Chapter 28

Dean landed besides Charlie back at his house to discover it was empty. "Sh*t they must have gone to the hospital already. I told them to wait. Come on," Charlie told Dean reaching for her hand.

"Wait!" he hissed. "Bobby just gave me this, can you read it?" Dean held up the Human tablet allowing Charlie to grab it face panic stricken.

"Oh course. I am the Prophet. Bring it with you I'll translate it at the hospital. Your parents, Cas and Sam are already there but they could use the backup. Hospital is crawling with demons."Charlie grabbed her brother's arm before he could protest and together they teleported to the county hospital.

Charlie was right, the place was crawling with demons and the scarier fact was that as they passed them on the way to Mary's room none of the demons attacked Dean or Charlie. They were waiting for the command just like any good soldier… or son.

"Why aren't they attacking us? They should be attacking us," Dean hissed to Charlie as they briskly walked to the maternity ward.

"They're probably biding their times and won't attack us before Lucifer makes his move on your mother," Charlie replied though her tone specified that she was worried too.

"Why is he waiting so long? It's almost 4am; I'll be born in 2 hours."

"Unless he isn't going to kill Mary before you're born…" Charlie mumbled and luckily enough Dean didn't hear her.

Quickly enough they arrived at room 76. Castiel stood outside and Dean still found it amazing to see him loaded with weapons, real, human, weapons. Charlie took her place besides him on the ground. Cas was marveling at the tablet and Charlie, who was much quicker than Kevin, translating it almost seamlessly.

Dean ducked into the room to send Sam out, "Bobby found the Human tablet which will tell us about Eden." Dean whispered to his brother. "Watch Charlie… something is up with her and I'd like to know what."

Sam nodded as he went to guard the door. John sat quietly besides Mary dozing off in his chair. Dean couldn't help but feel a twinge of anger that his dad couldn't stay alert, but reminded himself that this version of his dad wasn't a hunter and didn't know better.

Mary however never looked sharper in her life. Whether this came from her intense contractions or her hunter training Dean didn't know. All he knew, as he took his place in the corner, was that he had Ruby's knife in his pocket. It wouldn't kill Lucifer, or even slow him down, but maybe, just maybe, the future gang could fight off his demons to the point that whatever he was planning wouldn't happen. Still, Dean wasn't confident. They'd lost Jo and Ellen to Lucifer when they had a plan, what would happen when they didn't?

Mary's nurse, who, if Dean remembered correctly, was named Lucy sat on Mary's other side soothingly talking and checking the pain medicine. Mary didn't seem to like the calm tone because her yelling woke John. "You try pushing this thing out and then tell me to remain calm!"

Normally, Dean would have felt bad for hurting his mom, but come on it is kind of funny to watch your mom yelling about giving birth… to you. Who has that kind of opportunity?

Time passed slowly. Occasionally, when Mary's cursing got too weird, Dean would peak his head out the door to see Charlie scribbling furiously and Sam and Cas passing back and forth like guards at the tomb of the unknown soldier. "No demon attacks?" Dean would ask even though he knew Sam would just shake his head. What were they waiting for?

Six am rolled around and Mary's breathing was intense. John kept speaking words of encouragement which only caused Mary to yell back. At one point Mary even turned to Dean, who she'd been pretending wasn't there, and yelled about "First victim of his presidency."- Harsh much?

It might sound interesting… and truly the idea of watching your own birth is incredible. However, watching your mom give birth is not as incredible. Dean couldn't even do anything but watch the door as the clamor increased until finally a blood curdling cry broke through the room.

Dean turned to see Lucy holding baby him. He was so small, so innocent Dean couldn't help but wonder at what point that innocence was lost. Was it when his mom died? When his dad left Dean to raise Sam? Or when Dean started being a hunter. How had such beauty disappeared?

"What a beautiful baby boy," Lucy told a smiling Mary and John. "He looks like an angel."

A glint of menace sparked in Lucy's eyes as she took John and snapped his neck. Mary screamed but no help came. Sam, Charlie and Cas had been overrun by demons and Lucy/Lucifer froze adult Dean in his place.

"Get away from my son!" Mary bellowed reaching towards Lucifer. Lucy laughed as Mary began silently screaming her throat voice box removed and her body paralyzed.

"Dean, Dean, Dean," Lucifer said walking over to the frozen man baby in hand. "So nice to see you again. It's been too long since Stull Cemetery. What a fun day!"

Dean didn't get a chance to reply before a battered and bruised Sam, Cas, and Charlie were pushed through the door by a hoard of black eyed demons.

Lucifer turned from Dean to face the new arrivals smiling like a kid on Christmas. "Castiel!" he greeted. "I heard you were back. Dad's work I presume. He always was such a pain wasn't he?"

"Our Father brought me back for a reason Lucifer, and that reason was to help them stop you," Cas threw back causing Lucifer to laugh.

"And Sammy! So nice to see you again. Let me tell you, boy was Hell boring for Michael and me once you left. Adam just wasn't as much fun. Oh. I forgot my manners," Lucifer smiled like the devil, "I brought you a souvenir."

Reaching into his pocket Lucifer tossed a rusted meat hook to Sam. "You son of a b*tch," Sam snarled despite his terror. Lucifer, the angel who possessed him, who violated him, who made Sam a murderer and then tortured him in Hell was free. And he stood right in front of Sam.

"Oh don't be that way!" Lucy cried. "You do know I'm oh so sensitive. And we had fun, remember? Butchering Azaziel's crew-that was fun!"

Sam, weapon free, charged Lucifer in anger. Lucy just rolled her eyes and sent him flying into a demon's restraint. "Touchy touchy."

