Appointment in Samarra Part 1

Dean stood in front of a grocery store. He looked at the address on a piece of paper and sighed. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

~/~\~

Dean walked up to a store clerk. "Hi, I'm, uh, looking for…"

"Follow all the way back." The employee instructed. "All the way back."

Dean went to the back of the store and walked up a series of steps to an apartment. He knocked on the door.

Dr. Robert opened the door. "Dean Winchester?"

"You must be Dr. Robert?" Dean asked.

"Son, I stitched up your daddy more times than I can count, let me tell you." Dr. Robert replied. "Oh, it's good to see you. 'Course, that was ages ago, back when, uh, I still had my medical license." He laughed. "Right this way."

Dean looked around the dingy apartment. "Well, you know, I'm, uh, I'm no germ freak, but…"

"Rent's cheap." Dr. Robert shrugged as they entered his 'office'. "Eva, my assistant." He gestured to the woman in the room.

"Hi." Dean waved.

Dr. Robert patted the bed. "Hop right up."

"N-now, you—you have, uh, done this a lot?" Dean asked nervously.

"Oh, many, many times." Dr. Robert assured.

Dean nodded. "And your…success rate?"

"Oh, excellent—almost seventy-five percent." Dr. Robert replied. "So, should we get the, uh, preliminaries out of the way?"

"Yeah. Uh, yeah, right." Dean nodded as he handed Dr. Robert an envelope of money.

"Ah. Oh." Robert replied as he took the envelope.

"Oh. Uh…So…listen, if, uh, something…" Dean trailed off.

"Goes wrong?" Dr. Robert raised a brow.

"Yeah." Dean nodded. "Uh…Would you mail this for me, please?" He asked, handing Dr. Robert two envelopes. One was addressed to Ben and the other to Angela.

"Sure." Dr. Robert nodded. "Would've thought you had something for your brother, Sam."

Dean shook his head. "If I don't make it back, nothing I say is gonna mean a damn thing to him." He replied as Eva inserted an IV needle. "Ow!" He exclaimed.

Eva rolled her eyes. "Don't be a baby."

"You know, a little bedside manner would be nice," Dean remarked.

"Are we ready? Hmm?" Dr. Robert asked. "You've got three minutes."

After a few moments, Dean flatlined. "No pulse, no sinus rhythm," Eva said.

"He's dead." Dr. Robert replied.

Dean walked up and saw his dead body. "Good times." He muttered. He walked back out to the grocery store. "This better work. Messorum evocco qui me tetigit."

Tessa suddenly appeared in front of him. "Dean?" She asked, her brows furrowing together. "What the hell?"

"What do you know?" Dean raised his eyebrows. "It worked."

"I was in Sudan!" Tessa exclaimed. "What's with yanking me ov—wait, why are you dead?"

"Tessa, I need a favor," Dean replied.

Tessa rolled her eyes. "Oh, you're kidding." She scoffed. "You died to ask me—

"Tell your boss I need to talk to him." Dean cut her off.

"No." Tessa shook her head.

"Please?" Dean asked.

Tessa shook her head. "Where do you get the nerve?"

"Desperate times." Dean shrugged weakly.

"He calls us," Tessa replied. "We don't call him."

"You make an exception!" Dean pleaded.

"I can't," Tessa replied.

"Can't or won't?!" Dean snapped.

"Both!" Tessa replied angrily.

"Alright, Tessa." Death said as he appeared. "Thank you very much. Hello, Dean."

~/~\~

"I'm busy, Dean." Death sighed. "Talk fast."

"I have something of yours," Dean replied.

"You mean my ring?" Death raised a brow. "I recall loaning you that temporarily."

Dean squared his shoulders slightly. "Well, if you want it back—

"I'm sorry, you assume that I don't know where you've hidden it." Death interrupted. "Now we've established you have hubris but no leverage, what is it you want?"

"Lucifer's cage," Dean replied. "I figure you're one of the few people that can actually jailbreak it."

"Do you?" Death asked.

"Sam's soul is stuck in that box," Dean replied.

"I've heard." Death nodded.

"And our brother is trapped in there, too," Dean added. "Michael rode him in."

Death sighed. "Dean quit shuffling and deal."

"I want you to get 'em both out," Dean replied.

"Hmm." Death hummed. "Pick one."

Dean looked shocked. "What?!"

"Sam's soul or Adam's." Death replied.

"But—

"As a rule. I don't bring people back." Death interrupted. "I might make an exception once, not twice. So…Pick."

Dean didn't even have to think about it. "Sam." He replied. "His soul has been in there for a year, and I understand that it's…Damaged."

"Try flayed to the raw nerve." Death scoffed slightly.

"Well, is there any way that you could, uh, I don't know, hack the hell part off?" Dean asked.

