Cas, Mack, Risa and both Deans were gathered inside of Camp Headquarters. Risa leaned against the wall, 2014-Dean stood and Dean sat across from Cas at either end of the table where the Colt still rested. Mack sat to Cas's left. "So, that's it?" Risa asked. "That's the Colt?" 2014-Dean nodded. "If anything can kill Lucifer, this is it." He had his hands positioned authoritatively on the table over a map of the area. "Great," Risa nodded. "Have we got anything that can find Lucifer?" Future-Dean looked over at her in surprise. "Are you okay?" Dean grinned, finally glad he could provide information that his future self could not.

"Oh, we were in, uh, Jane's cabin last night. And apparently, we and... Risa have a connection." Cas snorted as 2014-Dean glared at him. "You want to shut up?" Dean raised his hands in surrender, crossing his arms over his chest. "We don't have to find Lucifer," future-him explained. "We know where he is. The demon we caught last week, he was one of the big guy's entourage. He knew."

"So, a demon tells you where Satan's gonna be, and you just believe it?"

"Oh, trust me, he wasn't lying," 2014-Dean insisted. "And how do you know?" Risa pressed. "Our fearless leader, I'm afraid, is all too well schooled in the art of getting to the truth," Cas piped up. Dean raised his eyebrows. That was a lot to unpack, but he decided to focus on that Cas meant, "Torture? Oh, so, we're- we're torturing again." All eyes went to him. "No, that's- that's good," he defended himself, glancing over at Mack. "Classy." Cas laughed, earning a bewildered expression from his future self. "What? I like past you."

"Lucifer is here," 2014-Dean pointed to a spot on the map. "Now. I know the block and I know the building."

"Oh, good- it's right in the middle of a hot zone," Cas stated, voice dripping with sarcasm. 2014-Dean looked at him curiously. "Are you sober?" Then he looked at Mack, as if making a connection. "Both of you?" Mack shrugged casually. "It's not of import." Dean watched the interaction curiously. "I want to come this time," Mack said. "Absolutely not," 2014-Dean shook his head. "But I can help! Dad, tell him." She looked over at Cas expectantly.

"I think your father is right, bee," Cas told her quietly. "You should stay here where it's safe." Mack stared at him in shock. "You want me to stay here while you go fight Lucifer?" Cas nodded. "Exactly. It would make your father and I feel better." The young girl looked from him to 2014-Dean and back. "But- I-"

"The decision is final, Mckinley," 2014-Dean said, effectively stopping any further argument. "I hate you! I hate both of you!" she screamed, rushing from the cabin. Complete silence fell after the door slammed shut behind her. "So, this plan of yours..." Cas finally spoke. "Are you suggesting it's reckless?" 2014-Dean challenged him.

"Are you saying we, uh, walk straight up the driveway, past all the demons and Croats, and we shoot the devil?"

"Yes."

"Okay, if you don't want 'reckless', I could use 'insouciant', maybe," Cas shrugged. "Are you coming?" future-Dean asked. "Of course. But why is he?" Cas gestured to past-Dean. "I mean, he's you five years ago. If something happens to him, you're gone, right?" Dean looked at his future self curiously, also wondering about his reasoning for bringing him along. "He's coming," 2014-him insisted in the same tone he'd used to shut down Mack. He and Cas stared at each other, and Dean wondered self-consciously if this was what it felt like for other people back in 2009 whenever he and Cas were in the same room. "Okay. Well, uh. I'll get the grunts moving."

"We're loaded and on the road by midnight," 2014-Dean said. "Alrighty." Cas and Risa exited the cabin, leaving Dean alone with himself. "Why are you taking me?" he asked. "Relax. You'll be fine. Zach's looking after you, right?" He shook his head. "No, that's not what I mean. I want to know what's going on." His future self looked over, holding his gaze for a moment before sighing. "Yeah, okay. You're coming because I want you to see something. I want you to see our brother."

"Sam? I thought he was dead." That's what 2014-Dean had told him when he asked earlier. Sam didn't make it. That was a common colloquialism for 'dead', wasn't it? "Sam didn't die in Detroit. He said 'yes'."

