Chapter 10: First Encounters

November 24th, 2009 (Tuesday) (1)

Crowley was currently residing in his human abode, one as far away from Massachusetts as possible.

He just returned from 'signing' a deal with Mr. Pendelton to get his bank a complete bailout from their ridiculous incompetence.

Well, more like his incompetence. But how was he to know that one of his competitors signed away his soul to fail his bank? Both should have read the fine print.

He was currently sitting down, watching an old Nazi film when the electricity cuts out. He leaves the room to go greet his 'intruders'.

"It's Crowley, right?"

Crowley observed the Winchesters for the first time – all the times he has seen them was through pictures and surveillance, never in person. Sam was holding Ruby's knife and Dean a shotgun. Their girl Jo was not in sight.

"So. The Hardy Boys finally found me. Took you long enough."

He slowly approached, stopping when he saw his rug was rumpled. He looked underneath; a Devil's Trap has been drawn on the bottom of the rug.

"Do you have any idea how much this rug cost?"

His goons came out of the corners to grab Sam and Dean from behind, disarming them and pinning their arms. Crowley held up the Colt, admiring his piece – one he was soon going to lose.

"This is it, right? This is what it's all about."

Crowley aimed the gun at Dean, then adjusted his aim and shot both his goons. No witnesses for this.

"We need to talk. Privately."

The Winchesters looked at each other in confusion while Crowley led them into another room.

Dean was firsts to ask, "What the hell is this?"

Crowley looked at the Colt for possibly the last time, "Do you know how deep I could have buried this thing?"

Crowley waved his hand, slamming the door shut, "There's no reason you or anyone should know this even exists, except that I told you."

The boys looked at the demon in confusion, with Sam just repeating the statement, "You told us."

"Rumors, innuendo, sent out on the grapevine." Clever boy, aren't I?

"Why? Why tell us anything?"

Crowley aimed the gun at Dean, "I want you to take this thing to Lucifer and empty it into his face."

"Uh-huh, okay, and why exactly would you want the Devil dead?"

As Crowley was putting down the gun, "It's called survival. Well, I forgot you two at best are functioning morons—"

"You're functioning...morons..." Dean wasn't great at spontaneous comebacks in these situations – no references to work with.

Crowley sighed, "Lucifer isn't a demon, remember? He's an angel. An angel famous for his hatred of humankind. To him, you're just filthy bags of pus. If that's the way he feels about you, what can he think about us?"

Sam tried to correct Crowley, "But he created you."

"To him, we're just servants. Cannon fodder. If Lucifer manages to exterminate humankind, we're next. So, help me, huh? Let's all go back to simpler, better times, back to when we could all follow our natures. I'm in sales, dammit! So what do you say if I give you this thing, and you go kill the Devil?"

Crowley held out the Colt, handle first. Dean and Sam glanced at each other as Crowley wiggled the gun.

Sam hesitantly reaches out to take it. "Great."

Crowley nodded, "Great."

"You wouldn't happen to know where the Devil is, by chance, would you?

Crowley chuckled, "Thursday, birdies tell me, there's an appointment in Carthage, Missouri."

Sam glances at Dean and nodded, "Great."

Sam put the barrel between Crowley's eyes and pulled the trigger – no bang. He stares, surprised; Crowley stared back, impassive. "Oh, yeah, right, you'll probably need some more ammunition."

Crowley went to his desk, while Dean asked, "Oh, uh, excuse me for asking, but aren't you kind of signing your own death warrant? I mean, what happens to you if we go up against the Devil and lose?"

"Number one, he's going to wipe us all out anyway. Two, after you leave here, I go on an extended vacation to all points nowhere. Three, Harry made sure that Lucifer will be in Carthage. And four, how about you don't miss, okay! Morons!"

Crowley tossed the bullets to Dean, who while catching them, gave him enough time to disappear.

Sam was first to notice, "Did he just mention Harry?"

Dean got pissed, "Son of a bitch!"

November 25th, 2009 (Wednesday)

Five full shot glasses in a row next to a row of three upside-down shot glasses, a gap, and a full shot glass. Another glass was placed upside-down in the gap. Jo drank from a beer bottle while Ellen – her mom - drained the fifth and put it back upside-down.

Staring at Castiel, Ellen slurred out, "All right, big boy."

