At Hell's Gates

by mrsemmettcullen12

What if Sam had a twin sister? This is the story of Dean and Sam with a sister, Alex.

48. Don't Forget Where You Belong

This is my first story, so please be nice. Tell me what you think.

I do not own any of the characters (except for Alex) and I do not own any of the storylines. I am SO sorry that it has taken me forever to update.

Anyway, this story is getting a little long, so I may begin writing the sequel/continuation soon! Thanks for sticking with me and still reading! It is very much appreciated!

Chapter 48

Previously in At Hell's Gates:

Sam sighed heavily and then turned around on his boot-clad heel, walking back towards his two siblings. He walked right past them, heading straight for the Impala.

"What the hell is wrong with you, Sam?" yelled Dean.

Alex rolled her eyes as she sat up on the loveseat in Bobby's living room and study. Bobby removed his glasses and set down the part of the newspaper that he had been glancing at. He wheeled himself around to look into the kitchen where Sam and Dean were yelling at one another.

"Dean," sighed Sam.

"No, don't 'Dean' me, not this time. You know, you have had some truly stupid ideas in the past, but this… Did you know about this?"

Dean faced Bobby and Alex while Sam leaned against the kitchen counter with his hands in his pockets.

"Know about what?" asked Bobby.

"About Sam's genius plan to say yes to the damn devil?" asked Dean.

Dean's eyes widened as both Bobby and Alex nodded sadly.

"Well, thanks for the heads-up!" he yelled.

Alex stood up then while Bobby sighed.

"This ain't about me," argued Bobby.

"You can't do this," said Dean, returning his attention back over to Sam.

"That seems to be the consensus around here," shot back Sam, simply shrugging his shoulders.

"Awesome. Then, that's the end of this discussion."

A shrill ring from Dean's cell phone caused him to grab his phone from out of his pocket. He glanced down at it in his open palm and then he pointed over to Sam.

"This isn't over."

Sam and Bobby both rolled their eyes while Dean placed his cellphone to his ear.

"Hello?"

"Dean," said Castiel on the other end of the phone call.

"Cas?"

Dean looked over at his siblings.

"Is he alright?" whispered Alex.

Dean held up a hand to halt her words.

"We all thought you were dead, man. Where the hell are you?"

"A hospital."

"Are you alright?"

"No."

Dean paused briefly.

"Would you like to elaborate?"

"I just… woke up here. I guess that the doctors were fairly surprised as they thought that I was brain dead."

"So, a hospital. Look, I gotta tell you, man, you're just in time. Look, we're going after Pestilence currently, so if you want to go ahead and zap yourself right on over here…"

"I can't zap anywhere."

"What do you mean?"

"I'd say that my batteries are currently drained."

"So, you're out of angel juice?"

"I'm saying that I am thirsty and my head aches terribly. I also have a bug bite that itches no matter how much I scratch it. All I'm saying is that I'm just incredibly…"

"Human," finished Dean, his eyebrows creased together with worry for Castiel.

Castiel sighed.

"Wow. I'm sorry," replied Dean, leaning on the edge of Bobby's kitchen table.

"Yes, well, my point is that I can't go anywhere without money for… an airplane, right? And food. And more pain medication, as well. Ideally, at least."

"Alright, well, no worries. Bobby's here and he'll wire you the cash."

"I will?" asked Bobby, his voice rising tremendously at Dean's suggestion to Castiel.

"Look, Dean. You said no to Michael. I owe you an apology."

"Cas, it's alright."

"You aren't the broken shell of a man that I believed you to be."

"Thank you," replied Dean, his tone full of annoyance.

"You're welcome."

Castiel hung up then and Dean pocketed his own cellphone.

A few minutes later, Dean, Alex, and Sam were all loaded up into Dean's precious Impala as Bobby sat right next to it.

"Be careful," he warned them, nodding his head as Dean started up the ignition.

Dean carefully pulled away from Bobby' old house as they headed out to track down Pestilence.

A couple hours later, the three Winchester siblings had snuck into the nursing home that Pestilence had taken up residence in. Dean had just taken care of the lone security guard that was on duty and now they were all sitting in front of the television monitors, watching for Pestilence on the security cameras.

"What are we even looking for?" asked Alex, slapping Dean in the arm as he began to snore loudly.

"Well, he's Pestilence, so he probably looks really sick," replied Dean.

"Everyone in here looks sick, Dean," argued Sam.

Alex sighed and placed her head down onto the small metal table that was resting in front of her.

"Lord, help us," she whispered to herself.

Another few hours later and Dean's chin was resting on his chest as he slept while standing up. Sam was watching the video television monitors as Alex slept as well. Suddenly, Sam sat straight up in his chair as the camera's feed began acting up.

"Hey," called out Sam, waking both of his siblings up instantly.

They all watched diligently as Pestilence left one frame, but instantly entered another.

"Oh, yeah, now we're talkin'," whispered Dean.

They watched as Pestilence entered a new door and began walking down a long hallway. As he entered into one patient's single room, the three Winchester siblings jumped into action, leaving the security room behind as they looked for Pestilence. They slowly looked around every corner, checking that the coast was clear before walking forward. The hallways were eerily silent and not one single soul was in sight as the siblings swiftly but efficiently moved throughout the nursing home. As they were halfway down one long hallway, Sam's head began hurting while Dean began coughing.

"What the hell is happening?" whispered Alex, her vision becoming tremendously blurry as she tried to walk forward down the long hallway.

Both of her brothers continued coughing loudly as they all rounded the corner. A nurse in light pink scrubs and a doctor in a white lab coat were lying dead in the middle of the next hallway, green vomit surrounding the doctor and bright red blood pooling underneath the nurse's brunette head of hair.

"We must be getting close," said Sam, his voice gravelly from all of his coughing.

"Oh, do you think so?" retorted Dean through his bouts of coughing fits.

All three siblings began sweating profusely as they walked around the two dead people. They all clung to the walls as they painstakingly walked forward to find Pestilence. As Dean hunched over, Sam tried to help him stand up. However, both brothers fell to the floor, Dean's coughing becoming incessant now. Alex sank to the floor as her head began throbbing and her lungs felt like they were on fire. Sam managed to haul his tall, lanky frame back up and as he went to open the room door right in front of him, a short, curly-haired nurse pulled it open from the inside. She smirked as she took in Sam's face.

"The doctor will see you now," she told Sam.

She stepped aside to the left to revel Pestilence sitting on the edge of a dead patient's bed. He was smirking triumphantly.

"Sam. Alex. Dean. Come on inside, you three."

He waved them in, but Sam fell forward onto the floor instead. He began coughing once more while the demon nurse collected Alex and Dean, dragging them into the room as well.

"Hmm. You three don't look very well. It could very well be the scarlet fever. Or the meningitis. Actually, I bet it's just the syphilis."

Sam glared over at Pestilence as he clucked his tongue disapprovingly.

"That's no fun at all."

He walked over and pulled Sam's face up using Sam's mop of hair. Sam was forced to look into Pestilence's face.

"However you three feel right now, it's going to get so very much worse. Any questions?"

Pestilence smirked and let Sam's hair go very roughly. Sam's face fell back down onto the floor as Pestilence walked away from all three of them. He squirted some antibacterial soap onto his hands and began rubbing it in furiously.

"Disease gets such a bad rap, you know it? For being so filthy and chaotic. But really, that's just describing the people who become diseased and not the diseases themselves. Bacteria have one purpose and that is to divide and then conquer. That's why, in the end, it always wins," smirked Pestilence.

The nurse's eyes flashed back as she looked on with triumph. Sam began coughing up blood then, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and smearing the blood on his hand instead. Alex groaned as her coughs shook her whole frame while Dean was still coughing as well.

"Now, on a scale from 1 to 10, how's your pain?" asked Pestilence, smirking down at the three siblings.

Suddenly, the room door burst open and Castiel walked swiftly into room 210.

"Cas," groaned out Dean through his coughs.

"How'd you get here?" asked Pestilence, his face falling.

"I took a bus. Don't worry, I-"

Castiel trailed off as he fell to his knees directly beside Sam, coughing up his own blood onto the floor.

"Well, would you look at that? An occupied vessel, but a powerless one as well. Huh. That is truly fascinating. There's not a speck on angel in you currently, is there?"

As Pestilence laughed lightly, looking down into Castiel's face, Castiel suddenly lunged forward, grabbed Sam's demon-killing knife, and then he grabbed Pestilence's left hand. He slammed it down onto the glass table directly beside them and then Castiel quickly chopped off two of Pestilence's fingers, including the ring finger where he wore his ring full of his power. Pestilence immediately cried out with immense pain and Castiel was thrown down onto the floor as the demon nurse attacked him. He stabbed her with the demon-killing knife and then threw her off of him as the Winchester siblings stood up slowly. Dean picked up the chopped of finger with the ring still on it.

