"All Access Pass to the Magic Kingdom," Ash said as he started to draw another sigil on the steel door in chalk. Dean and Cassandra stood behind him, watching with intrigue.

"Good," Dean replied. Ash turned and looked at him in disbelief. Dean arched a single eyebrow. "Not good?"

"That Zachary fella's going to be watching every road to the Garden," Ash explained.

Behind Dean and Cassandra, Pamela was pulled into a tight hug by Sam. "Watch your ass," Pamela told him. Sam nodded and turned, making his way to the door next to Cassandra. He crossed his arms over his chest and watched as Dean made his way over to the psychic to say his goodbyes. "And Dean."

Dean held out his arms for a hug but Pamela seemed to have another idea. She pulled his head down for a kiss that only lasted a few seconds before pulling away briefly and staring him in the eyes. She reattached her lips to his, the second kiss longer. If Cassandra hadn't cleared her throat and narrowed her eyes at the psychic then she was afraid she would've taken Dean into the back room. Dean's face flushed a bright red but Pamela only smirked.

"Yup. Just how I imagined," Pamela whispered, patting the Hunter's cheek and chuckling. Dean seemed to be a bit dazed and confused. He turned to Cassandra, smiling sheepishly at the glare she sent his way.

"Smooth," Cassandra said.

"You said it yourself, Princess. We may not last."

"Ouch. You hurt my feelings, Winchester," Cassandra teased with a small smirk. Dean could see right through the teasing manner. He could see how much that kiss and his words had hurt her. She still knew she was at fault but she couldn't help but feel just a little pissed at Dean. He had lied to her more than she had ever lied to him.

Ash stood up and turned towards the Winchesters, taking a small step back upon realizing just how close Sam actually was. He sighed loudly and dramatically. "Ah, gentlemen...and Nephilim. I don't mean to be a downer or anything but...I'm sure I'll see you again soon," Ash told them. Dean glanced back at Pamela and sent her a wink, earning a warm smile. He turned back to Ash.

"Well, keep a sixer on ice for us," Dean said. Ash nodded.

"Yeah." Ash pulled open the door for the trio and they walked through, Sam first.

They all stopped and glanced around in confusion. They were back in their old house in Lawrence except this time it was slightly darker as all of the lights had been turned off. "What the... Why are we back home?" Dean questioned. Cassandra shook her head.

"I don't know. So what are we going to do?" she replied. Dean shrugged.

"Keep looking for the road again, I guess." They turned to leave when Mary appeared behind Dean, the white nightgown that she had died in resting loosely on her body.

"Honey. Why are you up?" Mary asked with a smile. Dean hesitated slightly but pushed through it. They had more important things to do.

"Look. I'm-I'm sorry. I love you but you're not real and we don't have time—"

"Did you have another nightmare? Tell me," Mary interrupted. Dean shook his head, briefly glancing towards Cassandra.

"I gotta go." Dean started to walk off when Mary's voice stopped him. She stepped forward, the smile still stretched across her lips. It didn't look real. It looked...evil; forced.

"Then how 'bout I tell you my nightmare, Dean? The night I burned." Mary's smile fell and blood seeped through her nightgown, pooling on the floor around her feet. Cassandra's eyes widened and she gasped, stepping back and just missing running into Sam. Dean's voice shook as he spoke:

"Sammy, let's get out of here."

"Don't you walk away from me," Mary growled. Dean stopped and looked back to his mother. "I never loved you. You were my burden. I was shackled to you. Look what it got me." Mary blinked once and when her eyes opened again her blue irises were a pale yellow. The same yellow of the demon that killed Mary and Jess. Cassandra's lips parted in horror as memories from her nightmares of watching Jess die took over her mind.

Dean was frozen in place, as was Sam. Cassandra managed to find her voice and reached out and grabbed onto Dean's wrist. "Dean." The Hunter finally turned to the blonde, devastation clear on his face. Suddenly the darkness in the house flickered to an ominous green and when the trio all glanced around they found that every single exist had been blocked by red bricks. Every window, every doorway, even the skylight.

Mary blinked once more and her eyes returned to their normal color. "The worst was the smell. The pain, well. What can you say about your skin bubbling off? But the smell was so... You know, for a second I thought I'd left a pot roast burning in the oven. But... it was my meat," Mary rambled on. Dean stepped away from the blonde woman, walking over to the brick wall where the doorway used to be. He pressed against it with all of his strength but it never budged.