"Well," said Castiel before draining all five of his in a row while Ellen stared and Jo gawked, "I think I'm starting to feel something."

Sam and Dean were sitting on opposite sides of Bobby's desk, both with beer bottles.

Sam took a sip, "It's gotta be a trap, right?"

Dean laughed, "Sam Winchester, having trust issues with a demon - one who works with Harry and Gabriel. Well, better late than never."

"Thank you again for your continued support."

"You're welcome."

They clinked their bottles and drank their brew.

Dean was first to speak, "You know, trap or no trap, we got a snowball's chance, we gotta take it, right? Even if this kid made sure it happened?"

Sam shrugged, "Yeah, I suppose."

"Besides, I'm not sure it is a trap. Check it out. I mean, Carthage is lit up like a Christmas tree with Revelation omens. And look at this," said Dean as he pushed some papers toward Sam, "There's been six missing persons reported, in town, since Sunday. I think the Devil's there."

"That, or the kid got rid of the people so that Lucifer would have a town to use, but okay."

Dean went on, "Look, when you think about it...you can't come with."

Sam rolled his eyes, "Dean…"

"Look, I go against Satan and screw the pooch, okay. We've lost a game piece. That we can take. But if you're there, then we are handing the devil's vessel right over to him. That's not smart."

Sam had to know his brother was making his sense, but the Winchesters were stubborn bastards, "Since when have we ever done anything smart? Besides, you heard Gabriel – Harry has been watching us, maybe even guarding us…"

"I'm serious, Sam."

"So am I. Haven't we learned a damn thing? If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do it together. I am not sending you out there alone to play some crazy chess match between Lucifer's 'Axis of Evil' and the 'Others'."

Dean and Sam looked at each other for a long moment, but Dean looked away first, "Okay. But it's a stupid frigging idea."

While Castiel, Ellen, and Jo continued to chat in the kitchen and the boys still argued about the plan, Bobby rolled in. "Everybody get in here! It's time for the lineup. Usual suspects in the corner."

Everyone – particularly Ellen – was against this but Bobby was adamant, "I'm gonna need something to remember your sorry asses by."

Everyone is in the room now, getting in position for the picture, smiling. Ellen was first to cheer, "Ha! Always good to have an optimist around."

Castiel ruined the moment immediately, "Bobby's right. Tomorrow we hunt the Devil. This is our last night on earth."

The smiles disappear. The camera flashed.

November 26th, 2009 (Thursday)

The Winchester gang – minus Bobby – were all in Carthage. Castiel was attempting to confirm why so many Reapers were in the town, but he got caught immediately.

The room was dark, lit mostly by firelight. Castiel was standing in the center of a ring of fire. He noticed the other person in the room, "Lucifer."

The figure spoke from the shadows, "So I take it you're here with the Winchesters."

"I came alone."

"Loyalty. Such a nice quality to see in this day and age. Castiel, right? Castiel. I'm told you came here in an automobile."

"Yes."

"What was that like?"

"Um. Slow. Confining."

"What a peculiar thing you are." Lucifer came out of the shadows, allowing Castiel to see his vessel in full. He didn't look healthy, with what appeared to be burns on his face.

"What's wrong with your vessel?"

"Yes. Um. Nick is wearing a bit thin, I'm afraid. He can't contain me forever, so…"

Castiel stepped forward, apparently intending to get in Lucifer's face, but stopped short because the fire separated them. "You are not taking Sam Winchester. I won't let you."

"Castiel. I don't understand why you're fighting me, of all the angels."

"You really have to ask?"

Lucifer shrugged, hands raised in kind, "I rebelled, I was cast out. You rebelled, you were cast out. Almost all of Heaven wants to see me dead, and if they succeed, guess what? You're their new public enemy number one. We're on the same side, like it or not, so why not just serve your own best interests? Which in this case just happen to be mine?"

"I'll die first."

Lucifer smiled, "I suppose you will."

Lucifer was about to walk away, "But before you do… how about you tell me about the child?"

Castiel said nothing.

"Your silence is all I need to confirm my suspicions. Lilith didn't believe me when I told her someone was manipulating her. She couldn't believe that somebody was responsible for instigating and breaking the seals. And I couldn't believe that I couldn't see this…thing… do it. I mean, I read and heard the accounts. I even scryed the magic's to try to track who was responsible. Even if they had the Enochian rib warding, I should have found them."