"Dean, Dean, Dean." Death shook his head. "What do you think the soul is? Some pie you can slice? The soul can be bludgeoned, tortured, but never broken. Not even by me."

"Well, there's got to be something." Dean tried.

"Maybe." Death replied. "Can't erase Sam's hell, but I can…put it behind a wall, if you will."

"A wall," Dean repeated.

"In his mind—a damn to hold back the tide." Death explained. "Nasty, those memories. You don't want to know what they'll do to him. Believe me."

"Okay, uh, a wall." Dean nodded. "Sounds good."

"But it's not permanent." Tessa chimed in.

"She's right." Death agreed. "Nothing lasts forever. Well, I do, but…"

Dean nodded. "Okay, so that's the choice—Sam with no soul, or Sam with some drywall that if or when it collapses, he's…done?"

"Yes." Death replied.

"Do it," Dean said quickly.

"I never said I'd do it." Death clarified.

Dean's brows furrowed in confusion. "Well, then what the hell have we been talking about?"

"Your prize." Death replied. "If you win the wager."

"Great." Dean nodded, rolling his eyes. "What's the bet?"

"Don't roll your eyes, Dean. It's impolite." Death chastised. "Now, when you fetch my ring, put in on."

"What?" Dean frowned.

Death shrugged. "I want you to be me for one day."

"Are you serious?" Dean asked.

"No, I'm being incredibly sarcastic." Death sassed. "Take the ring off before the 24 hours are up, and you lose. No soul for Sam. Clear?"

"Okay. Yes." Dean agreed. "But…But why?"

"Simple, Dean. Because—

~/~\~

Dean gasped as he woke up on the table. He sat up quickly and looked around frantically.

"Oh, thank Moses." Dr. Robert sighed in relief.

"You couldn't have given me five more seconds?" Dean asked.

"Son, you were gone for seven minutes." Dr. Robert replied.

"I was?" Dean asked.

"Mm-hmm." Dr. Robert hummed. "I thought for sure death had you by the twins."

~/~\~

"You what?!" Sam asked angrily.

"Just hear me out," Dean replied.

"I heard Cas and Crowley when they said it would either kill me or turn me to jello, Dean!" Sam yelled. "I heard enough!"

"Death said he can put up a wall," Dean explained.

"A wall?" Sam asked, raising a brow.

"Yes, yes, a wall—that—that, basically, you wouldn't remember hell," Dean replied.

"Really?" Sam asked, his voice full of skepticism.

"Really," Dean assured.

"For good? Like a cure?" Sam asked.

"No, it's not a cure." Dean sighed. "It…He said it could last a lifetime."

"Great." Sam scoffed. "So, playing pretty fast and loose with my life here, don't you think, Dean?"

"He's trying to save your life." Angela cut in.

"Exactly! It's my life! It's my life, it's my soul." Sam replied angrily. "And it sure as hell ain't your heads that are gonna explode when this whole scheme goes sideways!"

"Just curious," Bobby commented. "I presume Death's not doing this out of the goodness of his heart. So what's your half of the deal?" He asked. Dean just gave an evasive look. "I'm sorry. I didn't get that." Bobby said.

"I have to wear the ring for a day," Dean answered.

Angela's brows furrowed in confusion. "Why the hell would he want you to do that?"

"Get his rocks off." Dean shrugged. "I don't know. But I'm doing it."

Sam moved to leave the room.

"Where are you going?" Angela asked suspiciously.

"Look, I hear you guys, alright?" Sam sighed. "I get it. I just need a minute to wrap my head around it, alright?"

~/~\~

Sam was in Bobby's yard. He looked at a small hole in the ground, worriedly.

Dean held up Death's ring. "Looking for this?"

"Just taking a walk." Sam lied.

"Sam." Dean sighed. "I'm your brother. Angie's the love of your life. We're not gonna let you get hurt. We know what we're doing here."

"What if you're wrong?" Sam asked.

"We won't let it go wrong," Angela assured.

Sam sighed deeply. "Fine."

"Fine?" Angela asked hopefully. "So, you're—

"So, I'm trusting you guys here," Sam replied. "Barely."

"You sure?" Dean asked.

"You guys are the ones with a compass, right?" Sam shrugged. "Just don't mess it up."

"I won't," Dean assured. He looked at Bobby and Angela. "Watch him."

Angela hugged Dean tightly. "Good luck, Dean." She murmured.

~/~\~

"So, is this the part where you guys pull a gun on me and lock me in the panic room?" Sam asked.

"Do we have to?" Bobby raised a brow.

"No." Sam shook his head. "I guess Dean's got to do what he's got to do."

"Guess we all do, Sam," Angela replied.

~/~\~

Dean stood in Bobby's yard. "Well, here goes everything." He muttered before he slipped on the ring.

