Milly could practically feel every second passing by. She knew what was coming and it terrified her. Sleeping was futile, as the second she drifted off, her mind would start racing and she'd be overcome with anxiety. How could she sleep? Her family was doomed, and all she could do was sit there and wait for it all to unfold. It was the worst form of torture.

They had been driving to Detroit for hours and Milly had been drifting in and out of sleep, unable to fully relax. Bobby and Cas both slept soundly on either side of her as she sat wide awake listening to Sam and Dean talk in the front. However, she kept her eyes closed so they thought she was sleeping too.

"Hey, um... on the subject, there's something I got to talk to you about," Sam said quietly.

"What?"

"This thing goes our way and I triple Lindy into that box... you know I'm not coming back."

"Yeah, I'm aware."

"So you got to promise me something."

"Okay, yeah. Anything."

"You got to promise not to try to bring me back."

Milly's eyes shot open, but she didn't move in case they'd notice her.

"What? No, I didn't sign up for that."

"Dean -"

"Your Hell is gonna make my tour look like Graceland. You want me just to sit by and do nothing?" Dean demanded, trying to keep his voice down.

"Once the Cage is shut, you can't go poking at it, Dean. It's too risky."

"No, no, no. As if I'm just gonna let you rot in there."

"Yeah, you are. You don't have a choice."

"You can't ask me to do this."

"I'm sorry, Dean. You have to."

"So then what am I supposed to do?"

"You go find Lisa. You pray to god she's dumb enough to take you in, and you – you have barbecues and go to parent-teacher conferences. Give Milly the life you and I never got to have. You go live some normal, apple-pie life, Dean. Promise me."

There were some days Milly would look at other kids in a restaurant or at the park, and wonder about their life. She'd wonder what school, or having friends her age was like. She wondered what it would be like to live a normal life, and if she would like it better than the one she lived on the road. But Milly couldn't picture her life without Sam in it. She couldn't picture life without him reading to her every night, helping her with math, making her eat vegetables, or encouraging her endless curiosity. She wouldn't accept a life where Sam wasn't there.

When they arrived in Detroit, Milly pretended to just be waking up, not wanting them to know she heard any part of their conversation in the car. They parked in a back alleyway and Bobby went to scope the place out and search for signs that Lucifer was around.

"Demons. At least two dozen of them. You were right – something's up." He reported to the group after coming back.

"More than something. He's here. I know it." Dean replied, before walking to the trunk.

Sam and Bobby looked at each other and Milly realized this was it. This was the moment they had been trying to avoid since meeting seven months ago.

"I'll see ya around, kid," Bobby told Sam.

"See ya around," he replied, and they hugged each other tightly. Milly watched, feeling an aching pit in her stomach.

When they separated, Bobby gripped his arms.

"He gets in... You fight him tooth and nail, you understand? Keep swingin'. Don't give an inch."

"Yes, sir."

Tears stung Milly's eyes as he bent down to her level. The fear written on his face made her sick to her stomach as she tried to figure out how to say goodbye.

"I'm sorry we never got to finish our book." He said, only breaking her heart further.

"Does it have a happy ending?"

Sam nodded and Milly mustered up a reassuring smile.

"Well then… when you beat Lucifer, I'll finish the whole series."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and tears began to slide down her cheeks as she buried her face in his shoulder.

"You can do this. I know you can."

He hugged her a little tighter before pulling away and wiping her tears away with the pads of his thumbs.

"Be brave for me okay? Look after your dad too huh? Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

Milly nodded for him, sniffling and wiping her eyes.

"I promise."

He placed a kiss on her head as he stood up before turning to face Castiel.

"Take care of these guys, okay?"

"That's not possible." The angel replied solemnly causing Sam to roll his eyes.

"Then humor me."

"Oh. I was supposed to lie." He realized before plastering a fake smile on his face. "Uh... Sure. They'll be fine."

Milly grimaced as Sam shook his head defeatedly

"Just – just stop talking."

When Sam went over to Dean by the impala, Milly stood beside Bobby who wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She leaned into his side trying to remain positive. They still had a chance to stop the war. There was still hope.

