Chapter One Hundred and Sixty-Four - My Favourite Show
During a private concerto in the piano room, Eden stopped playing rather abruptly when her phone began to ring.
Seeing 'Impala 2' show up, she sighed and answered it.
"What's up?" She asked.
"Tell me a lie." Sam instructed.
"What?" Eden frowned.
"Just do it."
"Okay... Um... I love you. I... love you." Eden's frown deepened. "That wasn't a lie, I swear. I'm trying to say-"
"That you don't? Yeah. Something's happened. Seems like no one can lie." Sam replied.
"That's rather on the nose, Squab..." Eden mumbled. "Where are you?"
"Mirror Universe. It's a facial recognition place. Figured if Jack was flying about all over the world-"
"You'd be better off using his face than anything else to track him." The Dark Angel nodded.
"Exactly. Could you... Maybe get over here? Dean's a little frustrated about this whole 'no lying' thing and everyone else in this place is... Fighting." Sam sighed.
Eden groaned, lowering her forehead down on the edge of the piano.
"I thought I said I was staying out of this Witch hunt."
"I know, but... I really need you, Eden. I'm gunna lose it if something doesn't happen fast." The younger brother replied.
"Fine. I'll be-" Eden cut off as she disappeared, reappearing right in front of him in a very white and very modern hothouse for tech geeks. "Right there."
She looked around as she hung up the call, seeing every person in the building trying to metaphorically rip each other's throats out.
"Wow, you weren't joking..." She cocked a brow.
"Nope. No, I was not." Sam huffed, looking around the bull pen filled with bloodied, squirming bodies and all of the latest tech on each white desk. "Looks like lying comes in handy for more people than just us."
"You don't say..." Eden hummed, her attention still focused on the atrocity unfolding before her.
As a stapler came hurtling towards Eden's head, Sam grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a nearby office, rapidly closing the door behind them as soon as Dean was inside.
There was a small meeting table littered with laptops in the centre of the room and a TV displaying the news on the far sidewall.
"On what was supposed to be a speech on farming subsides, the President, instead, spent more than two hours disclosing his entire tax history, deep ties to Russia and North Korea, and a, quote; 'Demon deal' with someone named Crowley." The female blonde news anchor said.
"Dude. What the Hell?" Dean scoffed.
"Bloody Crowley. Haunting us from beyond the veil." Eden muttered.
"Did we just walk into a case?" The older brother asked, looking to his younger brother who didn't look like he knew what to think.
On the TV, the camera flicked to where a white haired Caucasian man in a blue suit and red tie sat with his hands rested on the desk he sat at, gazing longingly at his fellow anchor.
"I love you." He stated robotically. "I have always loved you."
Dean and Eden raised their brows as the news anchors awkwardly glanced to the camera before turning their desk chairs around to fully face front.
As the woman began to recite the news again, Dean reached for the remote on the table and switched the TV off.
"I think what's happening here is... Not just happening here. That's why I called Eden. I wanted to see how far this reached." Sam explained.
"Yeah, dude, it's... It's everywhere." Dean nodded, staring out at the people in the bullpen still ripping each other apart.
"It's Jack." Sam and Eden said in unison.
"That son of a bitch..." Dean huffed, relaxing his shoulders in a defeated stance.
"We have to find him. Like right now." He glanced out at the bullpen again as paper folders hit the frosted lower half of the floor-to-ceiling office window.
Sam sat down at the meeting table, dragging one of the laptops towards him.
As he began aggressively typing into the slim silver machine, Eden felt a wash of nausea come over her.
"What's up, Vampy Pants? Inability to lie got you all screwed up or something?" Dean commented, watching her ivory skin turn grey and almost translucent.
"I don't know... Something's not right." She frowned, putting her hand to her lower abdomen. "I'd say it could be morning sickness or something, but I don't think it is."
Sam stopped typing, turning the desk chair to look at her with deep concern.
"What do you think it is?" He asked.
"It feels like when Lucifer was on Earth. When I felt it back then but we thought he was dead. But it's stronger in some ways. It feels different." She explained, straining against a cramp in her stomach. "Just... Keep working. I'll be fine. It's not like it's going to kill either of us."
After a while of researching and uploading Jack's picture to the facial recognition software, Dean, of course, had something to say.
"Dude, it's weird how quiet the internet gets when people can't lie." As he finished the sentence, someone on the other side of the office window threw a chocolate milkshake, missing its target and splattering the frosted glass. Dean looked down at his phone, smirking at what he saw. "Yeah, your life isn't so perfect after all, eight-pack mommy."
