It was crazy- the whole town was aware of the impending apocalypse. When the Winchesters got into town with some of the militia men, there was a triple wedding ceremony being held at the church. End-of-times, last-minute thing or whatever... It just made Dean remember how he and Cas had gone off and gotten married on a whim before the world went to hell in the future. All their knowledge came from Leah Gideon, the Pastor's daughter who was believed to be a prophet. The Winchesters weren't gonna argue with that logic.
The way Leah received revelation was a lot like how Chuck had described seeing visions of them when he wrote the books. She would get an intense headache and would see where demons would be and sent the militia men after them. Later, when Cas finally showed up, he informed them she wasn't a prophet, but actually The Whore of Babylon. Only a true Servant of Heaven could kill her. So, Sam and Dean convinced Pastor Gideon to do it. However, when it got down to it in the heat of the fight, Dean ended up being the one to kill her.
Cas and the Pastor had been hurt pretty bad, and they got them back to the motel. Mack was worried about Cas the entire time. She sat next to him on one of the beds while Sam and Dean checked on the Pastor. "How's the head?" Dean asked. "I'm seeing double. But that may be the painkillers," Pastor Gideon replied. Dean glanced over at his daughter and Cas, feeling guilty about what he was about to do, but unwilling to change his mind. This was going to be better for everyone. "You'll be okay," Dean told them. Gideon thought he was still talking to him. "No," the Pastor said.
Dean headed toward the door and Sam grabbed his arm. "Where are you going?" he asked accusatorily. "I'm just gonna grab some clean bandages out of the trunk. Relax." Sam let go of his arm, nodding and Dean headed out the door. "Daddy!" Mack jumped up, seeming to sense before anyone else that he wasn't going to come back. She hurried out the door just in time to see him backing up and tearing out of the parking lot. "Daddy!" she screamed again. Sam had come out when he heard the Impala's engine. "Damn it!" he swore. "Dean. Dean!"
It was too late. Dean and the Impala were long gone. "Daddy! No!" Mack was sobbing down on her hands and knees in front of the motel room door. Sam had attempted to run after the Impala, but obviously hadn't been fast enough. He put his hands to his head, breathing deeply and then turned back to look at Mack. "No... No... Daddy," Mack continued to repeat as she cried. Sam scooped her into his arms, holding her close as he carried her back into the room. She thrashed, protesting as he closed the door behind them with his foot. "No! Let me go! Daddy!"
"Shh... Kinley, it's alright," Sam tried to get her to calm down. "No! Let me go! Let me go!" Cas had pushed himself up off the bed, making his way painfully over to where Sam was attempting to keep the young girl contained. "Come here, bee," he coaxed her gently. As soon as she was passed from Sam to Cas, she stopped thrashing around and instead sobbed into his neck while clinging to the angel tightly. "H-he l-left," she choked out in between hiccup-y sobs. "H-he's g-gone."
"I know," Cas murmured softly in her ear. He was rubbing her back the way he'd always seen Dean do it. "I know. We'll find him, bee, I promise." Her sobs had almost completely died down, leaving her to only whimper softly through little gasping hiccups. Cas could feel her grip on him loosening as she succumbed to exhaustion and he made sure to maintain a firm hold on her so she wouldn't fall. "We, uh... we should probably get going," Sam announced as Mack calmed down. "Again, we're sorry for your loss, Father."
Pastor Gideon nodded, "Thanks, son. I hope you find him." Sam nodded in return. "Uh, Cas, do you think you could take us to Bobby's?" Cas nodded and, while still keeping ahold of Mack, nodded farewell to the Pastor and touched Sam on the shoulder to transport them to Bobby's. Bobby was sitting at his desk in the study doing research when they suddenly appeared. "What in the-" he began, then narrowed his eyes. "Where's Dean?" Mack flinched in Cas's arms at her father's name and he was quick to comfort her. "That's why we're here," Sam explained. "Dean's planning on saying yes to Michael. We need to track him down."
They spent the next several days trying to find Dean. Cas stuck around to help, partially to aid in the search for Dean, but mostly for Mack. If he left her side for longer than a few minutes, she'd break down again in hysterics. That honestly was one of the biggest driving forces for all of them. They needed to find Dean to make Mack whole again. It was a selfish decision Dean had made, just assuming they would be okay without him. Sam had asked him outright outside the church immediately following the fight if he was planning to do something Michael stupid and Dean had dismissed him.
"What about Lisa and Ben?" Sam suggested three days into the search. "If he's serious about wanting to do this, would he go see them?" Lisa was a woman Dean had had a one-night-stand with years ago. She had a son a couple years older than Mack that Dean had initially suspected was his before she informed him DNA tests had proved the father to be some other random hookup. Still, it wasn't a bad idea, assuming Dean would want to see them on his farewell tour. "It's worth a shot," Bobby nodded.