~/~\~

"Wow." Tessa scoffed. "They'll just let any slack-jawed haircut be Death these days."

"Well, you're all charm today, aren't you?" Dean sassed.

"Let's be clear so that we get through this with a minimum of screw-up." Tessa said. "I don't like this. And right now, I'm not crazy about you, either."

"This is your boss' idea, not mine." Dean defended.

"True." Tessa nodded. "But you have a long history of throwing a wrench in everything, so let's just stick to the rules. Deal?"

"And the rules are?" Dean asked.

"For the next 24 hours, you kill everyone whose number's up." She replied.

"Well, how am I supposed to know who to…" Dean trailed off.

"Kill?" Tessa raised a brow.

"Yeah." Dean nodded.

"I have a list," Tessa replied.

"Let me see," Dean demanded.

"No." Tessa shook her head. "You touch them, they die, I reap them. Are we clear?"

"Yeah, I guess," Dean replied.

"Remove the ring, you lose. Slack off, you lose." Tessa said seriously. "Got it?"

"Yeah." Dean nodded in understanding.

"Don't mess this up." She warned. "It's not my job to be your damn babysitter."

~/~\~

Sam was in an abandoned warehouse performing a summoning ritual.

"Sam Winchester…" Balthazar said as he appeared. "This had better be good."

~/~\~

"Why here's one for the list of dumbest things ever." Balthazar scoffed. "Summon the angel who wants to kill you."

"Desperate times." Sam shrugged. "I need your help, Balthazar."

"Interesting…Since last time we met, you wanted to—what was it?" He asked. "Oh, yes, yes—fry my wings 'extra crispy'."

"Well, that was a misunderstanding," Sam replied.

"Some misunderstanding!" Balthazar exclaimed.

Sam sighed. "I need some advice."

"Advice?" Balthazar raised a brow.

"Angel advice," Sam said vaguely.

"Well, then go ask your boyfriend." Balthazar sassed.

"Cas can't help me," Sam replied. "I need to know if there's a spell or a weapon, anything that can keep a soul out—forever."

This piqued Balthazar's interest. "Oh. What's going on, Sam?"

"It's for me," Sam replied.

"Well. The plot thickens." Balthazar replied. "Where's your soul, Sam? Good God, no. It's not still…it is."

"My brother found a way to put it back in me." Sam sighed. "I don't want it."

"No, you don't." Balthazar agreed. "No, no, 'cause Michael, Sophia, and Lucy are hate-banging it as we speak."

"Can you help me?" Sam asked.

"Oh, yes." Balthazar nodded. "The question is, will I?"

Sam sighed deeply. "Set your terms."

Balthazar thought for a moment. "I'll do it for free."

Sam looked confused. "Free? Why?"

Balthazar shrugged. "Well, you seem like a capable young man. I'd love to have you in my debt." He replied. "And I have to say, I'm not a fan of your brother or Angela, so screwing them would delight me. Anyway, to business. The spell, yes. So, finding the ingredients are easy enough, but, uh, there's one tricky part, however."

"Okay." Sam nodded.

"You need to scar your vessel," Balthazar replied.

"Meaning what?" Sam asked.

"Meaning something that so pollutes it, it renders it uninhabitable," Balthazar explained. "Calls for something very specific."

"Great." Sam nodded. "What?"

"Uxoricide," Balthazar answered. "To kill your spouse or partner."

~/~\~

"Just so you know, when people die, they might have questions for you," Tessa explained. "Well, you know, not you, but death."

"You mean like, 'how did Betty White outlast me?'" Dean asked.

"'What's it all mean?' is popular," Tessa replied.

"And am I just gonna magically know?" Dean raised a brow.

"No." Tessa shook her head.

"Then what the hell am I supposed to say?" Dean asked. "Oh, come on, give me something."

"Suck it up," Tessa replied harshly. "Comes with the gig."

~/~\~

Tessa and Dean walked into a convenience store. A robber pointed a gun at a cashier, who was standing behind the register with his son.

"Come on!" The robber yelled. "Come on! Let's go!"

"They can't hear you. They can't see you." Tessa said. "Just let this play out."

Dean's brows furrowed. "Well, who am I taking?"

"Wait and see," Tessa replied.

"Which one?" Dean pressed.

"You want me to shoot the kid?!" The robber yelled. "Hurry up! Oh, you think I'm kidding? And don't forget the drawer under the register. Come on, move it! Let's go!"

The cashier pushed a bag off the counter onto the floor, and while the robber bent down to pick it up, the cashier pulled a gun out of the drawer under the register.

"You idiot." The robber growled.

The cashier shot the robber, who fell to the ground, dying. Dean stood watching.

"Hello?" Tessa raised a brow. "Tick tock."

"He's in agonizing pain, right?" Dean asked.