Dean stepped away from the trunk and made his way over to the other three while Sam drank the gallons of demon blood behind the Impala.

"Where's Sam?" Milly wondered, trying to peer around Dean but he stepped over to block her view, not wanting her to know what he was doing.

"Uh, he's getting ready. Preparing himself to wrestle with Lucifer up here." He explained, tapping the side of his head.

"Oh…right." Milly nodded to herself and observed Dean's face. She'd seen him worried and scared before but somehow it seemed different now.

It was all or nothing.

When Sam emerged from behind the impala he had a different energy than he did before. He was resolute. He looked strong.

"Okay. Let's go." He said firmly, walking passed them with a look of determination in his eyes.

Milly watched as he and Dean left, feeling wobbly in the knees. It was no revelation that Milly wasn't a fan of the unknown, but this was different than simply not knowing. There were only two outcomes and she hated them both.

Milly sat on the curb across the street from the building they had gone into while Bobby paced anxiously and Cas watched the windows closely. Milly's sense of time was nonexistent now and she couldn't tell if fifteen minutes had gone by or two hours. All of a sudden a bright light emitted from the windows above and they all shielded their eyes before it was gone.

"What does that mean?" Milly asked worriedly, scrambling to her feet.

"It means he said yes. Now we just wait to see if he can overpower Lucifer long enough to throw him into the cage." Cas answered keeping his eyes on the windows.

"He can." Milly assured him, "I know he can."

Cas wasn't so sure, but he decided to keep his comments to himself that time. Shortly after, Dean walked out of the building alone and Milly felt a wave of relief at the sight of him. As he got closer she saw how dejected he looked and genuinely couldn't tell if it had worked or not. Not until she saw the look of despair he sent Bobby before shaking his head.

"Lucifer was too strong. He took the rings too. He's gone."

Milly turned around to look at the tv screens in the store window behind them. The news station showed footage of catastrophic damage happening all over the world. The others joined her in watching and Cas sighed heavily.

"It's starting."

"Yeah, you think, genius?" Dean remarked, turning towards him.

"You don't have to be mean." The angel muttered but Dean ignored him.

"So what do we do now?"

"I suggest we imbibe copious quantities of alcohol... Just wait for the inevitable blast wave."

"Yeah, swell. Thank you, Bukowski. I-I mean, how do we stop it?"

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

"Okay, well, where's this chosen field?"

"I don't know."

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

"I'm sorry, Dean. This is over."

"You listen to me, you junkless sissy – we are not giving up! Bobby?" He turned to the older hunter only to see the same hopelessness on his face.

"Bobby?"

"There was never much hope to begin with. I don't know what to do."

Milly turned back to the screen and watched the bridges collapse and the people running for their lives. She looked down at her necklace.

Hope.

Milly still had hope.

She turned around and began thinking through ideas as quickly as she could.

"Are there any other angels that might know? Anyone who can see into the future? Is there anything in the books? Did Lucifer hint at where they'd go?"

Suddenly Dean's shoulders straightened as though he had an idea and he pointed at her.

"Baby, you're a genius. Seeing into the future? Who would know better than a damn prophet?" He said, before taking off towards the car.

"Prophet? What's he talking about?" Milly asked, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion.

"I'm assuming he means Chuck, but even still, finding them ain't gonna do much if Lucifer's keeping Sam locked away," Bobby responded and Cas nodded in agreement.

Milly chased after Dean back to the car and saw him on the phone. She opened the passenger side door and slid in as he talked to Chuck.

"Alright thanks, Chuck." He said before hanging up.

"Did he know?"

"They'll be in Stull Cemetery at noon tomorrow. Lawrence, Kansas."

"Isn't that where…"

"Yeah…"

He opened his door and got out so Milly followed suit and met him on the other side just as Bobby and Cas were heading their way.

"You goin' someplace? You're goin' to do somethin' stupid. You got that look." Bobby said to Dean, as they approached the impala.

"I'm gonna go talk to Sam."

"You just don't give up".

"It's Sam!"

"If you couldn't reach him here, you're certainly not gonna be able to on the battlefield," Cas warned.

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

"I just want you to understand – the only thing that you're gonna see out there is Michael killing your brother."