While Sam used the computer to try and figure out if there was any substance to the theory, upstairs, Cas sat on the edge of Mack's bed, trying to get her to take a nap. She'd been refusing to eat or sleep since they arrived and he was very worried about her. He had gotten her to finally eat a few bites of a sandwich, but still not enough for him to feel satisfied. However, when she refused to take any more of it, he decided to move on to the other issue. "Bee, you need to rest," he told her.
Mack didn't respond, just blinking unseeingly at the door. She was sitting up next to him, Skittles resting in her lap. Unlike normal, she didn't rub the rabbit's ear or clutch it to her chest, just let it lay there on her lap. It was heartbreaking for Cas to see. "Bee, please," he begged gently. "We're going to find your father, but you need to take care of yourself. If you aren't going to eat anymore, then you need to get some sleep."
Mack remained unresponsive- at least verbally. Cas' breath hitched as she laid down so her head was in his lap and her feet were resting on her pillow on top of the blankets. She still didn't close her eyes, but it was something. He began stroking his fingers through her long brown hair soothingly, hoping it would coax her into slumber. When they did find Dean, Cas was going to tear him a new one for doing this to Mack. Screw what he felt, or Sam felt, or Bobby felt. The reaction Dean's decision had gotten out of his daughter was the only one that mattered.
Dean knew Mack's biggest fear was losing him again. He knew she'd stopped talking after he went to Hell and didn't start back up for over four months. He knew all that. And yet he still thought it had been a good idea to just take off without so much as a goodbye. Bitter rage boiled through Cas at that thought. He figured in some twisted way, Dean had found a way to justify the decision to himself. Dean would have had to have found a way to justify it to himself, otherwise he wouldn't have left. The angel let out a long breath, looking down at the child on his lap.
Her mouth opened in a wide yawn, but she still refused to close her eyes. He heard a quiet whimper escape her lips and then she yawned again. "It's okay to sleep, bee. I'm right here. I'll watch over you," he assured her. She continued to resist for a few more minutes, but she did end up eventually closing her eyes and falling asleep.
"Alone at last." Mack whirled around to face Lucifer. He looked like that vessel he'd been in at Carthage- the one that was failing him. They were in a dark room she didn't recognize. An old shelving unit sat against the back wall and Lucifer was standing in front of the only window. Behind her to the right was a flight of stairs. "I was wondering when you'd join me again, bug-a bee."
"D-don't call me that," she told him. It came out small, weak, and Lucifer just chuckled at her. She didn't have the patience to deal with this again. Every single time she had succumbed to sleep since he marked her at Carthage, she'd been having dreams like this one. Same unknown room, same vision of Lucifer. They never did have the exact same conversation though, which was strange. If it was really a dream, you'd think the conversation would remain the same.
"You seem a bit more hopeless than usual," Lucifer mused. "What's got you all down in the dumps, huh?" He made a fake pouty face at the end to mock her. "N-none of your business," she replied. She hated that she always stuttered when she talked to him. She was a Winchester for crying out loud. And this was a dream. She had no reason to be scared of him. And yet, night after night, she appeared before him, terrified.
"How's Uncle Sammy doin'?" he asked her. "And Daddy dearest?" She didn't respond to that, looking down with tears in her eyes and a lump in her throat. "Ooh, did I hit a sore spot? What's going on with the fam, huh?" Mack swallowed hard, squeezing her eyes shut against the tears. It didn't matter how many reassurances Cas and Sam gave her. She firmly believed she was never going to see her father again. And having Lucifer taunt her about it wasn't helping. "Do they know about our little meetings, by chance? Just out of curiosity, of course, because it's been a while since our last one, you know?"
"They don't know," Mack managed to get out in a whisper. She bit down on her lip hard to keep it from shaking. Lucifer's face got all giddy at that bit of information. "They don't know? Oh good-y... but wait... If they don't know, then what's been keeping you away from me?" Dean had. For some reason she didn't understand, when her father was around, the nightmares stayed away. She didn't understand it, but the nights he stayed with her, she had no issues. Now that he was gone...
"Oh, come on, bug-a bee, talk to me," Lucifer fake pouted again. "It's always so much more fun when you engage in the conversation." Mack took a shaky breath, looking up into Lucifer's eyes. "W-what do you want from me? W-what are you p-planning?" Lucifer's face twisted in a sinister smile. "Soon, child. So very soon. We'll meet again in person and you won't be able to resist me."
"What does that mean?"
Lucifer just smiled. "Don't tell anyone," he warned in a sing-song, and then he snapped his fingers. Her eyes flew open and she shot up in bed. Cas had disappeared from the room, but the second she was up he reappeared. "Good morning, bee," he greeted her. "We found your father." Mack's eyes widened, forgetting about the conversation with Lucifer completely as she threw off the covers and scrambled out of the bed. Cas followed her downstairs slowly. He was hoping seeing Mack would stop Dean's surly attitude he'd had since they brought him back here.
He was currently leaning against the wall beside the couch in the study, arms folded over his chest. Sam sat in a chair on the other side of the desk across from Bobby. "Yeah, no," Dean was complaining still, "this is good. You know, eight months of turned pages and screwed pooches, but tonight, tonight's when the magic happens." Bobby glanced up from the book he was studying to glare at Dean. "You ain't helpin'," he snapped. "Yeah, well, why don't you let me get out of your hair, then?"
