of trouble with tha' one."

"Which one?" Sam asked as he studied the masks on the wall.

Rose shrugged. "All of them." Dean smiled. He could relate.

Dean looked over and saw a teenage boy try to place a bong-shaped art piece into a kiln that was too small. He nodded towards the kid. "Now that brings back memories."

Rose nodded slowly. "Oh… You were one of those sort of kids."

Sam laughed at the look on Dean's face. "What sort of kid?" The elder brother inquired.

Rose shrugged and walked away as she said, "The sort I left school for."

Dean grinned chummily. "Guilty."

A man entered the room then and the three hunters turned towards the teacher, Don Harding. He was of average height with lanky brown hair. Rose's brows furrowed a bit as she studied him, he didn't look like an art teacher.

"I was informed some suits wanted to talk to me? You'd be them?" He smiled charmingly at them and placed his coffee mug on top of the box he was carrying. He held out his hand.

Sam shook his hand, careful not to spill the coffee. "Ah, Mr. Harding."

"Oh, please, Don." He reached forward and shook Dean's hand. "Even my students call me Don." He placed his box and coffee on his desk and turned back to the agents.

The three pulled out their badges as Dean introduced them. "I'm agent Getty, this is Agent Lee and—"

Don's eyes finally caught sight of Rose and widened. He held out his hand reverently to her. "Wow. Don, Don Harding."

Rose smiled, though she was sure it looked more like a grimace. "Agent Smith."

Don looked her up and down. Dean raised his eyebrows, unimpressed. "Agent Smith, might I just say. You. You are a work of art." Dean turned at that and looked at Sam over Rose's head. Sam raised his eyebrows at his brother and tried to not laugh at the situation.

"Uhmm.. Thanks." Rose looked down at Don's hand still holding hers.

Don shook his head. "No, I mean it. You're beautiful, I mean. Art worthy, really."

Dean rolled his eyes and said irritably. "Yeah, we get it Don."

Don looked up at Dean and his mouth formed a small 'o'. "Right, sorry." He dropped Rose's hand quickly. "So sorry."

Dean narrowed his eyes at the art teacher. "We just had a few questions about Tracy Davis."

Don frowned, confused for a moment before he caught on and nodded. "Uh, yeah, Tracy, uh, bright kid, loads of talent. It's a shame she got suspended."

"Uh, you two had a… uh, violent altercation?"

Don shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah, she exploded. If Principal Murrow hadn't walked by when he did, Tracy would have clawed my eyes out."

"Why?" Sam asked.

"I, uh, you know, I was only trying to rap with her about her work. It had gotten inappropriate and disturbing."

Rose frowned. "Define disturbin'."

"She would cover page after page with these bizarre cryptic symbols, and then there were the drawings. Detailed images of killings, gory, primitive, and she would depict herself in the middle of them, participating."

Sam pulled out a small bag from his pocket. In it was one of the Celtic coins from the hex bags. "Symbols. Like this you mean?"

Don leaned forward to take a better look. He nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I think that might have been one of them."

Rose crossed her arms, a dark look on her face. She was almost completely convinced Tracy was their witch. "Where's Tracy now?"

Don shrugged. "I would imagine her apartment."

"She's got her own apartment?" Rose asked incredulously. Rose remembered leaving school when she was just a teenager, leaving her mum. It was not easy to survive on your own when you're so young.

"Yeah, she got here about a year ago, alone, as I understood it, as an emancipated teen. God only knows what her parents were like." Rose frowned at that comment. Something about it seemed more personal than critical. She glanced at Dean, but he didn't seem to notice. Maybe she was just seeing things that weren't there.

Dean killed the engine in the parking lot of the Moonlight Motel. He caught sight of Sam walking over and quickly got out, locking the car as he did. "Anything?" He asked him.

"Tracy was nowhere I could find. Any luck with her friends?"

Dean shook his head. "Nah, luck is not our style. Her friends don't know where she is. It's like the bitch popped a broomstick." They started walking towards their room and Dean took a look around for a certain petite blonde. "Did you see Rose come back?"

Sam shook his head. "No, maybe she found Tracy. Does she still have your phone?" Dean nodded. They stopped and Sam pulled out his phone to dial Dean's. They turned at the sound of Back in Black. It was coming from the Impala.

Dean took another look around the parking lot. "Shit." They headed towards the motel room again. "Let's check the room."

Sam kept his eyes on the tarmac in hopes Rose would suddenly appear. A tight knot in his gut told him she wouldn't. "Tracy could be making the third sacrifice any time. Rose could be the third sacrifice."

Dean ground his teeth together. "Yes, thank you Sam." He said through clenched teeth.

