Title: Two-Step, Hybrid Magic
Warnings: Spoilers for 14.11, possible lack of adherence to canon, unbeta'd crack
Notes: In light of tonight's cluster fuck of an episode, and in honor of Dean's birthday, I decided to write a little something about the potential his family has to save his ass. Again.
Tagging: @cheerocracyx and @captainhouliouniverse because y'all seemed interested in the idea. @royalrowena and @ruthiesconnells because Rowena is part of my big plan to save Dean, if you're interested. I will gladly remove any of your tags if you'd like. Just let me know. 🖤
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"Sam, you can't actually be okay with this!" Mary threw her hands up, knocking over her already empty beer in the process.
"I'm not, Mom; but what am I going to do? Argue with Death? She told Dean that this was the only way."
"And Death can't lie? She wants to throw you two into the Empty! How can he trust her?"
"It's Billie. Why would she lie about saving the world?"
"Because she's an asshole? I don't know, Sam; but this doesn't sit right with me. I just got you boys back, I'm not letting go that easily."
"The last time I went against Dean people died. We almost ended the world. Again! Hell, I almost killed God." Sam put his head in his hands, huffing.
"You didn't have me then," Mary reminded him. "And don't give me that shit about not losing me. I'm your mother. I got you both into this and it's my job to protect you."
"No, Sam. I will not let your brother sink himself in the Pacific! I doubt it would even work. How many things have been dredged up from the ocean floor?" Mary was livid that her son would even think of agreeing to this idiotic plan. "The first blade," she began counting off on her fingers. "The ark of the covenant. Lucifer himself!?"
"We figure it out." Mary's eyes were aflame with defiance. "We are Winchesters. We write our own destiny. This is no different."
The following weeks weren't as difficult as Sam expected. Dean was continuing his farewell tour, and they had an army of hunters to handle any cases that came along. Mary was free to search through every lore book and database available.
"I may have found something," she finally said, handing Sam the book she'd been reading.
"Okay, first of all, where did you even find a grimoire; and secondly we don't have a witch on the payroll." Sam had shot down every possible solution so far.
"We don't need a witch. We need Rowena and a former archangel vessel."
"What are you talking about?" Sam hadn't really read the book, assuming that it wasn't going to work. He had all but given up on saving Dean, refusing to have hope only to be crushed.
"She's the only one strong enough to do the spell," Mary explained, taking the book back. "It says that once you've been the vessel for an archangel, the door is open until you close it."
"Then why did Lucifer need me to say yes again in the cage?"
"I have no idea. Maybe they closed the door when they built your wall? It doesn't matter. This is worth a shot."
Sam couldn't argue. If they could track down Rowena, they could at least try to save Dean. Nick was still sitting in an infirmary somewhere in a Minnesota prison. He would be easy enough to find when the time came. "If we can even find Rowena," Sam conceded. "It might work."
As it happened, Rowena wasn't hard to find. She marched right up to the door and knocked.
"What the hell is happening?" Sam asked aloud. His mother was reading spellbooks, his brother was trying to kill himself again, and the most powerful witch alive just turned up on their doorstep.
"Hello, Samuel. I have some... Pertinent information for you."
"No, this had be done in person," Rowena told him as he moved out of her way.
She sat down in the war room where Mary was still reading over the spell. Rowena waited for Sam to join them before explaining. "If Dean does what he's planning, he will die. What he doesn't realize is that won't kill Michael. He won't have a vessel, but he will be free to find a new one. Innocent people will die."
"Since when do you care?" Sam asked, trying to spot her endgame.
"Turning over a new leaf. Remember, Samuel?" She folded her hands on the tabletop. "Besides, I've lost my coven and my escape route; so I don't need Michael destorying this world."
"Okay, so how does this work?" Sam knew there was no arguing with these two, especially when they were on the same page.