"'Yes'?" Dean's jaw dropped as it clicked. "Wait. You mean-" 2014-Dean nodded. "That's right. The big 'yes'. To the devil. Lucifer's wearing him to the prom." This was it. His brain was going to explode. He still wasn't sure if this was really what would be happening in the future or some elaborate joke on the angels' part, but either way, he couldn't take another second of it. Just when he thought he'd heard it all, he got slammed with some new fact. "Why would he do that?" he asked, voice threatening to break.

"Wish I knew. But now we don't have a choice. It's in him, and it's not getting out. And we've got to kill him, Dean. And you need to see it- the whole damn thing, how bad it gets- so you can do it different," 2014-Dean told him. "What do you mean?" he queried. "Zach said he was gonna bring you back, right? To oh-nine?" He nodded, "Yeah."

"Well, when you get back home- you say 'yes'. You hear me? Say 'yes' to Michael." His future self was pleading with him, desperation in his voice. "That's crazy," Dean shook his head. "If I let him in, then Michael fights the devil. The battle's gonna torch half the planet."

"Look around you, man! Half the planet's better than no planet, which is what we have now. If I could do it over again, I'd say 'yes' in a heartbeat." Dean swallowed. "So why don't you?"

"I've tried!" 2014-Dean shouted. "I've shouted 'yes' till I was blue in the face! The angels aren't listening! They just- left- gave up! It's too late for me, but for you-" He pointed at Dean and he shook his head emphatically. "Oh, no. There's got to be another way," he insisted. "Yeah, that's what I thought," future-him scoffed. "I was cocky. Never actually thought I'd lose. But I was wrong. Dean. I was wrong. I'm begging you. Say yes." There was a pause. "But you won't. 'Cause I didn't. Because that's just not us, is it?"

Dean was riding shotgun with Cas on the way to stop the devil. "Okay, seriously, what happened to you, man?" he looked over at the angel curiously. "I mean, what's with drinking and the drugs and why the hell would you drag Mack down with you?" Cas chuckled, shaking his head. "What's so funny?" Cas looked over at him, smirking cockily. "Dean, I'm not an angel anymore." That made Dean pause. "What?"

"Yeah, I went mortal," Cas nodded. "What do you mean? How?" he pressed. "I think it had something to do with the other angels leaving. And when they bailed, my mojo just kind of- psshhew!- drained away. And now, you know, I'm practically human. I mean, Dean, I'm all but useless. Last year, broke my foot, laid up for two months."

"Wow."

"Yeah... Mack grew... rather attached when she realized. I didn't mean to get her hooked on the drugs, but you two were arguing all the time and she begged me for them. I've never been good at telling her no." Dean looked over at him sharply. "I heard you tell her no earlier when you told her to stay behind." Cas nodded, "Yes, but that was different. Are you saying I should have allowed her to come on this suicide mission?"

"N-no, of course not," Dean shook his head. They fell silent for a moment. "So... you're human. Well, welcome to the club." Cas gave a dry laugh. "Thanks. Except I used to belong to a much better club. And now I'm powerless. I'm hapless, I'm hopeless. I mean, why the hell not bury myself in alcohol and decadence. It's the end, baby. That's what decadence is for. Why not bang a few gongs before the lights go out? But then that's, that's just how I roll."

They arrived at the hot zone right as the sun was rising. 2014-Dean gestured to the building, "There. Second-floor window. We go in there." Risa eyed him skeptically. "You sure about this?" He nodded. "They'll never see us coming. Trust me. Now, weapons check. We're on the move in five." Dean stepped forward, grabbing his future self's attention. "Hey, uh, me. Can I talk to you for a sec?" Future-him followed him off to the side, away from the rest of the group.

"Tell me what's going on," he demanded. "What?" future-him played dumb. "I know you. You're lying to these people," he accused. "Is that so?" Dean nodded, "Yeah. See, I know your lying expressions. I've seen them in the mirror. Now, there's something you're not telling us."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh, really? Well, I don't seem to be the only member of your posse with some questions, so, uh, maybe I'll just take my doubts over to them." He started to walk off, but his future self grabbed him by the arm. "Okay, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. Wait." He stopped, staring at himself expectantly. "What?" 2014-Dean gestured to the area around them. "Take a look around you, man. This place should be white-hot with Croats. Where are they?"