A little boy dressed as an astronaut walked up to them and held a bucket of candy up. "Trick or treat."

Dean and Sam walked straight past him. "Not now kid." Dean called over his shoulder.

The kid glared at their backs. He turned slowly and looked at the shiny black car. He smiled.

Sam opened the door to the motel room and quickly drew his gun. "Who are you!?" He shouted at the two men waiting for them. Dean ran in and lowered Sam's arm.

"Sam! Stop, it's Castiel." He looked around as Sam stared at the trench coat wearing man. Dean noticed another man by the window. "Him, I don't know." But where was Rose?

Castiel nodded at Sam. "Hello, Sam." He greeted in his usual gravely voice.

Sam's eyes widened. "Oh my God – er – uh – I didn't mean to – sorry. It's an honour, really, I – I've heard a lot about you." He stepped forward and held out his hand. Cas looked at it and tilted his head to the side. Eventually he raised his own hand and took Sam's.

"And I, you. Sam Winchester—" He lifted his other hand and rested it on top. "The boy with the demon blood." Dean, mouth pinched in worry, closed the door to the motel room. He took one last look around before he did, wishing beyond all else that Rose would appear. They needed to find her, and fast. He turned back to Sam and the angels. "Glad to see you've ceased your extracurricular activities." Cas was saying. Sam's face fell and he stepped back from the angel.

The angel facing the window didn't move, but put in, "Let's keep it that way."

Dean raised an eyebrow. "You know what. I'd love to stay and play word games with you, chuckles. But we don't have time for this."

Castiel nodded. "This, the raising of Samhain, you haven't stopped it? Then I'm afraid you're right. You don't have time."

It didn't sound like he was referring to Rose. "What do you mean?"

"Have you located the witch?" Dean nodded. "And is the witch dead?"

Sam shook his head. "No, but—"

"We know who it is." Dean cut in.

Castiel walked towards the bedside table and picked up a hex bag. "Apparently the witch knows who you are too." He showed the bag to the brothers. "This was inside the wall of your room. If we hadn't found it, surely one or both of you would be dead. Do you know where the witch is now?"

Sam and Dean exchanged a look.

"We're working on it." Dean explained bitterly. Damn it, they needed to find Rose and they needed to find her now.

"That's unfortunate. Dean, this is one of the 66 seals. The raising of Samhain."

Dean looked incredulously between both the angels. "Seriously? This is all about Lucifer?"

Castiel frowned. "Lucifer cannot rise. The breaking of the seal must be prevented at all costs."

An idea hit Dean. "Okay, great, well now that you're here, why don't you tell us where the witch is, we'll gank her and everybody goes home." Especially Rose.

Castiel shook his head. "We are not omniscient. This witch is very powerful, she's cloaked even our methods."

Sam nodded his head as he absorbed that information. He noticed the tension in his brother. All Dean was thinking about was finding Rose and killing the witch that probably took her. He didn't have any patience for angels right now. But they needed to find the witch and the fastest way to do that was cooperation. "Okay, well we already know who she is, so if we work together—"

Uriel turned from the window. "Enough of this."

Dean glared at the angel venomously. "Okay, who are you and why should I care?"

Castiel looked nervously between his brother and Dean. "This is Uriel, he's what you might call a… specialist." Castiel sighed. "You both need to leave… before he destroys the town."

Silence.

"No."

"Dean, we're out of time. This witch—"

"I said no. There are a thousand people here and you're not going to murder them." He gestured between himself and Sam. "And we're not going anywhere. Not until we find Rose, and stop this witch."

Uriel walked towards them, a small smirk on his face. "Ah yes. Your newest whore. But this one he actually thinks he's in love with." Sam turned to his brother who astutely ignored the look of shock on his face.

Dean opened his mouth to defend Rose, but Castiel spoke first. "Uriel. Watch your tongue. We don't yet have answers to all of our questions." Uriel looked away, unapologetic. Castiel turned back to the Winchesters. "Look, I understand this is regrettable." Dean's jaw clenched. "But we have to hold the line. Too many seals have broken already."

Dean's eyes narrowed as his hands squeezed into fists. "So you screw the pooch on some seals and this town has to pay the price?"

Castiel glared back at Dean. "It's the lives of one thousand against the lives of six billion. There's a bigger picture here." Dean opened his mouth, but Castiel continued. "Lucifer cannot rise. He does and hell rises with him. Is that something that you're willing to risk?"

Sam raised his hands placatingly. "We'll stop this witch before she summons anyone. Your seal won't be broken and no one has to die." He looked between the angels, hoping they believed him.

