CHAPTER TEN

Chuck walks into the living room, and the various supernatural creatures — and the two Winchester boys — all look at him. He's looking down at the pages in his hand.

"So... You wrote another chapter?" Sam asks, and Chuck scoffs.

"This was all so much easier before you were real." He says as he glances around the room.

"We can take it. Just spit it out." Dean says, gaining the writer's attention.

"You especially are not gonna like this."

"I didn't like hell." He says, and Chuck sighs.

"It's Lilith." He tells them, causing Nyx and Elena to stand up straight and Dean to turn his attention to his girlfriend. "She's coming for the girls."

"Coming to kill them?" Dean questions.

"Well, I guess we have spectacular timing, don't we?" Klaus asks.

"Okay, hold on." Nyx looks at the original hybrid. "Just because you were mildly believable as a loving father for an hour does not mean that I've decided to trust you with anything, let alone our lives. 'Kay?"

"Bygones, sweetheart."

"Sacrifice, jackass."

"Honey," Kai walks over to Nyx, and she looks at him. "I think Lilith is more troubling than Klaus, don't you think?"

"I think you need to stop calling my girlfriend honey." Dean says as he stands up from the arm of the chair he's been sitting on.

"Down boy." Nyx pats his chest. "He's not flirting. He's being annoying."

"I thought it was cute." Kai says. "I'm still not good at this...gauging emotions thing."

"Why does he call you that?" Rebekah questions.

"He said that when the sunlight hits her eyes just right it reminds him of honey." Chuck says, and they all look at him.

"You keep getting creepier." Nyx tells him.

"When is Lilith coming?" Elijah asks, getting them back on track.

"Tonight." Chuck says, and Nyx's jaw tightens as she looks at her sister.

"She's just gonna show up? Here?" Dean asks.

"Uh..." Chuck clears his throat as he sits on the couch. He puts on his reading glasses and flips to a page in the stack he's carrying with him. "Uh... Lilith watches the girls, amused as they struggle to get a handle on their abilities. They're clearly outmatched, but neither is willing to give up the fight."

"Outmatched?" Nyx questions. "Dean told me that Lilith's a little girl. I've actually been worried about hurting the poor kid that she's possessing."

"No, uh, this time she's a...comely dental hygienist from Bloomington, Indiana." He tells her.

"Great. Perfect." Dean says sarcastically. "So, what happens after..." He motions between the two girls.

"I don't know." Chuck shakes his head. "It hasn't come to me yet."

"Baby, stop worrying." Nyx says as she looks at Dean. "We've been working on our abilities, you've seen us. We'll be fine."

He looks at his girlfriend for a second and then turns back to Chuck. "How does this whole psychic thing of yours work?" He asks, and she sighs.

"You mean my process?" Chuck asks.

"Yes, your process."

"Well, it usually starts with a headache — a really bad headache. Aspirin is useless, so..." He sighs. "I drink. Until I fall asleep. The first time it happened, I thought it was just a crazy dream."

"The first time you dreamt about us?"

"It flowed. It just— It kept flowing." He rubs his hands over his face. "It still does. I-I can't stop it, really."

"You're getting yourself worked up over the dreams of a neurotic drunk." Nyx says as she looks at Dean.

"I'd be offended, but I already knew you were gonna say that." Chuck says, and she looks at him.

"And what am I thinking right now?"

"Yeah, I'll shut up." He nods.

"Thank you." She turns back to her boyfriend. "I don't care what he's written, okay? I don't. I've survived a lot, and I always come out on top."

"Yeah, except for the times that you end up dead." Dean argues.

"Okay, well, three of the reasons that I died in the past are now on our side. You know what I call​ that?" She asks.

"Our dumbest plan yet?"

"Progress, my love. I call it progress." She tells him. "And if we're gonna talk about dumb plans — let's not forget the time you and your dope of a brother got on a plane that was supposed to fall out of the sky forty minutes after take off." She then looks back at Chuck. "I actually really enjoyed reading about Dean freaking out and humming Metallica to try and calm his nerves. So, thank you for Phantom Traveler." She smiles.

"You're mean." Dean says.

"Again, I learned it from you."

"Look, babe... No matter what progress you and Elena have made — you are a long way from ready for a face-to-face death match with Lilith." Dean says, and she looks up at him.