"They cleared a path for us," Dean realized, glancing around. "Which means that this is-"

"A trap," 2014-him finished. "Exactly." Dean swallowed. "Well, then we can't go through the front," he pointed out. "Oh, we're not. They are," future-him nodded at the rest of the group. "They're the decoys. You and me, we're going in through the back." Dean was shocked. "You mean you're gonna feed your friends into a meat grinder? Cas, too? You want to use their deaths as a diversion?" 2014-Dean looked away. "Oh, man, something is broken in you. You're making decisions I would never make. I wouldn't sacrifice my friends."

"You're right. You wouldn't. It's one of the main reasons we're in this mess, actually."

"What about Mack? If you do manage to kill Lucifer, what are you going to tell her, huh? You gonna be able to look her in the eye and tell her what you did? Why Cas is dead?"

"I can't afford to think about that right now!" future-Dean shook his head. "These people trust me to kill the devil and save the world and that's exactly what I'm gonna do. She'll forgive me eventually." Dean swallowed, taking a step back. "No. Not like this, you're not. I'm not gonna let you."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah."

For the second time, he was knocked out by his future self. When he woke up on the ground, he heard gunfire. Running blindly in that direction, he skidded to a stop in the garden behind the building. 2014-Dean was on the ground, neck held down under the shoe of someone in a white suit. His future self opened his eyes, spotting him right before the person stepping on him shifted their weight and snapped his neck. The person wearing the white suit turned, and Dean's breath caught in his throat. It was Sam, but his eyes were cold and empty; Lucifer.

"Oh. Hello, Dean. Aren't you a surprise." Thunder and lightning crashed and suddenly Lucifer was behind him. He spun around. "You've come a long way to see this, haven't you?" the devil mused. "Well, go ahead," Dean told him. "Kill me." Lucifer blinked. "Kill you?" He looked past Dean at his 2014 counterpart's corpse. "Don't you think that would be a little... redundant?" Dean didn't respond and he sighed. "I'm sorry. It must be painful, speaking to me in this- shape. But it had to be your brother. It had to be."

Lucifer reached for his shoulder, and Dean took a step back. "You don't have to be afraid of me, Dean. What do you think I'm going to do?" Dean glared. "I don't know. Maybe deep-fry the planet?" Lucifer examined a rose on a nearby bush, then turned away. "Why? Why would I destroy this stunning thing? Beautiful in a trillion different ways. The last perfect handiwork of God." Dean didn't reply. "You ever hear the story of how I fell from grace?"

"Oh, good God, you're not going to tell me a bedtime story, are you? My stomach's almost out of bile."

"You know why God cast me down? Because I loved him. More than anything. And then God created..." Lucifer smirked. "You. The little... hairless apes. And then he asked all of us to bow down before you- to love you, more than him. And I said, 'Father, I can't.' I said, 'These human beings are flawed, murderous.' And for that, God had Michael cast me into Hell. Now, tell me, does the punishment fit the crime? Especially, when I was right? Look what six billion of you have done to this thing, and how many of you blame me for it."

"You're not fooling me, you know that?" Dean told him. "With this sympathy-for-the-devil crap. I know what you are." Lucifer turned, studying him curiously. "What am I?" he asked. "You're the same thing, only bigger. The same brand of cockroach I've been squashing my whole life. An ugly, evil, belly-to-the-ground, supernatural piece of crap. The only difference between them and you is the size of your ego."

The devil smiled at him in amusement. "I like you, Dean. I get what the other angels see in you. Goodbye. We'll meet again soon." He turned to leave, and Dean cried out desperately. "You better kill me now!" Lucifer turned back, bemused. "Pardon?"

