Chapter Fourteen: Play Your Roles

Caroline slammed the door of her car shut, looking up at the house in front of her speechless. Damon had not been handling Bonnie's absence very well and it was showing…big time. So, she thought she'd swing by his house to check on him; drink a bottle of wine, or bourbon, or at the very least a pint of O negative, and help him move past it. She wasn't expecting the party that was currently in session. It reminded her of a college campus; milling about with young people laughing and joking and drinking until they blacked out.

This was not good.

The blonde blazed a path up the walkway of the grand foreclosure, pushing through crowd. "Ugh, really? A hundred and eighty-one years old and still throws a tantrum like a child." She uttered under her breath as she walked through the open door of the house. "Damon!" She bellowed, moving around to each room, rolling her eyes at the antics of the twenty-somethings all around her. She couldn't believe it. There were people everywhere, but he was no where to be found? Caroline made her way upstairs and found him in his room…in his chair and reading a book. "Seriously?" She yanked the door shut behind her, striding over to stand in front of him, hands on her hips. "You realize you have the cast of American Pie in your living room, right?"

Damon didn't even look up. "American Pie? You're showing your age, blondie."

"What is this, Damon? Did you compel all these people? Is this some sort of game?" she demanded.

Damon finally glanced up, closing the book with a snap and putting it on the side table. "It's not a game. I was bored. I thought maybe if I had a bit of fun, I could take my mind off…things." He stated vaguely, even though Caroline knew who he was speaking about. "But then that got stale very quickly so here I am, hiding out in my room reading, like an old man." He shot her a plastic grin, folding his hands in his lap.

The initial anger left her body, and she dropped her arms to her thighs to push his feet off the ottoman so she could sit down. "Well…I think you and I both know that this…" she gestured downstairs. "Is not a productive distraction. It sucks, I know…but you have been through worse, and she'd want you to move on."

She barely got the words out before he shot her a glare. "I don't want to move on, Caroline." He begrudgingly got to his feet, crossing to his mini bar and pouring a full drink and slamming it down in one angry swallow. "I don't want to forget about Bonnie. I think about her every damn day, but when I do, I can't help but think of someone else having what should be mine." The glass shattered in his hand under the sheer force of his grip. He closed his eyes, taking a calming breath. "It makes me want to kill things." He uttered dangerously low. Caroline opened her mouth about to protest but he continued, casually brushing the glass out of his hand. "Then I think about what Bonnie would say. 'You're better than this, Damon. You've come so far; don't give in.' And if I didn't believe it, I wouldn't care so fucking much about her being right." He finally met the blonde's eyes, as if he just remembered she was there. "But I don't want to care, Caroline." He stated, emphasizing each word firmly, the pain behind his eyes bleeding through. "It would be so much easier if I didn't. Maybe then, I could leave this God forsaken place and move on like she wants me to. But instead, here I am…stuck here, trapped in this town full of memories with my dead brother's widow who can't even take her own advice." He snapped pointedly. "Because let's face it, sweetheart, I'm not to only one that needs to move on."

She huffed an ironic laugh. "Well, you're not wrong about that. But at least I'm trying." She bit down on her lip, as she contemplated asking him the question that had been rolling around in her head for the last few weeks. It was something she knew he would shut down right away unless she approached it properly. "Working at the school helps. Teaching the kids about what we are, what we're capable of. Doing things the right way. They need someone strong, someone that knows the good and the bad parts of being a vampire."

Damon narrowed his eyes at her. "What are you doing?"

Her eyes widened innocently. "What do you mean?"

"I mean what exactly are you trying to sell me on? I've known you long enough to know when you're up to something, Caroline." He prodded suspiciously.

She sighed heavily, giving in reluctantly. "Come work at the school." He was already rolling his eyes and turning away from her, but she sped in front, gripping his arms to stop him. "Damon, I'm serious. They need someone like you to guide them. To teach them how to succeed in this world. How to control their urges."

He snorted a laugh. "I am the last vampire in the world to teach a newbie vamp about control."

She dropped her hands from his arms. "Well, I disagree." She countered with conviction. "I learned a lot from you. And thank God for that because I couldn't deal with the Stefan diet. You taught Jeremy how to fight, and you taught Elena how to be a vampire!" she offered positively.

"Elena was sired to me." He snapped back deadpanned.

"Okay, bad example." She recanted in retrospect.

"Then she turned off her humanity and killed two people." He continued, driving his point home.

"Yeah okay, that's true but you were the one that pulled her back from it. You were the one that helped her control her emotions. All I'm saying is that, I think these kids could learn a lot from your experiences…and maybe this will be good for you too." Caroline finished gently with a kind smile, genuinely believing it. The truth is, she worried about him. Worried that one day his loss of purpose would lead to him flying off the handle. Damon didn't do well directionless and bored. "I think you might like it."

