based off 11.10

the devil in the details

~*~

Juno dropped her bag on the her bed as she and Cas had gotten back from their third hunt that week. She began pulling out the dirty and bloody clothes, throwing them towards the basket in the corner of the room. She took a deep breath, falling down onto her bed. Her phone chimed next to her, Juno rolling her eyes. She picked it up, noticing it to be a text from Dean.

Hope you and Cas are done with the hunt. I already called him. There's a problem. You need to hit the road.

She sat up with furrowed eyebrows, beginning to stand as she left her room. She looked down the hall to see Cas standing there outside of his room.

"Aw, hell," Juno muttered. She stepped into her room, grabbing her coat, gun, and an angel blade. Then she turned and followed Cas out of the bunker. She drove where Cas told her to, eventually stopping as she saw Dean vomiting on the side of the road. She pulled over, stopping the car as her and Cas got out.

"Dean," Cas said as they walked towards him.

"We came as soon as you called. Are you alright?" Juno questioned with furrowed eyebrows.

"Cas? Juno?" Dean questioned. He turned, getting sick once again.

"You're not alright," Cas said grabbing Dean's shoulder. Juno paused, a sudden uneasy falling in her stomach. She turned, getting sick as well. Cas turned to her, eyes writing worry. "Something's wrong."

"Obviously. What's wrong with me? Us?" Dean said pointing between him and Juno. Cas sat Juno down, then opened her eyes, inspecting them.

"What are you doing?" she asked weakly.

"Stick out your tongue," Cas instructed her.

"What?" she asked confused. Nevertheless, she opened her mouth, Cas looking in her mouth. She pulled away from his grip, leaning her head back against the Impala as she looked weaker than a few seconds ago. "Alright, are we done?"

"No," Cas said as he held a finger up. "Let me take your temperature." Juno's eyes widened as she swatted away his hand.

"No... that's not going to happen," she said shaking her head.

"How far are we from the event?" Cas asked looking over at Dean.

"You mean the angel nuke?" he asked raising an eyebrow.

"No, the carnival," Juno said glaring at Dean. "Obviously the nuke."

"Ground zero is about a mile down that way," Dean said as he pointed in that direction.

"That explains it. You're both suffering from smiting sickness,"

"That... that's a thing?" Dean asked in disbelief.

"Yeah. The angels... what they did... it released a tremendous amount of energy and there's fallout, so this whole area is poisoned," Cas explained as he looked around.

"You can heal us right?" Dean asked eagerly.

"No, I can't and the closer you get to the blast site the worse your sickness will become," Cas said to him.

"How worse?" Juno asked.

"The last time there was a smiting of this magnitude, Lot's wife turned to salt," Cas said with a frown.

"Awesome," Dean said letting his head hit the back of the Impala.

"Alright Dean, you need to go back. You too, Juno," Cas said taking his gaze to her.

"Ah, no," Dean protested. Cas pulled him up, Dean still struggling to stand. Juno weakly pushed herself off the ground, leaning against the car. "No. No, we gotta... we gotta go see if it worked... see if Amara is alive or dead."

"We don't. The fallout doesn't affect angels. I'll go in alone," Cas said. Dean looks at Cas as if to protest but suddenly feels vomit come up his throat. He choked it back down, but Juno couldn't. She turned away from them, throwing up on the ground again.

"Okay, ya, it's probably better that way. I'll take a drive and go check on Sam. Juno, you're with me," Dean said patting her back.

"Got it, yup," she said wiping off her mouth.

"Right. Good," Cas said nodding slowly.

"Hey Cas?" Castiel turned at Dean's call. "If it did work and she is dead, bring her body out."

"And if she's not?" Cas asked. Dean took a moment, then looked back up at Cas.

"Run."

*****

Juno and Dean walked down into the bunker, noticing that it was empty. They took it upon themselves to look in each side, Dean going to the rooms and Juno going towards the training rooms and file room. She found nothing, then walked back into the War Room to see Dean standing there. His phone started ringing, Juno stepping forward slowly. Dean looked at the number, noticing it to be 666.

"You son of a bitch," Dean remarked.

"I love conversations that start like that," Juno said with a light smile. Dean ignored her, listening to Crowley.

"Miss you too, puddin'," he stated, Dean rolling his eyes.

"Where are you? Where's Sam?" Dean asked forcefully.

"Ah, there was a bit of a hiccup. Your brother is in Hell, with Lucifer," Crowley told him. Dean hung up the phone immediately, turning to Juno.

"We've gotta go," he said grabbing her and pulling her up the stairs.

"Are you going to explain to me on the way what the hell is going on?" she asked as they walked out to the Impala.

"Of course I am," Dean said rolling his eyes. They got in the car, Dean beginning to speed North.

"Alright, so what major thing is going on that we're going forty over the speed limit to get to?" Juno asked glancing at the Impala's speedometer.