"You better kill me now. Or I swear, I will find a way to kill you. And I won't stop." Lucifer smirked. "I know you won't. I know you won't say yes to Michael, either. And I know you won't kill Sam. Whatever you do, you will always end up here. Whatever choices you make, whatever details you alter, we will always end up- here. I win. So, I win." Dean shook his head. "You're wrong," he said. "See you in five years, Dean." The devil vanished, and Dean turned to see Zachariah behind him reaching for his forehead with two fingers.

Back in the hotel room in 2009, Dean leaned against the kitchenette sink. Zachariah stood in front of him. "Oh, well, if it isn't the ghost of Christmas screw you," Dean snarled. "Enough. Dean, enough," Zach sighed. "You saw it, right? You saw what happens. You're the only person who can prove the devil wrong. Just say yes."

"How do I know that this whole thing isn't one of your tricks?" he countered. "Huh? Some angel hocus-pocus?" Part of him hoped it was just another one of the angels' tricks; another desperate tactic to make him say yes. Because there was no way that was what the future was like. Sam possessed by Lucifer, Cas human and getting high with his daughter who he barely interacted with anymore. His daughter who was left orphaned because he sent Cas into a meat grinder before getting killed by the devil himself; that couldn't be right.

"The time for tricks is over," Zachariah told him, making his heart sink. "Give yourself to Michael. Say yes so we can strike. Before Lucifer gets Sam. Before billions die." Dean considered the words for a long moment, thinking about it all. He could say yes right now and have a one hundred percent guarantee that what he'd just seen would never come to pass. Or he could refuse and find an alternative solution to beating the devil. Turning away, he answered, "Nah."

"'Nah'?" the angel echoed. "You telling me you haven't learned your lesson?" Dean looked back at him. "Oh, I've learned a lesson, alright. Just not the one you wanted to teach." Zachariah was livid. "Well, I'll just have to teach it again! Because I got you now, boy, and I'm never letting you-" Dean suddenly was standing in the middle of a rain-soaked road in the dark. He turned, finding Cas standing there staring at him. "That's pretty nice timing, Cas," he smiled. "We had an appointment," Cas replied. He put a hand on Castiel's shoulder, pointing at him. "Don't ever change."

"How did Zachariah find you?" Cas asked curiously. "Long story. Let's just stay away from Jehovah's Witnesses from now on, okay?" Cas looked at him, head tilted to the side the way Dean had come to realize he always did when he didn't quite understand something. "Dean, what happened?" Dean swallowed, unsure where to begin. He stared into the depths of Cas's cobalt orbs, illuminated by a nearby streetlamp. He licked his lips, gaze lowering to Cas's mouth. "Dean?" He looked back up at Cas's eyes, moving in closer. "Dean, what are you doing?"

"Just... shut up a minute, Cas," he whispered. Leaning in, he pressed his lips to Cas's in a ghost of a kiss, hands coming up to grip the lapels of the angel's trench coat. When he pulled back, Cas was staring at him with a bewildered expression. "S-sorry," he stammered, taking a step back. However, Cas moved with him, not letting him get away. "Cas-" The rest of his statement was cut off as Cas pressed his lips against his again, harder than how he'd done it.

Giving a strangled moan, he returned the kiss with enthusiasm, grip tightening on Castiel's coat. "Cas... not... here..." he spoke in between making out with him. Cas seemed to understand, but instead of pulling away, they were suddenly in a motel room. He didn't know where, and he couldn't find it in himself to care as Cas moved him back toward the bed without breaking the lip-lock.

"Son of a bitch," Dean gasped as Cas fell back against the pillows beside him. One of the things he'd found out pretty early in the encounter was that once Cas understood the assignment, he understood the assignment. Cas had been quick to reverse their positions so he was dominating the situation, and then Dean had been reduced to a writhing mess beneath him. "Was that okay, Dean?" Cas asked him, turning his head to look over at him. Dean propped his hand behind his head against the pillow, other arm resting lazily over his bare stomach as he looked back at him. "That was more than okay, Cas. That was amazing."