He thought about it. Ten years ago, hell even two years ago he would have laughed in her face but now…? Damon was tired. Tired of repeating history, tired of his own self sabotage, tired of being his own worst enemy. Everything he'd ever done was selfishly motivated, and it was never of any benefit to him in the long run. Everything he ever loved he lost. Maybe it was time to change that. Maybe this was his chance to finally able to turn a new leaf and start over. "Say I do this…" he pondered, "you better not expect me to teach Vampirism 101 from a classroom wearing slacks and a sweater vest. We do it the right way, in the real world. You can't teach this kind of stuff on a chalkboard. Understood?"

Caroline smiled relieved. Damon's methods of practice may be unconventional, but she knew that out of all the vampire's she knew now, Damon harnessed the most restraint. He was 100% in control of himself with and without his humanity; reckless, and diabolical at times for sure, but he was no ripper. "Of course. Now can you please get all these people out of here? I'm fairly certain I saw some former students and the mom in me wants to call their parents." She joked.

Damon chuckled. "Yeah, sure. Thank you…" He added genuinely. "I don't think I tell you that enough."

"Nope." She shot him a cheeky grin. "But you're welcome." She pulled him in for a hug, and he tucked her head under his chin wrapping his arms around her. She was the only family he had left now. His friendship with Caroline had evolved over the years, to a brotherly-sisterly, love-hate banter, and he was grateful he still had her after all the hell he'd put her through.

…

"How do you think it's going?" Hope asked, looking out the window of the motel. It had only been a few hours since Castiel took Dean and Sam to Ohio, and she was a little antsy wondering what was going on.

Bonnie was feeling the same way. "I don't know." She answered lowly, her eyes not leaving the page in her book. She was riddled with anxiety. Something didn't feel right, and she didn't know what it was.

Hope turned back to look at her, shoving her hands into her back pockets. "Did Dean ever tell you about Crowley?"

"A little bit."

"Do you think we need to be worried?" she gnawed on her lower lip. "About what he wants with those books?"

Bonnie closed the book and gave her a reassuring smile. "I think Sam and Dean can handle Crowley. He's just a demon. That's not what has me worried."

Hope sat down in the chair across from her at the table. "Then what is it?"

"I can't shake this feeling like there's something wrong; like there's something Dean isn't telling me. I want to trust him, but…I don't know, he's acting strange." She reflected pensively.

"It's a Winchester thing." Hope commented with a lazy roll of her eyes. "Sam is the same…I don't think they've quite gotten used to this whole relationship thing. But Dean loves you…he wouldn't do anything to hurt you."

That's what Bonnie was worried about; that in his effort to save her in some way, he would end up risking himself. It was something she was guilty of time and time again, and Dean seemed to share that quality of hers. "I hope so."

…

Sam and Dean had a lot of expectations of who Chuck Shurley was; some dark, twisted old man with a demented sense of humor. Maybe a few screws loose, or none at all, but they didn't expect what greeted them. A five-foot six man dressed in an old robe at three in the afternoon, with an unruly beard and whiskey on his breath.

"Oh!" he greeted with a smile. "Hey boys…come on in; I've been expecting you." He retreated back into his home, leaving Sam and Dean standing on the porch looking at each other bewildered. They entered apprehensively, looking around as this man gestured to the two beers he already had crackled open for them. "Please…I'm sure you have lots of questions."

"You know who we are?" Dean asked with a narrowed gaze.

"Oh, sure! You're Sam and Dean Winchester."

"So then you know why we're here?" Sam questioned.

"Well, I brought you here; you're a bit ahead of schedule but I can work with that. I think it's time we get on the same page." He snorted a laugh. "Sorry…writer joke. How are you sleeping these days, Sam? Lucifer track you down yet?" He asked genuinely curious.

"Not yet…" he answered hesitantly.

Chuck glanced to Dean, leaning against his desk. "What about you Dean? How are things with you and Bonnie? No secrets, I hope?" he raised his brow pointedly.

"Okay, who the hell are you and what do you want from us?" Dean demanded defensively with a hard glare.

"Hey, I don't want anything; I'm just telling the story, boys. Do you mind catching me up to speed? We've veered a bit off track the last couple weeks. I've been a little…preoccupied with some family drama." He sipped his coffee out of a 'World's Best Dad' mug, which Sam noticed and found odd. "Kids I tell ya…"

Sam crossed his arms. "Well, you're the prophet, aren't you? Why don't you tell us? We came here looking for answers on our future."

