Chapter 9: This Was Not Part of the Plan

May 15th, 2009 (1)

"Anything interesting in there, Harry?"

Harry was enjoying the works of Philip K. Dick when Gabriel approached him carrying two cups of tea.

It was a calm day in Crowley's study. The stoic demon was taking care of the plans regarding the Apocalypse at his desk, Harry was on the couch reading, and Gabriel was just… being Gabriel.

"No, just the usual – hypothetical science fiction regarding humanity, choice, and if robots dream of sheep." (2)

Gabriel chuckled, "Good to know. Having a slow day?"

Harry put in a bookmark before closing the novel, "What do you mean?"

Crowley, without looking up from his work, said it first, "If you aren't studying, killing, screwing with the Winchesters, or ensuring the Apocalypse, what else is there to do for you?"

Harry just looked at his father in shock, "'What do you think I am – some sort of wunderkind? I am still an eight-year-old kid. No matter how powerful, committed, patient, and crazy I am… I still need some days off."

"This coming from the kid who managed to make a pair of ghouls eat the half-brother of the Winchester along with his mother just to piss the boys off?" (3)

Harry's smile faltered, "It was necessary. Adam was a random character in this story who could be a substitute vessel for Michael. Tis' better to remove him from the board now than later – I doubt the angels will resurrect someone unwillingly from Heaven and use such a desecrated body. Besides, those particular ghouls have been getting too greedy in their hunt for fresh meat."

Gabriel nodded in appreciation while sipping chamomile, "Clever; two birds with one stone."

"Three birds," corrected Harry. "With the letter I send them beforehand, I managed to screw with them even more. Now they think that I am probably some sort of precognition uber-god."

Gabriel laughed, "Now that is a trick worthy of recognition!" He took another sip before asking, "How did you even know what they are up to at any given moment?"

"I don't. I usually just pop-in once in a while whenever I have the time. Otherwise, I just wait for the angel to leave."

"Why?"

"Because whenever the angel is around means that it's time for exposition. You can count on your fingers the number of times he has been called in for action. Otherwise, the boys are on the job." (4)

Crowley looked up, "So… blood tracking?"

Harry nodded, "Very easy to get blood given freely when they smear it on their faces for Halloween."

Crowley whistle in appreciation, "You used your brand of magic to get it?"

Harry got up from the couch to give a dramatic theater bow, "Twas' easy for the spry Puck to snatch the younglings blood, for all it took was a spell of concealment and a quick hand to preserve the blood for tracking and search." (5)

Gabriel shook his head in disappointment, "Can you please stop butchering the Bard? Hollywood has done enough damage as it is."

Both Harry and Crowley laughed before the youngling sat back down on the couch, "So Dad, how is the business with the seals going?"

Crowley looked up a different set of files, "Hard to say… Lilith may tell me everything regarding the major operations, but some she keeps on the backburner. But from I what have been able to gather from my… associates… we are definitely in the high fifty's."

Harry smiled cheerfully, "Good. We are one step closer to your upcoming promotion."

Crowley had to interrupt, "You realize that for me to get a promotion, LUCIFER has to die. Hell, Lilith and Lucifer both have to die."

Harry nodded, "Not necessarily. We can all assume that Lucifer is going be removed from the board one way or another – the Winchesters will make sure of that. Lilith… well, we know women like Lilith: the minute shit hits the fan, she will do everything in her power to run and hide, for her facade of power is just that – an illusion spread by the masses."

Crowley had to agree with that, "If anything, the bloody lass will probably come running to me for aid. Then I will introduce her to my knife and lock her far-far away. Never to die, stuck in a moment in time ensuring that Lucifer is never freed as she remains the only one with the necessary knowledge of the seals to open his cage."

Gabriel raised his cup, "For that is the circle of life. Honestly, I am surprised that Harry managed to play both sides so well. If I had the right to bestow titles, I would gladly call you a Trickster."

Harry raised his cup of tea in good cheer, "Hear, hear. If all goes the way I've set the story up, all of our problems should be resolved soon enough…"

That was all Harry managed to get out before he started to fall, seizing, clutching his body in pain. Crowley and Gabriel both dropped everything they were doing to aid their ward.

Harry held his head in pain, "No, no, no! This….Ahh!...This is wrong! This migraine…Dammit!...The strings… they are all wrong!"