"And then, finally, I was dead. The one silver lining was that at least I was away from you," Mary continued. She sucked in a deep breath. "Everybody leaves you, Dean. You noticed? Mommy. Daddy. Even Sam. Hell, even sweet little Cassy is going to leave you. She already said yes, didn't she? I mean who can blame her? You hurt her the first time you met her."

Sam and Dean were both clearly hurt by her words but they didn't dare utter a word. Cassandra clenched her fists at her sides, seething with anger.

"You ever ask yourself why? Maybe it's not them. Maybe, it's you." Mary cocked her head to the side with a chuckle.

"Easy now, kitten," a familiar voice said. The trio's gazes shifted from Mary towards Zachariah who stepped into the room with a smirk. Mary only continued to grin at the Winchesters in evil glee.

"You did this," Sam growled. Zachariah nodded, gladly taking credit for his work.

"And I'm just getting started. I mean, guys. Did you really think you could just sneak past me into Mission Control?"

"You son of a bitch." Sam started towards Zachariah when two angels appeared behind he and Dean, each holding a Winchester back. Cassandra still stood there, not making a move. She had no angel restraining her and she was of her own free will. Dean stared at her in disbelief and she only sent him an apologetic glance, shaking her head.

"You know, I'd say the same thing about you, Sam, but I have actually grown quite fond of your mother. Or at least the Blessed Memory of her." Zachariah brushed Mary's hair from her neck, bending down and pressing a kiss to her skin. Cassandra and Dean looked away in disgust, their stomachs churning. "I think we're going to be logging a lot of quality time together. I've discovered she's quite the... MILF."

"You can gloat all you want, you dick, you're still bald," Dean spat. Zachariah looked up.

"In Heaven, I have six wings and four faces, one of whom is a lion. You see this because you're..." Zachariah started to trail his fingers down Mary's arm. This time Sam looked away, not able to watch anymore. He couldn't bear the thought of his memories of his mother being tainted in any way. "...limited."

Cassandra threw her head back and laughed. "You're a fucking ugly lion," she said. Zachariah narrowed his eyes at her. "You forget I can see your true face, you douchebag." Zachariah snapped his fingers and Mary disappeared in a flicker.

"Let's brass tack this, shall we?" the angel asked as he made his way towards Dean. Cassandra's eyes followed him, her hand snaking towards the back waistband of her jeans for her angel blade.

"You gonna ball-gag us until we say yes? Huh, yeah, I've heard that one, too," Dean said. Zachariah slammed his fist into Dean's stomach and the Hunter hunched over in pain, groaning.

"I'm going to do a lot more than that. I've cleared my schedule. Get him up."

The angel restraining Dean pulled him back up only for Zachariah to punch him again. Sam struggled against the angel that held him and Cassandra made no move. She hated seeing Zachariah do this to Dean but she had to play carefully. One wrong move and they were all done for.

"Let me tell you something. I was on the fast track once. Employee of the month, every month, forever. I would walk these halls and people would avert their eyes!" Zachariah roared. The house shook and Cassandra glanced around. "I had respect! And then they assigned me you. Now look at me." He chuckled. "I can't close the deal on a couple of flannel-wearing maggots? Everybody's laughing at me... and they're right to do it. At least I got your whore to say yes.

"So, say yes, don't say yes; I'm still going to take it out on your asses. It's personal now, boys, and the last person in the history of creation you want as your enemy is me. And I'll tell you why. Lucifer may be strong, but I'm...petty. I'm going to be the angel on your shoulder for the rest of eternity," Zachariah finished.

Cassandra furrowed her eyebrows when an older black man appeared behind the angel, his hands clasped together. "Excuse me. Sir?" His voice was soft; gentle. Zachariah turned to face him.

"I'm in a meeting," he snapped.

"I'm sorry. I need to speak to those three," he replied, gesturing to the trio of Hunters. Sam, Dean, and Cassandra all exchanged glances. Zachariah stared back at the man in bewilderment.

"Excuse me?"

"It's a bad time, I know, but I'm afraid I have to insist."

"You don't get to insist jack-squat."

"No, you're right. But the boss does. His orders."

Zachariah recoiled at his words. "You're lying," he said, not quite certain that he was actually lying. The man shook his head.