"Well, it doesn't really work like that unfortunately. Knowing the future doesn't change it. Destiny is a funny thing." He chuckled to himself.

Dean scoffed. "I'm getting a little tired of that word. How do we stop Lucifer?"

He shot the older Winchester a secret smirk. "Well, I think you already know the answer to that, Dean." He didn't give Sam the opportunity to question further. "The only thing I can tell you is to keep Bonnie close; she is a huge factor in all of this. You don't get through this without her." He vowed, and for the first time, his voice took on a serious note.

That immediately made the hairs on the back of Dean's neck stand up. "What does she have to do with this? Is she in danger?"

Chuck raised his hands up. "I don't know much, but there is a reason she came into your life. She plays a pivotal role in the Apocalypse and the Big Guy upstairs had to move a lot of pieces to bring you two together." He pointed a finger up to punctuate his statement. "I mean, you two live in completely different worlds…but what can I say, I'm a sucker for a good crossover." He jested.

"Does she die?" Dean was panicking now, fear racking his body.

Chuck levelled him with a sincere look of sympathy. "She doesn't have to…but that choice ultimately is yours."

"So God is up there playing around with our lives like pieces on a chessboard? Is that destiny?" Dean spat sardonically. "After everything she's gone through that's her destiny?"

Chuck's eyes hardened. "Her destiny was to fall in love with Damon Salvatore and turn herself into a vampire to be with him forever, so if you'd rather that-" his hand getting ready to snap his fingers unbeknownst to the men in front of him.

Sam jumped in, raising a hand to interject. "Okay, okay…we get it. Look, we're just having a hard time wrapping our heads around all of this." He glanced to Dean, reigning him in with a look. "So what are we supposed to do, Chuck? I mean, what does God want us to do?"

Chuck smiled. "Just follow that path laid out for you. The story will write itself."

Dean stood, eyes hard and defiant. "And what if we don't want to follow some elaborate plan the universe has cooked up for us, hm? What if we want to carve our own path?"

Chuck held Dean's gaze intensely for a long moment. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Hebrews 10:31." He snapped out of it with a tight smile and a shrug. "But who am I to tell the infamous Winchesters what to do. Wish I could be of more help." He added apathetically. "Good luck with the Apocalypse, boys. You're gonna need it."

The brothers looked at each other, coming to the realization that they had worn out their welcome. Sam rose and the two of them walked towards the door before the younger of them turned back to Chuck. "And what if we do? Follow our path…"

"Sam!" Dean snapped indignantly.

"Hold on Dean…" He paused his brother holding up a patient hand. He was always more tolerant of religion than Dean, and Chuck's connection to God had his curiosity piqued. "What if we do what God wants and play our roles, so to speak…what happens to us?"

The question seemed to make the prophet pleased. "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away. Revelations 21:4."

Dean rolled his eyes and turned away while Sam had a ghost of a smile, a sliver of hope shining in his eyes. "Let's hit the road, Sam." He grumbled dismissively leaving the porch steps, uttering a quiet prayer to Cas to get them the hell out of dodge.

Sam hung back. "Saying yes to Lucifer…that's what God wants?" he questioned confused. All this time he thought he was fighting against the fallen angel because it was the right thing; because he was preventing him from unleashing hell on earth.

Chuck rested a hand on his shoulder. "God only wants what's best for his children. Haven't you suffered enough, Sam?"

The younger Winchester sighed heavily, the weight of the world on his shoulders. The suffering never seemed to end. Was this the only way through it?

"Sam!" Dean bellowed, Cas now at his side on the sidewalk. "Our ride's here; let's go."

"Thank you for your help." Sam smiled, before meeting his brother and the angel.

When they were out of sight, Chuck's smile turned to a smirk, and he entered his home, slipping into his desk chair and became typing:

Sam Winchester left the porch steps enriched with a new hope for a better future. He decided to put his faith in God, knowing that when the end came, he would finally be free of this burden he'd carried since he was a child. Dean, on the other hand was still hesitant, and who could blame him? But deep down, he knew the choice he'd have to make when the time came. Bonnie was his only option.

Cas touched each of their shoulders and in an instant, they vanished never knowing that they sat amongst their own Creator. They carried on, as they always did, ready for the next fight put before them.

Chuck sat back in his seat reading his words with quiet appreciation before jumping back in.

So what's it all add up to? It's hard to say. But me, I'd say this was a test... for Sam and Dean. And I think they'll do all right. Life is all about making choices and when it comes to the Winchester brothers, they always choose each other. But what happens when that's no longer an option?

No doubt - endings are hard. But then again... nothing ever really ends, does it?

God smirked to himself proud with the end of this chapter.

…

AN: Hey everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter; I have a lot in store so stay tuned!

Vanessa