Gabriel couldn't figure out what was wrong with the boy, "Harry? HARRY! What's wrong?"

Crowley kept darting his eyes other his son, who was shaking in pain, "No…she didn't…she accelerated the plan…"

"What?"

"The final seal – while extreme – is able to be chosen. Depending on the path taken, the last seal varies on the difficulty of the preceding ones. Lilith wanted the final seal to be the desecration of the holiest place in the world – Harry practically insured it! But if she was desperate…"

Gabriel finally realized what was happening, "And it is written, that the first demon shall be the last Seal… Harry told me it was a possibility, but he made sure that the Winchester would never cross that line…"

"Unless someone forced their hand…"

Gabriel picked up Harry and sat him down on the couch, the child slowly recovering, "My brothers…truly, I hoped they wouldn't cross this line… Michael, how have you fallen so far? Uriel…DAMMIT!"

In his outburst, Gabriel smashed his fist upon the mantle, shattering it but not the fireplace. "My brother… Lucifer is finally free…"

"No… not yet… not truly…" Harry slowly started to rise from the couch before falling back on it. "It seems like… Lilith's intervention… caused another player to answer in kind…"

Gabriel looked up from his pondering, fury still upon him, "WHO ELSE IS LEFT? The Heavens, Hell, who else is left to alter the playing field?"

Harry only had to speak one word to shatter the illusion that this game was to end as they expected, "HIM."

Silence fell upon the study.

"You don't mean…" stuttered Gabriel, "Him as in…"

Harry slowly regained his strength, "Lilith's hasty plan was in desperation – neither side was ready for the final battle. Sam was supposed to be the perfect vessel; he was almost ready to go. But the exertion to kill her has wasted away all the demon blood in his system. If everything had stuck to the script, then the final fight should have happened much later and under different circumstances…WHAT WENT WRONG?

Crowley chuckled, "One little voice…"

Gabriel and Harry looked at Crowley, confusion covering their faces, "Sam was in detox, right? His caring elder brother, trying to get rid of all the poison in his system? It would only take the lone voice of the women giving him the drug to ensure he would do the one thing his personality wouldn't allow, especially with body craving it…"

Harry laughed, "Ruby wasn't your agent – she wasn't even Lilith's. She was an honest to god triple agent answering to Lucifer himself."

Harry started to progressively laugh louder, "Oh, the deceiver indeed! To become so impatient as to force the death of his first creation. To ignore the fact that his troops weren't ready! He even probably had Uriel's support without even knowing!"

Harry started to cry a little, "There are no strings on me…oh, the irony. The one person trying to ensure that things end a certain way stretched them too far. The strings pulled back and shook all the work away."

Crowley went to his son, who was experiencing his first real failure. All he wanted was to do something kind and sincere for the man who saved him from his personal hell. Yet, all his efforts, all the things he had to do – just shattered, blown away by one decision.

Gabriel slowly approached the depressed father and son, "Harry, you mentioned something about God interfering… tell me, what did Father do?"

Harry shook his head, trying to recall what he had forgotten, "He didn't interfere much… he resurrected Castiel after he was killed by Zachariah and got the Winchesters to safety… Enough to get the job done but not enough to be noticed…wait…no…no…NO..."

Harry got extremely panicked, something that neither adults were enjoying – especially when he activated the second level of his sight. Ever since the 'incident,' Harry rarely used it and only in the presence of either Crowley or Gabriel for safety. Harry suddenly got off the couch, starting to swing his hands in the air – 'Minority Report' style.

Harry eventually stopped mid-movement. "Crowley, when is the last time you communicated with Lilith?"

Crowley thought about, "Two days ago – Why?"

Harry gulped, "Because the last seal was broken almost a day ago."

Gabriel dropped his cup, "The third act of magic – he delayed anyone from either side realizing what happened. Wait, no… he delayed most from realizing what happened. Zachariah was too close to the explosion not to notice, and everyone in Heaven already knew from him."

No one spoke a word. The worst possible outcome has occurred – Lucifer bested everyone with one pawn, God did as little as possible, and now Lucifer was free.

Harry didn't care. Indignation and fury were on his face. Like his father, he hated being tricked. He hated being on a bad end of the deal.

HE HATED BEING THE MANIPULATED.