"Sam's in Hell with Lucifer, we gotta go get him," Dean told her quickly.

"And how did he get there?" Juno asked.

"He thinks God is sending him these visions to get Lucifer's help. We've been trying to figure out a way to talk to Lucifer without getting inside the cage, but obviously that didn't work," Dean said angrily. "He was supposed to wait for me, and he didn't."

"Yeah, and where were you?" Juno asked looking over at Dean. He paused, shaking his head.

"It doesn't matter. We just need to get to Hell," Dean said quickly. He sighed, punching the gas on the car. An hour later, the two were climbing out of the car as Juno had called Cas.

"Hey Cas, I know you're fighting the good fight right now, but, Dean and I need you at Third and Pine, Kenesaw, Nebraska, because, well, we're going to Hell," she explained. Juno hung up as Dean knocked on the door a slot opening.

"Password?" a woman questioned.

"Crowley sent me alright, just open up," Dean pleaded.

"Password!" Billie demanded.

"Really?" Dean grumbled.

"Good, god, Winchester," Juno said pushing him out of the way. "Camptown ladies sing this song. Do dah, do dah. Camptown race track five miles long oh do dah day."

"Alright, just let us in," Dean said stepping into view. Billie shut the slot, then opened the door.

"Nice work, Swift," Billie said looking at the two.

"Yeah, funny for a demon," Juno remarked.

"Not a demon. Name's Billie," she said looking right at Dean.

"The reaper, Billie? My brother says you want to kill us," Dean said with a slight nod.

"No. I'm just gonna make sure that when you die, you stay dead," Billie explained to him. "Subtle difference."

"So what, you work for Crowley?" Dean asked.

"With, not for. Strange days, Winchester. Times like this, it doesn't hurt to have the King owe you a favor," Billie said. She picked up a box, handing it to Dean. "For the limey."

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"You'll see," Billie said with a smirk.

"Whatever. Alright, just get us to where we need to go," Dean said as he took the box.

"That's the plan," Billie said turning. Juno and Dean followed her to a door, Billie placing a hand on one of the markings. The warding lit up, the door then opening to reveal a walkway into Hell. "Watch your step. It's a long way down." Juno and Dean exchanged a look, then walked into Hell.

*****

Dean and Juno finally made it to the bottom of the steps, still looking around at how dark and depressing it was around them. They looked forward to see Crowley standing against a wall.

"Welcome to Hell," he stated.

"Where's Sam?" Dean asked.

"Don't worry about Sam," Crowley told him.

"I'm sorry. Have you met me?" Dean asked raising an eyebrow.

"I mean Lucifer needs the moose. He's not going to kill him, probably," Crowley said stepping in front of Dean. "You versus the Devil... trust me there's easier ways of committing suicide. We need to focus on Rowena."

"Okay, great. Let's kill her," Dean said easily.

"Easier said than done I'm afraid. And we need Mother to slam the Devil back in his hole," Crowley informed them.

"Well, is she going to play ball?" Juno asked raising an eyebrow.

"She doesn't have a choice," Crowley told them. He touched the box Dean was holding, then opened it to reveal some sort of choker. "It's called a witch-catcher. Most of them were destroyed after the Inquisition, but, ah, Billie came through."

"Yeah, she's a peach. What does it do?" Dean asked quickly.

"You're going to love this," Crowley smirked. He turned to walk, then looked at Juno. "Who are you?"

"Surprised he didn't notice earlier," Juno muttered.

"This is Juno, she's a friend. Let's go," Dean said nodding forward. They walked towards where Rowena was, Crowley going in first to talk to her. She revealed she'd heard everything, Dean and Juno stepping into the room at that point. "Not that it matters."

"What does that mean, big boy?" Rowena asked looking at Dean.

"A little tip Mother. Never accept a cup of tea from someone who loathes you," Crowley advised her. Rowena's smile went down as she began coughing. She dropped the cup and the saucer plate, Dean whipping the witch-catcher around her neck.

"Get this off bloody thing off of me!" Rowena screamed at them.

"I would, but this bloody thing makes you my slave," Crowley said with a smile. Rowena scoffed, not believing him. "Hop, on one foot."

"Please, Fergus. I don't know what kind of Oedipal Fifty Shades you think you're playing at but if you think for a second..." Rowena paused, beginning to hop up and down on one foot. "Bullocks."

"Alright, let's do this," Dean said with a nod. They got Rowena the ingredients for the spell, all beginning to crowd her.

"So this spell is supposed to slam Lucifer back in the box. How long's this gonna take?" Dean asked hesitantly.

"About five minutes. Unless Sam says yes," Rowena said calmly.

"And if he does?" Juno asked.

"If Lucifer finds a vessel, he'll be anchored to earth. The incantation won't work," Rowena informed them.

"And then we're screwed," Dean concluded. A demon walked in, Castiel stumbling in behind him. His shirt was un-tucked, tie now loosened, and trench coat half hanging off of him.