Uriel's lip curled at what he considered to be the false sentimentality of the younger Winchester. "We're wasting time with these mud monkeys." He spat.

Castiel turned to his brother. "I'm sorry, but we have our orders." He looked back to the brothers, eyes wide. "We have no choice."

Dean scoffed. "Of course you have a choice. I mean, come on, what? You've never questioned a crap order, huh? What are you both, just a couple of hammers?" Dean shook his head and shrugged. "Well sorry boys, looks like the plans have changed."

Uriel raised an eyebrow, a sardonic smile on his face. "You think you can stop us?" The mere thought of it was actually amusing.

Dean glared at Uriel. He stormed forward, face and tone dark. "No, but if you're gonna smite this whole town, then you're gonna have to smite us with it, because we are not leaving. See, you went to the trouble of busting me out of hell. I figure I'm worth something to the man upstairs. So you wanna waste me, go ahead, see how he digs that." Dean stepped back and smirked. "Not to mention you're obvious fear of Rose. Well news flash boys, we know who she is. And if you did to, you'd be doing everything in your power to help us right now. Not stop us." Dean turned to Castiel. "We can do this. We will find that witch, save Rose and we will stop the summoning."

Castiel stared at Dean a moment longer, weighing his options. "I suggest you move quickly."

Rose's wrists hurt. At first she couldn't figure out why. Slowly the pain in her shoulders came into focus and with it, the blazing realization that she was tied up. Her eyes blinked open blearily and she looked around. It was a basement. She looked as far to the right as possible, where the rest of the room seemed to be. Rose just caught sight of what appeared to be an altar. She groaned inwardly.

Captured. Why was she always captured?

Now to get out. She twisted her wrists, ready to use Bad Wolf to untie the knots and free herself. She froze. Was she allowed to? Rose rolled her eyes. Damn it, she'd almost forgotten what Death had said to her. Would it be considered interfering? Probably. So what? She should just let Samhain be risen and kill billions?

What was she supposed to do? Eternal being, she scoffed. Being something required doing something. And yet here she was.

"Oh! I think she's waking up." A male voice said from behind Rose. She stiffened as she heard footsteps move towards her. Then Tracy and Don were both standing in front of her, smirking.

"Hi!" Tracy greeted brightly, cheerleader routine intact. "Have a nice nap?"

Rose looked back and forth between the schoolgirl and teacher. The witches. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me." She groaned. Rose dropped her head back and looked up at her tied wrists.

"Fortunately, we're not." Tracy bright smile slowly melted into a sadistic smirk.

Don stepped towards Rose. "Oh just looked at her. You glow. Your powers just…" The witch shoved his nose into the crook of Rose's neck and breathed in her Timeless scent. "Perfect." He whispered into her ear.

Rose grimaced. She pulled back away from the man as far as she could before turning to the still smirking Tracy. "Please, jus' let me go. This doesn't need ta happen."

Tracy rolled her eyes. "Of course it does. We've been waiting for this for six hundred years. Do you know what that's like?" She paused and tilted her head to the side. "I guess you do."

Rose clenched her jaw. She looked back and forth between the ancient witches. They knew she was connected to Time, but that didn't mean… "You know who I am?"

Don snorted and leaned towards the tied up blonde again, just to see her attempt to squirm away. "What do you take us for?" He rolled his eyes and stepped away again. "Please. You're the Goddess of Time. Any being with even the most remote sense of power can see that."

Tracy nodded and moved out of sight. "Why else do you think we chose you?" Rose turned to see where she went, but was blocked by Don's smirking face directly before hers. "Now you'll be Samhain's final sacrifice," Tracy continued out of sight, "and his vessel. Then when Lucifer rises, he'll not only have Samhain by his side," the blonde returned with an athame in hand, "but all the power of Time as well."

Rose licked her lips as she eyed the ceremonial knife. She needed to buy time. Either until Sam and Dean showed up, or until she solved this existential crisis she was having. "Lucifer?" Yeah, she thought. Everyone in this world seemed to love to talk about him, Sam and Dean certainly wouldn't shut up about it. That'll get them going.

Don stepped toward Tracy and ran a hand through the younger woman's hair. "Yes, well… The raising of Samhain is one of the seals that need to be broken to release Lucifer."

Rose nodded once. "Righ', and there's no way I can convince you not to do tha'?" The witches burst into laughter. Rose sighed. "Yeah, thought not."

Tracy glanced towards the half window in the wall to Rose's left. Through it could be seen the falling rays of the sun. "Not long now. Just waiting for the moon to rise, and then you're done."

Don threw his hands into the air. "And our master rises!"