"Crowley, Gabriel – I am afraid that we have been rather… passive… in our actions to ensure an outcome favorable to us."

Crowley slowly got up, "Harry boy, shouldn't you… turn off your eyes?"

"No. My fear of using this level of Sight is what got us here. I was playing regular chess while Lucifer was playing in the 4th Dimension. No... time to become proactive."

Harry took off his glasses, slowly straining his eye more and more, furiously twitching them back and forth. He was diving deep into the code behind reality.

He started crying blood – it was too much for his eyes.

Gabriel began to panic, "Harry, you have to stop! Not even your nature or magic will heal you."

Harry shook his head, blood now coming out of his ears, "No… not yet… have to see all possibilities…have to see the new endgame… make a new plan…"

Crowley put his hands on his son's shoulder, "Harry, you have to stop! You are going too far in! God will not excuse such transgression!"

Harry fell on his knees, screaming in pain, finally stopping before falling on the floor. He held himself up by his hands, panting in pain, bloodshot eyes.

"This is one of those good new, bad news situations… The good news is that Lucifer gets locked up again…"

Both Crowley and Gabriel sighed in relief, before the demon asked, "What's the bad news?"

Harry shook his head, "I am sorry to say that unless we expose ourselves to the world as who we are, Lucifer wins. Dad, Uncle Gabe… are you willing to go the distance to save the world?"

Gabriel chuckled, "Can you not make it sound like we are some sort of ragtag group of heroes? We are outcasts, those who don't belong with anyone: a noble demon, an angel who kills for fun, and a creation of their joint efforts."

Crowley laughed, "Makes us the bloodiest unknown force in existence, now doesn't it?"

Harry had to smirk at that, "Sure Dad, but you are not going to enjoy the fact that you are going to reveal yourself to the Winchesters – no more backroom deals for you."

"Bloody hell."

Harry started to get up, "With Lucifer out of his cage, the boys have no choice but to seal him back in it. Normally, they would have a myriad of ways to do so. However, since Lucifer is releasing the Horseman, the boys are going to go after their rings. This means that they are going to need the Colt."

"Dammit."

"If it follows the usual patterns, it going to be War, Famine, Pestilence, and finally Death. However, Pestilence is going to be the dangerous one since he is going to weaponized Yellow Fever and Death hates Lucifer and plays for no one."

Gabriel nodded, "Rumor has it that Death is older than God and is going to be the one to claim Him."

Harry concurred, "We are also going to have to find a way to get the team back together."

Crowley perked up, "You mean Moose and Squirrel? Why?"

Harry sighed, "I know you are against it, but they are perfect vessels, which makes them the perfect prey to catch the enemy."

"And who is the enemy?"

"Take your pick – Heaven, Hell, Zachariah…"

Gabriel interrupted, "Zachariah? Why him?"

"He screwed up too often. He is most likely going to get demoted since he can't convince Dean to accept Michael. Which means – since he is a douche – he will make one last ditch effort to get on his boss's – Uriel's – good side and fail miserably. This will most likely what will get the boys back together – I think…"

Crowley was shocked, "You think! You saw the freaking future…"

Harry pointed a finger at his father, "I saw possibilities at best. Heck, one has a freaking Anti-Christ in it – ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE AT THIS POINT!"

"Touché."

Gabriel crossed his hands, "So, Harry… what's the plan?"

"The plan is simple – get those emotionally broken bastards back together, make them save the world, and leave us all the treasure for the taking."

Crowly nodded, "What's the first move?"

Harry chuckled – evilly – and responded, "Black opens with Queen's pawn to D5."

May 31st, 2009 (6)

"Harry, was it necessary to send Rufus and the Wonder Girls to River Pass, Colorado?"

"Sorry Dad, but while War is the easiest Horseman to slay, Sammy boy has to be berated by his brother for his dependence on demon blood."

"Why?"

"Because Uncle Gabe, to raise someone up, you must first break them down to their lowest point. Now while the Winchesters boys wallow in their suffering and Bobby gets acquainted in being a cripple, we have other things to worry about…"

June 22nd, 2009 (7)

"So how did it feel infiltrating Heaven again, Uncle Gabe? Just like you remember it?"

"Oh, words can't describe it – Cancun comes very close, though."