Lucifer was pacing while Castiel kept watching, "I could trace a few things – some angel and demon workings at the events, but mostly this signature was there… Completely foreign, something entirely new…"

Castiel tried not to show it, but the panic was on his face. "Do you know Castiel, how novel it is, as a being as old as I, to see something truly new? To experience the birth of something so powerful and majestic… and only have the desire to end its life due to its interference?"

Fury was upon Lucifer's vessel, "I finally got the best of him when I sacrificed Lilith to break the final seal. I honestly wanted to keep her alive, but the child left me no choice. I felt the magic's in the world reverberate from Sam killing her. That's when I knew – the child was manipulating fate. Not extremely: enough to cause change, not enough to raise the fury of the Fates, but enough. He pulled and twisted the strings enough times that the outcome should have been inevitable. It's a shame that I unraveled that particular coil when I had the chance."

Castiel couldn't follow the conversation at this point, "Oh, I am sorry. You weren't there when Uriel's gift from Father was taken away. In any case, he has been more aggressive in his attempts to keep Winchester's safe and hinder my actions long enough for this vessel to fail. You know how much effort I had to put in to get the ritual to summon Death? The boys think he set it up like this, but it was the opposite – I needed the ritual to occur here. I honestly don't know how big his group is, but they are crafty – trying to undesecrate this ground and all. Had to summon almost all the Reapers in the United States to summon Death – I usually need about a hundred."

Castiel was gawking now. Lucifer nodded, "Yes, so many Reapers in one place – not a lot of people are going to be dying in America tonight."

Castiel was still in the ring of fire, listening to Lucifer when Meg appeared, "I got the Winchesters pinned down. For now, at least. But their friends Ellen and Jo won't make it. What should I do with them?"

Lucifer nonchalantly answered, "Leave them alone."

This was not what Meg expected, "I… I'm sorry, but are you sure? Shouldn't we…"

"Trust me, child. Everything happens for a reason."

Lucifer stroked Meg's face before she left. Castiel looked around the room for a way to escape, but his only option was a pipe bolted to the wall.

"Well, Castiel, you have some time. Time to change your mind, no?"

November 27th, 2009 (Friday)

Midnight is approaching, Jo and Ellen have sacrificed themselves to kill the Hellhounds, Dean and Sam are on a hill watching Lucifer filling a grave with a hoard of possessed humans watching.

"Hey!"

Sam approached Lucifer, readying a shotgun. Lucifer turned, dropping the shovel while Sam continued, "You wanted to see me?"

Lucifer smirked, "Oh, Sam, you don't need that gun here. You know I'd never hurt you. Not really."

Dean points the Colt at Lucifer, point-blank to the forehead, having snuck from the side, "Yeah? Well, I'd hurt you. So suck it."

Dean fired the gun with Lucifer hastily collapsing. None of the demons did anything while Dean and Sam watched the corpse immediately inhale air and rise.

"Owww...", breathed out Lucifer as he stood up, "Where did you get that?"

Lucifer quickly punches Dean straight into a tree while Sam kept watching on Lucifer, "Now, where were we?

Lucifer shook his head before picking up the shovel, "Don't feel too bad, Sam. There's only five things in all of creation that that gun can't kill, and I just happen to be one of them. But if you give me a minute, I'm almost done."

Sam hurried to Dean, checking for a pulse, while Lucifer continued burying whatever it was, before leaning on the shovel, "You know, I don't suppose you'd just say yes here and now? End this whole tiresome discussion? That's crazy, right?"

"It's never gonna happen!"

Lucifer went back to filling his hole, " Oh, I don't know, Sam. I think it will. I think it'll happen soon. Within six months. And I think it'll happen in Detroit. Don't know why – just do. Whether it be by my hands or someone else, I don't care."

"You listen to me, you son of a bitch. I'm gonna kill you myself, you understand me? I'm going to rip your heart out!"

"That's good, Sam. You keep fanning that fire in your belly. All that pent-up rage. I'm gonna need it."

Sam looked around at the possessed men, who were still doing nothing, "What did you do? What did you do to this town?"