"What?" Sam scoffed, narrowing his eyes at him.
"She's got this blog. Yeah, you know what? Your kids aren't that cute. And your gluten free pop over? Yeah, it looks like crap because there's no gluten in it."
He waved to his phone, giving a sharp exhale as he looked over at his brother and a very worn out looking Eden.
"I'll stop talking." He sighed.
"Yeah. Probably a good idea." Sam pulled his lips together in an awkward smile.
Outside, the chaos ensued. One nerd who'd stolen another's yoghurt came hurtling at the window, face planting it perfectly as he yelled at his co-worker.
"Sam? Dean!" Cas' voice bellowed from the bullpen.
"Oh good, the cavalry's here." Eden sighed, watching as Dean opened the door.
"How'd you get here?" He asked.
"He brought me." Cas threw a thumb over his shoulder as he walked in with none other than Chuck in tow.
"Hey, guys." The deity gave his classic smug smirk. "I hear congratulations to the happy couple are in order. Eden, Sam. Congrats, guys."
"So that was the nausea feeling..." Eden realised, giving a slow nod.
"Uh, thanks, Chuck." Sam replied awkwardly.
"I know what you're thinking," The deity started, slowly making his way around the meeting table. "It's been a while... And I still look pretty good."
"No... No, that's not what we were thinking." Sam replied.
Chuck took a seat in the furthest chair as Dean approached him.
"Where the Hell have you been?" He asked lowly.
"Well, you know? It's a funny story. Reminds me of a song." Chuck reached down and grabbed an acoustic guitar that appeared from nowhere.
When he began to play, Dean scoffed and snatched it from him, turned around and proceeded to smash it to several dozen pieces on the floor.
"Answer the damn question!" He yelled, turning back to the man sat before him.
"Don't!" Chuck bellowed, pointing a furious finger at him.
Sam, Eden and Cas glanced to one another with their brows raised. Sam gulped.
Chuck lowered his finger and his entire demeanor changed as he relaxed in his chair.
"It's a little cramped in here, don't you think?" He smirked. Snapping his fingers, they appeared sat in the exact same spots in the Bunker's War room. "There. That's better. So... How's things?" He gave a hopeful, open-mouthed grin as he looked between the four.
"We've got a Nephilim on a rage-fuelled adventure, manipulating everyone on Earth to do the exact opposite of what Sam and Dean did to him. But, hey, for once, it's Pigeon and I against the Winchesters. Weird, right?" Eden shrugged.
"That's an interesting pairing. Something I'd very much like to see." Chuck nodded, leaning back in his chair as he looked over everyone's slightly bewildered expressions. "Okay, I get it. I'm the Dais from the Mackinaw and you have questions. So, great. Go."
He leaned forward, giving them his undivided attention when Sam spoke up.
"Yeah, like Dean said. Where have you been?"
"It's... Hard to explain." Chuck sighed. "Um, everywhere and nowhere? To the edge of the universe and beyond. And also Springsteen on Broadway. Man's a genius."
"What about Amara?" Dean pressed.
"She's been with me, yeah." Chuck nodded. "It's been nice – reconnecting after the whole trying to murder me and end all existence thing."
"Where is she now?" Cas glowered.
"Reno. Turns out she loves Keno." The deity shrugged.
"And you're here because..?" Dean huffed.
"Because of Jack." Cas answered, earning a lazy finger pointed in his direction from Chuck.
"Listen," He said. "You guys know me. I'm hands off. I built the sandbox, you play in it. You wanna fight Leviathans? Cool, you got that. You wanna go up against – what was it – the British Men of Letters? Okay. Little weak, but okay. But, when things get really bad, like the Apocalypse or the other Apocalypse, that's when I have to step in."
"So, you're saying Jack is... Apocalyptic." Sam tapped his index finger on the map table.
"The kid said stop lying and – I don't know if you've noticed, but the whole world kinda went insane." Chuck waved his hand, turning on the radio to his left, scrolling through the stations with his mind until he landed on one.
"Chaos in the streets as Dell drops nearly fifteen thousand points-" A man read before Chuck wound through the stations again.
"The Purge is real." A woman said in German.
"Stay in your homes! I repeat! Stay in your homes!" Another woman cried out in Italian.
"The state is a lie." Yet another woman read in Japanese.
"And it's been confirmed; the Queen is, in fact, a lizard." An English woman sighed.
"Bloody knew it. Slimy little bastards..." Eden mumbled.
Chuck waved his hand once more and the radio turned off.
"You see?" Chuck shrugged with his hands, clapping them together in his lap.