"Shove a pipe in it Trickster and tell me if you managed to convince your younger siblings with the plan."

"Sure thing, Daddy. Took a lot of multiple characters and low-level positions to get the idea up the chain of command, but Zachariah managed to get the idea. Succeeded in convincing the others it was entirely his own idea – that will come back to haunt him."

"As predicted Uncle Gabe. What about Dean?"

"Seeing as how influence was at best circumstantial, Lucifer – even in his full power future mode – shouldn't have sensed anything, especially since he was talking to the past Dean. Truly, ignorance is bliss. As such, Dean now has the thought of forgiving Sam in his head, which he ended up acting on by calling a truce with Sammy."

"He gave him the demon-killing knife in good conscience?"

"Yep."

"Seriously, you two should find a way to get rid of that thing. I keep losing my best negotiators to it."

"Well then Dad, you should stop sending pencil pushers to do the grunt work – you have hell-hounds for that."

July 31st, 2009

Nothing happened this day.

Crowley took his now regular day-off from Hell – which everyone noticed for the last few years.

Gabriel finished his killing and torturing early.

Harry waited for his parents.

This small, odd menagerie of people, had a day to themselves, celebrating the child's ninth birthday.

As far as they were concerned, they were in their own little world for those precious few hours.

October 12th, 2009 (8)

"So what did you do with the Cambion?"

"His name is Jesse – let's not forget this was a child, not the actual Anti-Christ."

"Indeed. Angels have been hunting and smiting those bastards for a long time."

"I though angels couldn't hurt humans – even half-humans were safe. You said so yourself."

"True. Half-human hybrids like the Nephilim and Cambion are always monitored by the highest powers in Heaven. The minute they even get a thought that those…'monsters'… are considering to use their powers… improperly… they were smited."

"I can only assume that the angels were very loose with their definition of 'improperly.' Am I right?"

"Yes. I was more lenient in my judgment of the unfortunate souls. Never truly believed in the whole 'sins of the father' crap – humans have free-will and souls for a reason. Kept a close eye on their descendants – even to this day. You wouldn't believe how many famous people have claim to less than human heritage."

"Really now? Anyone I would know down in Hell? Are their souls any different?"

"Sometimes. I want to say that their ancestors cause their behavior to learn in the respective directions but if this family is any indication, good and bad are relative, regardless of the powers used."

"Indeed. Who would thought that I – a demon – would have an Archangel as a friend and a 'monster' as a son?"

"Even demons have a heart, Dad. Even demons have a heart…"

November 4th, 2009 (9)

"You managed to fix the boys relationship with their father-figure?"

"Yep. Didn't take much. A whisper here, an actual honest and good warlock in South Dakota of all places, a magic high-stake poker game, and two lives in danger of dying of old age."

"Have to admit, though, in all my years walking this Earth, magic users like him are very rare: powerful, dangerous, yet willingly chooses not to use their powers for real evil and chaos and keep out of the spotlight. Except for a few rare exceptions…"

"Really, Uncle Gabe? Like who?"

"You ever hear of David Copperfield?"

"HE'S A WARLOCK?"

"Well, what did you suspect, Crowley? A person actually chooses a name after a Charles Dickens novel and can get away from making the Statue of Liberty disappear with misdirection?

I don't care how much practice and preparation you have – I checked to make sure!"

"Dad, Uncle Gabe, we are getting off topic. Our goon squad is finally back together, and Lucifer's pieces are finally beginning to circle like sharks smelling chum around Sam."

"So what's our next move, Harry?"

"I am afraid it's time for you to reveal yourself to the forces of good, Uncle Gabe. Time to dish out some 'just-desserts.' – go wild, Uncle Gabe."

"You don't have to give me permission to screw with the Winchesters. I have some venting to do and a double-meaning speech to craft."

November 13th, 2009 (10)

The Winchester stood in front of Gabriel, currently stuck in a warehouse in a burning circle. Gabriel had to clap for that. "Well played, boys. Well played. Where'd you get the holy oil?"

Dean laughed while Sam grimaced at recalling the memory, "Well, you might say we pulled it out of Sam's ass."

Gabriel had to put on his serious face to play the role of tricking the Winchesters – all to ensure they would seal up Lucifer. "Where'd I screw up?"

Sasquatch was first to respond, "You didn't. Nobody gets the jump on Cas like you did."