Rose's brows drew together. Moonrise. Okay. She could do this. Been in worse situations, her. "An' what do you lot get out of this, then?"

Tracy gave Rose a look not unlike one she'd received from the Doctor multiple times before. "We don't need anything." She replied snidely. "We're doing this for the love of our lord. To bring him back and take his throne and slaughter humanity as he should have eons ago!" Rose raised her eyebrows.

Don rested his hands on Tracy's shoulders as he pulled her back from Rose. His knuckles whitened as he squeezed the smaller woman, Tracy seemed unaffected. "And really," Don continued for the blonde, "if you had to choose a reward, bringing Lucifer out of the pit would be more than enough."

Rose nodded her head side to side as she considered that. "Righ', apocalypse. It all comes back to tha' doesn't it?"

"Well we've been planning it long enough."

Oh, Rose thought. This was where it got juicy. "Plannin'?"

Tracy leaned forward, amused. "You don't know? That's rich. Especially since your little boyfriend started this. The first seal…" Rose's brow furrowed and Tracy laughed outright. "We couldn't just start breaking seals, or we would have done this eons ago. No. The first seal had to be broken. A righteous man picking up a blade in hell."

"Dean." Rose whispered. Oh god, she thought, if he ever found out…

"Yup!"

Don nodded over the younger witch's head. "The Winchester started it. Without him, we wouldn't be where we are today."

"So wha' about the end?"

Don and Tracy exchanged a look of confusion before turning back to Rose.

Rose rolled her eyes. "Oh don't get stupid on me now." She paused when she heard just how much that sounded like her first Doctor. She shook her head. "If a specific seal started this, then 'm assuming a specific one will end it. Come one then. 'm gonna die anyways. What's the final play?"

Don smiled. "You're quite clever."

Rose shrugged as best she could with her arms still bound above her head. "Yeah, well, embodiment of Time and all. So… any spoilers?"

The witches looked at each other as they silently questioned whether it was worth saying. One half gloating, the other half worried that Rose seemed so confident. Tracy finally turned back to Rose, a gleam in her eye. "Lilith." She explained. "She breaks the final seal."

The sun was just setting over the crest of the trees by the children's park. Castiel watched the children skip by, laughing in their costumes and makeup. All of them, completely unaware. Blissfully ignorant.

"The decision's been made." Castiel informed Uriel.

Uriel, sitting on a wooden bench facing the park barked out a sardonic laugh. "By a mud monkey." He spat.

Castiel frowned. "You shouldn't call them that." He respected humans, admired them. God asked them to love them, and he really couldn't help but do that.

Uriel snarled at the children racing past. "Ah, it's what they are, savages, just plumbing on two legs."

Castiel's frown hardened into a glare. "You're close to blasphemy." Uriel sighed. "There's a reason we were sent to save him. He has potential, he may succeed here." Castiel moved towards his brother and sat on the wooden bench. He felt caged in this small body, sitting on this small bench. It still astounded him that both he and his brother could fit onto such a tiny construct. Heaven was so much larger than this world.

Uriel rolled his eyes. "He might, but his brother will only fail."

"Sam has stopped drinking the demon blood. Dean has confirmed it."

Uriel raised an eyebrow at his brother challengingly. "Is that why he's asking Dean Winchester to let him exorcise Samhain if he rises?"

Castiel frowned. His head tipped to the side for a moment as he listened into the brother's conversation. They were arguing. Castiel shook his head. "Dean won't let him."

Uriel sat back on the bench, feeling victory close in hand. "Sam Winchester will do what he wants. He was never as submissive as his elder."

Castiel glared at Uriel. "It's out of our hands."

Uriel squeezed his hands into fists. "It doesn't have to be." Castiel considered him. Always so quick to fight. A soldier and bloodlust were two different things in Castiel's eyes.

"And what would you suggest?" He asked his brother calmly, already knowing the answer that would come.

"That we drag Dean Winchester out of here and then we blow this insignificant pinprick off the map."

Castiel looked out onto the park and the children. The rapidly disappearing sun. Uriel, almost predictable in his constant rage. "We would be leaving behind Time. Destroying her possibly."

Uriel growled. "We don't know it's her."

"Dean called her the Big Bad Wolf." Castiel argued.

"He referenced a fairy tale. He has no clue the implications of his words. He knows we are scared of the girl, and he's using that fact to manipulate us."

Castiel shook his head. "That doesn't matter. At this point, the Goddess of Time is just as important as Dean Winchester. If Lucifer rises, if Dean fails, or dies. She may be our only hope."

Uriel hunched over as he rested his elbows on his knees. He laced his fingers together as he thought over that problem. "If we're going to have her support. We're going to need the child."