"I wouldn't lie about this. Look, fire me if you want. Sooner or later, He's going to come back home and you know how He is with that whole wrath thing," the man replied. Cassandra's lips curled into a smirk and she crossed her arms over her chest, arching an eyebrow at Zachariah. He scoffed and shook his head.

"I think it's time for you to go," Cassandra told him, pursing her lips. He scowled at her before he and his two other angel disappeared, leaving nothing but the flutter of their wings.

Suddenly the Hunters and the man found themselves standing amongst a whole garden of rainforest-like trees and plants. Sam and Dean glanced around, slowly walking towards the man Cassandra presumed was Joshua. "This is Heaven's Garden?" Sam questioned. Dean shrugged with a smile.

"It's-it's nice... ish. I guess."

"You see what you want to here. For some it's God's throne room; for others it's Eden. You two, I believe it's the Cleveland Botanical Gardens." They all glanced around, taking in their surroundings. "You came here on a field trip."

Sam nodded in agreement and remembrance. Cassandra smiled slightly. So they did have some good memories as kids that involved each other.

"You're Joshua," Sam said. Joshua nodded.

"I'm Joshua," he confirmed.

"So, you talk to...God."

"Mostly He talks to me."

Sam raised his eyebrows slightly before nodding and licking his lips. "Well, we need to speak to Him. It's important."

"Where is he?" Cassandra questioned.

"On Earth."

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Doing what?"

"I don't know."

"Do you know where on Earth?" Dean chimed in. Joshua shook his head.

"No, sorry. We don't exactly speak face-to-face."

Dean paused, choosing his words carefully before speaking. "I... I don't get it. God's not talking to nobody so..."

"Why's He talking to me," joshua finished, nodding. "I sometimes think it's because I can sympathize—gardener to gardener—and, between us, I think he gets lonely."

Dean scoffed in disgust, shaking his head. "Well, my heart's breaking for him." Cassandra nudged her boyfriend's side, sending him a warning glare. He just rolled his eyes and held his hands up in surrender. She returned her attention to Joshua.

"Well, can you at least get him a message for us?" Sam requested.

"Actually, He has a message for you. Back off," Joshua said. Dean glanced at Cassandra in confusion before looking back to Joshua.

"What?"

"He knows already. Everything you want to tell him."

"But—"

"He knows what the angels are doing. He knows that the Apocalypse has begun. He just doesn't think it's His problem."

Dean recoiled at his words, his eyes widening in shock. Cassandra's lips parted and she looked up to Sam who held a similar expression. "Not His problem?" Dean repeated.

"God saved you already. He put you on that plane. He brought back Castiel. He granted you salvation in Heaven—" Joshua turned to Sam. "—and after everything you've done too. It's more than he's intervened in a long time. He's finished. Magic amulet or not, you won't be able to find Him."

"But he can stop it. He can stop all of it."

"I suppose He could, but He won't."

"Why not?"

"Why does He allow evil in the first place? You could drive yourself nuts asking questions like that."

"So He's just going to sit back and watch the world burn?"

Joshua stared back at the Hunter sympathetically, tilting his head to the side slightly. "I know how important this was to you, Dean. I'm sorry."

"Forget it. Just another dead-beat dad with a bunch of excuses, right. I'm used to that. I'll muddle through," Dean replied, his voice wavering.

"Except... you don't know if you can this time. You can't kill the Devil, and you're losing faith, in yourself, your brother, the woman you love, and now this?" Sam looked to Dean, just realizing how desperate and depressed Dean truly is. Cassandra held a similar expression but she refused to let the Winchesters see it. "God was your last hope. I just... I wish I could tell you something different."

"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Sam inquired.

"You think that I would lie?"

"It's just that... you're not exactly the first angel we've met."

"I'm rooting for you three! I wish I could do more to help you, I do! But... I just trim the hedges."

"So what now?" Dean asked.

"You go home again. I'm afraid this time, won't be like the last. This time, God wants you to remember."

"You son of a bitch!" Cassandra yelled before Joshua could send them away. He looked over to the Nephilim. "I've thrown away everything for you winged assholes and this is how you repay us? This is God's mess. He's the one who had Michael banish Lucifer so He should be the one to stop it! He needs to own up to his mistakes! He needs to be a dad, not a god. Not this time."