The question now was what was going to happen to them now that it was over? Dean wasn't sure how it worked with angel-human relationships, but he had a feeling it wasn't good. There was bound to be some rule somewhere against it. But then, who was to say that he and Cas were even in a relationship? It was just sex. Admittedly, the best sex he'd had in his life, but that was beside the point. The point... was... was... "Oh, God, Cas," Dean gasped. The angel had started leaving hot, breathy kisses up his shoulder and neck and along his jawline. He ended at Dean's mouth, claiming his swollen, kiss-sore lips once more.

"I like kissing you, Dean," Cas said, voice somehow reaching an even lower octave than normal, which did all kinds of different things to Dean. "I- I like kissing you, too, buddy. But, uh... we should probably talk..." Cas pulled back, staring at him curiously with those friggin blue eyes. "About what, Dean?" Dean swallowed, adjusting himself so he was sitting up against the headboard. "Well, um... What happens now?"

"I don't understand," Cas knit his brow together. "I mean... Was... Was this, like, a- a one time thing, or... or what?" He was afraid to look Cas in the eye. "Do you want it to be a one time thing, Dean?" No. "I don't know... Would it even work, you know, since you're... you're an angel?" He dared to look up, only to see that Cas's expression had darkened. "I don't know," Cas admitted. "Human-Angel relations are frowned upon, but since I am still cut off from Heaven and much of Heaven's power, I'm uncertain if it would be different for us. Perhaps it is best we refrain from doing so again until I can find out more."

Not the answer Dean wanted to hear, but one that he could accept. It was probably for the best, that he and Cas backed off. He was unsure how Sam and Bobby would react to them being in a relationship, and was scared to find out. Mack would most likely love the idea of him and Cas being together... but thinking about Mack's reaction made him think of what he saw in 2014 and his mood soured. "What is it?" Cas asked him, noticing his reaction.

"Zachariah... he showed me the future, Cas... What's going to happen if I keep refusing to say yes to Michael. It was awful..." Cas frowned, "Tell me about it." So Dean did. He told Cas everything. About running into his future self; about how they had gotten married and how Cas had been completely human. He told him about Mack and he finished by telling him about his encounter with Lucifer. Cas was quiet, listening to it all and only interjecting every once in a while to ask clarifying questions.

"I don't know what to do, Cas..." Dean whispered when he'd finished. "How am I supposed to stop that from happening without giving in and saying yes to Michael?"

"We'll figure it out, Dean," Cas assured him. "You could start with calling Sam and hunting together again." He nodded in agreement. "Right. Yeah. Call Sam. Uh... right now?" Cas smiled a little, "If you wish. Should I go?" Dean shook his head in vehement disagreement, latching onto Cas's hand. "No, stay. Please? Just for a little longer..."

"Of course, Dean."

"Okay... Okay, one sec..." Dean threw off the covers, searching through the discarded piles of clothes on the floor for his jeans so he could grab his phone. Once he located it, he came back to the bed, settling in beside Cas and squeezing his hand tightly as he made the call. "Hey, Sammy," he greeted when Sam picked up. "You still want back in?"

Dean waited alone beside the Impala for Sam to show up. After making the call, he and Cas had agreed it was probably best for Cas to go back to his God hunt while Dean met back up with his brother. A foreign car pulled up a couple minutes later and Sam got out, walking toward Dean. "Sam," he said, pulling out Ruby's knife. He held it out to him handle first. "If you're serious and you want back in... you should hang on to this. I'm sure you're rusty." Sam took the knife, unable to meet Dean's eyes.

"Look, man, I'm sorry," Dean apologized. "I don't know. I'm... whatever I need to be. But I was, uh- wrong." Sam looked up in surprise. "What made you change your mind?" he asked curiously. "Long story. The point is... maybe we are each other's Achilles heel. Maybe they'll find a way to use us against each other, I don't know. I just know that we're all we've got. More than that. We keep each other human."

"Thank you," Sam said sincerely. "Really. Thank you. I won't let you down." Dean smirked. "Oh, I know it. I mean, you are the second-best hunter on the planet." His brother nodded, going along with the joke seriously for all of three seconds before punching Dean in the arm. "So, what do we do now?" he asked. "We make our own future," Dean replied.

"Guess we have no choice."