"It doesn't matter. It's already too late," smirked Pestilence.

He suddenly disappeared into thin air after his cryptic comment, Dean still holding his amputated ring finger.

The next morning back at Bobby's house, Dean spun Pestilence's ring around, watching as it stopped spinning after only a few seconds.

"What's wrong with all of you? You all got the next ring, but you all look like somebody was killed back there," said Bobby, looking from Dean to Sam to Alex and then finally over to Castiel.

"The last thing Pestilence said was 'it's too late,'" said Sam, looking over at Bobby.

"Was he specific?"

Sam shook his head.

"We're just a little bit freaked out that he might've left a bomb somewhere," said Dean.

"So, please tell us that you have actual good news, Bobby," said Alex, biting her lip nervously.

Bobby sighed.

"Chicago's about to be wiped off of the map. Storm of the millennium. Sets off an enormous chain of natural disasters and three million people are going to be killed."

"Huh," said Dean.

"I don't understand your definition of 'good news,'" said Castiel, his head resting in the palm of his hand as he rested his elbow on the top of another desk in Bobby's living room and study.

Dean rolled his eyes at Castiel's comment while Alex giggled lightly at Castiel's naivety.

"Well, Death, the Horseman, he's going to be there. And if we can stop him before he jumpstarts this whole large storm and get his ring back…"

"Yeah. You make it sound so simple," replied Dean, very sarcastically.

"Well, I'm just trying to put a spin on it," replied Bobby.

"Bobby, how'd you put all of this together, anyways?" asked Alex, her eyebrows pulling together with confusion.

Bobby simply shrugged his shoulders.

"I had, you know, some help," he answered.

Dean looked over his shoulder as he heard a noise from the kitchen area. Crowley was pouring himself a small glass of whiskey in Bobby's kitchen.

"Oh, don't be so modest. I barely helped at all," said Crowley.

He walked into the living room with his glass of whiskey in one hand and the other hand in his pocket.

"Hello, all. Pleasure."

Crowley gave them all a general nod of his head and then he sniffed his small glass of whiskey. He looked disgusted as he set the glass down on the bookshelf directly beside him. Bobby looked nervous.

"Go on. Tell them all," he urged Bobby.

All eyes turned back to face Bobby.

"Bobby?" asked Sam, his eyebrows raised all the way up to his hairline.

"Tell us what?" asked Alex.

Crowley looked smug as he stood behind all of them.

"Well, the world's going to end anyway, right? Seems really stupid to get all precious over one little soul," answered Bobby.

"You sold your soul?" yelled Dean.

Castiel's eyes closed with defeat.

"Oh, more like pawned it really. And I fully intend to give it back, alright?" replied Crowley.

"Then give it back!" yelled Dean, glaring at Crowley.

"I will."

"Now!"

Sam looked very confused.

"Did you kiss him?" he asked Bobby.

"Sam," warned Dean.

"I was just wondering," shot back Sam.

Dean turned to look back at Bobby now as well.

"No!" yelled Bobby, shaking his head.

Crowley cleared his throat, holding up his cellphone with a picture on it. Bobby sighed with defeat, briefly closing his eyes as everyone else looked back over towards Crowley once more. Dean tilted his head to the side as he looked at the picture of Bobby and Crowley locking lips to seal their deal.

"Why'd you take a picture?" asked Bobby.

"Why'd you have to use tongue?" shot back Crowley.

Crowley placed his cellphone back into his jacket pocket as Dean stood up from his chair.

"Alright, you know what, I'm sick of this. Give him his soul back right now," demanded Dean, walking over to stand directly in front of Crowley.

"I'm sorry, but I can't," replied Crowley, looking directly into Dean's angry face.

"Can't or won't?"

"I won't, alright? It's insurance."

"What are you talking about? Why would you need insurance?" asked Alex.

"You all kill demons. But you won't kill me. As long as I have that soul."

"You son of a bitch," said Bobby, glaring over at Crowley.

"I will return your soul. But only after all of this is over and I can safely walk away. Do we understand each other?" yelled Crowley.

No one spoke for a few long, tense seconds. Finally, Dean nodded once, a curt nod. Crowley smiled triumphantly.

As Alex was sleeping peacefully on Bobby's loveseat about an hour after the whole long soul debacle with Crowley, Dean walked outside to move a few things around in his Impala's trunk. Sam followed him outside and Dean stopped what he was doing to look over at his brother.

"Let me guess. We're about to have a talk," said Dean.

Sam sighed, smiling sadly. Dean walked out from behind his beloved car and stood directly in front of his younger, but taller, brother.

"Look, Dean. I agree with you, about me, at least. You think that I'm too weak to take on Lucifer and…"

Sam shrugged his shoulders slightly and let out a nervous chuckle.

"Well, so do I. Please believe me, I know just how exactly screwed up I am. You, Alex, Bobby, Cas. I'm the least out of any one of you."

"Oh, Sam," sighed Dean, shaking his head slightly.

Sam gently placed a hand on Dean's arm to stop him from walking away from him.

"But it's true. It is. But I'm also all that we've all got. If there was another, easier way, I'd be all for it. But I truly don't feel like there is a different way. It's just me, so I don't know what else to do. Honestly. Except to just try to do what's got to be done," finished Sam.

Dean was leaning against one side of his beloved car as Sam spoke. Dean's arms were crossed over and across his chest.

"And… scene!" yelled Crowley, sneaking up on the two brothers.

Sam rolled his eyes while Crowley walked over to join the two of them. He handed Dean the folded up newspaper that he was holding underneath his arm.

"There's something you all need to see in there," said Crowley.

With a hard glare over at Crowley, Dean unfolded the newspaper and scanned the front page. He began reading aloud an article about a new vaccine for the swine flu epidemic. As he continued reading, Sam just looked confused.

"Niveas Pharmaceuticals? Get it?" asked Crowley.

Both Winchester brothers shook their heads as Crowley rolled his eyes.

"You know, you two are very lucky to have your looks. Your demon lover, Brady, was the Vice President of Distribution at Niveas," explained Crowley.

Dean's eyes widened as he turned to look over at his younger brother.

"Are we all caught up finally?" asked Crowley.

"So, Pestilence was spreading the swine flu," replied Sam.

"Yeah, but not just for grins and giggles. That was step one while step two was the vaccine. And you think that…"

Dean turned to face Crowley then.

"I don't think, I know. I'd bet my reputation that that vaccine is filled with grade A, farm fresh Croatoan virus," answered Crowley, his face hard.

Sam smirked sarcastically as he shrugged his shoulders as well.

"Nationwide distribution. That's quite the plan," replied Sam.

"Yes, well, you don't get to be Horseman for nothing. So, you boys better stock up on… Well, everything, I would say. Because by this time next Thursday, we'll all be living in zombie land."

As night fell upon all of them, Alex bit her lip nervously as she watched Sam and Dean load the last of their weapons into Bobby's truck and into Dean's Impala as well. Dean slammed his trunk closed and then he turned to face his brother and Bobby, Alex standing directly by his side.

"Alright, well, good luck stopping the whole zombie apocalypse," said Dean.

"Yeah, well, good luck killing Death," said Sam.

Dean nodded.

"Yeah."

Sam smiled sadly.

"Remember how we only used to hunt things like wendigoes? How simple things were?" asked Sam.

"Not really," answered Dean.

Sam chuckled lightly.

"I do, Sammy. I remember," replied Alex.

Sam smiled over at her as he reached behind him and grabbed his demon-killing knife. He walked forward a few steps, beginning to hand it over to Alex.

"You two might need this at one point," said Sam.

Suddenly, Crowley appeared, holding up a large, curvier knife blade.

"Keep it, Sam. Dean and Alex are covered."

Dean took the scary looking knife from out of Crowley's hands.

"Death's own blade. It kills probably demons and angels and reapers and, rumor even has it, the very thing itself," explained Crowley.

"How did you get that blade?" asked Castiel, piping up from directly behind Sam's tall, lanky form.

"Hello, King of the Crossroads over here. So, shall we?"

Crowley looked over at Bobby.

"Bobby, you just going to sit there?"

Bobby glared over at him as Crowley sighed.

"Oh, Bobby, Bobby, Bobby. You can get more from a crossroads deal if you phrase it properly. However, I took the liberty of adding a sub-A clause on your behalf."

Everyone's eyebrows rose as Crowley simply shrugged.

"What can I say? I'm an altruist."

Crowley raised his eyebrows as he looked over towards Bobby once more.

"So, are you just going to sit there all night or what?" he asked him once more.