Castiel froze. He turned to his brother. "I thought that was a myth."

"Yes, well, so are we."

Don raised the athame in one hand and a chalice in the other as he recited an incantation in Latin. Rose almost rolled her eyes at his sloppy work. She could barely understand him, he'd be lucky if the spell even worked. Halfway through, Tracy grabbed the athame and finished through the words faster and with precise pronunciation.

Rose's eyes widened. Okay, she thought, that might work. She looked up at the knotted rope above her. Time was up, Sam and Dean weren't there and she needed to get out. Rose pulled at the rope whilst simultaneously trying not to gag on the dirty rag around her mouth. Just as she opened up Bad Wolf, the tip of the blade pierced her flesh and plunged into her heart.

A series of gunshots sounded as Sam and Dean raced into the basement. Tracy and Don fell to the ground, dead.

"ROSE!" Dean tucked his gun away as he raced towards the hanging body of Rose Tyler. "Sammy!" He cried as he got closer. He pulled the knife out as Sam cut the rope. Rose fell into Dean's arms, dead weight. "Shit." Dean hissed. He pushed back her hair and pulled the rag from her mouth. "Come on, Rose. Wake up. You did it before. You can do it. Come on. Wake up. Come back, damn it. Come back."

Sam touched his brother's shoulder. "Dean."

Dean jerked out of her brother's grasp. "No." He ground out, his voice already raw. "Shut up. Just shut up, Sammy. She's coming back. Just — just wait, damn it."

Dean's breath caught as Rose was suddenly yanked from his grasp. He flew backwards and slammed onto the hard floor, a feeling akin to his stomach ripping apart exploding in his abdomen.

Tracy's head shot up from the ground. She glared at the Winchesters as they withered on the cement floor of the basement. She laughed harshly. "Gunshots? I'm six centuries old and you thought you could take me down with a couple gun shots!"

Sam's face pinched in pain as he ground out between his teeth, "It seemed to work on Don."

Tracy raised an eyebrow as she rose to her feet. She nudged the male witch with her toe. "Yeah? Well my brother was always weak." She clutched her side, where one of the gunshot wounds was still bleeding. "Right. Back to work." She bent and picked up the chalice that her brother had been holding, then crouched beside Rose and pressed into her wound to allow a flow of blood into the silver cup. Tracy glanced over at Dean. "Sorry about your girlfriend." She smirked at Dean's expression and stood back up. "You know, back in the day, this was the one day you kept your children inside." Tracy explained as she hobbled towards the altar. "Well tonight you'll all see what Halloween really is." Tracy raised the cup above her head and began another Latin incantation.

Dean glanced over to Sam as his brother began to smear Don and Rose's blood across his face. Dean looked aghast. "What are you doing?" He whispered.

"Just follow my lead." Sam smeared blood across his brother's face just as a crack opened up in the ground. Black smoke poured out and swirled about the room for a moment before invading Rose's body. Dean tensed and moved to go to her, but Sam held him down. "Wait." Sam ordered.

Rose gasped awake as her body was physically pulled to its feet by the power of the smoke. Her eyes opened to reveal milky irises and pinprick black pupils. Dean's teeth ground together. The pain of whatever Tracy had done to him was gone, but a new one had filled its place. Dean would be damned, again, if he let that thing walk out of here in his girl's body.

Samhain looked around inside of Rose's possessed body, his back to Tracy. He glanced over Dean and Sam, but seemed to be unable to see them. He turned and saw Tracy.

Tracy smiled lovingly. "My love."

Samhain raised Rose's hand to Tracy's face as he considered her. "You've aged."

Tracy ducked her head. "This face… I can't fool you."

"Your beauty is beyond time." A single breath passed before Samhain snapped the witch's neck. "Slag." He frowned. Where did that word come from?

Samhain turned, uneasy on his new feet. "Slag…?" He wondered aloud in his deceptively high pitched voice. He glanced down at himself. "Time…" There was something there, something glowing that he could feel right in the periphery. He smiled. "Might have been a slag, but she gave me Time."

Dean had had enough. Sam grabbed at his jacket to pull him back, but Dean shoved his brother off. "Rose."

Samhain spun around and narrowed his eyes at Dean. There was blood on the man's face, but he was standing. Samhain glared, those silly masks. He was saying something, but Samhain ignored him. He grabbed the man by the collar and slammed him against a metal post. Dean groaned. Samhain's hand found his throat and he squeezed the fragile instrument. The man in his hands gasped, words spilling forth in bursts of air. Samhain increased the pressure… until one word slipped out.

"Ali."

