Author's/Underhill's Note: Chapter 13, woooo! Tried to finish this chapter as fast I could, but I have been sleeping so much lately, dear god. But, before I say anything else, thank you for reviews (hugs for NamelesslyNightlock)! Reviews actually make me want to update. Second, disclaimers as always! I have no rights to Supernatural or any of its characters and all that jazz. Third: Claire. I always felt like she was a loose end, so I wanted to put her in here. Seriously, is it just me or is it the moment a female character makes an appearance in the show, she either disappears or dies? Except Ruby. God I hate fourth season Ruby... Okay, now I've slipped into ranting mode, so I'll end this. I'll try and update again soon!

Chapter 13

Feb 6-10

"Would give me anything I wanted if I wore his face, wouldn't you?" A blade scrapes against Dean's ribs. "Wouldn't you, Dean?"

He shakes his head. "No. Fuck you, no," he mouths, but emits no sound.

"I'll wear his face if you just say yes."

"You've already got what you want," Dean says. God, he wishes he weren't still humiliated every time they…

"I want you to volunteer for it. I want you to say yes to me. You know how important that word is, don't you? It was important to CAS after all."

Dean won't cry.

"Say yes and you can pretend. Say yes and I can be him, just for a while."

The scene freezes again. The chains disappear and Dean sits up, gets off the slab. Ahead, a vague shape. The voice is back again.

"Okay, focus, Dean. You need to NOT WAKE UP."

Dean opens and closes his mouth, trying to produce sound, but his vocal cords are cut, he's in Hell and everything hurts, and what is this, this stillness - -

"Dean, NO, do not fall back into the dream! You are not in Hell. This is just a dream, and I need to talk to you."

Dean opens and closes his mouth again. "Who - - "

Dean wakes up, leaving the voice swearing as it disappears with the dream.

It takes a day for Bela to sell the amulet, and by then she's got three more jobs lined up. Because he has no excuse not to, Dean gets stuck with the Whope amulet paperwork, a fact of which he is very resentful. When Dean starts to pout, Bela is unimpressed. "Suck it up, Winchester."

First job is an exorcism for a multi-million dollar company that had just bought an office building in New York. Perfect location and size for the company, but haunted. It's an hour drive from the loft and takes a only a few to complete. They come out with a few bumps and bruises but otherwise unharmed.

Second job takes them to Pennsylvania. A lawyer needs a will found and Bela contacts the spirit of the deceased woman to locate it. Despite Dean's teasing, he knows she has a legitimate knack for seances and the like; it's a skill that helps round out their business.

Third job starts on the 10th, and Dean insists on driving.

"Is the job on a timer this time?"

"No…"

"Then we're driving. No planes." He moans, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "God, no more planes."

"It feels wrong to be driving a rental," Dean says from the driver's seat. Motorhead is blasting from the cd player and Bela is wrapped in what looks like a parka. She scowls.

"I'm not talking to you, Winchester."

"… Like cheating somehow. My poor baby, left alone with SAM. Jesus."

Bela reaches out to turn up the heat. "Winter, Dean."

"I thought you weren't talking to me?"

"WINTER. We could have cut the travel time by a day - - at least - - but no, we're driving across the mid-west in the snow. I don't do well in snow, Dean."

"Yeah, your hair's frizzing a little. Didn't want to mention it." He smirks.

"I am going to KILL you."

"Alright, subject change! Tell me more about the case. It's in Montana. There's a statue or something?"

"A fetish - - " Dean snorts a laugh. " - - shut up - - a fetish of a wolf linked to a shifter demigod. It's either Greek or Roman; I won't know until I get a closer look."

"We know who has it?"

"No, just the city. Small town, middle of the country. Shouldn't be too hard to pinpoint."

"Ha! Finally, my skill set."

"Lying, stealing, breaking and entering?"

"Sleuthing, Bela. I have some IDs in my bag. There's a few for you too."

Bela rummages through the back until she finds Dean's duffle. She pulls out a ziplock baggie full of various identification cards. She shuffles through them and makes a face.

"Bobbi Englund? Zelda Rubenstein?"

"What? She's short, you're short…"

"And you wish you could pull off a James Lee Curtis."

"That hurts, Bels." He pounds a fist to his heart. "Right here."

Bela sighs. "We're so flying next time," she mutters.

Feb 11, Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Sam's been hanging around Bobby's house for two days now, and Castiel doesn't know why. He's researched a case for the Hunter, has it all lined up, and yet Sam is pacing around looking awkward and shooting worried glances over at Cas. It's giving Cas a headache.

Early afternoon is when Sam gets the guts to settle across from him. "So, uh. Cas." Castiel doesn't look up. He continues working. "I was wondering…"

"Yes, Sam?"

"I never got a chance to ask, but what happened to the search for God?"

Castiel stills. He hasn't discussed it. He still wears the amulet tucked under his shirt that Dean loaned him - - it's not his to throw away, he has to look after it - - but he has ceased looking for his father.

Dean's been to Hell twice now. The idea of his father letting Dean suffer like that, of letting Castiel suffer like this, it's impossible to think of. Even if he did find God, Castiel has nothing to say to him.

Instead of trying to explain all of this to Sam, he responds with the succinct: "Why bother?"

Sam has nothing to say to that. His mouth opens and closes a few times as he searches for words but nothing comes to him. When the FBI phone rings, it's a relief to both of them. The angel picks it up. "Yes?"

Sam's gone by the end of the day.

It's Adam's fifth birthday, and his mother's home for once. She's got him a chocolate cake, not homemade, but one of those store bought ones with too much icing and pink flowers on the top. Adam doesn't care about the flowers though, or that she didn't make it from scratch. It's a good day because it's just him, her, and a chocolate cake all on his birthday.

He smiles as she looks down at him, handing him a plate and a glass of milk. "Here, honey, take th - - "

A snap of fingers and it all goes away.

"Who are you?" Adam asks. It's a man, sharp suit, bald, a way-too-wide smile and a dangerous gleam in his eyes. He doesn't like the look of him at all.

"Me?" The man points at himself. "I'm Zachariah. But that's not important right now. What's important? Is that you're John Winchester's son."

Adam makes a face. His heaven's been disrupted for this? The jackass 'father' who's responsible for him and his mom getting eaten alive? "I don't have a dad," he says.

"Oh no, you wish you didn't have a dad. Fact remains, you do. Fact remains, you have two very disagreeable brothers who don't like following the plans laid in place. So we're going to need you."

"Why would I want to help them, or you?"

Zachariah makes a wide gesture with his arms. "Well, all this, your heaven? It's gone either way. Whether your mom stays up here, that's up to you. You can come with me, or… Well."

Adam gapes. "What the hell are you?" he asks.

"Like I said, I'm Zachariah, and I'm an angel of the Lord. Now let's see if the third brother breaks as fast as the first."