Everyone turned to look as Bobby slowly moved his left foot. Alex gasped as Bobby placed first one foot and then the other onto the cold, hard, concrete ground for the first time in forever. He slowly pushed himself up and out of his metal wheelchair, standing up tall and proudly. Sam turned back around to grin over at Crowley while Dean looked at Bobby, his eyes wide. Alex's own blue eyes were wet with unshed tears.

"Son of a bitch," whispered Bobby.

"Yes, I know. And completely worth your soul. I'm one hell of a guy."

"Thanks," whispered Bobby, staring into Crowley's face.

"This is getting old very quickly. Can we go now, please?" asked Crowley.

Crowley began walking away as Bobby grinned like a small child on Christmas morning. Dean, Alex, and Sam grinned along with him, Castiel watching their exchange silently from his place directly behind Sam.

"Let's get a move on!" yelled Crowley, raising his eyebrows.

Dean sighed and headed for his Impala while Bobby and Castiel climbed into the van. Sam held out his arms wide and Alex snuggled into his chest. Sam kissed the top of her head as Alex breathed in his very masculine scent.

"Please stay safe, Sammy. For me, alright?" whispered Alex.

Sam nodded and then Alex pulled away. Sam kissed her forehead and then Alex stood up onto her very tiptoes to kiss Sam's scruffy cheek. Sam watched as Alex climbed into the very backseat of Dean's Impala and with one final wave, they were off. Sam sighed sadly and climbed into Bobby's old van.

"So, say yes to Lucifer and then jump into the large hole?" asked Castiel.

Sam rolled his eyes as he rested his head onto the passenger side window. Bobby was driving his van as the rain poured down from the sky. Castiel was sitting in the backseat and Sam was sitting in the passenger seat.

"That's a very interesting theory," finished Castiel.

"That's the word for it, sure," replied Bobby.

"So, go ahead and tell me that it's the worst plan that you've ever heard from me," shot back Sam, smirking sarcastically.

"Of course, I am happy to say that if that's what you want to hear. But that's not what I think," replied Castiel.

Sam looked back at the angel, his face showing his confusion as his eyebrows pulled together in the middle of his forehead.

"Really?" asked Sam, sounding a bit incredulous.

"You and your siblings have a habit of exceeding my highest expectations. He resisted Michael, so maybe you could also resist Lucifer."

Sam shrugged his shoulders.

"But there are things that you would need to know."

"Like?" asked Sam.

"Like the fact that Michael has already found another vessel," explained Castiel.

"What?" asked Sam, exchanging a look with Bobby.

Castiel looked between the two men quickly.

"It's your brother, Adam. You must have at least considered it as an option."

"Yeah, but we were trying not to," replied back Sam, looking straight ahead at the dark black road directly in front of all of them as they drove onward.

"Sam, if you say yes to Lucifer and then fail, this fight will happen. And the collateral, well, it will be tremendously immense."

Castiel shook his head.

"There's also the demon blood."

"What?" asked Sam, looking alarmed as he looked back to face Castiel.

"To take in Lucifer would be more than you've ever drunk before."

"But… why?" asked Sam.

"Because it strengthens the vessel and keeps it from exploding," explained Castiel.

"But the guy he's in now-"

"He's been drinking gallons."

"And how is that not the worst plan that you've ever heard before?" asked Bobby, his eyes still fixed onto the road before all of them.

Castiel never answered. He watched Sam as Sam looked out of his passenger side window at the rain, deep in thought.

The next morning, Bobby had parked the van in a parking lot across the street from where the vaccines were all being loaded into separate trucks.

"Yup, they're loading up hotshots of Croatoan into those damn trucks," said Bobby.

He removed his pair of binoculars from his face and then he turned to look at both Castiel and Sam.

"Okay, so, the first truck doesn't leave for another hour. I say that we get in and we plant the C4 every twenty-five feet and then we pull the fire alarm," explained Bobby.

"Um, but that truck is already leaving," said Castiel, using one finger to point out the front windshield.

Sam whipped his binoculars back up to his face and watched as the bright, big yellow truck pulled out of the garage warehouse.

"Balls!" yelled Bobby, watching as the truck left as well.

"Okay. Here's the new plan."

Bobby, Sam, and Castiel jumped out of their car, heading for the big yellow truck that was already at the front gates. They rushed over to the big yellow truck and just as the driver reached out to swipe his security card, Castiel grabbed his wrist, pulled the man forward, and punched him directly in the face. The man's face fell forward, causing his truck's horn to begin blaring very loudly. Castiel smashed in the keypad, causing the big black front gates to malfunction. As he dealt with the truck driver, Sam and Bobby ran over to the warehouse. Just as they reached the garage, the door closed.

"Side door!" yelled Bobby.

Sam and Bobby both ran around the left to find the side door. People were pounding on the doors and yelling.

"Get back!" yelled Sam, pulling out a handgun.

As he heard the yelling cease, he quickly shot off the lock and pulled open the door.

"Let's go, let's go!" yelled Sam, ushering multiple workers out of the building.

Once everyone was clear, Sam and Bobby immediately rushed inside the warehouse. They both set their duffel bags onto the ground gently and then they slowly walked towards the sound of muffled cries. As they rounded the corner, the cries ceased and a group of men turned to look at them. All of their eyes were a bright red color. Sam tilted his head to the right side once, stretching his neck. He then raised his gun as Bobby did the same with his own shotgun in his hands. As the group of men began running towards them, Sam and Bobby began shooting. In a matter of mere seconds, all of the men were dead and on the floor, pools of blood forming under all of their heads.

"Help! Help me! Please help!" cried out a female voice from much farther away in the warehouse.

Sam placed his gun into the back waistband of his blue jeans.

"There's still people here," he whispered.

He began stalking forward slowly.

"Sam, no!" warned Bobby, yelling.

Bobby's eyes were wide as Sam reached into his back waistband and pulled out his special demon-killing knife. He held it up for Bobby to take.

"Wait here," instructed Sam.

Bobby grabbed the knife's handle as Sam pulled out his gun once more.

"Damn," whispered Bobby, watching as Sam quickly took off further into the warehouse.

Dean pulled his Impala to a stop under a large bridge. Dean, Alex, and Crowley all scrambled out, Alex shivering from the chilly Chicago air.

"Hey, let's stop for some pizza," suggested Crowley.

Dean and Alex both stared over at him with their eyebrows raised.

"Are you serious?" asked Alex.

Crowley simply shrugged his shoulders.

"What? I heard it was really great here."

They walked forward a few more steps until Crowley stopped them by holding out one arm. He nodded towards the old building directly in front of them.

"Ugly building straight ahead of us. Ground zero. The Horsemen's stable, if you will. He's sitting in there right now."

"How do you know?" asked Dean, his eyes never leaving the building that was located only a few feet away across the street.

"Have you met me? I just know, alright?"

Alex and Dean both nodded their heads at Crowley's answer.

"Also, the block is crawling with all kinds of reapers," said Crowley.

Dean and Alex saw nothing, but Crowley saw multiple reapers standing guard out front of the building and in the deserted street as the wind blew around all of them.

"I'll be right back," said Crowley, walking forward slowly and deliberately.

He disappeared abruptly, but he reappeared directly behind the two siblings just as suddenly as he had disappeared.

"Death's not in there," said Crowley.

"So, where is he then?" asked Dean angrily.

"Sorry. I don't know."

Crowley began walking away, but Dean caught up to him in only a few long strides. He grabbed Crowley's shoulder, stopping him from moving forward momentarily. Alex remained standing on the corner of the deserted street.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. What do you mean, 'you don't know?'"

"Look, I'm just as shocked as you are."

Crowley began walking away once more.

"Bobby sold his soul for this!" called out Dean.

Crowley rolled his eyes as he turned around to face Dean and Alex once more.

"Relax. We'll catch Death in the next Doomsday city."

"Crowley, millions of people are about to die at any moment!" yelled Alex.

"True. So, I strongly suggest that we leave here immediately," shot back Crowley.

He headed for the Impala while Dean and Alex stared after him.

Sam rounded the corner in the large warehouse and saw a man tugging on a woman's pant leg as she tried to scurry up a yellow ladder. Sam shot the man in the back of the head, killing him almost instantly. The woman stared at Sam with wide eyes.

"Are you alright?" he asked her.

The woman nodded to something behind Sam, so Sam whirled around and shot another man who was running towards him. Sam then helped the woman climb down from her ladder and they headed back towards the front of the warehouse. Along the way, they ran into another man and he ran with them. Once they had reached Bobby, the two civilians ran for the side door, leaving the building completely. Sam then gave one curt nod to Bobby and he headed back around the corner, Bobby staring after him.

Alex sighed as Dean returned to the Impala. She leaned forward from her spot in the Impala's backseat, Crowley sitting in the passenger seat.

