Missed Chapter 31?

Free Supernatural Fanfiction – Chapter Summary:

As Death closes in, Cas struggles to heal, Dean returns with the ring, and Lucifer invades Analina’s dream—revealing a secret that changes everything.

Rating: PG-13
Contains:  For supernatural peril, emotional intensity, threats, and dark thematic content

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO:  
Death and Lucifer

THE PLAN SOUNDED INSANE. Well, all our plans usually sounded insane—and they hardly ever worked out the way they were supposed to.

“Death is going to be hitting this town hard, and we’re going to stop him,” Sam told Cas.

“How?” Cas asked.

Good question. I never did hear how they planned on getting the ring from Death. I’d be afraid to even touch him. Could someone die just from touching him? I doubted the Ruby knife or even the Colt could stop him.

“Dean’s covered,” Crowley said, stepping forward. He pulled a small scythe from his coat pocket and handed it to Dean. Dean studied it carefully.

“Death’s own,” Crowley explained. “Kills, golly—demons, angels, reapers. And, rumor has it, the very thing itself.”

“How did you get that?” Cas asked.

“Hello! King of the crossroads,” Crowley said, rolling his eyes. “Anyway, I’ll take a stroll around the neighborhood. See if I can find Death’s location.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa,” Dean said. “How do we know you won’t sell us out? Get Death to surprise attack us or something?”

“Well, technically, it wouldn’t be a complete surprise now, would it?” Crowley retorted, glancing at Dean and then at me.

I guessed that meant I’d feel Death before he got here—like I had with Pestilence.

“Fine, then I’ll go with you,” Dean said.

Sam and I both jumped up.

“Dean—” Sam started.

“I’ll call if we find him. We’re just scoping,” Dean said, raising a hand while pocketing the scythe with the other.

Sam and I sighed at the same time—which might’ve been funny under different circumstances.

“Fine. Be careful,” Sam said.

“This is getting maudlin. Can we go?” Crowley interrupted.

Dean gave me a quick kiss, then headed out the door with Crowley.

“I don’t like this,” I muttered.

“Me neither,” Bobby and Sam replied in unison.

Cas shifted back on the bed.

“Is there anything we can do, Cas?” Sam asked.

Cas shook his head.

Surely we could help him—at least get him comfortable. That was when I felt the familiar sensation. Like James was trying to tell me something.

I tuned them out for a moment, trying to interpret what he was making me feel.

“Hey, Cas,” I said tentatively. “I might have an idea about speeding up your healing process.”

“What? How?” Cas asked.

Bobby and Sam gave me puzzled looks.

“Uh… James,” I offered. They knew about him now, but it still felt awkward. Bobby nodded vaguely. Sam’s concerned look didn’t budge.

“I’m not exactly sure, but it shouldn’t make anything worse.”

Cas stared at me.

“Um, I think you should lie back and try to relax a little,” I said. I hoped I was reading this feeling correctly.

I focused on where his grace—his angel power—was strongest. I knew Cas would have to do most of the work. I wasn’t sure how to explain what James was trying to tell me.

I sighed. “Okay, I think what you have to do is sort of… exercise the power. Like expand it and contract it.”

Definitely got some funny looks now.

“Uh, sorry. Let me try to translate that a little better,” I said, sitting down to think. “Can you feel where the majority of your power is right now?”

“Uh…” he started.

I hovered my hand over the spot and felt a very subtle warmth. I pushed my own energy toward it.

“Try to push against that for a few seconds,” I said quietly. I concentrated on the spot, letting some of my energy flow into his and then back to myself.

After a few moments, I felt a subtle shift in his energy.

“Good. Now stop.”

Cas panted a little. I hadn’t moved my hand.

After a minute, I instructed, “Do it again.”

He closed his eyes and tried again. He stopped within seconds. “I’m not sure I can do this.”

“You’re doing fine, Cas. Don’t give up. It should start to get easier after a little while. Try it one more time for now.”

His energy pushed against mine.

“A little harder,” I encouraged.

He put a huge effort into it—and then stopped abruptly.

Although he seemed tired, I could feel more warmth now.

“Cas, I think it worked—or is working,” I said. “You feel stronger.”

I glanced up. He didn’t look stronger. He looked very pale, if that was even possible.

“Let’s take a break and see what happens later.”

He nodded.

“You sure you know what you’re doing?” Bobby asked quietly as I stepped back.