The pressure on the man's throat loosened. Samhain frowned and tried to increase the pressure, but he'd somehow lost control of the limb. The bright golden light in the back of his mind grew brighter.

"Think about Ali." Dean choked.

Samhain gasped as a foreign psychic force grabbed hold of him. He dropped Dean and stepped back as the psychic energy burned his body inside the Goddess of Time's. His mouth opened to scream, but all that left was his own black vapours.

"Sammy." Dean croaked out. He pulled the demon's blade from his jacket. "Sammy stop."

Sam's face scrunched in concentration as a line of blood trailed down from his nose. The blood pounded in his head. He didn't hear his brother over the power surging through his body.

Samhain's head snapped back as a bright golden light erupted from inside Rose's body. Her mouth opened and the light shone out like a beacon protecting the sea. Sam and Dean covered their eyes as the room filled with the magical light.

Rose's body dropped to the ground.

"Rose?" Dean raced towards the broken blonde goddess. He picked her up into his arms and pushed her hair out of her face. He checked her pulse and visibly sighed with relief when he felt one. "Rose…?"

Rose's eyes blinked open weakly. "I…I don't think we're gonna get to wear… our costumes this year."

Dean laughed, though it sounded far to watery for Sam to believe. "Yeah, next year, huh?" Rose hummed and her eyes fell shut again.

"We should get her back to the motel." Sam suggested into the silence.

Dean tensed and looked up. The blood was gone from his face, but Dean would never forget the sight of his brother using those gifts demons had given him. "Yeah…" He glanced around the room before lifting Rose up into his arms. "I'll meet you in the car."

Sam looked at the two dead bodies and witchcraft surrounding the room. He had a bit of work to do, and a lot of self loathing, before he met his brother by the Impala.

Dean turned to the angel sitting beside him on the park bench the next day, visibly confused. "Your orders were to follow my orders?" He had not been expecting that.

"It was a test," Castiel explained as he watched the children run past, "to see how you would perform under... battlefield conditions, you might say."

"It was a witch, not the Tet Offensive." Castiel smirked. "So I, uh, failed your test, huh? I get it. But you know what? If you would have waved that magic time-traveling wand of yours," or Rose used her time machine, Dean thought, "and we had to do it all over again, I'd make the same call. 'cause see, I don't know what's gonna happen when these seals are broken, hell I don't even know what's gonna happen tomorrow. But what I do know is, that this, here? These kids, the swings, the trees, all of it is still here because of my brother, me, and that beautiful woman waiting for me in my Impala. That's us."

"You misunderstand me, Dean, I'm not like you think. I was praying that you would choose to save the town." Castiel looked around the park. He tried to see what Dean saw. The brightness of the trees and grass, hear the tinkling of children's laughter. He liked to think they appreciated the same things. "These people, they're all my father's creations. They're works of art, and yet, even though you stopped Samhain, the seal was broken and we are one step closer to hell on earth, for all creation. Now that's not an expression, Dean, it's literal. You of all people should appreciate what that means." Dean grimaced as he looked away. He really couldn't deny it, could he? "Can I tell you something if you promise not to tell another soul?"

Dean raised an eyebrow. "Okay."

Castiel wrung his hands together. "I'm not a… hammer as you say. I have questions, I have doubts. I don't know what is right and what is wrong anymore, whether you passed or failed here. But in the coming months you will have more decisions to make. I don't envy the weight that's on your shoulders, Dean. I truly don't."

"And Rose?" Dean wasn't sure what possessed him to ask, but suddenly he needed to know. Castiel looked up at Dean, clearly just as surprised. "Have all your questions been answered?"

Castiel stared at Dean for a moment, considering his words before answering. "Many things have been revealed. But I fear that I will always have questions for Rose Tyler." Castiel paused and turned back to the playground. "Do you know what she is, Dean?"

Dean rubbed his hands together and swallowed, uncomfortable. "She said there's nothing else in any universe like her."

Castiel nodded slowly. "There isn't." Dean's heart thudded inside his chest. He knew it, he'd known for weeks now. But to here it confirmed by an angel of the Lord. That was something completely different. "She's what we like to call the Goddess of Time."

Dean chocked. "Goddess?"

Castiel turned to Dean and took note of the hunter's reactions. "Not the sort that you and your brother are acquainted with. Think of it more as a ceremonial title. She is an Eternal. Never living and never dying, forever constant. Even when this universe collapses, Time will always live on."

"I don't understand."

"She's the embodiment, Dean. Time is everywhere and all around us. And Rose commands it. In the coming battles, she will be invaluable to you. You are blessed that she even chooses to assist you. She's supposed to be neutral."