"How am I supposed to get 3 million people out of Chicago within the next ten minutes, huh?" asked Dean, glaring over at Crowley's smug face.

Instead of answering Dean, Crowley disappeared into thin air. Alex cursed under her breath and Dean threw up his hands with frustration.

"Come on," he growled out under his breath.

As he looked out of his window, he squinted as he saw Crowley peeking into a shop window. Alex spotted Crowley as well and she watched as he turned around and mouth something to both siblings. Dean shrugged and then Crowley mouthed it once more.

"What? I can't hear you," replied Dean.

"I said I found him," said Crowley, appearing back into Dean's passenger seat.

Dean and Alex were both startled at his sudden reappearance. Crowley pointed over to the building that he had just been looking into through the store's window.

"Death, he's in there," finished Crowley.

With one last glance over at Crowley, Dean opened his car door and climbed out. He glanced over at the building, which was a pizzeria. He heard Alex climb out from his side and then Dean leaned back down to look into his car.

"Are you coming or…"

Dean stood up straight as he saw that Crowley had suddenly disappeared once more.

"Or not," he finished.

He carefully closed his door and then he walked with Alex across the busy Chicago street.

Bobby stabbed another demon with Sam's demon-killing knife. As he watched the life leave the demon's eyes, Sam came rushing around the corner once more, two more civilians running out of the side door and leaving the building.

"All clear," said Sam.

Bobby nodded once, but then his eyes widened.

"Sam!"

A man came running towards Sam, tackling him down to the floor. The man's meaty hands wrapped around Sam's slim throat and Sam struggled to breathe as he looked into the man's red-rimmed eyes. Bobby aimed for the man's head, but his shotgun was out of bullets. As Bobby tried to come up with a new plan, a shot suddenly rang out and the man fell off of Sam and onto the floor, dead. Sam and Bobby looked over at Castiel, who was examining his own shotgun that he was holding in his hands.

"Actually, these things can be fairly useful," he said, still looking down at the lethal weapon.

Sam caught his breath as Castiel sighed.

"Let's go," said Bobby, heading for the side door.

Dean slowly and quietly opened the front door of the pizzeria. He tiptoed inside, Alex following behind him. He saw two waitresses dead on the floor and he cringed as the door made a small sound as Alex closed it gently. Dean walked forward with Alex, Death's own blade in Dean's right hand. They crept forward slowly and hesitantly, spotting more dead patrons as they walked. They both turned a corner and saw an older gentleman sitting alone at a middle table. As they moved ever closer, Death's blade began heating up in Dean's hand. He cringed as the blade's handle began turning a bright orange until suddenly, Dean dropped it. Both his and Alex's eyes went wide as the blade crashed down onto the floor. They looked up, but Death had not turned around to see the two of them.

"Thanks for returning that," he simply said.

The Winchester siblings looked back down at the floor to see that the blade had disappeared. Once they looked up at the table, they spotted the blade right beside Death's left elbow.

"Join me, Dean. And Alex. The pizza's rather delicious."

Alex and Dean heard and saw the rain pick up outside as the thunder crashed and the lighting struck the ground outside. Dean walked forward first, Alex following directly behind him.

"Please, sit down," said Death, his eyes never leaving the slice of pizza on his plate as he cut it up with his knife and fork.

Dean hesitantly took the chair across from Death as Alex sat on Dean's left.

"Well, it certainly took you two long enough to find me. I've been wanting to talk to you."

"Well, I've got some mixed feelings about that," replied Dean.

Death said nothing, but he continued eating his one slice of pizza.

"So, is this the part where you kill us all?" asked Alex, her voice only slightly above a whisper as she stared over at the Horseman.

The Horseman looked up then, chewing and then swallowing his bite of pizza.

"You two have an inflated sense of your importance. To a thing like me, a thing like you two siblings, well…"

Death trailed off as he took a drink from his nearly empty soda cup. He set it back down on his table before continuing to talk.

"Think how you two would feel if a bacterium sat down at your lunch table and started to get snarky. This is one little planet with one tiny solar system. I'm old, you two, very old. So, I invite the two of you to contemplate how very insignificant I find the both of you."

Death then picked up the serving spatula and placed a slice of pizza on first Dean's plate and then Alex's as well.

"Eat," he ordered.

Death then sat back and watched as Dean and Alex both slowly ate one bite of pizza.

"Good, isn't it?"

As both Winchester siblings chewed their bites of pizza, Death resumed eating his own slice as well.

"Well, I've got to ask. How old are you, exactly?" asked Dean, staring over at the Horseman.

"As old as God. Maybe older, actually. Neither one of us can even remember anymore. Regardless, at the end, I'll reap Him as well," explained Death.

Dean and Alex's eyes both widened.

"God? You'll reap God?" asked Alex.

Death looked up from his slice.

"Oh, yes. God will die as well, Alex."

He ate another bite of pizza while Dean shifted in his chair uncomfortably.

"Well, this is way above our pay grade."

"Just a bit," replied Death.

Dean's smile fell.

"So, then, why are Alex and I still breathing? Sitting here with you…. I mean, what do you want, exactly?"

"I want the leash around my neck to be off finally. Lucifer has me bound to him with some little spell. He has me where he wants, when he wants. So, that's why I couldn't just come to you. I had to wait for you all to catch up to me."

Dean stared into Death's hard face.

"He made me his weapon. Hurricanes, floods, raising the dead up. I'm more powerful then you two can even process and I'm enslaved to a bratty child who's throwing a rather large temper tantrum."

"And you think that… we can unbind you?" asked Dean, raising his eyebrows.

Death shook his head.

"There's your ridiculous bravado again, of course you can't," mumbled Death, looking away for a split second.

He then looked back to Dean and Alex.

"But you two can help me take the bullets out of Lucifer's only gun."

Death set down his silverware and leaned forward, placing his left elbow on the table. He flexed his fingers, showing off his powerful Horsemen ring.

"I understand that you all came here for this."

Lightning flashed as the two Winchester siblings stared down at the ring. Dean was the first one to look back up into Death's older face.

"Yeah?" he replied.

"Well, I would like to give it to the two of you."

"To give it to us?" asked Alex, her eyebrows raised.

"Yes, that's exactly what I said."

"But what about… Chicago?" asked Dean, his face uncomfortable.

Death stared at him for a long split second before simply shrugging his shoulders.

"I suppose that it can just stick around. I like the pizza here."

The two siblings watched as Death slid off his ever powerful ring using his other hand. He held it in between two of his fingers as he held it out for Dean or Alex to grab and take.

"There are conditions."

Dean glanced down at the ring and then back up into Death's wrinkled face.

"Okay, like?"

"You all have to do whatever it takes to put Lucifer back into his cell."

"Of course," agreed Dean.

"Whatever it takes," repeated Death, raising his eyebrows.

"That's the plan," responded Alex.

"Your brother. He's the one that can stop Lucifer, the only one."

Dean was silent for a full minute before replying.

"Wait, you think-"

"I know. So, I need one promise. You're going to let your brother jump right into that fiery pit."

Dean's face was hard as he watched Death extend his hand across the table, his powerful ring still clutched in between two of his fingers. He held it out for either Winchester sibling to take from him.

"Well, do I have your word?" he asked one final time.

Alex watched Dean's face, her eyes wide with horror and fear. Dean swallowed once before nodding his head.

"Okay, yeah. Yes," replied Dean.

He cupped one palm and then held his cupped palm out underneath Death's extended fingers.

"That better be 'yes,' Dean. You know that you can't cheat death."

Dean's lips trembled as Death gently dropped the ring down into Dean's cupped palm. Alex flinched as the ring fell into Dean's palm.

"Now, would you like the instruction manual?" asked Death.

He leaned even more forward in his seat and began speaking, Alex and Dean listening intently.

Back at Bobby's house, Dean set the last Horsemen ring onto his closed trunk, watching as the rings all clanked together as if they were magnetic. Alex was sitting on the other edge of the trunk, her elbow resting on her knee and her chin resting in her hand. They both looked up as Bobby made his presence known. Dean smiled as Bobby walked towards them.

"How was it?" asked Alex.

"Oh, fine. I walked up and down the stairs all last night for no damn reason at all. I'm actually sore," chuckled Bobby.

Alex and Dean smiled warmly at their only living father figure.

"Hell, it feels wonderful. I'm almost scared that it's only a dream. But then I remember that the whole world's dying all bloody, so… what the hell, right?"

Bobby took a drink from his beer bottle and then watched as Dean pulled the rings apart. He then forced Death's powerful ring closer to all the rest and then they all stuck together once Dean had released the ring.

"So, Death told you all how to operate those? The whole deal?" asked Bobby.

Alex nodded.

"Yeah, it's nuts," replied Dean, holding up the four rings and squinting as he examined all of them stuck together.

