Bless the Broken Road

77. Sympathy for the Devil

Zach grabbed the plunger and threw it to the ground.

"Sam!" Chuck exclaimed.

"Yeah!!" Sam said.

"Hey, Chuck," Dean and Zach greeted.

"So... you're okay?" Chuck asked.

"Well, my head hurts," Sam said.

"No, I mean - I mean, my - My last vision. You went, like, full-on Vader. Your body temperature was 150. Your heart rate was 200. Your eyes were black."

"Your eyes went black?" Dean repeated.

Sam looked over his shoulder. "I didn't know."

"Where's Cas?" Dean and Zach asked.

"He's dead," Chuck replied. "Or gone. The archangel smote the crap out of him. I'm sorry."

"You're sure?" Dean questioned. "I mean, maybe he just vanished into the light or something."

"Oh, no. He, like, exploded. Like a water balloon of chunky soup."

Sam took a closer look at Chuck and waved a hand at his own left ear. "You got a-"

Check waved a hand at his own right ear. "Uh... right here?"

Sam indicated the other side of Chuck's head. "Uh, the..."

Chuck felt at his hair. "Oh. Oh, God." He pulled something out. "Is that a molar? Do I have a molar in my hair? This has been a really stressful day."

"Cas, you stupid bastard," Dean muttered.

"Stupid?" Sam repeated. "He was trying to help us."

"Yeah, exactly."

"So, what now?"

"I don't know."

"Oh, crap," Chuck mumbled.

"What?" Sam questioned.

"I can feel them."

"Thought we'd find you here," Zachariah said.

Sam, Dean and Zach turned around; Zachariah was there with two angels accompanying him.

Zachariah continued. "Playtime's over, Dean. Time to come with us."

Dean pointed at Zachariah. "You just keep your distance, asshat."

"You're upset."

"Yeah. A little. You sons of bitches jump-started Judgment Day!"

"Maybe we let it happen. We didn't start anything. Right, Sammy?" He winked. "You two had a chance to stop your brother, and you two couldn't. So let's not quibble over who started what. Let's just say it was all of our faults and move on. 'Cause like it or not, it's Apocalypse Now. And we're back on the same team again."

Zach crossed his arms. "Is that so?"

"You want to kill the devil. We want you to kill the devil. It's... synergy."

"And we're just supposed to trust you?"

"Cram it with walnuts, ugly," Dean retorted, glaring at the angel.

"This isn't a game, son," Zachariah told him. "Lucifer is powerful in ways that defy description. We need to strike now, hard and fast - before he finds his vessel."

"His vessel?" Sam asked. "Lucifer needs a meat suit?"

"He is an angel. Them's the rules. And when he touches down, we're talking Four Horsemen, red oceans, fiery skies - the greatest hits. You can stop him, Dean, but you need our help."