"Uh, yes," Tessa replied obviously.

Dean nodded. "Give me a minute." He replied. After a few moments, he touched the robber, whose soul appeared behind him.

The robber looked at his dead body and then at Dean. "Why?"

"Mostly because you're a dick," Dean replied. "Enjoy the ride down, pal. Trust me—sauna gets hot."

Tessa walked out with the robber's soul.

"That wasn't so hard," Dean muttered.

~/~\~

Tessa and Dean approached a larger man who was eating pizza.

"Call me crazy, but this smells like a heart attack," Dean said. The man clutched his chest and fell forward. "Lucky guess," Dean muttered before he touched the man.

The man looked at his dead body and then at Dean. "Why?"

"You think maybe it was the extra cheese?" Dean asked.

"Yeah." The man sighed. "It was good, though."

Dean nodded. "Is that a local place?"

"Dean." Tessa sighed.

"Right." Dean nodded. "Uh, time to go, man. Sorry."

"Wait." The man said. "Will you tell me what it all means?"

Dean paused. "Everything is dust in the wind."

The man frowned. "That's it?! A Kansas song?!"

"Sorry." Tessa smiled apologetically. "He's new."

~/~\~

Sam entered Bobby's house.

"Woke up and you were gone," Bobby said.

"Where you been, Sam?" Angela asked.

"Just driving around." Sam shrugged. "No biggie."

The three of them sat down to drink and play poker.

~/~\~

Tessa gestured to the hospital room. "After you, boss."

Dean looked into the hospital room to see a father reading to his sick daughter.

"That's you when we went to California." The father explained. "You were six then."

"God." The girl muttered. "We should burn that."

"You were adorable." The man assured.

Dean sighed. "The dad or the kid?"

"Kid," Tessa replied.

"Come on." Dean groaned. "What is she, 13?"

"She's 12." Tessa corrected.

"And that's…?" Hillary asked while pointing to a photo.

"That's your mom…When she was your age."

"This guy have any other family?" Dean asked.

Tessa shook her head. "No, not really."

"Well, this is awesome," Dean said sarcastically.

"What, you thought it was all gonna be armed robbers and heart attacks waiting to happen?" Tessa asked.

"She's 12!" Dean snapped.

"With a serious heart condition," Tessa explained.

"Who's next on the list?" Dean asked.

"Dean, you have to take her," Tessa replied.

"Says who?" Dean challenged.

"Death," Tessa replied.

"I'm death." Dean argued.

Tessa sighed deeply. "You know what I mean."

"Well, who tells him?" Dean asked.

"I don't know." Tessa shrugged. "It just is. It's destiny."

"Give me a break." Dean scoffed. "I've spent my whole life fighting that crap. There's no such thing as destiny, just like there was no apocalypse—just a bunch of suck-up mooks who didn't want us human slaves asking questions. Well, I say the little girl lives."

Tessa paused for a moment. "Do you know what's amazing? You don't actually buy a word you're saying."

Dean clenched his jaw. "Yes, I do."

"Oh, really?" Tessa asked skeptically. "So, all the times that you messed with life and death, they just worked out for you? It was just a beach party every time, huh?"

"Well, I know this much—I'm Death, she's 12, and she's not dying today," Dean replied.

~/~\~

"Medically, I can't explain it." Dr. Owens said.

"So her heart just healed?" The father asked.

"Couple of times in your career, you see something you just got to call a miracle." Dr. Owens smiled. "All I know is I won't have to operate."

"Thank you." The father said tearfully. "Thank you, Doctor." He added before he looked at Hillary. "You did it. You're gonna be okay."

The nurse was on the phone. "Hey, hon, guess what? I'm leaving. No, surgery was canceled."

"Come on," Tessa told Dean. "We have more work here."

"Okay." The nurse smiled. "See you soon."

~/~\~

"Pair of aces," Sam said.

"Here, I'll get some more beer," Angela said as she stood up. She left the living room and walked into the kitchen.

"You know what, I'll grab some food," Sam suggested. He followed Angela to the kitchen and grabbed a nearby wrench and went to knock out Angela.

Angela grabbed the bat that she knew Bobby hid near the fridge and knocked Sam out before he could hit her with the wrench. "Nice try, Sam." She muttered. She ran to the living room. "Bobby, we need rope, now."

Bobby's brows furrowed and he stood up. He opened a nearby drawer and grabbed some rope. He tossed it to Angela, who went back to the kitchen only to find that Sam was gone.

"Crap," Angela muttered. "Bobby! Sam's gone!" She called.

A/N: Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I can't believe that we're almost halfway through this installment, that's crazy. In the next chapter something pretty big happens, so stay tuned ;) Don't forget to leave a review, your feedback is everything! Love you guys :)

~Emily