Dean shook his head. "That's bullshit. Rose wasn't born here. She's not some mythical creature. She was born human. She was raised human. You're making her up to be something she isn't. Sure she's got power, but she doesn't have to wield it like some ancient being. She's a girl. And sure, she's been around awhile, but that doesn't make her apart of your world. She's her own being. And you've got another thing coming if you think she's going to bow to your rules."

Castiel stood. "They aren't my rules, Dean. I'm glad Rose has chosen to help you. But you need to understand the implications of that act, and the way the rest of the universe will see it. She has picked sides. And evil will try to sway her now. She's turned herself into a chess piece. Rose Tyler may be the Goddess of Time, but I fear she will need your protection more than you need hers."

A flutter of wings later and the angel was gone.

Dean ran a hand through his hair. Well shit.

He got up and walked across the grass of the park to the parking lot where the Impala sat waiting for him. Leaning against the passenger door was Rose holding an ice cream cone. Dean raised his eyebrows. "You know it's November right?"

Rose smiled at him and licked along the edge of the chocolate, soft ice cream cone, where little bits had started to melt. "I don't discriminate my desserts based on weather."

Dean laughed. "No?" Rose shook her head and smiled. She offered Dean the cone. He plucked it from her hands and took a bite.

Rose's eyes widened. "Tha's not how you eat ice cream!" Dean laughed. Rose snatched the cone back and continued to eat her dessert. "So how'd the chat with the angel I'm not allowed to meet go?"

Dean could only just barely hear the pout in her voice. He rolled his eyes. "Rose. I told you, I didn't want to have to make you sit there and listen to that other angel douche bag if he showed up. Besides, Castiel isn't much of a people person… So I don't know how all that would have gone if you were there."

Rose raised her eyebrows and bit into the edge of the cone. "Somethin' interestin' then?"

Dean nodded. "Yeah… He… He said their orders were to follow mine."

Rose's eyes widened. "Seriously?" Dean nodded. "Tha's… really interestin'…" Dean watched the wheels turning in Rose's head. He considered questioning her, but decided he had enough to worry about as it was. He'd let her solve that problem, while he worked on the others.

Dean nodded and sighed. "Don't I know it." He walked around the Impala to the driver's side and the two of them piled into the car. Dean gunned the engine and they pulled out of the lot and headed towards the motel. He glanced at Rose as she finished her ice cream cone and wiped her mouth with a napkin. "Castiel said something else." Rose hummed in response, lost in thought. "He said you're called the Goddess of Time."

Rose tensed. "I mentioned I'd been called goddess before." She glanced over at Dean who was giving her a hard look. She crossed her arms, slightly defensive at Dean's disapproval. "Yea, well I'm also called the Abomination, nothin' new here Dean."

Dean frowned. "Abomination?"

Rose nodded and waved her hand airily. "Yeah, 's the sort of name one picks up when they kill an emperor and destroy an entire race. I told you Dean, I swallowed Time to save the earth. It wasn't from pollution or the meltin' icecaps." Dean pursed his lips at that comment, not sure how to take it. He wasn't even sure what he had been expecting in response to his query, anyways.

Well, he might as well go all in. "He also said you're supposed to be neutral?"

Rose laughed shortly. "Oh my god. Not him too." She shook her head, clearly fuming.

"Too? Who else are we talking about here, Rose?"

Instead of answering, Rose ranted, "You're universe has this grand picture of who I am and how I should act and it's driving me absolutely mental."

"Rose this is serious, he said you're in danger from choosing sides."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Dean, 'm always in danger. 'm not gonna let that stop me from doin' wha's right. It never has before, and 'm not about to let it start."

They pulled into the motel parking lot. Dean turned off the engine and sat with Rose in silence. The tension from their minor dispute dissipated quickly as they stared at the cheesy purple coloured motel. Finally he sighed and said, "Do I have to?"

Rose gave him a look not unlike his earlier disapproving one. "Dean, you saw Sam. He tried to exorcise Samhain from me. And honestly, I think he would have succeeded if it had gone any differently."

Dean ran his hands down the thighs of his jeans. This was just one uncomfortable conversation after another, and he was not looking forward to another. "He said he was done with that."

"Yeah well, I think him quitting is more important than ever now."

"What do you mean?"

"Sam was used by the yellow eyed demon." Rose paused at Dean's look of shock. "Yeah, I might have done a bit of research while you talked with Castiel." Dean glanced down at Rose's wrist, where her vortex manipulator was firmly strapped. Dean glared at her. "Don't worry, I was very careful…" She paused and tilted her head as she considered her actions, "but I am sorry if Sam developed a bit of a big bad wolf obsession for a bit there."