"If you recall, my darling Fergus made Nick into a cage. There is warding on his very atoms. With the spell Mary found, we can force Michael out of Dean. Without another available vessel, he'll be forced into Nick like a vacuum of sorts. From there we just have to dispose of Nick."
"Dispose?" Sam asked, wearily.
"The best option I've come up with is to put him in the box. Between the warding to keep him inside Nick and the warding to keep him inside the box, it should work."
"It's the best we've got," Mary spoke up for the first time since Rowena arrived.
They didn't tell Dean what they were planning, of course. Instead Sam and Castiel helped gather what they needed for the spell while Mary tried to figure out how to convince her eldest son to sit still and let them carve the sigil into his chest.
She didn't have as much time as she'd hoped. Dean returned, conveniently, just as Rowena was finishing her preparations for the spell. The large brass bowl sat at the head of the table, immediately alerting Dean that something was amiss when he reached the foot of the stairs.
"What are you doing?" He directed his question at Sam, but it was Mary who spoke up.
"We found an alternative."
"Billie said this was the only way. It's what I have to do. Sorry you wasted your time." Dean started to leave but was stopped by Donna marching a shackled Nick down the stairs.
"Dean, we are doing this. I am still your mother; and we are not letting you bury yourself alive."
"Don't play the mom card," Dean grumbled. He didn't argue. Instead he sat down next to Castiel at the table. "Fine. What do I do?"
"We carve this symbol," Sam explained, showing Dean the book. "Here." He placed his hand in the center of Dean's chest. "It's blood activated, and it will force Michael out. Since Nick is designed to be a vessel, thanks to Crowley, he'll suck Michael in and he won't be able to get out."
"That part, definitely." Sam continued. "Once he's in, we close the box. We've already prepared one of the empty storage rooms to house him.
"Do I get a say in this?" Nick asked.
"Shut up!" Sam, Donna, Mary, and Dean all shouted in unison.
Donna shoved him toward the box which sat upright like a sarcophagus on a refridgerator dolly. "Get in there," she said, kicking his knee and forcing him to fall into the box. Sam had made modifications to the interior: extra warding and places to attach the shackles.
While Donna chained Nick into the box, Sam went about carving the sigil into Dean's chest. "Sorry," he kept saying when Dean would wince.
"If it means I'm not Michael's chew toy, it's worth it," Dean said, trying to smile through the pain.
"Alright, Rowena. He's ready." Sam cut his hand and prepared to activate the sigil while Rowena chanted the spell. When the urn began to glow, Sam laid his hand over the still bleeding mark.
The force of Michael's ejection was like a tidal wave, knocking everyone in the room backward. Sam was the first to regain consciousness, followed by Mary.
"Did it work?" Mary asked.
"You think this box will hold me?" The angry growl came from the box.
"We're going to find out," Mary told Michael, slamming the lid shut before he could attempt to escape. They could still hear him struggling, his chains clinking against the metal interior of his new coffin.
Sam and Castiel sat the box back on its end and wheeled it out of the room.
"How do you feel, Dean?" Everyone in the room turned at the sound of Billie's voice.
"Like I've had an angel dickbag riding around in my head for a year? Why didn't you tell me there was another way?"
"Because you don't listen, Dean. You have never listened to anyone. I couldn't risk you fucking this up."
"So you were gonna let me throw myself into the ocean?" Dean was ready to jump off the floor and go for Billie's throat, but he knew it would be pointless.
"No, Dean. I'm Death. I have a unique view... I knew your mother would save you. You didn't think Amara brought her back out of the goodness of her heart, did you? This was always the plan."
"I really hate you," Dean snarled.
"Love you too, Winchester," Billie said before disappearing.
Sam and Castiel returned in time to hear Billie's explanation, but neither chose to comment on it.
"Alright, I call that a win!" Donna said brightly. "It's still Dean's birthday for a few more hours. Whattaya say to burgers and pie?"
"We just saved the world, again. We deserve some damn pie!" Dean agreed, finally getting up from the floor.