"Well, then I ain't gonna let him die alone."

When he turned to Milly he could tell she hadn't given up on Sam yet either. Her eyes still held a spark of conviction.

"I'm coming with you." She told him firmly and he didn't argue. Instead, he nodded and opened his door.

"Alright, let's go."

She quickly ran to the passenger side and got in, buckling her seatbelt with trembling hands.

Dean and Milly looked through the front windshield and up at the rusty sign above them that said Stull Cemetery.

"You ready?" He asked her, staring straight ahead and she nodded slowly.

"Yeah." She whispered, not feeling ready at all.

Dean slid a cassette tape into the player and turned the volume knob up. The familiar beginning of Rock of Ages came booming out of the speakers as they drove into the cemetery.

Up ahead they spotted Lucifer and Michael who were using Sam and Adam as vessels. When the angels heard the music they stopped talking and turned to the impala that drove up and stopped just a few feet away from them.

Dean turned off the engine, opened his door, and stepped out.

"Howdy, boys. Sorry, am I interrupting something?"

Milly opened her door and got out as well, glancing between the three of them, unsure of what their move was gonna be.

"Hey, we need to talk," Dean said, walking towards Lucifer, trying to get through to Sam.

"Dean. Even for you, this is a whole new mountain of stupid." He remarked, sending chills down Milly's arms.

He looked just like Sam but it disturbed her deeply noticing the subtle differences. He stood and walked differently, he spoke differently, and his face held none of the emotions and warmth that Sam's did.

"I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to Sam."

"You're no longer the vessel, Dean. You got no right to be here." Michael interrupted and Dean turned to him.

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

"You little maggot. You are no longer a part of this story!"

Milly braced herself for what was going to follow his outburst.

"Hey, ass-butt!" Cas shouted all of a sudden from the opposite side of the cemetery.

Their heads whipped around to see him and Bobby standing there. Cas threw a Molotov cocktail at Michael and he went up in flames, screaming in agony before disappearing.

"Ass-butt?" Dean repeated in bewilderment.

"He'll be back – and upset – but you got your five minutes."

"Castiel. Did you just Molotov my brother with holy fire?" Lucifer demanded, glaring at him, causing Cas to step back nervously.

"Uh... no."

"No one dicks with Michael but me."

Lucifer snapped his fingers and Castiel exploded in a rain of blood and guts and Milly gasped in horror, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Sammy, can you hear me?" Dean asked, trying to reach Sam again but Lucifer just slowly walked towards him.

"You know, I tried to be nice... for Sammy's sake." He said, grabbing hold of Dean's jacket collar, "But you... are such a pain... in my ass."

He threw Dean into the windshield hard and Milly jumped back just before Bobby shot Lucifer in the back. He slowly turned around only for Bobby to shoot him again in the chest, but he was unfazed. She watched Lucifer bring his hand up and make a twisting gesture, snapping Bobby's neck and killing him instantly.

"NO!" Milly screamed, and Lucifer turned back to Dean.

"Yes." He said, grabbing his ankles and yanking him off the hood. He punched him hard across the face and Milly's emotions were overflowing to a level she couldn't handle.

"Stop!" She screamed pushing as hard as she could, channeling every bit of power she had in her, creating a strong beam of energy. Dean watched in shock as she kept pushing and got Lucifer to back up. Once she could no longer hold it, the beam disappeared and she hunched over, trying to catch her breath. She looked up to find Lucifer completely unscathed and smirking in amusement.

"Adorable."

Milly didn't recognize the eyes that looked back at her but she wasn't giving up yet.

"Sam? Sam, are you in there?" She pleaded exhaustedly.

"No, he's not," Lucifer growled, and snapped his fingers.

When she didn't explode, she and Dean weren't sure that anything happened until Milly could no longer feel her heart pounding in her chest.

Her heart had stopped.

She clutched her chest and looked at Dean in terror just before she collapsed. He tried to run to her but Lucifer grabbed his collar again and slammed him down on the hood of the Impala.

"Now look at what you've done, Dean." Lucifer sighed, "It didn't have to happen like this."

Lucifer punched him hard across the face and looked at Milly's lifeless body on the ground.

He promised her.

