Chapter Thirty-Five

Okay, setting aside the giant cliffhanger to be resolved, I fought with myself day and night about whether to give Dean a Slayer line or not. Still can't really decide...

Dean stared down at Castiel, fingers digging into his throat.

It can't be…It can't be…

There was nothing under his fingers. No pulse.

Nothing.

Dean leaned back on his heels as he stared at Castiel's body, not able to believe it. He had come to think that his friend would always be there. This was Castiel; he was indestructible. But, clearly, he wasn't.

He's gone…

Dean looked down at his hands, covered in blood…Castiel's blood. He slowly gazed up at Sam, who sat across from him, sharing a sorrowful look. Bobby reached a hand over from next to Sam, squeezing Dean's shoulder in comfort.

"No!"

Dean turned at the sound of the wail, seeing Willow clutching Tara's body to her in grief. Willow's eyes had turned ruby red, almost like marbles. The sky had turned dark, and clouds had begun to form over the yard.

That cannot be good…

Kennedy had her arm around Willow, trying to get through to her. It appeared that Willow was so deep into her grieving that she was unconsciously letting it loose any way that she could.

Dean's gaze went down to Buffy lying on the ground in front of the porch. Xander was still trying to stop the bleeding as Dawn cried next to her sister. Giles cradled Buffy's head, cell phone to his ear.

Dean pulled himself reluctantly away from the friend he could no longer help and towards the friend he might still save. He pulled Xander's hands away from Buffy's gunshot wound. "Somebody get me some tweezers, whiskey, sewing needle and thread! Hurry!" He looked up at Giles. "How long till the ambulance gets here?"

"Too long," Giles told him, dropping the cell phone.

"Gabriel!" Dean yelled, cursing the rib tattoos that prevented the archangel from finding them. "Gabriel, we're at Buffy's! We need you! Screw War's ring!"

There was no reassuring flutter of wings, no miraculous appearance.

Please, Dean prayed to anyone who was listening. Please don't let me lose a third friend…

"She's fading fast!" Giles exclaimed, tears falling down his face. "We're losing her!"

The yard was suddenly filled with an intense light, coming from somewhere behind Dean. Dean snapped his eyes closed until the light finally faded. He immediately looked down at Buffy as two fingers touched her forehead. The blood disappeared from Buffy's shirt as she blinked and sat up.

"You okay?" asked Dean.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah…Yeah, I'm fine."

"Buffy!" Angel called from the house.

Buffy darted up, rushing onto the porch and towards the door.

Dean sighed. "Thanks, Gabe." He looked up to see no one there.

"Tara!" Willow exclaimed in joy.

Dean spun around to see Willow hugging Tara, laughing uncontrollably in relief.

"I'm okay," Tara told her.

"I thought I lost you!" said Willow.

Standing next to the two witches was a man in a trench coat, staring down at them.

Dean's heart nearly froze in his chest. Cas?

The man turned around, fierce determination and power shining from his familiar blue eyes.

Castiel smirked. "Didn't we have a spell to do?"

Dean pulled himself to his feet, heading up to the deck. "Cas, you're…You were…How?"

"I believe God brought me back," Castiel told him.

There was a flash of light, illuminating the shadow of wings behind Castiel. His wings stretched high above his head before disappearing.

"New and improved," finished Castiel.

"You son of a bitch," said Dean with a smile, pulling the angel into a hug.

Castiel awkwardly patted Dean's back for a moment before Dean pulled away.

"Glad you're back, Cas," Sam told him from the lawn behind Dean.

"Thank you, Sam," said Castiel.

Dean smiled at Castiel before something over the angel's shoulder caught his attention. Angel and Buffy stood just inside the kitchen doorway in the safety of the shadows, arms around each other and kissing passionately. They seemed completely oblivious to anything or anyone else around them. Dean didn't blame them; they had just almost lost each other.

Dean looked back at Sam, who shared his slight smile. Dean looked back at the two lovebirds, waiting for a moment before clearing his throat. Angel and Buffy shared one last kiss before breaking apart.

"You done?" asked Dean.

Buffy stared lovingly into Angel's eyes, a pleasant smile on her face. "Almost."

Dean rolled his eyes and headed back down to the lawn with Sam.

Buffy gave Angel one last kiss before heading over to Castiel. "Do me a favor?"

Castiel nodded.