Finally, Lucifer turned to Charlie who he'd reserved his most satanic grin for. "Charlie! Charlie my girl it's been a long week. I missed you. All that quality time we spent in the Cage when the doors shut behind you… I know you haven't forgotten."

Terror shone on the teenage girl's face as she remembered Hell and the Cage. Words couldn't describe the horrors she'd faced, the things she'd seen and the things she'd been forced to do. Still, she stood straight as she addressed him. "No. I haven't forgotten."

"Good, good. I'll get back to you but first I have some other pests to deal with. Let's see where was ?. Oh yes. Cas, I'm not even going to bother killing you… Dad would just bring you back… Maybe I'll just oh I know a nice little cage in Hell where you can spend the rest of eternity."

No one could even cry out before Cas was sucked into the Cage. Lucifer laughed hysterically before turning back to Dean, "Sorry about that. I know you had a thing but you know business is business. Don't worry though you won't be around long enough to miss him."

"Why are you doing this? You could have just killed Mary long before the baby was born." Even now Dean was careful with his words so his terrified mother didn't have grief added to her trauma.

"I could of, you're right," Lucifer told them with a shrug, "But that's no fun! I want you to watch as I kill Mary and therefore Sam. I want you to know that pain. Then, I will bleed little baby Dean dry while you watch, fading into nothingness. Then, with nothing left to fight for, Charlotte will stop being such a teenage girl and say yes. I'll kill my brother and my kingdom will rise and overcome humanity."

"No!" Charlie yelled using her own powers to slam Lucifer against the wall.

He recovered quickly and made his way over to his vessel. Gripping Charlie's face tight in his hands he spoke, "You're lucky I don't want to have to heal myself or I'd slap that pretty face of yours."

"No," Charlie told him defiantly. "You're not going to kill Mary. You're not going to kill Sam, and you're not going to kill Dean."

"Oh and tell me Charlotte, how are you going to stop me? You have no rings to throw me back in the Cage, no weapon that will kill me. You are powerful, but all the same you're powerless against me."

"I have one power," Charlie told him and Dean realized too late to stop the events unfolding before him. "I have the power of my word. YES!"

"What did you just say?"

"YES! YES, YES, YES, YES! Jump my bones right here, right now Lucy because I'm saying yes…. With conditions of course."

"Well, that's… surprising. See, here is the thing Charlie… you can take your conditions and shove them up your *ss," Lucifer told her with a crooked smile. "Because I know what your conditions are… free Cas, let you heal John, let these three go in peace… and you know what you have no leverage. I'm going to fight my brother in you, you proclaimed the prophecy yourself. So why accept your yes with conditions when I can let you beg me to use you later?"

Charlie, despite the high stakes smiled, "You could take the risk. I mean sure, maybe the prophecy will remain with me saying yes even with you destroying the part about Dean and Michael… or maybe your meddling with time will backfire and you will be left with a vessel who's never gonna say yes. Your choice."

Lucifer's confidence fell. He knew that meddling with Dean's role in the prophecy could affect Charlie's. What if she was right? What if he didn't take her yes now and never got it again? He'd be stuck in his crap vessel as his brother killed him. Lucifer could not lose; he could not die. Charlie was caving, she was giving into the yes she didn't want to give, yet the little b*tch was still winning.

Glaring Lucifer spoke, "Was I right on your conditions?"

"Fairly," she told him smugly despite the clamor of her brothers trying to stop her and her own hidden terror. "I'd still like to speak them in a binding contract if you would." Lucifer motioned for to go ahead and she looked guiltily at her family as she spoke. "You will free Castiel from wherever you put him and return him, alive and unharmed, to his rightful time. You will let me heal John and Mary Winchester of all injuries along with modify their memories of tonight's events. Then. You will let me send 2013 Dean and Sam back to their rightful time before you take me as your vessel and leave with Mary, John and baby Dean unharmed. Oh and you will take your demons with you."

"So basically all this work I did will go to waste?" Lucifer whined.

"You're getting a vessel out of it," Charlie bit back snarky.

"Fine," Lucifer caved. "You're going to regret playing me when I have full control of your body. Castiel is back in their little bunker."

As soon as the terms were set and binding Charlie set to work bringing John back to life and modifying him and Mary's memories. John wouldn't even remember Dean, Sam, Charlie or Cas. He'd just have a nice memory of a nice, normal childbirth. Charlie gave Mary a gift though, she'd remember the real birth of her child… the ending would just change a bit so she saw Lucy as your normal demon which Dean exorcized.

Dean and Sam had given up on their protests as she went to send them back.

"I'm sorry," she told them.

"You knew. You knew what was going to happen didn't you? That's why you were so weird earlier," Dean accused.

"It wasn't a vision," she told them. "I just knew it was the only way to keep my family alive. The only way to get Lucifer out of a vessel he can do harm in was to force him into me."

"You don't have to do this. There is another way!" Sam pleaded, practically begged.

"Shh," she told them as if she were the parent and them kids. "The deal's done. I can't back out of it. You know what this is Sam. You, better than anyone knows that this is what we have to do."

Furtively, Charlie slid the tablet and notebook into Dean's hunting bag so that not even Lucifer noticed. "He'll know about Eden and the tablet as soon as he gets in me. I translated the best I can but it doesn't make much sense. You'll figure it out don't worry. I believe in you." Charlie whispered in Dean's ear before sending him and Sam flying back in time.

Fully alone Charlie turned towards the devil courageously terrified. "Well. Let's get this over with. Yes."

The blinding light could be seen from miles around as Lucifer and Charlotte became one.