“Honestly? Not really. But… it worked. He’s warmer than he was when he first came in.”

“So you can heal angels now?” Sam asked, amazed.

“No, no. I’m not doing anything. It’s all him. I’m just telling him what to do,” I explained.

After a few minutes, Cas perked up a little, and we started talking about what had happened since he’d been on the run. Sam told him about his idea.

“Yes to Lucifer. Then jump in the hole,” Cas summarized. “It’s an interesting plan.”

“That’s a word for it,” Bobby commented.

“So? Go ahead and tell me it’s the worst plan you’ve ever heard,” Sam said, resigned.

“Of course, I’m happy to say that if that’s what you want to hear,” Cas replied. “But it’s not what I think.”

“Really?” Sam asked.

“You and Dean have a habit of exceeding my expectations. And Analina now, too,” he said, glancing at me. “Dean resisted Michael. Maybe you could resist Lucifer. But there are things you need to know.”

“Like?” I asked.

“Michael has found another vessel,” Cas said.

“What?” Sam exclaimed.

“It’s your brother, Adam. You must have considered it,” Cas said.

“But I thought Adam was dead,” I said, confused.

“He was. But he was brought back—just in case Zachariah’s plan didn’t work,” Cas answered.

Well, this changed things. Dean was no longer needed in this game. He’d just become expendable.

“Sam, if you say yes to Lucifer and then fail, this fight will happen—and the collateral… it will be immense. There’s also the demon blood,” Cas continued.

“What? What are you talking about?” Sam asked.

“To take in Lucifer, it would be more than you’ve ever drunk.”

“B-but,” Sam stammered. “Why?”

“It strengthens the vessel. Keeps it from exploding.”

“But the guy he’s in now—”

“He’s drinking gallons,” Cas said.

“And how is that not the worst plan you’ve ever heard?” Bobby asked.

Cas shrugged.

Sam’s phone rang. It was Dean.

They couldn’t find Death. Dean was pissed—Crowley had thought they’d catch him in the next city. But millions of people were going to die here very soon.

Sam told him about Cas and that we thought he was getting better. He didn’t give specifics—probably because Dean was upset and wouldn’t absorb everything.

He hung up, and we tried to think of a way to evacuate the whole city. I didn’t think that was going to happen.

I tried once more to help Cas before Dean showed up. This second round went better than the first. He was able to use his powers more, even though they weren’t at full strength.

“How did you know how to do that?” Cas asked once we finished.

I shrugged. “James kind of directed me. I think you’re also not supposed to use your angel powers on others for a while—or you’ll drain back down again.”

“Thanks,” he said, sitting up.

“Sure,” I said. “You help us all the time. It’s nice to help you back.”

Bobby came back from the bathroom. “Shouldn’t Dean be back by now? Chicago’s big, but it’s not that big.”

We looked at the clock and realized he was right. It had been a while since we’d heard from Dean.

“Maybe I should call him,” Sam said. He dialed but got no answer.

“You don’t think he met Death, do you?” I asked, feeling anxious.

No one answered—which made it worse.

Cas started, “I could go and see—”

“No, Cas. You’re not ready to do that yet,” I said. I didn’t want to put more people at risk.

“How about Crowley?” I asked. “He had a phone.”

“But we don’t have the number,” Sam said, looking at Bobby.

“Well, don’t look at me,” Bobby defended. “We could try to summon him.”

I felt my heart jump. He was coming.

“Guys, Dean is coming.”

“Finally,” Bobby muttered.

We heard him make his way to the door.

Dean opened it and saw all of us glaring at him. “Hey, what’s with all the sourpusses? Check it out.”

He held up his hand. Between his thumb and index finger was a ring.

“You got it?” Sam asked, surprised.

“You faced Death alone?” Bobby asked.

“Yeah. And he showed me this,” Dean said. He walked over to the table and placed all the rings next to each other in a specific pattern. They pulled themselves together, linking into one piece.

“Hmm. So Death told you how to operate those? The whole deal?” Bobby asked.

I stood next to Dean. I felt something was off with him.

He answered, “Yeah. It’s nuts. Of course, I’ve got bigger problems now.”

“Really? Like?” Sam asked.

“What do you think Death does to people who lie to his face?”

“Nothing good,” Bobby replied.

“Yeah,” Dean agreed.

“Why do you ask?” I hoped he hadn’t done something stupid.