"Can you fix it?" Cas asked.
The deity sighed heavily and shrugged.
"Fine." He uttered, snapping his fingers. "Fixed."
"Did... Really?" Sam narrowed skeptical eyes.
"I'm God, Sam. Yeah, really." Chuck replied. "Go ahead, try it out."
"Celine Dion rocks." Dean stated.
"Don't you agree, Sam?" Eden smirked, leaning forward in her seat with an amused glint in her eye.
"Shut up..." The younger brother mumbled.
"And the rioting?" Cas asked.
"Like it never happened. You're welcome." Chuck smiled proudly. "Look, the point is, the kid did all that with two words. What's next? He sneezes and 'whoops', there goes India? I don't know, maybe! But, this is bad. Like... Me level bad."
"Can you stop him?" Sam asked.
Chuck hesitated for a second or two before he answered.
"Not exactly."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Eden scoffed. "You're God. If anyone can stop Jack, it's you."
"If you'll let me finish, dearest one, you'll know that even though I may not be able to stop him, you four can." Chuck motioned to them before pointing at the map table. "With that."
Laying on the table, half way between him and Sam, appeared a silver gun engraved with some sort of runic scripture.
"What is that?" Cas asked, stepping forward as Chuck got to his feet and approached the table.
"I'm thinking of calling it... 'The Equaliser." He gushed, emphasising the name by spreading out his arms. When he looked over everyone's extremely confused expressions, he smirked and rested his forearm on the table. "Or... The Hammurabi."
"Bloody Hell..." Eden mumbled under a heavy sigh, rolling her eyes as she turned to look at anything else.
"No?" Chuck defended. After a second, he shook it off as though he didn't really care. "Nope. That's cool."
The deity pushed himself off the table to stand up straight, opting to pace the room a little.
"You're saying that this thing can kill Jack?" Dean asked, leaning forward to motion to the gun.
"That?" Chuck turned and pointed an outreached index finger to it. "That can kill anything."
"You had that the whole time and we're just now getting it? Why?" Sam demanded.
"Because I haven't?" Chuck shrugged, motioning to the gun that was now in Dean's hands being thoroughly inspected. "I just made that sucker. It hasn't been fired yet."
"So... You don't even know if it works." Castiel frowned.
"If I say it'll work, it'll work!" The deity protested.
"There's no bullets in it." Dean announced, showing an empty clip.
"Right. It doesn't exactly use bullets." Chuck replied, waving his hand about nonchalantly. He earned a confused, lazy shrug of silent emphasis from the older brother. "This is all about balance. Right? Dark and light. Good and evil. Chocolate and peanut butter-"
"Okay. Yeah, okay, Chuck. The point, please." Sam interjected.
"Alright, so this doesn't as much fire bullets as it sends a multi-dimensional energy across a perfectly balanced quantum link, connecting the person shooting it and the person they're shooting at." The deity elaborated.
"You can't be serious." Eden rolled her eyes.
"Does someone wanna explain that to me in English?" Dean looked between the two of them.
"He means it effectively takes a piece of the shooter's soul that acts as your bullet. Both the shooter and the victim then have their life forces entwined, if one dies, so does the other." Eden told him.
"Right. Yeah." Chuck looked a little awkward as Dean placed the gun back down on the map table. "Look, I know it's not perfect and I'd do it myself, but... If I bite it then existence also kinda bites it, so... One of you. Sorry."
"I don't understand why we're talking about killing Jack." Cas spoke up, clearly more than a little enraged. "You can fix him. You can restore his soul, that's why I called you."
"Yeah... Not so much." Chuck shook his head, resting his hands back down on the map table in front of him.
"You're God." Sam scoffed.
"Well, souls are complicated." The deity replied in a hushed, apologetic tone. "Even for me."
"So, you're saying Jack can't be saved? That killing him is the only way?" Eden got up from her seat behind Sam. "No. I'm not having this. This is ridiculous. We have a responsibility to that boy and now we're just going to give up on him?" She looked between the boys, none of which could bring their gaze to meet hers. "What kind of example is this setting, huh? I'm bloody pregnant with the only other living Nephilim in existence and this is what they're going to see and expect if they get a little bit out of hand? If you want an actual Dark Nephilim, this is how you go about it."
With that, she stormed out of the room towards the piano room.
When no one said anything, Castiel, with his lips pressed together in anger and his eyes filled with disdain, decided to make his move.