Lucifer looked around, confused, "Oh, I was very generous with this town. One demon for every able-bodied man."

"And the rest of them?"

Lucifer paused, looking around at the land, before pointing somewhere on the horizon, "In there. I know, it's awful, but these Horsemen are so demanding. So it was women and children first. I know what you must think of me, Sam. But I have to do this. I have to. You of all people should understand."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Lucifer dropped the shovel, "I was a son. A brother, like you, a younger brother, and I had an older brother who I loved. Idolized, in fact. And one day I went to him, and I begged him to stand with me, and Michael—Michael turned on me. Called me a freak. A monster. And then he beat me down. All because I was different. Because I had a mind of my own. Tell me something, Sam. Any of this sound familiar? Anyway. You'll have to excuse me. Midnight is calling, and I have a ritual to finish. Don't go anywhere. Not that you could if you would. And it's not like anyone is going to save you."

Sam went back to Dean while Lucifer turned to his hole, chanted, before turning back to his demons, "Now repeat after me. We offer up our lives, blood, souls…"

The demons started, "We offer up our lives, blood, souls…"

"To complete this tribute…"

"To complete this tribute…"

One by one, the demons flashed gold and fell over, dead, one by one, while the Winchesters stared at Lucifer, "What? They're just demons."

A bolt on the pipe in the wall was spinning, Castiel still in the fire ring, Meg watching.

"You seem pleased."

Meg was jovial, "We're gonna win. Can you feel it? You cloud-hopping pansies lost the whole damn universe. Lucifer's gonna take over Heaven. We're going to Heaven, Clarence."

"Strange, because I heard a different theory from a demon named Crowley."

Meg smiled slightly faltered, "You don't know Crowley."

"He believes Lucifer is just using demons to achieve an end, and that, once he does, he'll destroy you all."

Meg was slowly becoming angry, "You're wrong. Lucifer is the father of our race. Our creator. Your god may be a deadbeat. Mine—mine walks the earth."

Castiel got the bolt loose and pulled the pipe free of the wall. Unfortunately, Meg sensed it coming and got out of the pipes way.

Meg was back to her happy self, realizing she bested the angel, "Sorry, heard of that trick before – not gonna work on me. Besides, what would you have done afterward? You can't gank demons, can you? You're cut off from the home office, and you ain't got the juice. So what can you do, you impotent sap?"

"Him, not so much," said a voice behind Meg. She turned to look down upon what appeared to be a child, "Me, I have options."

"Who are…"

Harry shoved Meg – telekinetically – down across the ring of fire. She screamed in pain while Castiel looked down upon her and up at who he realized was Harry.

The boy waved his hand to the angel, "Well? Are you gonna stay there for all eternity or are we gonna go save the boys?"

Castiel considered his options, then walked on Meg – stepping directly on her face while she was still screaming – to get across the fire.

November 27th, 2009 - Midnight

Lucifer stared at the mass grave, the ground shaking, the Winchesters watching what was happening.

Castiel, held by Harry, appeared next to Sam and Dean, who were shocked at the sight. Castiel held a finger to his lips – universal sign of silence.

Lucifer turned to see the Winchesters gone. He walked forward, "Oh, hello, Death."

November 27th, 2009 – Bobby's House

Bobby was still sitting, clutching the radio in his hands before he heard the familiar sound of air displacement from teleportation. He rolled to see the boys and Castiel on the floor tired, bruised, and damaged.

"How in the…" started Bobby.

Dean was first to get up, "What the hell? What happened? Did Lucifer win?"

Sam put his hand on the couch to raise himself, "Lucifer summoned Death. We lost Ellen and Jo. Castiel is officially running on empty…"

Castiel interrupted, "I am not running on empty. I have no power left at all…"

Harry walked in from the kitchen, holding a glass of orange juice, "Let's see if we can correct that."

Harry touched two fingers to Castiel's head before he had the chance to argue. "This refill should last you till the final fight."

Neither Bobby nor Castiel could respond before the child easily picked up the large boys – relative to his size – and easily hefted them on the couch before healing them.

"Can you boys tell me how you manage to come back from every assignment damaged in some way? Is it so hard to ask for you to go in safe? How do you think Cass feels healing you every time? It's not exactly an easy thing to treat injuries, am I right?"