He shook his head as he set them back down onto the trunk of his car.

"Of course, we've all got much bigger problems now."

"Really?" asked Bobby, sounding surprised.

"What do you think Death does to people who lie directly to his face?" asked Dean, looking up into Bobby's warm fatherly face.

"Nothing good. What'd you all say?" he asked the two siblings.

"That I was cool with Sam driving the whole bus on this whole Lucifer plan," explained Dean.

Bobby's eyes widened slightly.

"So, Death thinks that Sam ought to say yes, hmm?"

Dean shook his head.

"I don't know."

"Yes," replied Alex at the same time.

Bobby nodded his head with understanding.

"But, I mean, of course he'd say that, he works for Lucifer," said Dean.

"Against his will, you all said," chimed in Bobby.

"Yeah, but we've all got to take his sad sob story with a fat grain of salt. I mean, he is Death," shot back Dean.

Bobby and Alex nodded.

"Exactly, he's Death."

"Seriously?" asked Dean.

Bobby simply shrugged innocently.

"I'm just sayin'."

"Well, don't. I mean, what happened to you being all against this plan?"

"Look, I'm not sayin' that Sam ain't full of character defects, but…"

Bobby trailed off while Dean looked at him angrily. Alex sighed from beside her brother.

"But what?" asked Dean.

Bobby took a deep breath before finally talking.

"At Niveas, I watched that kid pull one civilian out after another. He must've saved ten people, but he never stopped and he never once slowed down at all. We're awful hard on him, Dean, we've always been hard on him. But, in the meantime, he's been runnin' into burnin' buildings since he was, what, 12 years old?" asked Bobby.

Dean smirked for one split second.

"Pretty much," whispered Alex.

"Now, look. Sam's got a darkness in him and we all know that, so I'm not saying that he don't. But he's also got a hell of a lot of good in him and I think that outweighs the awful," explained Bobby.

Dean looked down at the ground, his smile a sad one.

"I know," he replied.

"Then you also know that Sam can and will defeat the devil. Or he'll die trying. And that's the very best that we could all ask for."

Dean looked up from the dirt ground, but he never looked at either Bobby or Alex.

"So, I've got to ask, Dean. What the hell are you so afraid of?"

Dean finally looked into Bobby's serious face then.

"Losing? Or losing your brother?"

Bobby sighed as he looked over at Dean. After a few silent minutes, Bobby walked back inside. Alex hopped down from her perch on the Impala's trunk and she placed herself in front of her brother. Dean stared down into her bright blue eyes.

"Hey. I love you, big brother."

Dean gave her a weak smile.

"I love you, too, little sister," he replied gruffly.

Alex smiled and then she hugged Dean around the middle. He gently hugged her back and then Alex grabbed his chin, forcing him to look at her.

"We'll get through this together, no matter what. Whatever happens."

She then stood up on her very tiptoes and kissed Dean's forehead gently. She let go of his chin and walked back inside Bobby's small house, Dean sighing as he watched her leave the garage.

The very next morning, Sam and Alex were lying on the hood of Dean's Impala, Sam sipping from his Miller Lite beer bottle. Alex was tucked into his side, Sam's arm serving as her head's pillow. Her blonde hair spilled out across Sam's arm as she looked up at the bright blue morning sky. Sam turned his head as he heard Dean's approach.

"Hey," said Sam.

Dean gave him an acknowledging nod and then he leaned forward slightly, lifting up the lid of Sam's small green cooler and pulling out a beer for himself. He twisted the bottle cap off only after a slight pause, causing both Sam and Alex to glance over at their older brother.

"Dean. What's going on?" asked Sam, looking very confused.

"I'm in," replied Dean, tossing his beer bottle cap down onto the dirt ground.

"In with?" asked Sam.

"The whole 'up with Satan' plan. I'm on board," explained Dean.

Sam sat up, removing his arm gently from behind Alex's head. Alex sat up as well, staring as her brothers talked to each other.

"You're going to let me say yes?" asked Sam.

"No, that's the thing. It's not on me to let you do anything at all. You're a grown, well, overgrown, man and if this is what you really want…"

Dean glanced quickly over at his little sister.

"Then Alex and I will back your play," finished Dean.

Sam glanced back at his twin sister. She nodded sadly.

"I hate it so much, Sammy. But sometimes, when you love something or someone, you have to let them go," whispered Alex.

Her small smile was a very sad one as she looked into her twin brother's face. Sam sighed sadly.

"Well, that's the last thing that I thought either one of you two would ever tell me."

Dean cocked his head to the side.

"Well, it might just be the last thing we do ever say to you."

Sam slightly chuckled.

"I'm not going to lie to you, though, Sam. This plan goes against every single fiber of my being. I mean, the truth is… watching out for you and Alex… it's kind of always been my job, you know? But even more than that, it's kind of… who I've always been, too. You and Alex just aren't kids anymore and I can't keep treating either one of you like children. Maybe I've got to grow up a little bit here, too."

Dean looked down at the ground as he slightly nodded his head.

"Look, I don't even know if we've got a snowball's chance in hell, but…"

Dean paused once more for a split second before continuing his inspiring speech.

"But what I do know is that if anyone can do it… it's you, Sammy."

Sam nodded his head and glanced over at his older brother.

"Thank you," whispered Sam.

"If this is what you want…"

Dean finally looked his little brother directly in the eyes.

"Is this really what you want? To do all of this?"

Sam took in a large breath, inhaling deeply.

"Well, I did let Lucifer out. So, I've got to be the guy to put him back into his cell."

After a while, Dean finally nodded once, a curt nod to his brother and sister.

"Alright. That's it then."

Both boys took a sip from their beer bottles as Alex laid her head down onto Sam's shoulder.

The next morning, Alex cringed as Sam and Castiel carried out four one-gallon containers full of dark red demon blood. They loaded up the Impala's trunk as Dean meandered over to the side of the abandoned building, where Alex and Bobby were currently standing next to Bobby's black van.

"You know, I'm still not quite used to seeing you at eye level," remarked Dean, causing Bobby to grin infectiously.

Alex grinned as well.

"So, was I correct?" asked Bobby, looking over towards Dean.

Dean nodded slowly.

"As always. Two demons in there, just like you said there would be."

"Did you get it?" asked Alex, biting her lip nervously as she looked up into her older brother's face.

Dean nodded once more, the look on his face now one of slight disgust.

"Yep, all the 'go juice' that good old Sammy can drink."

All three of them looked over towards the Impala, where Sam and Castiel were still loading up the gallons full of only demon blood. Dean sighed as he watched the two men.

"You alright over there, son?" asked Bobby.

"Not really. What have you all got?"

Dean turned away and looked at all of the newspapers that were littering the floor of Bobby's van.

"Well, not much at all. Do these look like omens to you?"

Bobby handed Dean the newspapers as Alex listed them off in order.

"Cyclones in Florida, temperature drop in Detroit, wildfires all over Los Angeles…"

"Wait, what about Detroit?" asked Dean, halting Alex's voice.

"Um, the temperature's dropped about twenty degrees recently, but only in a small five-block radius in downtown Motown," explained Alex.

Dean glanced down at the newspaper in his hands and then he threw it back into Bobby's trunk as both Bobby and Alex looked over at him.

"That's the one. The devil's in Detroit."

"Really? Because as far as foreboding goes, it's certainly a little light in the loafers. Are you sure?" asked Bobby.

"Yeah, I'm sure," replied back Dean.

He was looking over at Sam and Castiel once more. Sam was looking back at him, his face full of nerves.

As they drove on towards Detroit, Michigan later that night, Castiel was passed out in the backseat next to Alex. She rolled her eyes as Castiel's snores became even louder than they already were.

"I thought that angels didn't sleep," she whispered, eyeing her brothers.

Sam and Dean exchanged glances. Dean then refocused his attention back onto the black road directly in front of them.

"I've got a bad feeling about all of this," said Dean after a brief moment of silence.

"Well, you would be nuts to have a good feeling about all of this," replied Sam.

"You know what I mean, Sam. We're going to Detroit. And the devil always said that he'd jump your bones in Detroit and now, here we are, heading straight for him."

"Here we are," whispered Sam, looking straight ahead now, out of the front, rain-splattered windshield.

"Maybe he knows something that we don't," chimed in Alex from the backseat, careful not to wake up Castiel.

Sam laughed humorlessly.

"Alex, I'm sure that he knows a buttload that we don't know. But we've all just got to hope that he doesn't know anything about the rings, alright?"

Sam looked between his older brother and his younger sister before inhaling deeply.

"Hey, um, while we're on this subject, there's something that I need to talk to both of you about."

"What is it?" asked Dean, his tone a hard, gruff one.

"If this thing goes our way… and I flip into that box… y-you both know that I'm not coming back. At all," explained Sam.