"Thank you. Your faith in me is so inspiring, babe." She says sarcastically. "How did I ever accomplish anything before​ I had you in my corner?"

"I'm just looking out for you — the mother of my children. Not to mention baby S."

"But why does it seem like Klaus has more faith in us succeeding than you?" She questions.

"Because he's invincible. No matter how this turns out, he walks away without a scratch." He shakes his head. "We're not doing this. Alright? We're not."

"Why not? Because you said so?" She scoffs as she looks up at him. "You're my boyfriend, Dean, not my father. Oh, and, for the last time, I'm pregnant, not handicapped. So, stop treating me like she means I can't do my job. Because she is the exact reason that I can guarantee you I walk out of this alive."

"That is never a guarantee. Not in this job, not for anyone." He argues, and she nods.

"You know what, you are exactly right. This job is dangerous — it is just as dangerous for you as it is for me. But you don't see me telling you what to do."

"Yes, you are. You're telling me to be okay with you walking into a suicide mission, and I can't do that." He tells her.

"And I can't just sit back and do nothing, regardless of what he wrote in those papers." She says. "You want to protect me because I'm important to you? Go ahead, protect me. But do not try to shelter or control me."

"I like you." Hayley says with a smile, talking to Nycole.

Nyx fights a smile as she glances at the woman on the other side of the living room. "Look," She turns her attention back to Dean. "I get that you're​ worried, and scared that not all of us will survive this. But whatever the outcome, we can't run. She's coming to us, whether we like it or not. And last time she made a move against us, a demon went after our kids. So, no, I won't​ back down. I won't run. I won't hide. And I'd really like your support."

"I'm done having this fight." He shakes his head. "I have never not supported​ you. I mean, hell, I watched you leave with Klaus to do the sacrifice so that you could save the rest of us. I was in love with you, and I let you go. I let you run to your death because it was what you asked me to do. I did it once, I've done it more since. I won't watch you do it again. I just won't. I can't." He walks past her and then leaves the house.

Elena looks at Sam and motions for him to go with his brother. He nods, taking a deep breath as he walks out of the house.

Nyx purses her lips and sighs as she looks down at Chuck. "I know there's more. Why didn't you show him?" She asks.

"You asked me not to, remember?" He holds up the papers, and she takes them. "He's gonna be angry when he finds out."

"He's gonna be angry no matter what I do or what I say." She tells him. "Haven't you been paying attention?"

"How much have you seen?" Elena asks.

"What's going on here?" Rebekah questions.

"The girls have a plan." Chuck says as he stands up. "They've had a plan since the first day that they decided to take on Lilith."

"And you're all a part of it." Nyx says. "I wasn't planning on the witches, but I was planning on you and your brothers. Marcel."

"Vicki didn't screw up." Elena adds. "She did exactly what we asked her to."

"You planned to ask for our help all along?" Kol asks, and they look at him. "Then what was with the book show outside?"

"Look around. Who's not currently standing in this room?"

"Humans." Davina says. "You're protecting them."

"Dean, Sam, Vicki, Caroline, and the twins. I wish I could do more to protect her..." Nyx rests her hand on her stomach, but then she looks at Kai. "I guess that's where you come in." She says, and he nods.

"I can cast the spell." He tells her.

"Not alone, you won't." Bonnie says as she comes down the stairs. "I still want to kill you, but I'll do anything to protect Nyx and Elena. Even if it means I have to work with you."

"As soon as you showing up became a part of the plan, I called Bonnie." Nyx says. "She agreed to help you with the protection spell, so it'll be stronger."

"So, what's the plan?" Marcel asks, and Nyx goes through the pages that Chuck wrote.

"Read up. I've got something else to take care of." She tells them and then closes her eyes as she drops her head. "Castiel. Oh, Castiel — my blue-eyed, winged savior... Your wards could use some help down here."

The sound of fluttering wings gets their attention, and they all turn. "Nycole. Elena."

"Perhaps you can shine some light on the question mark that is Chuck Shurley?" Nyx asks as she motions to the kitchen.

"He is a prophet of the Lord." The angel says as he and Chuck follow the twins into the other room. Marcel's reading the plan to the others, filling them all in. "It's an honor to meet you, Chuck. I...admire your work."