His brother followed up, "Mostly it was the way you talked about Armageddon."

This caught Gabriel 'off-guard', "Meaning?"

"Well, call it personal experience, but nobody gets that angry unless they're talking about their own family."

Sam was getting very pissed at this point, "So which one are you? Grumpy, Sneezy, or Douchey?"

Gabriel smiled. Time for the big reveal and game changer. "Gabriel, okay? They call me Gabriel."

Finally, shock struck the smarter Winchester – Dean just stood watching, mildly amused. "Gabriel? The archangel?"

Gabriel smiled to himself, "Guilty."

Dean chuckled, "Okay, Gabriel. How does an archangel become a Trickster?"

Time for the monolog portion of this act. "My own private witness protection. I skipped out of heaven, had a face transplant, carved out my own little corner of the world. Till you two screwed it all up."

"What did Daddy say when you ran off and joined the pagans."

Okay, can't fake this anger now. "Daddy doesn't say anything about anything."

"Then what happened? Why'd you ditch?". Dean followed after Sam, "Do you blame him? I mean, his brothers are heavyweight douchenozzles."

Okay, too far. "Shut your cakehole. You don't know anything about my family. I love my father, my brothers. Love them. But watching them turn on each other? Tear at each other's throats? I couldn't bear it! Okay? So I left. And now it's happening all over again."

Sam started to plead, "Then help us stop it."

"It can't be stopped."

The righteous brother pounced, "You wanna see the end of the world?"

"I want it to be over! I have to sit back and watch my own brothers kill each other thanks to you two! Heaven, hell, I don't care who wins, I just want it to be over."

Sam started to plead again, "It doesn't have to be like that. There has to be some way to, to pull the plug."

Gabriel laughed, "You do not know my family. What you guys call the Apocalypse, I used to call Sunday dinner. That's why there's no stopping this, because this isn't about a war. It's about two brothers that loved each other and betrayed each other. You'd think you'd be able to relate."

"What are you talking about?"

Huh, guess I am going to be using Harry's advice in this case. Now how did his comparison go? "You sorry sons of bitches. Why do you think you two are the vessels? Think about it. Michael, the big brother, loyal to an absent father, and Lucifer, the little brother, rebellious of Daddy's plan. You were born to this, boys. It's your destiny! It was always you! As it is in heaven, so it must be on earth. One brother has to kill the other."

Dean was first to ask, "What the hell are you saying?"

"Why do you think we… I've always taken such an interest in you? Because from the moment Dad flipped on the lights around here, we knew it was all gonna end with you. Always."

A long pause. Sam and Dean look down, then at each other. "No. That's not gonna happen."

Gabriel sighed, "I'm sorry. But it is. Guys. I wish this were a TV show. Easy answers, endings wrapped up in a bow...but this is real, and it's gonna end bloody for all of us. That's just how it's gotta be." (11)

Gabriel clapped his hands, "So. Boys. Now what? We stare at each other for the rest of eternity?"

Dean got smug but angry, "Well, first of all, you're gonna bring Cas back from wherever you stashed him."

Oh, I am. "Oh am I?"

"Yeah. Or we're going to dunk you in some holy oil and deep-fry ourselves an Archangel."

Gabriel snapped his fingers, causing Castiel to re-appear, bruises and cuts still present.

Dean rushed to his friend, "Cas, you okay?"

Castiel was confused at first before he realized what happened, "I'm fine. Hello, Gabriel."

"Hey, bro. How's the search for Daddy going? Let me guess. Awful."

Castiel glared while Dean piled on, "Okay, we're out of here. Come on, Sam."

Dean turned and started to walk away before Sam asked, "You said 'we.'"

Ah, he caught that. "Excuse me?"

Dean turned back to his brother with Castiel watching, "What are you talking about Sammy?"

Sammy pointed at Gabriel, "In your speech, you said 'we' before you switched to 'I've.' You have a partner, don't you?"

Castiel pondered, "No, he can't. Gabriel was friendly with many in Heaven, but he was still a rogue – no one would leave our home just because he didn't want to be around his family."

Gabriel smirked while Dean caught the implications, reconsidering the angel's speech, "Unless the 'we' is a new family."

Castiel panicked before quickly examining the Archangel again. "No, he couldn't have. He couldn't have fathered a child: we would have sensed it."