Dean rolled his eyes and groaned in annoyance, thinking back to Sam's fairytale faze. "Rose that lasted months!"

Rose bit her lip and unsuccessfully fought back a laugh. "Whoops. Right. Sorry, not funny." Rose raised her hands placatingly. "Jus' hear me out. Sam was practically chosen at birth to be a leader in Hell. His entire life manipulated."

Dean scratched his head as he tried to remain nonchalant. "Is there a point here, Rose? Or are you just trying to make me hate demons more? 'cause I got to say, that'd be a tough mission to follow through on."

Rose rolled her eyes. "No Dean. What 'm sayin' is, what if the demons aren't done with Sam?" Dean didn't say anything. "He's drinking demon blood. For all we know tha' just sucking the humanity out of him. How are demons created, Dean? I don't like it. I think there's more to what they did to Sam and why than wha' you've been told. They're still using him and drinking that blood is just playin' into their hands. It needs to stop. You need to tell him this. He'll stop if he thinks he was helpin' demons."

Dean shook his head. "He won't listen. He's all strung up on that demon bitch Ruby."

"Who's probably using him!"

"You think I don't know that?"

Rose fell back against her seat. She sighed. "'m sorry. Jus'… When you talk to him, tell him my theory. Don't jus' yell and say it needs to stop. He needs to understand. He's a big boy. I don't think he gets enough credit."

Dean sighed. He banged his head against the car seat's head rest once, twice. Three times before looking over at the blonde beside him. "Yeah." He opened the car door and got out. Rose followed suit. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where are you going?" He wasn't going to do this chick flick crap in front of Rose. It was bad enough he had to do it at all.

Rose smiled. "Oh, you know… Jus'… wanderin' off." She stepped onto the sidewalk and started to head down the street.

Dean watched her worriedly. "Yeah, alright. Just don't get captured…again."

Rose laughed. She looked over her shoulder as she headed away. "Sorry, princess, I don't make promises I can't keep." She winked and smiled her signature tongue in teeth smile.

Dean rolled his eyes and shook his head, fighting the tingling in his chest he always got when she did that smile. He turned and headed inside the motel to talk to his brother.

Rose walked a little further down the street and rounded the bend before she lifted her wrist. She pulled back the sleeve to her jacket and typed into the vortex manipulator. She paused, taking a minute to consider her decision. No. Her mind was set. She activated the vortex manipulator.

POP.

Rose glanced around her surroundings, not too surprised to find herself in another Mom and Pop pizzeria. A man sat a small table in the centre of the room.

"Time."

"Death." Rose smiled cooly at the pale and dark haired man. She stepped towards his table but didn't sit down.

Death took a long sip from his drink. "Congratulations on your defeat of Samhain. You could get an award in meddling with affairs you shouldn't."

Rose smirked. "Yeah, well, I learned from the best."

Death set his drink down. He leaned back in his chair and considered the Eternal before him. "Why did you come back?"

"To tell you you're wrong."

Death raised his eyebrows briefly. "Oh, is that all?"

Rose laughed. "No. You see, I saw it. Inside Samhain's head I saw all the death and destruction he was gonna cause. An' then I saw what Lucifer had in store, or at least once he was free. What Samhain was gonna do with him. Gives a girl a bit of perspective, that. An' I realized, I am Time. You said it yourself, she is an imprint of me on this world… and I would never want Lucifer to win. Time isn't neutral. You all don't have a grand plan for me. I have one for you. An' if Fate's got a problem with it, she can shove it. Because Fate depends on Time. An' I don't really think she's gonna wanna go up against her boss, do you?"

Death smiled. "Very good."

"Good?"

He nodded. "Yes." He gestured to the chair across from him, which Rose fell into rather ungracefully, still shocked by his answer. "Do you honestly think you'd stay friends with someone who forbade one of your core beliefs?" Rose opened her mouth, but no words escaped. Friends? "You needed to understand the importance of your role. It is magnificent, and it is horrifying. By choosing a side, you've placed yourself on the field of play. A field that both good and evil will have no problem manipulating to get to you. The Winchesters are your best shot at combating this. There is, however, other things you'll need to learn."

"Like wha'?"

"How to use your powers. They're different here, as you've already gathered. But there is more to it. I can teach you, if you'll let me."

Rose looked around the empty pizzeria. She didn't even know what country she was in. What the date was. Why the place was so… dead. "I can't tell Sam and Dean about this can I?"

"I wouldn't advise it, no. Though I'm sure a time will come where you won't be able to hide it anymore." Rose stared down at the slice of pizza before her as she thought. "So?"

Rose looked up, determined. "Teach me."

Thanks for reading! :)