"Go take care of that murdering bastard," Buffy growled out.

Castiel gave the slightest smirk. "What did you have in mind?"

Buffy gave her own smirk. "Use your imagination."

Castiel nodded and disappeared.

Dean sighed contentedly. "It's so nice to have the old Cas back."

Buffy looked over at Willow and Tara. "You guys ready to try this?"

Willow nodded at her.

Tara looked over at her. "Don't worry. You'll do fine."

"I know I will," said Willow in a distracted voice. She then looked at Tara. "When I thought I lost you, I let my grief loose. And I…I touched something…something powerful and…primal. I don't know how to explain it, but…I now know that I can control the magicks without them controlling me."

Tara smiled at her. "Do you still want me to be your anchor?"

Willow smiled back, placing a hand on Tara's cheek. "You'll always be my anchor." She pulled Tara into a kiss.

Castiel reappeared next to Dean. "Warren will not be able to harm anyone any longer."

"What'd you do with him?" asked Dean.

Castiel smirked. "I prefer to leave that to the imagination."

"Did you happen to go looking for Jonathan?" asked Buffy. "I mean, he's the last of the Trio unaccounted for."

Castiel nodded. "Jonathan Levinson turned himself in shortly after the prison break."

"Well, what do you know?" said Xander. "Little geek had a Jiminy Cricket after all."

Buffy stepped down onto the lawn, squatting and picking the scythe back up from the grass. She straightened up, looking out at the Potential Slayers in her charge. The girls were shaken, most even a little spooked.

"If anyone wants to back out, now's the time," Buffy told them.

The girls all exchanged looks, thinking through the choice. Each of them knew that if they left now, the only thing they would be backing out of was the Battle of Armageddon. They would still be Slayers with a sworn duty—a calling. Nothing could change that. It was only up to them if they would take their stand by Buffy's side.

The Potentials looked back at Buffy with determined, steadfast looks on their faces.

Kennedy stepped in front of her fellow Slayers-in-training. "We're not going anywhere."

Faith stepped up next to her fellow Slayer. "Looks like we all got your back, B."

Buffy gave a smile, encouraged by the bravery of these young women.

She turned and took the scythe up the steps, handing it over to Willow. Willow turned and headed to a circle of candles as Buffy went back to the Potentials. Willow knelt in front of the candles, placing the scythe among them.

Willow looked up at Tara as she knelt across from her. "Okay, magic time. You ready?"

Tara nodded, placing her hands on the scythe. "Together."

Willow nodded. "Together." She reached forward and placed her own hands on the scythe next to hers, looking past Tara's shoulder at the Potentials. "Brace yourself."

Tara and Willow closed their eyes in concentration.

Dean leaned towards Sam and Bobby a little. "Let me know if you feel something tingle."

Sam and Bobby both frowned over at him.

"Why?" asked Sam.

"Well, you know, in case I'm wrong and there is a male Slayer line," said Dean.

"And what does that have to do with us?" asked Sam.

"Oh, come on," said Dean. "If I was gonna be the alpha of a male Slayer line, who else would the Potentials be but hunters?"

Bobby rolled his eyes, huffing a laugh. "You wish, ya idjit."

Dean smiled and looked back at the witch duo working their magic. Willow and Tara were both muttering under their breaths simultaneously. As the minutes inched by, Dean could feel the suspense mounting.

Any moment now…

The witches' eyes snapped open as a serene breeze struck up out of nowhere.

"Oh…" gasped Willow.

"…my…" exhaled Tara.

"…goddess…" breathed Willow.

Light erupted from the scythe, bursting up into the sky. A metallic hum filled the air, circling around them all. A moment later, Dean felt an energy surge inside of him. It felt as though he were being filled to the brimming point, overflowing with power. Dean suddenly figured out what was going on: the new Slayers were being called.

The scythe was drawing on the current Slayers' powers to activate the new ones. The scythe triggered the energy Dean, Buffy and Faith held hidden within them, causing their power to swell and swell endlessly. And when they could no longer contain the power, it spilled out into its newest vessels.

Dean glanced up at Buffy and Faith to see similar reactions from the both of them. When he looked over at the Potentials, however, there was a different expression on their faces. Dean knew it all too well; it was probably what his face had looked like when he had come back from hell. He could remember that moment like it was yesterday. It was as though your entire life, you had been left in the dark and it wasn't until that moment that you felt truly alive.