Dean gave Sam one long, hard look while Alex took in a deep breath from her spot in the Impala's backseat.

"Yes, I'm aware," answered Dean for both himself and Alex.

"So, you two have got to promise me something."

"Okay, yeah."

"Anything," whispered Alex.

Sam paused for a split second.

"You both have got to promise not to try and bring me back."

Dean's forehead wrinkled with confusion while Alex looked angry.

"Are you freaking kidding me, Sam? No, we didn't sign up for that, ever," yelled Alex, not caring that Castiel was still asleep directly beside her.

"Alex-" began Sam, but Dean cut him off.

"Sam, your Hell is going to make my tour look like freaking Graceland, alright? And y-you want us to just sit by and do absolutely nothing?"

"Once that cage door is shut, you can't go poking around at it. At all. It's just too damn risky," argued Sam.

"No, no, no, no, no. As if we're just going to let you rot down there."

"Yes. You don't have another choice."

"Sam, you can't ask either one of us to do this," whispered Alex, her eyes pained now as she realized that her bullheaded brother was not backing down at all.

"I'm sorry, but you both have to."

Dean stared over at Sam then.

"So, what are we supposed to do? What am I supposed to do?" asked Dean.

"You go and find Lisa."

Dean scoffed and looked away from his little brother.

"You go find her and then you pray to all that is holy that she's dumb enough to take you in. And then, you- you have barbecues and you go to some of Ben's football games. You go and live some normal, apple-pie life, Dean."

Alex tried to hold back her tears, but they fell down her face as she listened to her twin brother. Sam turned to her then as Dean's sarcastic smile began to fade away from his face.

"And you, Alex. You go with Kellan. You two get married, have lots of children, and live a normal life, just like Dean. Hell, you two can be neighbors and raise your families together! You can have those barbecues with each other!"

Alex nodded as her tears fell down her face. She gave Sam a weak, watery smile and then he returned his attention back over to Dean.

"Promise me."

Dean glared over at Sam, not saying one single word. Alex leaned her head against her backseat window and cried soundlessly, falling asleep eventually.

Dean, Alex, Sam, and Castiel looked up as Bobby walked towards them down the dark, deserted Detroit alley.

"There are demons. At least two dozen of them. You were right, something's definitely up," said Bobby, breathing heavily from his exertion.

"It's more than just something. He's here, I know it," said Dean, his voice a gruff one.

He walked to the back of the Impala, opening its trunk. Sam sighed as he looked over at Bobby, who was looking at him sadly. Bobby walked forward a few steps to stand directly in front of Sam. His eyes shone with unshed tears.

"I'll see you around, kid," whispered Bobby.

Sam nodded once, a very curt nod.

"See you around," replied Sam.

Dean and Alex both looked down at the ground as Castiel watched Sam and Bobby's interaction. Bobby hugged Sam's tall form to him tightly and they hugged for a few short seconds, Sam slapping Bobby's back comfortingly. Once they had separated, Bobby looked up into Sam's face.

"Once he gets in, you fight him tooth and nail, do you understand? Keep swingin'. Don't give him an inch of your life."

"Yes, sir," replied back Sam, nodding his head once.

Bobby then turned away while Sam walked over to Castiel. He held out his hand for Castiel to shake.

"You take care of these guys, alright?"

Castiel looked into Sam's face, his expression a very sad one. He sighed lightly.

"That's not possible," answered Castiel.

Sam chuckled darkly.

"Then humor me, Castiel."

Castiel cringed, closing his eyes and shaking his head.

"Oh, man, I was supposed to lie, right?"

Sam chuckled once more and even Alex gave a slight smile.

"Um… sure. They'll all be fine," tried Castiel once more, but Sam simple shook his head.

"Just- just stop talking, alright?" asked Sam.

Castiel's smirk faded and he glanced over to Dean and Alex as he stuck his hands back into the pockets of his long, tan trench coat. Sam sighed and began the walk over to his siblings as Castiel walked over to join Bobby then. Dean had opened the Impala's trunk and once Sam was in front of it, he looked down into it, sighing as he saw the four one-gallon milk jugs that were full of pure demon blood.

"Would you all mind not watching this part?" whispered Sam, still staring down into the Impala's trunk.

Without one word, Dean instantly walked away while Alex gently and reassuringly squeezed a few of Sam's fingers with her hand before walking away as well. She stood with her brother, Bobby, and Castiel as Sam quickly downed the four gallons of demon blood. He then slammed the Impala's trunk closed and walked forward swiftly.

"Alright. Let's go."

Sam continued walking across the street to find the devil, Dean and Alex following right after him. Bobby and Castiel hung back in the dark alley. Once he was halfway across the street, Sam threw up his hands into the night air and began yelling very loudly.

"Alright! We're finally here, you sons of bitches! Come and get us all!"

As they approached the building, three men in black suits came out the front door of the building. Dean smirked.

"Hey, guys. Is your father home?"

Without a word, the three men each grabbed a Winchester sibling and began hauling them all into the building and up the stairs, all of them struggling along the way. They walked up three flights of stairs until they entered a completely furniture-less room to see Lucifer standing at the large window, looking down onto the deserted street directly below.

"Hello. So nice of you all to drop in," said Lucifer, never turning around to face them as he spoke.

He then blew his breath onto the window, causing the window to immediately freeze up.

"Sorry if it's a bit chilly here. Most people think that I burn up, but it's actually quite the opposite," explained Lucifer.

He drew a pitchfork into the frozen, chilly glass of the window with his right pointer finger as he spoke.

"Well, I'll alert the media, then," remarked Dean, his face serious and hard.

Lucifer turned to face all of them then, a smirk playing on his pink lips. He walked forward a few steps as well.

"Help me to understand something here, you all. I mean, stomping through my front door is… a tad bit suicidal, don't you think so?"

"We're not here to fight you," said Sam, his voice powerful.

Lucifer looked over at him, his head cocked to the side curiously.

"No? Then why are you here?"

"I want to say 'yes.'"

"Excuse me?"

Without saying one single word, Sam inhaled a deep breath. He then closed his eyes, concentrated, and the three demons that were previously holding the three siblings were now all lying dead on the floor. Sam opened his eyes and glared over at Lucifer.

"You heard me. Yes," yelled Sam.

"You're serious," said Lucifer, looking over Sam curiously.

The three siblings exchanged one quick glance. Alex began biting her lip nervously.

"Deal of the century. I give you a free ride, but when it's all over, I live, Dean lives, Alex lives, you bring our parents back-"

"Alright, can we please stop all of this bullshit? This is crap because I know that you all have the rings, Sam."

Without missing a beat, Sam's brow furrowed confusedly.

"I have no clue what you're even talking about right now."

Lucifer simply rolled his eyes.

"The Horsemen's rings? The magic keys to my cell? Does that ring a bell?"

Lucifer stepped closer to the three siblings. He continued walking until he was standing behind them.

"C'mon, Sam, I've never, ever lied to you. So, don't you think that you could at least pay me the same respect?" asked Lucifer.

Sam whirled around to face the devil himself, his eyes full of hatred for the devil. Dean and Alex turned around slowly as well.

"Look, I'm not even mad, alright? A cage match inside your brain… I really like it, I truly do. If you win, you jump in the hole. If I win… well, I just win."

The devil smirked.

"So, what do you say, Sam?"

Dean and Alex looked over at their brother, whose eyes never left Lucifer's ugly face.

"So he knows. Doesn't change anything."

"Sam," warned Alex.

"We don't have any other choice."

"No," said Dean.

Sam took a slight step forward, still staring into the devil's eyes.

"Yes," said Sam, his jaw clenched.

Lucifer smirked as he closed his eyes and a bright white light erupted around all four of them in the room. A piercing ringing sounded out as well and Dean and Alex cringed away from it. The light was very bright and Castiel and Bobby exchanged looks in the dark alley directly outside of the abandoned building that the siblings were currently holed up in. After a few more short seconds, the light and the wailing noise disappeared suddenly. Both Alex and Dean stood up straight, Sam lying motionless on the floor with his eyes closed. As Alex rushed over to Sam's side, standing over him, Dean pulled out the four Horsemen rings. He threw them up along one wall, where they stuck. Dean chanted a few words in Latin and then a loud rushing noise filled the room, the walls caving in around them. Alex gasped as Sam sat up straight.

"Sammy!" she yelled over the rushing noise.

Sam groaned as he struggled to stand up straight. Dean and Alex stood on either side of him, trying to help him stand up straight.

"I can feel him! Oh, God!" yelled Sam, clutching at his forehead.

"You've got to go now!" yelled Dean, still holding onto one of Sam's arms.

Sam finally looked over at the hole that Dean had created using the four Horsemen's all powerful rings. His face was one of fear and terror. Dean and Alex finally managed to pull Sam up straight.