How could he promise her he wouldn't let Lucifer hurt her?

He had one job and that was to keep her safe. To keep them both safe.

He looked at Sam and he realized he failed.

It also meant he had nothing left to fight for. So he was going to do the one thing he came here to do. Not let his brother die alone.

Lucifer punched him over and over and over again.

"Sam, it's okay." He said through the pain of his bloody and broken face. "It's okay, I'm here. I'm here. I'm not gonna leave you."

Lucifer punched him again and again.

"I'm not gonna leave you," Dean repeated in a wavering voice.

Lucifer didn't punch him again.

Something was shifting behind his eyes and he began to falter. Suddenly he released Dean and stumbled back as Sam took over and gasped for breath. He looked over at Milly's body and then Bobby's and squeezed his eyes shut for a second. Dean looked up at him, going in and out of consciousness.

"It's okay Dean, it's gonna be okay. I've got him." He assured his brother with struggling breaths. He dug into his pocket and pulled out the rings before tossing them into the grass.

"Bvtmon tabges Babalon" He chanted and a loud rumbling noise sounded as the ground sunk in, creating a large bottomless pit.

The wind howled around him as he stepped toward it.

"Sam!" Michael shouted over the wind. "It's not gonna end this way. Step back."

"You're gonna have to make me!"

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

Sam looked at Dean one last time before shutting his eyes and stretching his arms out to fall backward.

"No!" Michael shouted and grabbed on to him but Sam pulled him back with him. Dean watched them both fall into the pit before it exploded into a blast of light and he covered his eyes. When he looked back, the pit was gone along with Sam and Michael, leaving him completely alone. He crawled over to Milly and pulled her head into his lap, trying to feel for a pulse in her neck but there wasn't one.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered.

Suddenly he heard movement behind him and looked back to see Cas standing there watching him.

"Cas, you're alive?"

"I'm better than that." He replied, touching Dean's forehead. He was completely healed instantly and stunned as he watched Cas kneel beside him and place his hand on Milly's head. She suddenly awoke with a gasp and looked around frantically until Dean pulled her into a hug,

"You're okay, I gotcha kid, you're okay." He whispered, looking at the angel in astonishment.

"Cas… are you God?"

"That's a nice compliment." He replied with a smile, "But no. Although, I do believe he brought me back. New and improved."

He stood to his feet and walked over to Bobby before reviving him too. The older hunter sat up and looked at the others in shock while Dean helped Milly to her feet.

"Where's Sam?" She wondered and Dean bent down to pick up the rings that were left in the grass.

"He did it. He got Lucifer and Michael in the cage." Dean explained mournfully and tears welled up in Milly's eyes.

"I knew he would."

Milly stood beside the Impala with her purple backpack across her shoulder and Frodo in her arms while Dean talked to Bobby. She wasn't listening to a word they were saying as she stared at a ladybug crawling up the driver's side window.

"Milly," Dean called, snapping her out of her trance and she turned around to face them.

"Come say goodbye."

She shuffled over and Bobby gave her shoulder a gentle nudge.

"Don't worry darlin', it's not a forever goodbye."

She threw her arms around him and squeezed her eyes shut as he patted her back.

"Look out for each other, ya hear?" He said and she nodded before letting go, hardly able to meet his eyes. She looked over to see Dean getting in the car and turned back to Bobby.

"I love you."

He smiled warmly and ruffled the top of her hair.

"I love you too, idjit. Now get outta here."

The tiniest hint of a smile appeared on her face before she jogged over to the Impala and got in beside Dean, shutting the car door behind her.

She looked out the window to see Bobby wave as they drove away and squeezed Frodo a little tighter.

They drove all day, stopping only a few times until they reached their destination. Dean had been filling Milly in the whole way there, but she still felt immensely unprepared as they stood on the doorstep that night. They both took a deep breath before Dean knocked on the door, unsure of what awaited them. When it opened, Milly watched the woman look at Dean with wide eyes filled with concern.

"Hey, Lisa."

"Oh, thank god, are you alright?" She asked before noticing the young girl standing beside him.

"Yeah…" he replied unconvincingly.

"Who's this?"

"This is Milly. My daughter."