An Arranged Marriage

Chapter 21

 "Sam, we're on our way.... What do you mean it's too late?" Dean grumbled. "No, that can't be right!"

You were fully turned in your seat, watching as a multitude of emotions crossed Dean's face. Shock, denial and complete upset covered his face in a mixture of seconds as he listened to his brother on the other end of the line.

"Sam, why didn't you...well didn't someone show up?" Dean continued to ask, and you wanted nothing more than for him to put the phone on speaker, so you could figure out what was going on.

"Son of a bitch." Dean cursed loudly, making you jump in your seat. "So, what's our plan now?"

One hand was white knuckling the steering wheel, the other holding the phone tight enough that it could snap at any moment. His forehead was wrinkled in a frown, and you knew he wasn't agreeing with whatever Sam was saying. "We're on the road now. We'll meet back at the bunker. Today."

Slamming his phone down between you, he stared off in the distance, his jaw clenching. Giving him a moment to calm down, you stayed quiet. Reaching over, you laced your fingers with his, wanting to let him know that you were there when he was ready to talk. "They weren't able to stop the shipment." He muttered. "I should have been there. It was too big of a job, and they needed my help. But..."

"So, it's my fault." You whispered, his words hurting deep. "Because you came to save me, millions of people are going to die."

"No." He muttered emphatically. "This is not on you. This is on Lucifer and his evil mind."

"But if you didn't have to come save me..." You tried, a tear slipping down your cheek. You couldn't imagine all those people dying when they could have been saved.

"It still could have happened. So now we look to the future, and how we can stop the virus before it gets too big." He said, squeezing your hand. "We just have to regroup, and come up with a new plan. But we can, and we will. There's no way in hell that we're going to let Lucifer get away with this."

"I'll do anything I can to help." You promised, even though you knew it wasn't worth much. You didn't bring much to this marriage, and you still felt as if this was all your fault. "Please, you have to let me help you make this all better."

"Having you back by my side makes it a lot better already." He answered, a smile twitching at his lips. "And with all of us working together, we'll figure out something."

The drive back to the bunker was a long one, through mountain passes and fields of golden wheat. With only the occasional stops for food or gas, the day still faded away to night before Dean was turning down the familiar road once more. Navigating the narrow road into the garage, you sighed deeply, some of the stress leaving your body. You had been worried you would never make it back to this place. A place that had quickly become home faster than you could have imagined. "Everything okay?" Dean asked you as he turned off the ignition.

"Everything's much better. Sure, I'm worried for my friend, and for the fate of millions. But being back here, it feels right."

"It is right. The bunker is as much yours as it is mine and Sam's. I hope that once this is all over, we can concentrate on us, and our marriage."

"That sounds amazing." You whispered, just as a stressed-out Sam came rushing through the garage door.

"Finally!" He exclaimed, his tablet in his hands. "We've been back for hours now!"

"We had a little farther to go Sam." Dean muttered, running his hand through his hair. "Y/N, I bet you'd like to clean up after everything. Hop in the shower and we'll be in the library."

Taking his suggestion, you made a beeline straight for your bedroom. Quickly piling a change of clothes in your arms, you walked the short distance to the community bathroom the bunker provided. At first it had been hard to get used to the big, sterile type bathroom, with its multiple shower stalls. But the water pressure was amazing, and there was even a room with a tub at the end. Someday you hoped to take advantage of it when things were less hectic.

Twenty minutes later you felt refreshed and recharged. Changed into a pair of slim jeans and a warm sweatshirt, you quickly braided your hair, before leaving the bathroom behind. Heading towards the raised voices, you could hear how frustrated and angry Dean was.

"What do you mean no one wanted to help you? I thought any hunter would be willing to stop Lucifer." Dean grumbled, the clinking of ice in a crystal glass sounding as he slammed his glass on the table.

"Everyone we called were adamant. They didn't want to get involved in the fight against Lucifer. And they didn't trust the Winchesters enough to work with us." Sam explained, his voice hoarse with frustration and hurt. "Apparently, they blame all of this on us, and expect us to fix it as well. And those hunters that are in communities, which are the majority, were too worried about Lucifer attacking their place next."

"Damn it." Dean muttered just as you rounded the corner. Patting the chair next to him, he wrapped his arm around the back of the chair as you settled down in the solid wood seat. "Feel better?" He asked you, his eyes searching yours.

"Like a new person." You answered, trying to lighten the mood a little bit.

"Hopefully not too much of a new person. Because I really liked the person you were." He teased back, before turning his attention back to the task at hand. "So, we've figured out that we're on our own. We know that we only have a certain amount of time before the virus hits the stores. So now we need to figure out how to stop that before it happens."

"I just don't understand why people won't help you. You've saved the world, multiple times. You're just trying to save people before it was too late. Why wouldn't they want to stop it before it happens?" You asked, trying to figure out the way people's minds worked.

"People don't think that way." Sam tried explaining. "They can only remember the past, and let it cloud their judgement for the future. We've had it happen before. We're blamed for the things that have happened. Which, to be true, have been our fault. Or we've been tied to it. But they seem to forget that we're usually the ones to fix it before too many people die. And that's what we're going to do this time."

"And I think I have an idea." Cas spoke up for the first time since you had walked into the room. "It's going to be difficult, but I think with Y/N's help we can pull it off."