"C'mon!" yelled Alex.

"Go now, Sammy," said Dean, staring into his little brother's face.

Sam still paused.

"Now!" yelled Dean.

Sam nodded once and headed towards the rather large hole. Once he was only a few steps away, he paused. He smirked evilly to himself and then he whirled around. Both Dean and Alex's faces fell as they stared into Sam's evil smirking face.

"I was just messing with both of you. Sammy's long gone."

Alex gasped and stepped closer to Dean as the evil Sam turned back around to face the large, gaping hole in the wall. He chanted a few words of Latin and then the rushing and the rumbling noises stopped. The large hole disappeared as well. Once it was gone, the evil Sam reached out his arm and pulled the four rings off of the wall. He held them in between his fingers as he turned back around to face his siblings.

"I told you all… This would always happen in Detroit," said Sam, his voice even deeper now.

As Alex and Dean looked on, Sam suddenly disappeared straight up into thin air. Dean's eyes filled up with unshed tears as he placed his palms on the back of his head with frustration and unease. Alex sank to the floor, crying loudly.

"How could we let this happen? I hate what we did. I hate myself," cried out Alex.

Dean sighed sadly as he walked over to his little sister. He helped her stand up and they walked outside together. They met Bobby and Castiel in the middle of the deserted street.

"How do we stop all of this?" asked Dean, looking straight into Castiel's face.

Castiel simply shook his head.

"We don't. Lucifer will meet Michael at their chosen field and the battle of Armageddon begins."

"Alright, so, where is this damn chosen field?" asked Alex, wiping away her tears.

"I don't know."

"Well, there's got to be something that we can do!" yelled Dean.

Castiel looked deeply saddened as he looked back to his old friends.

"I'm so sorry, Dean. And Alex. But this is over."

"You listen to me. We are not giving up!" yelled Dean.

Castiel shook his head as Alex looked behind her at Bobby.

"Bobby?" she called out.

Bobby looked up then, his face equally full of sadness. He stepped closer to all of them.

"Bobby?" asked Dean once more.

Bobby simply shook his head.

"You know, there was never much hope to even begin with. I honestly don't know what else to do."

Dean and Alex both looked dismayed and hopeless as they realized how bad their current situation truly was becoming.

Later on that night as Alex laid sleeping across the Impala's backseat, Dean pulled out his cellphone and dialed the one number that he ever expected to call. He waited only a few seconds and after one ring, Chuck answered his phone.

"Mistress Magda," said Chuck, smirking on the other end of the line.

"Um, no, Chuck. This is Dean. Dean Winchester."

Chuck cleared his throat uncomfortably on the other end of the call.

"Oh, um, hello, Dean. I never expected you to call."

"Yeah, well. Who's Mistress Magda?"

"Um, she's just an old, close friend."

"Yeah, I bet she's a real close friend. Anyway, whatever happened to Becky?" asked Dean.

"It didn't work out. I had way too much respect for her."

Chuck cleared his throat uncomfortably once more.

"Man, you've really got a whole virgin/hooker thing, don't you?"

"Alright, this can't be why you called."

Dean paused for a split second, quickly glancing back at Alex sound asleep in his Impala's backseat.

"Sam said yes."

"I know. I saw it. I'm actually currently working on the pages," said Chuck sadly.

"Did you where the last title fight goes down?"

Chuck sighed deeply.

"The angels are keeping it top-secret, very hush-hush," he explained.

"Well, shit," whispered Dean.

"But I saw it anyway," said Chuck, his voice coming out quickly and excitedly.

"Perks of being a prophet. It's tomorrow, high noon. It's at a place called Stull Cemetery."

"Stull Ceme- Wait. I know where that place is. That's an old boneyard outside of Lawrence. Why Lawrence?"

"I have no clue. It all has to end where it started, I guess."

"Alright, Chuck, look. Do you know of any way to short-circuit this thing?"

"Besides the four Horsemen rings? No, I don't. I'm so sorry."

"Well, do you have any clue what's going to happen next in your story?" yelled Dean.

"I wish that I did, Dean. But I- I just… I just honestly don't even know yet. I'm so sorry."

Dean nodded into his cell phone.

"Alright, thanks, man."

Dean hung up his cell phone then and he climbed out of his Impala. Castiel and Bobby were walking towards him down the still dark alley.

"You goin' someplace?" called out Bobby.

Dean said nothing as the two men walked ever closer over to him and his Impala.

"You're goin' to do something stupid. You've got that look in your eyes and all over your face," continued Bobby.

Dean finally turned to face Bobby and Castiel.

"I'm going to go and talk to Sam."

Bobby shook his head sadly.

"You just don't ever give up."

"It's Sam!"

"If you couldn't reach him here, then you're certainly not going to be able to on the battlefield," shot back Castiel.

"Well, if we've already lost, then I guess I've got nothing to lose, right?"

Dean looked from Castiel's face and then over to Bobby's face.

"Look, I just want you to understand that the only thing that you're going to see out there is Michael killing your brother," explained Castiel.

After a split second, Dean nodded sadly.

"Well, then I ain't going to let Sam die alone. Alex and I will take care of him like we always have."

Bobby and Castiel exchanged a quick glance with one another before watching Dean get into his Impala and drive away with Alex still sleeping soundly in the Impala's backseat.

The very next morning, Alex sat in the passenger seat as Dean pulled the Impala into Stull Cemetery in Lawrence, Kansas. Def Leppard's "Rock of Ages" was blasting from Dean's car speakers as Sam and Adam whirled around to watch Dean drive his Impala slowly through the cemetery, weaving slowly in between the multiple headstones that littered the grounds. Dean finally pulled the Impala directly up to where Sam and Adam were currently standing. He placed his beloved Impala in park and got out, Alex following his lead. Dean nodded towards his brothers.

"Howdy, boys."

"Sorry. Are we interrupting something?" asked Alex, looking between her twin brother and her half-brother.

She and Dean closed their car doors behind them and walked the few steps forward to stand directly in front of their siblings. Sam smirked evilly.

"Even for you, this is a whole new mountain of stupid," said Sam.

"We're not talking to you. We're talking to Sam," shot back Dean.

"You're no longer the vessel, Dean. You and Alex have no right to be here," said Adam, shaking his head.

Dean glanced over at Adam.

"Adam, if you're in there somewhere, I am so terribly sorry."

"Adam isn't home right now."

"Well, then, you're next on my list, buttercup. But right now, I need five minutes with him," explained Dean, nodding his head back over towards Sam.

"Listen here, you little maggot. You are no longer a part of this story!" yelled Adam, strolling closer to Dean.

"Hey!" yelled Castiel.

Adam whirled around to see Castiel and Bobby standing behind him. Castiel threw a flaming metal canister towards Adam. Adam screamed with agony as his body was immediately covered with bright orange flames. After only a few seconds, Adam had disappeared completely.

"He'll be back. And upset. But you two have now got your five minutes," explained Castiel, nodding towards Alex and Dean.

However, Sam was now glaring over at Castiel.

"Castiel. Did you just Molotov my brother with holy fire?"

Alex's eyes widened as Sam stepped closer to Castiel. Castiel began backing up, shaking his head.

"Um, no," said Castiel.

"Because no one messes with Michael except for me."

Sam held up a hand and snapped his fingers together. Castiel exploded, his blood and matter flying all over Bobby. Bobby's eyes widened as he looked over to Alex and Dean, blood covering his face. Alex stepped closer to Dean, grabbing his hand and holding it within her own as they faced Sam together.

"Sammy, can you hear me?" asked Dean.

Sam turned to face his two siblings, Lucifer's evil smirk still playing on Sam's lips.

"You know, I've tried to be nice to you all. For Sammy's sake. But you two are such a pain in my ass."

Sam walked forward, grabbing onto the lapels of Dean's leather jacket. He then threw Dean backwards, causing Dean to land on the front windshield of his Impala, shattering the glass. As Sam rounded on Alex, a shot rang out. Bobby looked terrified as he held the Colt in his trembling hands. Sam turned around and Bobby shot him once more. Sam looked down at the hole in his shoulder that was leaking blood. He then looked back over to Bobby and with an evil smirk, he waved his hand once. Bobby's neck snapped with a loud crack and he fell to the ground, dead.

"No!" yelled out both Alex and Dean.

"Yes," said Sam, grabbing Dean's foot.

Sam dragged Dean off of the Impala's hood and then he punched Dean straight in the jaw. Dean's mouth immediately filled up with blood, but he turned back around. Alex was now standing in front of Sam and Sam's arm was around her throat. He held Alex to him as she struggled fruitlessly.

"Sammy, are you in there?" asked Dean.

Sam smirked evilly once more.