“That I was cool with Sam driving the bus on the whole Lucifer plan,” he answered.

Bobby asked, “So Death thinks Sam ought to say yes, huh?”

So that’s Cas and Death who believed it was a good idea.

“I don’t know. Yeah,” Dean said, glancing at Sam. Sam was looking more resolute by the minute.

“But, I mean, of course he’d say that. He works for Lucifer… against his will.”

Dean walked over and pulled a beer from the cooler. “Well, I’d say take his sob story with a fat grain of salt. I mean, he is Death.”

Bobby moved forward. “Exactly. He’s Death. Think of the kind of bird’s-eye view.”

“Seriously?” Dean asked.

“I’m just saying…” Bobby said, letting the conversation drop off.

Dean looked over at Cas. “You look better.”

“I’m getting there,” Cas said.

It was slightly awkward for a bit. Although having the rings and knowing how to use them helped us immensely, it also meant the end was coming.

Either we would win—or we wouldn’t.

And it was very likely that some of us wouldn’t make it through.

WE HAD TO GET OUR PLAN IN ORDER.Crowley hadn’t been seen since before Dean met Death. Cas was feeling better. We made sure he didn’t use his angelic powers in the meantime, which meant he stayed with us in the motel.

I wanted to talk to Dean about what was going on. I had a feeling he wasn’t giving the full story—especially around everyone else.

I knew he didn’t want to risk Sam like that. I mean, if Sam said yes and got Lucifer to jump into the cage, wouldn’t that mean he’d be stuck in there too?

I didn’t want that to happen. No one deserved that.

There was also the prophecy concerning me. How was I supposed to be the determining factor in all this?

We were so close—and yet it felt like we were so far from a good solution.

We ended up getting another motel room since Cas was staying. He was doing much better by evening. He would periodically try the exercises I’d shown him.

The bigger problem now was deciding whether we should let Sam go ahead with his suicidal plan.

There had to be some way to make this work without sacrificing Sam.

As we settled down to sleep, I wanted to see what Dean was hiding—or at least how he was doing with the Sam situation.

I waited in bed as Dean finished in the bathroom. He finally came to bed, and I curled up against him.

“I’m going to get hit with the third degree, aren’t I?” Dean asked as he got comfortable.

I propped myself up on my elbow. “Pretty much.” No use lying or beating around the bush.

He sighed and ran his hand up and down my arm. “Death wants Lucifer stopped at whatever the cost. He made me promise I’d do everything I can to stop him—even if it meant sacrificing the people I love.”

“People?” I asked, catching the plural.

He looked down, considering his words.

“Is it about me? Cas? Bobby?” I asked. “Dean, you can talk to me.”

“He didn’t say you exactly, but he did say… He said we’d need all of us if we’re going to win this.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. I have no idea.” He scooted up beside me. “It would fit with the Prophecy, I guess… But I can’t let anything happen to you. Or Sam. Or anyone.”

I wasn’t sure what to say. It never really hit me how I could actually stop the apocalypse. Now it felt real.

I wanted to make Dean feel better. But I couldn’t say everything would be alright—because it might not be. I couldn’t promise I wouldn’t get hurt or die, because that could seriously happen.

We stayed silent for a moment.

“So what do you think we should do?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “I know Sam would either beat the devil or die trying.”

I nodded. “But if he does beat the devil, then he’s going in that cage with him.”

“I know.”

“Do you think Cas could get him back out? Like he did with you?”

“Cas said it took a whole garrison to bust me out. Where Sam would go is ten times worse. I don’t think he could do it alone.”

There was a moment of silence. I took Dean’s hand. He looked up at me.

“If we let the apocalypse happen—if Sam says yes—then either he wins and throws himself in the cage, or Lucifer wins. If Lucifer wins, he’ll probably hold onto Sam as a vessel… or Michael will end up killing him in battle.”

I didn’t like any of those options.

“And we can’t keep avoiding a decision,” Dean added. “The death tolls are already rising. Normal people are starting to think the apocalypse has started. We can’t let millions die. And who knows—we could be part of those millions. Think of how messed up the world would be.”

“It sounds like we have to choose between what we’re less afraid of: losing… or losing Sam,” I said gently.

He nodded, eyes glistening with unshed tears.

We lay down. I believed we both drifted into a fitful night’s rest after that.

I WOKE UP—BUT SOMEHOW I KNEW I WAS STILL ASLEEP.