"I'm sorry, hold on. The drunken neurotic is a prophet?" She questions as Cas picks up a book from a nearby table.

Chuck's freaking out, getting himself another drink. The twins watch him with furrowed brows as he sits at the table.

"This whackjob is deciding whether I live or die?" Nyx questions.

"He isn't deciding anything. He's a mouthpiece — a conduit for the inspired word." Cas says as he flips through the book.

"Can you stop that please?" She takes the book from him. "He wrote me having sex in these damn things. I don't need you reading that. You probably saw when I was born."

"I did, actually. I had to be sure the delivery went smoothly."

She opens her mouth to say something, but then pauses. "Hold— I'm sorry... A conduit for the inspired word?" She replays that in her head. "As in the word of God? What, like the new new testament?"

"One day, these books — they'll be known as the Gilbert-Winchester Gospel." He tells her.

"You gotta be kidding me." The twins and Chuck all speak at the same time.

"I am not...kidding you." Cas says, and Chuck takes a few deep breaths.

"If you'll all please excuse me for one minute." Chuck gets up and then runs up the stairs, clutching a bottle of Scotch to his chest.

"Him? Really?" Elena questions as the others walk over to the kitchen.

"You should've seen Luke." Cas says, and they all look at him.

"This is an angel?" Klaus asks.

"Mm. Our guardian." Nyx smiles sarcastically. "Why the Chucklehead?"

"I don't know how prophets are chosen. The order comes from high up on the celestial chain of command." The angel tells them.

"How high?"

"Very."

"Alright, well, whatever." She shakes her head. "Tell me, my celestial overwatch — is our plan gonna work?"

"It's possible." Cas says, and she sighs.

"That's all you got for me, isn't it?"

"There are many reasons tha your plan could be successful. However, there are also many reasons that it could fail." He tells her. "It's a matter of execution from here. And strength — yours and Elena's. Not just together, but as your own individual entities. You are stronger together, but you can't rely on it at all times."

Nyx nods and she looks at her sister. "We can do this." Elena says. "I've never met anyone stronger than you, and I'm not talking strong like them." She motions to the vampires and hybrids in the room. "Our ability is channeled through our emotions, right?"

"Yeah." She sighs.

"Well, who's got more emotional baggage than us?" She asks, and Nyx laughs.

"You are just as crazy as I am." She says, and her sister smiles at her. "Let's do this."

"Anyone wants to back out, now's your chance." Elena says as she looks at the others. "'Cause we're fighting Lilith tonight. We know the risk we're taking, and now so do you."

"Question is — is it worth it for you?" Nyx asks.

"Well, I told your sister once that I don't want hell on Earth. And we were only talking about Silas at the time." Kol says. "I sure as hell don't want Lucifer to rise."

"If he's staying, so am I." Davina says.

"I promised to protect you and the twins. I won't back out." Kai says, and Bonnie agrees, smiling at the twins.

"Well, I won't be the only witch to leave." Freya says.

"What are old friends for?" Marcel asks, earning a smile from Nyx.

"I'm here for my daughter." Hayley says.

"As am I." Klaus adds and then looks at his older brother and younger sister.

"I vowed to stand beside you..." Elijah says, talking to his brother.

"Always and forever." Rebekah smiles.

"Well, would you look at that? The most unlikely band of misfits." Nyx says, a smile spreading across her face. "Cas, take the prophet and find Dean, please. Tell him what's going on, and keep him from coming back here."

"If I may..." Cas looks between the twins for a moment. "I am proud of you both."

"Ah, pride is an emotion. You're not supposed to feel those." She chuckles as she glances at her sister. "Thank you, Cas."

He nods once and then disappears.

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's get started." Kol says.

"I'll cast a spell over the house — prevent the neighbors from hearing anything they're not supposed to." Freya tells the twins, and they both nod.

"We'll need your blood." Kai tells them. "For the protection spell."

"Fun." Nyx says sarcastically and then goes to get a knife.

"And Freya and I will need blood from each of you." Davina tells the vampires. "It'll make our connection to you stronger for our spell." She explains.

"You ready?" Elena asks as she looks at her sister, who takes a deep breath.

"Here we go." Nyx slices the palm of her hand, and she then lets her blood fall into the bowl that Bonnie's holding.