Gabriel was laughing, "I don't have a child."

The others had sighed before Gabriel continued, "A nephew, however, is a different story."

Castiel thought about it, "No. Your brothers haven't left Heavens in ages."

"He is my nephew in name only. And boy did you guys piss him off! Especially you, Sammy."

Sam was confused, "Me? What did I do?"

Gabriel shook his hands in the air, "YOU KILLED LILITH! Do you know how much effort Harry put into making sure that she was left as the last viable seal, so that she could be captured and sealed away?"

Dean interrupted, "Woah, woah, woah, HARRY? As in Freaky Harry?"

Gabriel shrugged his shoulders, "You mind not calling him that? As his Uncle Gabe, I take offense to that. And yes, you dunces, he was following you. He was making sure that you guys didn't get captured and forced into becoming vessels. He also had to make sure that you trusted no one but each other."

Sam was conflicted by this, "Why? The manipulation, the games, the breaking of the seals… what did making us trust each other have to do with stopping the Apocalypse?"

Gabriel was getting smugger, "And here I thought you were the smart one. Don't you get it? When you were in that church, ready to kill Lilith, it was you, Dean, and Ruby. Both sides were trying to convince you what to do. And what did you do instead of listening to your brother – THE ONE MEMBER OF THE FAMILY YOU HAD LEFT? YOU LISTENED TO YOUR BLOOD WHORE!"

Castiel finally realized what happened, "You WERE trying to stop the Apocalypse. If Sam hadn't killed Lilith, we could have captured her and locked her away, never to die."

"Afraid not, brother. You really think Uriel wouldn't have killed Lilith the next chance he got to jump start the Apocalypse? No, Sam's faltering should have given Lilith enough time to run away, back to my associate in Hell. He would have then locked her up, ENSURING that Armageddon would have never occurred."

They all faltered – the Winchesters and Castiel – as they realized who they were talking to, "You are 'The Outsiders'! You guys were the one who were manipulating both sides of the war!"

Gabriel smiled, "We prefer 'The Others, ' but that's good too. Hard to believe, isn't? Three is the magic number. And it did, in fact, take only three beings to ALMOST avert the Apocalypse. We had an Archangel, a high-ranking demon, and Harry."

Castiel just couldn't believe it, "No, that can't be right. Three beings couldn't have done so much…"

Gabriel just looked at Castiel, "Seriously? This, coming from the two brothers and a rogue angel? Look in the mirror first."

"No, not that. Harry… what is your nephew?"

"Wouldn't you like to know? Let's just say that his conception was not natural nor ordained nor even part of the grand plan He planned out. Harry is the little monster any parent would be proud of."

Dean was getting angry, "Sam, stop listening to him! He is a Trickster, he said so himself! Everything he is telling us is a lie! Now let's go."

Sam and Castiel looked at each other before following Dean.

Gabriel started to panic a little, "Uh. Okay. Guys? So, so what? Huh? You're just gonna leave me here forever?"

Dean stopped at the door and turned back, "No. We're not, 'cause we don't screw with people the way you do. And for the record? This isn't about some prize fight between your brothers or some destiny that can't be stopped. This is about you being too afraid to stand up to YOUR family."

Dean pulled the fire alarm. Gabriel looks up, the sprinklers go off, before looking back at Dean, "Don't say I never did anything for you."

Gabriel glared as Dean, Sam, and Castiel left.

Castiel paused for a second before looking back at his brother, who stood in a slowly diminishing circle of fire, "You are telling the truth, aren't you? You were trying to stop the Apocalypse?"

Gabriel shook his head, "Not me personally. Harry was the one who spearheaded the operations. My associate and I were helping from the sidelines, as advisors and agents for our respective sides. Did you really think it was Zach who came up with the idea to send Dean into the future on his own? Harry wants his little family unit to be left in peace, and the end of the world wasn't exactly part of that plan."

Castiel looked down, "You going to tell me what Harry is?"

Gabriel looked down to make sure the fire was put out, "Don't worry – you boys will hear from Harry soon enough - if everything goes as he planned. See you on the flipside!"

The shock was all other Castiel's face as Gabriel teleported away. If someone were there to hear his thoughts, all that would be going through Castiel's mind would be, What is Harry?