Chapter 13

G..God? No way. This man looked old but he wasn't that old... and he wasn't God. Of course he didn't think Dean was nuts because Father was nuts himself! He thought he was God. Yet...

"If I was not God how would I know your name? How would I know the trials? And how would I be able to finish your thoughts?" Father/God said with a smile. "You wound me Dean. You spend months completing trials to find me and when I find you you won't admit I exist! To be honest that's not really fair."

So God had a humor. Typical considering... everything.

"You ran away and left Heaven a mess. Now thousands of people and thousands of angels are dead because YOU RAN AWAY! You're supposed to be our father, someone we can look up to, but you left us with a mess!" Dean growled.

God however didn't even seem to hear his raised voice or harsh tone. "You, of all people Dean, should appreciate what I did. You are 'team free-will' I believe. The last time an angel used their free will it was Lucifer... and I cast him out of Heaven. I assumed the other angels understood that using your mind doesn't mean being cast out of Heaven. I only made Lucifer fall because well he wanted all the humans crushed like scum. Still the angels didn't understand and followed my orders to the tee. I wanted to give them the chance humans had for millenniums, the chance to decide for themselves. Freewill for man kind freewill for angels. It's not my fault the angels went off the reservation."

"But they were killing people, and Cas looked for you to help and you didn't show. They were killing innocent people. People are always dying and you've never, ever, lifted a hand to save them. How is that a loving God?"

"Dean. If I stopped people or angels when they made the wrong choice how is that free will? I'd be saying 'here make a decision for yourself but if it's not the right one then I'm going to reverse said decision and you'll do the other thing.' It's one or the other-free will or me stopping bad decisions and I chose to give you free will."

Dean couldn't believe his ears. God was saying he didn't help people so they could have free will? People died so someone else could have free will? How was that okay?

"You have to understand Dean that when I began creating things I knew they wouldn't be perfect, I knew they would make mistakes and hurt each other. Yet I made them and hoped that for once I was wrong, for once everything I knew would be wrong and maybe just maybe they'll do the right thing and it will work out. Every person doesn't always make the right decision, but I'd say most try. Still, you didn't undergo those trials for me to explain free will to you."

"But you're not going to help me are you? If you're all ''team free will' too you won't stop Charlotte because that would be taking away her free will. You're going to let her kill millions so she can decide. You won't even try to talk her out of it will you?"

God nodded, "It's not up to me to tell her who to trust and what to do. Still, I wish you hadn't wasted all this time searching for me."

"Wait... but these trials were your idea. Didn't you want us to come and find you?"

God's laugh sounded like the beating of a drum, " Of course I didn't want you wasting your time on a fool's errand. Chamuel knew I wouldn't stop Charlotte."

"Wait, are you saying Chamuel tricked us?" Dean asked anger flooding him. Stupid angels. Stupid Dean for trusting an angel. "He knew you wouldn't help us so he just sent me after you so I couldn't go after Charlie didn't he. Why? Why would he do that?"

God grimaced, "Let us just say Chamuel found Lucifer last time he was free, and both walked away unharmed."

"Chamuel is working with Lucifer? I should have known. I've got to go and find Charlotte before it's too late."

"Dean, it's already too late." God told him grimly. "Charlotte is at the door to the Cage as we speak. Hell is a train wreck. Vassagio and Crowley are already fighting for power, but Lucifer is rising to be ruler victorious again. I'm sorry Dean. It's too late. Lucifer is free."

No-no-no-no-no! He'd done all that, he'd killed Sam, and the song remained the same. Lucifer was free, Charlie, the uberpowerful was his vessel, and there was no way to stop him this time.

Dean began running from the Church practically able to feel the ground shaking beneath his feet. "You're wrong Dean." God called in the distance. "There is a way to stop Lucifer once and for all. Prophecies might not always be my will, but they are the future and can't be avoided!"

Dean didn't have time to stop and think about God's cryptic message; he had to get back to the bunker. The war was restarting and the Winchesters and Cas were the only ones left to fight it. How could a kid have caused all this trouble? Why did angels insist on the Apocalypse? What was Dean supposed to tell Cas and Sam?

Just as Dean began thinking of Sam Dean's phone rang Sam on the other end. "It's too late." Dean told him "Chamuel tricked us. He knew God wouldn't stop Charlie. It's too late she freed Lucifer while I was talking to God."

"We know," Sam told him and Dean realized for the first time that alarms blared in the background. "I hooked up a system to alert us of any place with demonic omens and the level of these omens. The graveyard where I jumped with Lucifer into the Cage just reached Apocalyptic. "

Cas grabbed the phone from Sam and spoke into it far too loudly, "Dean get back here quick we need to figure out the best course of action."

"We don't have time to talk Cas! We've got to do something!" Dean responded bitterly. Somehow, even without breaking any seals, Dean still knew he was responsible for the Apocalypse.

"We need to formulate an action plan. Michael will have grabbed Charlie and brought her far away from Lucifer to a place that's probably angel proof so even she can't leave. Lucifer can't do anything without a vessel and it will take him a while to get one. Stopping the Apocalypse is a marathon, not a sprint, and we need to regroup."

Dean knew Cas was right so he hightailed it back to the bunker to figure out how to stop the Apocalypse... again.