"You all know she's right. Jack's not good or evil. He is entirely devoid of anything that makes you either of those things. But, if we do this, what's to say that baby won't try and defend itself as soon as it feels the slightest bit threatened? You might be able to kill Jack, but could you really bring yourselves to do the same to your biological child? Never mind that Jack is probably the only person out there who can actually teach the baby to use its powers safely."
"If you don't like the plan, you can go find Eden and stay out of it. But, if God himself says that this is the only way, then this is the only way whether you like it or not. So, either get on board or walk away." Dean retorted, picking up the gun.
Cas exhaled heavily and sharply before he stalked over towards the stairs to the exit.
A while later, Sam stood outside the piano room door, listening to the sounds of Eden's frustrated, angry playing for a few seconds before he sighed and knocked.
"What is it?" Her heated words came from the other side.
"I need to talk to you." He replied.
"You'd better come in, then."
She never skipped a key as Sam walked in and closed the door behind him, moving to sit next to her on the piano stool.
"I can't believe I didn't even think about what repercussions this would have on the baby..." He started in a small voice. "I am so sorry about all of this."
"It's not your fault, Sam." Eden sighed, still looking down at the keys she was playing.
"It is, though. I brought Jack back from the dead; I tied his soul to his powers. He was willing to burn off his soul to save us. I-"
"It's not your fault." She repeated. "I just wish this could've happened any other way."
"Dean's on another one of his suicidal missions. He's so adamant that he's gunna shoot Jack, himself." Sam uttered, watching as Eden's fingers danced along the black and white keys.
"He's seriously okay with putting you through that?" Eden frowned. "So, you lose him and Jack in the same second?"
"He said that I'll have you and the baby and that I don't need him getting in the way of my 'perfect family.' He doesn't understand that he's a part of that picture too."
"Always too focused on being the martyr instead of paying attention to what's actually important." The Dark Angel rolled her eyes.
"I know this is hard on you, too." Sam almost whispered.
Eden's fingers faltered, the sound of an off key note making her flinch slightly as she stopped playing.
"Hard? On me? Sam, that doesn't begin to even think about scratching the surface. He's our son. He deserves better than all of these lies and the betrayal. If you boys actually succeed in this, I don't know what I'll do. I've been a parent not even three years and now we're going to have to execute him. What does that say about my parenting skills?" Eden's hand subconsciously lowered to her abdomen, her thumb stroking the rough location of her tiny little fetus. "Not to mention Willow. I feel like I've been neglecting her for weeks and all of this must be hitting her as hard as it's hitting us."
"Hey." Sam huffed, leaning over to place his hand over hers. "Your parenting skills are just fine. And Willow knows we love her and that we're here for her."
As he spoke, he heard a bedroom door close down the hall. Her eyes widened.
"Oh, no..." She gasped.
"What?"
"Willow and Chuck have never met. And I'd rather they not make first impressions while you're all planning her brother's murder. Not without one of us, at least."
"As soon as she realises who he is, she's going to try and kill him for what he did to you." Sam's eyes went equally as large.
They found Chuck and Willow in the library, where Chuck was admiring an Archangel Blade in the light.
"I haven't seen one of these in forever." He commented as they walked up the stairs from the War room. "Where'd you get it?"
"That was Lucifer's. I have Gabriel's and alternate universe Michael's is in the archives." Eden told him. "We're not entirely sure where Raphael's went after he died and we assume our world's Michael took his with him to the Cage with Adam. Either that or its in Heaven."
"Finally realised you're technically an Archangel, huh? Technically enough to be worthy of an Archangel Blade's power, anyway." Chuck turned to her and smirked, then began to make defensive stances as he jabbed the blade at the air. "Dark Archangel, I should say... Dark Archangel... Darchangel? Interesting. I'll have to talk to my sister about that one."
"Michael implied. I figured out the rest. Thanks for that, by the way."
"Can't go giving you all the answers, can I?" The deity chuckled.
"A few might help..." Eden uttered under her breath, folding her arms over her chest as Willow came to stand next to her.
"How are you so cool with him after what he put you through?" She whispered.
"Never you mind. He's... Working on it." The Dark Angel replied.
"So... About the other worlds..." Sam started. "How many other worlds or universes or realities or whatever are there?"
"I don't know." Chuck shrugged, placing the Archangel Blade down on the table in front of him. "Kinda lost count. Most of 'em are boring. One's in reverse, in another there's no yellow. One of 'em's just all squirrels." He laughed, shrugging once more.
"Dean should feel quite at home in that one." Eden smirked as Sam crossed his arms.
"So... Michael said that you create these worlds and then just toss them away." The Winchester said, perching on the end of the table nearest him. The three watched as Chuck picked up a lore book and snapped it closed after a few pages. "Like a failed version of some book."