"You okay?" Sam asked in response to Dean's accelerated breathing and darting eyes.

Dean nodded rapidly. "Oh, Sammy, if only you could feel this…"

The overwhelming feeling lasted for only another minute before abruptly ceasing. It was almost disappointing, in a way.

"Did it work?" Anya asked.

Everyone looked over at her in disbelief.

"No, I'm sure that was all a wicked awesome light show to fool us into thinking it worked," Gunn told her, gesturing at the witches.

"I was just asking," said Anya. "Geez."

Xander wrapped an arm around her lovingly. "So, we off to see the wizard?"

Dean frowned over at him. "Wizard of Oz? Really?"

"Why not?" shrugged Xander. "Angel needs a heart, Spike needs a brain, Connor needs a home, and Lucifer needs some courage."

"The devil needs courage?" Sam asked incredulously.

"He will when he goes up against Dean," said Xander.

Gabriel appeared in the middle of the yard, looking around at everyone. "What in the sweet heaven is going on over here? I'm getting all kinds of whacky signals."

"Short version?" said Dean. "Guy shot Tara, Buffy and Cas. Cas and Tara died. Cas became an angel again and healed Tara and Buffy. Willow and Tara did a spell to activate every Slayer on the planet."

"Huh," said Gabriel, stepping towards them. "Well, that would explain it."

"How 'bout things on your end?" asked Buffy.

Gabriel smirked and pulled out a jumble of rings. Upon closer inspection, Dean could see that they appeared to be glued together or something. Death's pale white ring, Famine's onyx black ring and Pestilence's jade green ring were all arranged around a simple gold ring, which Dean suspected was War's.

"You got 'em all?" asked Dean.

"Yep," said Gabriel, tossing the rings to him. "Here."

Dean caught the Horsemen's rings, looking down at them.

The key to Lucifer's cage…

Dean turned towards Sam, holding the rings up. "Plan C." He placed them in Sam's hand. "Make it count."

"Make me not have to," Sam replied, slipping the rings into his jeans pocket.

Dean looked around at everyone. "Well…I guess there's nothing left to do, then. Me, Sam, Adam, Cas and Gabe are gonna take off to a safe, out of the way place. We're gonna lure Zachariah there and play it off as an act of desperation or something—anything so he doesn't think we're playing him."

"Got it," said Sam.

Cordelia walked up to Dean. "So, you're off to get touched by an angel, huh?"

"Looks like," said Dean. He stared at her for a moment, realizing that should the worst happen, this might be the last time he would ever see her. "I, uh…Listen, if anything goes…"

Cordelia waited for him to finish, looking anxious at the goodbye speech.

"You should know…" Dean began again, unable to get the words out. "I just want you to know…"

Cordelia just stared at him, but Dean still couldn't manage it. He just couldn't find the words. Then again, he'd always been better with action than words.

"Ah, screw it," muttered Dean, snaking a hand around the back of Cordelia's neck and pulling her towards him in a kiss.

Cordelia let out a startled half-squeak before melting into the kiss.

Dean pulled away from her, his hand on her cheek. "Catch ya on the flipside." He smiled and then stepped over to Sam, Adam, Castiel and Gabriel. "Let's go."

Castiel and Gabriel laid hands on the three Winchesters and disappeared in a flutter of wings.

*******************************************SPN&BTVS*************************************************************************

Zachariah sat at a bar, drowning—or at least trying to drown—his sorrows in alcohol.

As soon as heaven had healed him of his wound, Zachariah had gone in search of the long lost Winchester. Unfortunately, it looked like whatever had hidden the two elder Winchesters now disguised the younger. He had searched all over this earth for that little brat, but couldn't find him anymore.

He had failed.

"Zachariah."

The angel perked up at the voice in his head. Dean had never prayed to him before, and despite the anger he felt towards this human, Zachariah couldn't help but be intrigued as to the reason for this break in silence.

"I'm ready to talk," Dean prayed to him.

Interestingly, the stubborn boy sounded hopeless enough, but Zachariah was all too familiar with his forms of trickery.

"You hear me, you bastard? You win!"

Zachariah didn't really know what to make of this. He knew the Winchesters had some scheme up their sleeves, so why would Dean want to talk?

"I'm on Route 8, fifteen miles outside of Wichita."