Dean slept beside me. It was cold. I shivered slightly, disoriented. It felt like a dream but I was still conscious. My senses were dulled. I could sort of feel Dean, but it was more because I knew he was there. Was this lucid dreaming?

“At last we meet,” a voice said softly.

I turned and saw a man standing against the wall on the other side of the room.

“Well, sort of,” he added with a smile.

He stepped forward. In my gut, I knew this was Lucifer in his current vessel. I hadn’t gotten a good look at him before—through the doors, through the Impala, back when I met Gabriel. Even so, he looked worse now.

“You recognize me,” he said, unfazed by my silence. He tilted his head. “What a strange little human you are.”

He stopped advancing. “Don’t worry. I’m just here to talk. Nothing else. That’s why I came to you in this dream. I’m not the bad guy here.”

Yeah, right, I thought. He couldn’t hurt me in my dreams… right?

“The time is getting closer, and I bet you and your little posse are making all sorts of plans. As I said before to them, Sam will say yes to me. But you… you are something else. I wanted to talk to you beforehand.”

I arched an eyebrow.

“It’s not everyone who has a prophecy tied to them—especially one that was partially lost in time.” He studied me. “You have an amazing ability, and I’d hate to see that wasted. Especially when I win.”

“You win?” I blurted. If the Prophecy was what we thought, that wouldn’t happen. Still, I had my doubts.

“Yes,” he said calmly. “I will. I’m offering you a position when that happens. I can give you things you can only dream of. I can also make sure Dean lives.”

I looked down at Dean sleeping beside me.

“And, of course, the child,” he added.

“What child?”

“Why, the little bundle in your belly right now,” he said pleasantly. “Oh, wait… You don’t know yet.”

What?

“I guess it’s a little early for a human to pick up on. But yes, you’re pregnant,” he said in mock jubilation.

I felt my heart stop and sputter back to life.

“B-but…”

He seemed to be enjoying himself. “But what? I should imagine you know how it happened. You seem intelligent enough. As to when? Oh, I imagine it was not long after you got back from your little kidnapping. My brothers aren’t very nice, are they?”

He even knew when I conceived—if this was even true.

“How do you know?”

He paced a little. “Oh, I’m very observant. I pick up on things. Plus, as an angel, I can feel the extra soul. I’m sure Castiel might have mentioned it if he wasn’t so… ill?” He smirked. “He was always a little rebel. Did he tell?”

He looked up at me. “I didn’t think so.”

“Anyway, as I was saying before—I can give you all the comforts you want. For you and your family. In exchange for your help now and again. You’d be treated as royalty. My right-hand man—err, woman.”

I was still in shock from the pregnancy announcement. I couldn’t do anything about that now in this dream, so I tried to focus.

It took me a moment to find my voice again.

“No.”

It came out a lot quieter than I expected.

“No?” He looked at me hard. “I don’t think you understand what’s at stake here. Let me tell you. Without my protection, everything you love will be gone. Dean, Sam, the baby… Well, you get the idea. Is your stubbornness worth all that? You would sacrifice them for your own selfish morals?”

“I am not now or ever working with you,” I said.

That came out better. I felt a rush of angry energy surge through me. I shivered slightly.

“Last chance,” he said after a moment. His voice was icily smooth. “I won’t offer again.”

“No.”

He inhaled slowly. “Have it your way, then.”

The dream began to fade. He said something else, but it was so faint I couldn’t make it out. “See you in…” somewhere.

I felt my physical body stir.

I blinked and started to wake. Dean was shaking me gently.

“Analina, are you alright?” he asked, hovering over me.

My body trembled. I was drenched in sweat, but still cold from the dream. It took me a moment to realize it was over.

“It’s okay,” he soothed. “It was just a dream.”

If only.

I couldn’t speak. I just held onto him, trying to calm myself.

As coherency slowly returned, I realized Dean was tense with worry.

“Can you tell me about it? Maybe that’ll help,” he offered quietly.

“Give me a minute,” I managed. I was gaining control, but words still felt impossible.

“Alright,” he said, holding me close. I felt him trying to steady me—his energy reaching out, calming me slightly. He was worried. I could feel it.

A few minutes later, I was better. Still shaking. Still crying. But more in control.

It started to feel like it was just a nightmare—but I knew it wasn’t.

I pulled up slightly, staying close to him. I needed his arms around me. They kept me steady.

“It wasn’t a dream,” I said softly.