"I'm sorry my lord, I tried to..." The demon trailed off, Crowley waving him off.

"Cas?" Dean asked.

"Oh good, the angel is here," Crowley said rolling his eyes.

"What's happened?" Juno asked stepping forward.

"Amara. She... she's alive. She... she sent this message..." Cas trailed off, opening his shirt to reveal the words 'I AM COMING' carved into his chest.

"I am coming. Is that a threat?" Crowley questioned.

"Or a promise?" Dean followed up. Cas looked up quickly, worry and slight disturbance in his eyes. They were all crowded around the table again as Rowena was working on the spell. Minutes later, a sudden grunt from the cage made the three hunters look up. "Sam!?" Dean began running out of the room, Cas following.

"Don't!" Crowley yelled.

"They don't listen very well," Juno said shaking her head as she walked out of the room to follow Cas and Dean. Crowley held his arms up in disbelief, then turned back to Rowena. Juno ran up behind Cas and Dean, maintaining their speed.

"Dean. Uh, other one. Random girl," Lucifer said looking between the three. He snapped his fingers, all of them appearing in the cage with Lucifer. "Welcome to the party." Lucifer shifted his weight, the three in front of him no backing down. "Scared?"

"Not even a little," Dean remarked. Cas dropped his angel blade into his hand, Lucifer shaking his head.

"Ah, ah, ah... moments like this, it's all about ambiance," Lucifer said. He snapped his fingers, Heaven Must Be Missin' An Angel beginning to play out of nowhere. The three looked around as he was dancing, Cas lunging at Lucifer first. The song continued as Dean went for Sam, Juno grabbing the angel blade out of her jacket. "I can beat the Darkness. Me. Only me. Who are these two? They're a couple of apes. You know I'm right Castiel. You know it?" Juno grabbed Lucifer by the neck, pulling him back from Cas. He hit the wall of the cage, everyone looking at Juno. "I don't know who you are, but I'm killing you first." He lunged at Juno, Cas pulling her out of the way. Sam and Dean stood, beginning to punch Lucifer.

Cas punched him again, Juno taking a good swing. Sam grabbed his arms, Dean standing in front of him.

"You hit like a human," Lucifer stated. He kicked Dean back, then pushed Sam off of him. Cas went to punch Lucifer again, but was elbowed in the face and fell down. Juno punched him in the face, eyeing his next move. He went to punch her but she ducked, stood up, then kicked him back. He glared over at her, hatred in his eyes.

He went to lunge at Juno, Dean punching him across the face. Lucifer merely pushed him back, then turned at Juno again. She prepared herself, but with the flick of his wrist, Lucifer sent her flying back into the wall. He stepped forward, grabbing her throat.

"You all have seemed to take a liking to this girl, so final decision. You say the magic word, or she dies... And we both know you wouldn't let an innocent girl die," Lucifer said glancing back at Sam. Cas stood, tackling Lucifer. Juno fell to the ground, crawling to the corner as she was trying to breathe. She glanced over Cas as Lucifer had his foot on his angel blade. "Any last words?" Juno could swear she heard Castiel say yes, but she was too busy shielding her eyes from Lucifer disappearing out of thin air. They all stood, wiping the blood off their faces. Cas healed each of them, the four exiting the cage. They limped towards Crowley and Rowena.

"You're welcome... anyone?" Rowena asked.

"Bite me," Dean seethed.

"I can make her do that," Crowley chimed in.

"So what now?" Juno asked.

"About the Darkness? No clue," Crowley answered.

"We'll figure it out," Dean said with a sigh.

"Or die screaming," Rowena continued.

"This has been a horrible train wreck, so we're done. Team up over," Crowley stated.

"What about her?" Sam asked pointing at Rowena.

"She stays. The rest of you lot... get the hell out of Hell," Crowley demanded. The four nodded, getting out of there as fast as possible. Sam and Dean walked to the car, Juno beginning to follow. She realized Cas was trailing behind, then turned to him.

"You alright?" she asked.

"I think so," he responded, a small smile almost tugging at his lips. "I will be."

"You need a lift?" Juno asked raising an eyebrow.

"No, you three go on ahead. I'll catch up," Cas told her.

"Okay," she nodded. She began walking away again, then turned back to Cas. "Hey, where's my car?" Cas opened his mouth to respond, then shook his head. "Great. Alright." Juno turned walking back over to Sam and Dean. The three got in the car, Sam looking back at Cas.

"Is he alright?" Sam asked.

"Tough day," Juno said rubbing her forehead.

"Yeah. Tell me about it," Sam grumbled.

"You good?" Dean asked looking at him.

"I don't know. I mean what if Lucifer was telling the truth, you know, what if he's-"

"No, dude, the Darkness is bad. Her and the Devil? That's a nightmare," Dean said looking over at Sam. He nodded slowly, Dean beginning to drive off.

~*~

we really getting into it now

buckle up everyone