Zachariah shook his head at the bravado on Dean. They either had some brilliant yet pointless trap laid out, or Dean was just stupid enough to give up his location. Either way, Zachariah now knew exactly where he was. And even if they were waiting for him, Zachariah was expecting a trap. He would be prepared for anything. Besides, it's not like a Slayer and his merry band of hunters could defeat an angel.

Zachariah downed the glass of bourbon, putting it back down on the counter and standing from the bar stool. He turned and transported himself towards an abandoned barn. Before touching down, he made sure there was nothing untoward in the vicinity; no Enochian sigils, no holy oil. Sensing nothing to be worried about, Zachariah appeared in the barn, finding Dean standing in the middle of it.

"What do you want, Dean?" he asked.

Dean spun towards him, and Zachariah found himself taken aback by the look on Dean's face. Dean had always confronted him with anger, rage, even vengeance. But now…Dean looked like he had been put through the ringer and couldn't take any more.

Dean sighed. "You win…alright? I'll do it."

Zachariah frowned. "Do what?"

"You know what, you son of a bitch," said Dean. "Call Michael down."

Zachariah narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Don't try to fool me, boy."

Dean raised his arms in a shrug of defeat, shaking his head. "I'm not fooling." He sighed. "I'm done. I want out."

"What happened to your little plan?" asked Zachariah. "Your whole 'there's a better way.'"

"I said that to get Adam away from you," Dean told him. "We got nothing. And I just…" He paused, pulling himself together. "I don't know if it's what I saw in the future finally setting in or what, but…I don't know what to do anymore."

Zachariah watched him closely, trying to find the loophole Dean was hoping to play.

"If saying yes to Michael is what stops that future from happening…" Dean clenched his jaw, seemingly trying to force the words out, "then I guess I'm in…" He closed his eyes and then looked down at the floor. "I just want out."

The barn doors burst open, and Dean spun towards them. Sam, Adam, Castiel and an archangel Zachariah had believed dead ran into the room.

"Dean!" Sam yelled.

Dean looked away from Sam in aggravation, apparently upset that they had found him. He gritted his teeth. "Sam, go."

Sam looked over at Zachariah before shifting his gaze back to Dean. "Dean, please…don't do this. You can't."

Dean spun towards Sam. "I can't?" He stepped towards Sam. "Why don't you try telling me that in five years when the world is drowning in the apocalypse?"

"That won't happen!" Sam pleaded with him. "We can still—"

"What, Sam?" said Dean. He stared as Sam fumbled for an answer.

Zachariah smirked smugly. What do you know? They really do have nothing.

"Let's be honest here," said Dean. "It's not working. Whatever we're trying to do, it's not working."

"Dean, you can't just give up," Sam told him.

"I'm not giving up," Dean replied. "I'm finally doing something useful."

"You have been doing something useful!" Sam shot back.

"I have? 'Cause I still see blood and death everywhere. If letting Michael kill the devil ends this…" Dean shrugged.

Sam shook his head, eyes filling with moisture. "Dean, no."

"It's too late, Sam," said Dean, turning back to Zachariah.

Zachariah watched as Castiel set his jaw and prepared to take action. Zachariah raised his hand, freezing Castiel and Gabriel in their tracks.

"Not so fast…brothers," Zachariah told them. "Dean is ours now." For good measure, he also held Sam and Adam back.

Dean shared a beaten look with Zachariah.

"Dean, no!" yelled Sam.

"Dean!" yelled Adam.

"Enough!" shouted Zachariah, turning away from them. "Zodiredo…noco…aberamage… nazodpesade."

The barn began to shake as a hum filled the air. Zachariah turned back to Dean.

Dean stared Zachariah in the eye, pointing a finger at him. "You promise me that if I do this, Lucifer won't lay a finger on Sam."

Zachariah nodded. "Of course."

Light began streaming in the windows and doors as the hum grew. Dean squinted against the shine of the light as Michael filled the room.

Zachariah looked over at Dean, smiling expectantly. "He's waiting for an answer, Dean."

Dean looked over at Zachariah before his eyes began to track to the floor and over to Sam and Adam. Dean turned halfway towards them, frowning in response.

"I'm sorry…" Dean told his brothers. He then turned and stared resolutely up into the light. "Yes."

The light burst forth towards Dean as Michael swept forward to claim his vessel.