He brushed back hair that had stuck to my face. “What do you mean? Did you have a vision or something?”

I shook my head. “N-no. It wasn’t like that. Well, I’ve never had a vision before, but no. I’m sure it wasn’t. It was…”

I hesitated.

“What?” Dean asked. “I’m trying to be patient, Analina, but you’re starting to scare me.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I just… I think Lucifer visited me in my dream. To talk.”

“What?” he asked sharply, pulling back to look at me.

“He wanted to talk. He knows we’re getting ready to do something.”

Dean searched my eyes, stunned.

There was a knock on the door.

“Is everything alright?” Sam asked from the hallway.

Dean sighed and threw back the covers. He opened the door. I hugged my arms around myself.

“Yeah, well, sort of,” Dean said. Sam looked concerned. Cas and Bobby were behind him. “Analina said Lucifer showed up in her dream to talk.”

With that, they all came into the room. Dean returned to sit beside me.

“What did he say?” Bobby asked.

“He… He said a few things,” I began. “He said Sam would say yes and that he would win. He offered me a job or something—because of my gift. He said that if I worked for him after all this, he’d keep my family safe and…”

I sucked in a breath. I hadn’t mentioned the baby to Dean yet. Cas was here. Maybe he could confirm it.

Dean put his arm around me.

“He said that if I refused, I’d lose everyone. Including…”

I couldn’t say it. Dean and I had never discussed children. I didn’t think it was possible. I knew he’d like to have kids—but not with this life. It hadn’t seemed like a problem before.

“Including?” Bobby prompted.

I glanced down. “He said I was pregnant. That I’d lose the baby, too.”

Silence.

“A-are you pregnant?” Sam asked.

I stole a quick peek at Dean.

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t be far along if I was. Ever since Cas healed me, I haven’t had my period. I thought I couldn’t… but…”

I trailed off with a shrug.

Cas stood and came over. “May I?”

I wasn’t sure what he’d do, but I didn’t care. Dean hadn’t said anything. I couldn’t tell if he was mad, surprised, sad, happy—he was stone still with his arm around me.

Cas placed his hand gently on my stomach. His eyes rose to meet mine after a moment.

He pulled back. “He is right. She is pregnant. And definitely too early for any human to detect.”

Silence again.

I felt all their gazes on me.

Dean finally stirred. He cleared his throat. “What did you say to him?”

“No,” I said softly.

“What did he do then?” Sam asked.

“He said, ‘Have it your way, then,’ and left. That’s when I woke up.”

Bobby let out a sigh. I leaned more into Dean.

“Do you think he knows about the rings?” Sam asked.

“He didn’t mention them. But he sounded confident that he’d win regardless.”

“Well, we’re not going to let that happen,” Dean said firmly. He was recovering from the shock.

“So what the hell are we going to do?” Bobby asked.

No one spoke. No one had answers.

It was late. I suggested we talk about it tomorrow.

Everyone returned to their beds, but I doubted anyone slept well. The end was coming—fast and hard. We all felt it.

I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep. I hated to admit it, but I was afraid to shut my eyes, afraid Lucifer would come back. I doubted he would. He’d made his offer. That was it.

But the fear lingered.

And when I wasn’t thinking about that, I was trying to grasp the fact that I was pregnant. I was terrified—mostly about the near future. But also… if we made it past this, we’d raise a child. This life wasn’t built for that. And I couldn’t see Dean giving it up completely. And call it selfish or not—I didn’t want to be anywhere without him.

“You should really try to sleep,” Dean muttered suddenly.

I smirked. “I didn’t think my thinking was that loud.”

“Extremely,” he said, sounding tired. He shifted and pulled me closer. “Analina, I won’t let anything happen to you or the baby.”

I knew he meant it. He’d die trying to keep that promise. And that was something I didn’t want to even think about.

“Dean, I really didn’t know I could become pregnant. Are you alright with it? I mean, it’s probably the worst time to find out—”

He cut me off, moving above me so I could see his face.

“Sweetheart, we got married in the middle of all this. Whatever happened to: ‘we can have both lives’? Hmm? You’re not backing out on me?”

I smiled a little. “No.”

“Good.” He kissed me lightly on the lips. “We’ll take care of the end of the world, and then we’ll start planning for the arrival of our baby.”

He placed a hand protectively on my stomach.

“Just like that?” I asked.

“Just like that.”

He kissed me again—longer and sweeter.

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