"I don't think you have a right to talk about Him like that," Joshua told her. "You didn't even believe in Him up until almost a year ago. You laughed at the thought of his existence." She recoiled at his words. "You don't even realize how much He's done for you in the past eight years."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You think it was your Grace that saved you from all of those suicide attempts? You think it was your Grace that saved you that night in the alley? Your angel Grace was blocked, Cassandra. It was God that brought you back each time," Joshua explained. She stepped closer to the angel, narrowing her eyes at him. "You're the Savior."

"Tell Him that he was too late the first time," she hissed. Joshua tilted his head to the side in confusion. "I was broken after that night in the alley. Not even God could pick up those pieces."

"That's why He sent Dean Winchester in your path."

"Then He should've sent him seven years sooner. God doesn't care. Not really."

"He cares about you, Cassandra, but He believes that it's time you fight this war on your own. He's held your hand long enough. What happened in that alley was a lesson; an event to set you on the right path to becoming something greater."

"I don't see getting raped by someone who you thought was your best friend as a lesson!"

Sam and Dean's eyes widened at her words. Joshua showed no reaction.

"You can tell Him thanks for the effort but it wasn't enough. I would've rathered Him leave me dead. I think Hell would've been better than that night," Cassandra spat. She turned to start walking away when Joshua's voice stopped her.

"I'm disappointed in you, Cassandra. Disappointed that you chose to help Michael. I really am. I was rooting for you three." Cassandra turned back towards the angel, her fists clenched at her sights as her chest heaved with anger. Joshua walked towards her, stopping only centimeters from her face. "But I will tell you one thing; God's seen the future, Cassandra, and He told me how your story ends. Playing both sides will get you killed. Whether it's tomorrow or six years from now, it will kill you. Pick a side and choose wisely. He won't be bringing you back again."

With a wave of his hand, Sam, Dean, and Cassandra were all sent back to Earth in a bright light.

Cassandra landed on the floor in the motel room, stumbling and crashing into the wall just as Sam shot up, gasping for breath. His chest heaved as he panted. A moment later Dean also shot up, his hand traveling up to his abdomen where he had been shot just hours earlier.

"You alright?" Sam questioned.

"Define alright," Dean replied. He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed his cellphone before standing up and dialing Castiel's number, pacing the room as he did so. His gaze drifted over to Cassandra who stared down at the dusty carpet with tear-filled eyes. She looked up to meet Dean's gaze but he glanced away, refusing to meet her eyes.

~*~

Castiel leaned against the divider of the motel room, staring back at nothing. He seemed to be hopeless and disappointed, a thousand emotions all flooding in at once. "Maybe... maybe Joshua was lying."

Sam and Dean both looked over to the angel. Dean zipped his duffel bag closed as Sam grabbed his toiletry kit from the bathroom counter.

"I don't think he was, Cas. I'm sorry," Sam replied with a sigh. They watched with intrigued as Cas started to move towards the motel room door, stopping and looking up to the ceiling.

"You son of a bitch. I believed in—" Cas cut himself off and shook his head. He turned back to the brothers and focused on Dean, walking over to the Hunter as he pulled out the amulet he had lent him just a few months earlier. "I don't need this anymore. It's worthless." Castiel turned away.

"Cas. Wait."

Ignoring Sam, the angel disappeared leaving nothing but the echo of his wings. Sam sighed and tossed his toiletry kit on the bed angrily. Dean never looked up from the amulet in his grasp.

"We'll find another way. We can still stop all this, Dean," Cassandra chimed in. Dean looked over to the blonde and shook his head.

"How?"

"I don't know, but we'll find it. You, Sam, and me, we'll find it," she assured him. Dean never replied. He just grabbed his duffel bag and started to walk over to the door before stopping. The amulet uncoiled in his hand and dangled over the trash can. Cassandra and Sam exchanged glances before focusing back on the necklace. Dean wasn't actually going to throw it away, was he?

Dean dropped the amulet in the trash can and opened the door, walking out without sparing the two another glance.

Cassandra leaned back on the wall and looked up at the ceiling, shaking her head. If God cared about them in any way then He really needed to step in before it was all too late.

How do you think it'll all go over with Bobby, Sam, and Dean now that they know she joined Michael?

And when Joshua told her that God was done saving her whether she died tomorrow or six years from now, what do you think that was? A random number he pulled out of his ass or foreshadowing?

Eight chapters left, guys!