Mack had skidded to a stop at the bottom of the stairs, listening to the conversation. For the first time probably ever, she was scared to get closer to her father. Cas stood at her shoulder, glaring in at Dean. "What the hell happened to you?" Bobby demanded. "Reality happened," Dean snapped back. "Nuclear's the only option we have left. Michael can ice the devil, save a boatload of people."
"But not all of them. We gotta think of something else." Dean scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, well, that's easy for you to say. But if Lucifer burns this mother down, and I coulda done something about it, guess what? That's on me." Bobby swallowed, pleading then, "You can't give up, son." Dean glared back, "You're not my father. And you ain't in my shoes." You could have heard a pin drop. Sam looked up from the book in his lap to stare incredulously at his brother, mouth agape. Mack and Cas were still hanging back slightly, watching the exchange silently and Bobby just held Dean's gaze.
Bobby reached into the desk and set a gun down on the surface in front of him. Then he reached into his pocket and took out a single bullet, rolling it between his fingers as he stared at it. "What is that?" Dean asked, a little less of an edge to his tone. "That's the round I mean to put through my skull," Bobby replied casually, setting the bullet down next to the gun with a sharp tap. "Every morning I look at it. I think, 'Maybe today's the day I flip the lights out.' But I don't do it. I never do it. You know why? Because I promised YOU, I wouldn't GIVE UP!"
Following Bobby's confession, Cas suddenly doubled over, clutching his head in pain. "Cas, you okay?" Sam asked him. Mack had turned, looking at the angel worriedly. "No," Cas groaned. "What's wrong?" Sam pressed. "Something's happened." Dean spoke up, "Where?" Instead of answering, Cas disappeared, sending papers flying around the study in a gust of wind. Mack stared at the spot where Cas had just been, feeling a lot more afraid without him around. "Hey, bug," Dean said, voice softer than it had been the entire time he'd been back. She ignored him.
"Come on, Mack, look at me." She continued to ignore him, and Sam spoke up. "Kinley, why don't you head back upstairs, okay? I'll be up in a minute." She glanced at her uncle, nodding a little, and then retreated back up the stairs. Dean glared over at his brother. "Really?" Sam glared right back. "What did you expect, Dean? You abandoned her. Did you even stop to consider what that decision would do to her?"
"I made that decision for her," Dean argued. "If I say yes to Michael now, I can stop Lucifer before he hurts her, before he takes you. I can save you both." Sam scoffed. "Oh, that's rich. You know she's terrified of losing you. And you want to kill yourself in order to save her?" Both brothers were on their feet, Sam having stood up when Cas had doubled over, and now they were getting in each other's faces as they argued. "I've seen the future, Sam! I know how this ends if I continue to say no, and believe me, she would be far better off if I say yes."
"You don't know that!" Sam yelled. "You don't know she'd be better off if you said yes! What if it's worse?!" Dean fizzled out a little, taking a minute step back from his little brother. That thought had never once occurred to him. That saying yes would result in an even worse future than the one he'd seen. All he had been thinking was that he had to stop that one from happening. He had to stop Mack from becoming an orphan at age ten. Sam sighed, glancing sidelong at Bobby who was watching the brothers hawkishly. He'd put away the gun and the bullet while they'd argued. Instead of saying anything else, Sam turned on his heel and headed for the stairs.
He headed up to Mack's room, knocking on the door softly before entering. "Hey, Kinley. You alright?" It was a stupid question. He knew that. But he still wanted to know how she was doing. "I'm scared," Mack confessed, looking up at him. "I know," he sighed, coming over to sit on the bed beside her. "I'm scared, too. So is your dad. That's the only reason he's acting like that, okay? He doesn't really mean it."
"He's scared?" Mack asked timidly, still staring up at him. Sam nodded, "Yeah, he is. He's scared of losing you, and so he thinks if he does what the angels want and he says yes to Michael, then he will be able to save you." Mack furrowed her brow, frowning as she processed his words. This was probably the most honest any of them had been with her about what was going on. Under any other circumstances, she wouldn't be included in a conversation like that in order to keep her as sheltered as possible. However, Sam realized she was a smart girl, and knew a lot about the impending apocalypse already, so he didn't see any reason to sugarcoat it.
"Sammy! Get down here, man!" Sam sighed, standing up. "Do you want to stay up here or come back down?" he asked Mack. "I'll stay here," she muttered. "Okay. If you wanna talk, just call for me, alright?" She nodded and he exited the room, going to see what the hell Dean wanted him downstairs for. When he got to the bottom of the stairs, he froze. Cas had reappeared, supporting a familiar looking guy covered in dirt. He laid him down on the cot in the corner of the study that Sam and Dean sometimes used.
"Who is it?" Bobby asked curiously. Sam and Dean looked at each other, then at the dirt young man on the cot. "That's our brother," Sam said.