"Oh, he's in here, alright. And he's gonna feel the snap of every single one of your bones, Dean."

Sam then tightened his hold on Alex's neck, causing her to begin struggling for breath.

"And he's also going to feel it as I snap his little sister's precious neck."

"Sammy, it's alright. It's alright. I'm here. Dean and I are here," whispered Alex, struggling to talk with Sam's tight hold around her neck.

Sam's hold loosened slightly, so Alex continued talking as Dean looked on, his eyes wide.

"We're not going to leave you. We would never leave you!"

Sam dropped Alex and she fell to her knees on the ground, gasping for breath. Dean quickly rushed over to her and they both watched as Sam raised his fist to punch one of them. Dean shielded Alex with his body and Alex cringed, ducking away from Sam's fist. Suddenly, Sam spotted his reflection in the shiny metal hood of the Impala. Sam began seeing flashbacks of his life with Dean and Alex.

He saw the little green army man in the ashtray of the Impala. He remembered putting it in there as a child.

He saw the three of them taking their favorite family picture when they were all much younger, the one where Alex was on Sam's back and the three of them were laughing without a care in the world.

He saw all of the road trips and all of the jobs that they had ever been on.

He saw Alex's blood on his shirt as he and Dean waited in the hospital after her miscarriage.

He saw the three of them laughing and he felt Dean's hug.

As Alex opened her eyes and Dean released her, Sam's fist unclenched and he began gasping for breath. Sam looked down at his scared siblings sadly.

"It's alright. It's going to be alright. I've got him," assured Sam, nodding his head.

He then quickly reached into his left pocket of his jeans and pulled out the rings from the Four Horsemen. He threw them down onto the grass and began chanting in Latin just like before. The ground caved in and a loud wind began roaring as the cage was re-opened once more. Sam looked down into the large hole, his face one full of nervousness and terror. Alex and Dean watched as he looked over at the two of them. They nodded reassuringly and then Sam returned his gaze down into the hole.

"Sam!" called out Adam's voice from directly behind him.

All three Winchester siblings looked over to their half-brother, who was shaking his head sadly.

"It's not going to end this way! Step back," encouraged Adam.

"You're going to have to make me!" yelled Sam.

"I have to fight my brother, Sam. Here and now. It's my destiny!"

Sam looked over to his siblings, who stared over at him sadly. After a split second, Sam closed his eyes and spread out his arms, beginning to fall backwards into Lucifer's cage. Adam's eyes widened and he ran forward, reaching out and grabbing onto Sam's shoulder. Sam grabbed ahold of Adam and together, the two men fell down into the large hole. Alex's eyes welled up with tears as her twin sibling disappeared. She and Dean looked away as a bright white light erupted from the hole and only a few seconds later, the cemetery was the same, no hole in sight. Alex was the first to spot the four rings still lying on the grass, burning a bright orange from the heat that they had just given off. Alex crawled towards the rings and sobbed as she sat there. Dean joined her and he held her close as they both cried. After only a few short minutes, both siblings turned around to see Castiel standing directly behind them. They slowly stood up.

"Cas, you're alive?" asked Alex.

Castiel nodded.

"I'm better than that."

"Cas… Are you God?" whispered Dean.

Castiel's returning smile was a sad one.

"That's a nice compliment, but no. Although, I do believe that he brought me back here."

He nodded once, a curt nod. He then walked over to Bobby, crouched down, and touched a finger to his forehead. Bobby's eyes fluttered open and he sat up slowly. He saw Castiel's face next to him and his eyes widened. Castiel gave him a curt nod as well and then he walked off. Dean looked down at the four rings in his hand.

Later that night, Alex sat in the backseat as Castiel sat in the passenger seat of the Impala. Dean looked over to their angel companion.

"What are you going to do now?" he asked Castiel.

"Well, return to Heaven, I suppose," answered Castiel.

"Heaven?" asked Alex, raising her eyebrows.

"With Michael in the cage, I'm sure that it's complete and total anarchy up there," explained Castiel.

"So, what, you're the new sheriff in town?' asked Dean.

Castiel glanced over at him, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

"I like that. Yes, I suppose I am."

"Well, God gives you a new pair of shiny wings and suddenly you're his little bitch again."

"I have no clue what God wants. I don't know if He'll even return. It just… seems like the right thing to do."

"Well, if you do see Him, you tell Him that I'm coming for Him next," ground out Dean.

Castiel slowly turned his head to face Dean and Dean did the same. Alex looked between both men.

"You're angry," stated Castiel.

"That's an understatement," whispered Dean, returning his back to the black road directly in front of him.

"He helped."

Dean and Alex both scoffed together then.

"Maybe even more than we realize."

"Oh, that's easy for you to say because He brought you back, Cas! But what about Sam? What about me and Alex, huh? Where's our grand prize? All we got is our brother in a giant hole!"

Castiel stared over at his friend.

"You got what you asked for, Dean. No paradise, no hell. Just more of the same."

The three of them sat in silence for a few minutes until Castiel spoke up once more.

"I mean it, Dean. What would you rather have? Peace? Or freedom?"

Alex sighed as Castiel disappeared.

"Man, he really sucks at goodbyes, doesn't he?" she stated.

She climbed into the front passenger seat then and Dean nodded with agreement.

The very next morning, Bobby, Dean, and Alex stood in Bobby's back junkyard. Bobby and Dean hugged each other tightly and then Bobby pulled Alex in for a hug. Tears fell down her face as Bobby kissed her temple.

"You take care of each other, you hear me?" whispered Bobby.

Dean nodded and so did Alex. She leaned forward and kissed Bobby's cheek gently. Dean climbed into the driver's side of the Impala and Alex climbed into the passenger seat. She waved goodbye to Bobby as Dean pulled away from Bobby's small house.

Alex watched her older brother as he drove through the night. His eyes never left the road in front of him and she sighed sadly. She turned her attention to her passenger side window as Dean took the next exit. He turned left and they eventually reached a small townhouse. The front porch light was on and a figure was sitting on the steps. He looked up as he heard the Impala approach. Alex grinned as she saw Kellan sitting on his front porch steps. Dean pulled his beloved car up to the curb and he put it in park before removing his keys from the engine. Alex rushed out of the car and she met Kellan halfway, the couple embracing passionately. Alex giggled as Kellan twirled her around, her hair flying out behind her.

"I've missed you so damn much, Alex," whispered Kellan, kissing her forehead.

"I know. I've missed you, too," replied Alex.

She kissed him deeply until Kellan finally pulled away from her. The two of them separated as Kellan walked over to Dean, shaking his proffered hand.

"Kellan."

"Dean."

Dean opened the Impala's trunk and Kellan pulled out Alex's only duffel bag. He slung it over his shoulder and then he waited on the front porch as Alex said goodbye to her oldest brother.

"Will you text me when you're there?" asked Alex.

Dean nodded and then he pulled Alex close, kissing the top of her head. He stroked her hair a few times as Alex cried into his shoulder.

"Hey, Lex. We're both going to be alright. I'm only a phone call away. And we'll only be a few hours apart," whispered Dean.

Alex nodded into his shoulder and Dean hugged her for a few more seconds until he finally let her go. He kissed her temple and then Alex kissed his cheek.

"I'll always love you, big brother. Don't ever forget that."

"I love you, too, little sister."

Dean climbed back into his car and waved slightly as he pulled away from the curb.

Only a few hours later, Dean was knocking on Lisa's front door. She answered her front door almost instantly, sighing with relief as she took in Dean on her lit front porch.

"Hey, Lisa," said Dean, looking slightly sheepish.

"Oh, thank God," she whispered.

She quickly looked him over.

"Are you alright?"

Dean nodded once.

"Yeah. Um, well, if it's not too late, I think that I'd like to take you up on that beer," replied Dean.

Lisa gave him a soft smile in return.

"Of course. It's never too late."

She stepped back slightly and Dean walked forward into her front entryway. As soon as he was close, Lisa pulled him in for a tight hug. She felt him trembling and she rubbed his back.

"Ssh, ssh, it's alright, Dean. It's all going to be alright," she whispered.

Dean slightly nodded into her shoulder and he cried freely as Lisa held him in her front entryway.

The very next night, Dean smiled as he saw the text message on his cell phone screen from Alex.

"Love you, big bro!"

Lisa set down the bowl of mashed potatoes directly in front of him and she smiled as she saw the text as well.

"You alright?" asked Lisa.

Dean looked over at her, smiling slightly.

"Yeah. I will be."

He placed his phone back into his pocket and then he began talking animatedly with Ben and Lisa. As he ate dinner with his new family, he missed the streetlamp suddenly burning out. As he placed a spoonful of mashed potatoes onto his plate, he never noticed that a figure was standing directly underneath the now burnt-out streetlamp. And that figure was Sam.