The last statement was said as Harry looked back at Castiel, "The… child… is corrected. It is not an easy to manipulate the organic matter and atoms to reconstitute you both. The energy requirements alone…"

"Is the main reason why Castiel is so drained," interrupted Harry. Harry walked to Bobby while the Winchesters gawked at what was happening. "I am sorry, Mr. Robert Steven Singer. While I have the energy to do so, I simply have no method to heal your legs. I could give energy to Castiel, but it would poison him immediately afterward – I doubt God will resurrect him again."

Harry walked to sit on a couch, drinking his orange juice, "I know this won't make you feel any better, but you have to know that Ellen and Jo are in Heaven now." Harry sipped while allowing the information to sink for everyone, "They were good people, Hunters who saved lives and died saving you two from the forces of Hell. No matter how much the higher-ups are against it, they can't interfere with the mechanisms that run Heaven in selecting souls."

Dean was stuttering, "Wait… who are you?"

The kid smiled as he finished his glass, "You already know who I am – didn't you get my letter?"

Sam got angry, "Harry."

Harry raised his glass in the air, "The one and only."

The boys were about to rush him before he waved them back into the couch before somehow calling up a pair of ice packs, "You are all angry and grieving. I would recommend that you rest and pay your respects. I will return soon enough to get you… caught up with the story."

The humans in the room could only watch as Harry went into the kitchen to put the dirty glass into the sink.

Only Castiel was brave enough to ask, "What are you?"

Harry smiled, "I've been called many things – monster, freak, student, demon, angel, and so many others… Personally, I just prefer Harry. But to ease your tensions, I started out as a wizard. Now… now I don't know what I am. I am, however, confident in who I am – someone trying to avert the Apocalypse."

Harry teleported away before Castiel had a chance to ask.

November 28th, 2009 – Morning

The glasses from Ellen and Castiel's drinking competition are still on the table. The TV was on, showing a tornado; the captions read "STATE OF EMERGENCY, Paulding County" and "KOUA 16", while the news blared, "Just received an update that the governor has declared a state of emergency for Paulding County, including the towns of Marion, Fetterville, and Carthage. The storm system has reportedly touched off a number of tornadoes in the area."

Sam, Dean, and Bobby were gathered around the fireplace. Bobby held the photograph he had only taken yesterday of everyone.

"…Death tolls have yet to be estimated, but state officials expect the loss of life and property to be staggering."

Bobby leaned forward and dropped the picture into the flames. He, Dean, and Sam watched it burn.

Castiel teleported back in as silently as he could, "I am sorry to interrupt, but I checked Carthage… what was left of it. I am sorry to say that I could find no remains of neither Ellen or Jo. I know it is not what you wanted to hear…"

Dean interrupted, "No, it's alright Cass. At least we know that they will never return as spirits or such. Was Harry right,… are they in Heaven?"

Castiel nodded, "I can not confirm it, but he is correct – even if someone were against them in my home, there would be nothing they could about."

Bobby nodded, "At least something good happened to them in the end. Couldn't have asked for a better reward for their work."

Castiel nodded, 'Indeed. It seems that the child spoke the truth. While I didn't have a chance to confirm what he was, I did confirm that this magical energy was present at many sites of the seal being broken."

Sam sat down on the couch, still somber, "So whose sides is he on?"

Dean jumped in, "The better question is how he managed to get Crowley and Gabriel working together to avert the Apocalypse?"

Bobby rolled to his desk, "That is probably something you should ask him when he gets here. He is coming back, right? Because when he does, I want to be prepared?"

Dean perked up, "What do you have in mind?"

"We are going to do the same thing that we did when we couldn't figure out what Castiel was the first time around. We are putting every ward and sigil under the Sun – one of them is bound to stop him which will tell us what he is."

Sam asked what needed to be asked, "Is that going to even work?"

Castiel thought about, "Lucifer said that Harry was something new, but that is impossible."

Dean looked up, "Don't you mean unlikely?"

"No, impossible is the correct term. When God made the universe and everything in it, he also left blueprints for everything that will or can possibly be born into the world. This can only mean that whatever Harry is… it wasn't made naturally, let alone something that could have been foreseen."

Sam got up, starting to gather the necessary supplies, "well, when he comes back, we will have to ask. Sorry, rather than ponder, how about we get to it?"