"And you believe him?" Chuck sighed, dropping the book down on the table to walk over to a drinks globe on the left side of the room.
"Was he lying?" Sam countered. "Is that what you're doing to us?"
"No." Chuck simply stated. "Sam... You and your brother, of all the Sams and Deans in all the multiverse, you're my favourite! You're just so interesting! Like that thing at that office earlier today? That was crazy, right? Not to mention you have the added bonus of Eden and your child she's got cookin' up in there. And I can see Willow, here, becoming just as good a Hunter as you guys. Hi, by the way, Kiddo. Nice to finally meet you."
"Die." Even lowered and pissed off, Willow's mousy voice still sounded as innocent and pure as it always had been.
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I screwed up with your mom, my bad. We're long passed that, though. Right, Eden?" Chuck sent a hopeful look the celestial's way.
"We're working on it." She shrugged.
"I'm sure you can expect me kissing your ass for a while. That kid inside you scares everything holy outta me. Maybe more than you do." The deity gave a nervous chuckle.
"Oh, goodie. I've always wanted my own pet God." Eden uttered, rolling her eyes.
"Hold on..." Sam frowned, getting up from his perch on the library table. "Do you watch us? When you're not here... Are you watching us?"
Eden and Willow turned their expectant gazes back to Chuck, who gave a nonchalant side smile and a nod.
"Yeah." He said. "I mean, you're my favourite show."
"Then why don't you do something?" Sam spread out his arms in an exaggerated shrug. "If I had your power-"
"Sam-"
"No. He has a right to answers." Eden interjected when Chuck attempted to butt in. "You sit on your pissing cloud, watching your 'favourite show', but you have all the power in the universe to help out. So why don't you?"
Chuck huffed, cupping one hand in the other in front of him.
"We talked about this. That's not the way it works."
"You invented how it works." Willow spoke up with an accusing tone. "You could help out all you want, but you choose not to. Why?"
The deity gave a small, breathy chuckle, shaking a finger at her.
"You may not be blood, but you take after your mother more than I find comfy."
"Perhaps you should try answering her question with something other than a lie, a twist of the truth or in your general 'Chuck' way, then." Eden warned, her voice low and her eyes piercing through his.
"Why, when the chips are down – when the world is failing – why does it always have to be on us?" Sam raised his voice, gesturing to Eden and Willow.
"Because you're my guys." Chuck shrugged, beginning to dawdle around the room. "But right now, we need to focus on Jack. Ugh, that kid..." He made his way to one of the shelves, taking a deep breath and patting the wood before leaning a shoulder on it and crossing his arms.
"Wait a second..." Sam frowned, pointing to him. "You're scared of him, too. Aren't you?"
"Like with Eden, I'm freaked out about anything I didn't make. I mean, aren't you?" The deity shrugged again.
Sam opted to ignore the question, side-eyeing Eden's general direction.
"Do you know where he is?" He asked, his voice lower and calmer.
"I do." Chuck nodded.
"And you decided to keep that to yourself?" Eden raised her brows, throwing her arms up in the air. "Un-bloody-believable."
"What are you waiting for?" Sam shook his head.
"Oh, nothing. Dean's already gone." Chuck replied, throwing a pointed thumb over his shoulder.
"He what?" Eden yelled, slamming her fists down on the table in front of her. "We're going. Now. Willow, you're staying here."
"The hell I am!" The girl protested.
"You are!" The Dark Angel bellowed, flashing the Vampire her red and black eyes. "This is not a fight you will be apart of because it would mean your death. You are barely a Hunter, let alone ready for a God fight."
"But, I-"
"'But' nothing. Go to your room and stay there." Eden snapped, pointing a furious finger in the general direction of the bedrooms.
Salty, hot tears filled at Willow's waterline as she frantically looked between the two men for someone to back her up. Eden had never spoken to her like that before... With a huffed breath from her nose, she stormed off.
"Eden, that was a little harsh. She just wants to help." Sam sighed.
"And helping would mean we lose another child. So if I have to upset her into staying here, then so be it. This fight is too big. She has no place in it."
"I think I might stay here too, keep an eye on her or something." Chuck spoke up.
Eden sighed sharply.
"If we come back and find a single molecule in that girl's body changed, I will come down on you like something even you can't create. Got it?" Eden's gaze burrowed into his, earning a gulp and a swift nod.
"You got it, boss." He replied.
Eden closed the gap between herself and Sam, grabbing his arm and disappearing.
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