City of Angels (and Demons)

Epilogue

Dean got to his feet, a bit shakily at first. When the blast happened, he had gotten thrown through a glass door. He patted himself down, relieved to only feel sore in places and nothing else. If he had gotten thrown back just slightly to his right, he would have hit the wall. He would have lived, but something would have been broken, so he was grateful to be standing right now.

"Dean!"

Relieved to hear his brother's voice, Dean headed toward Sam, who was still inside. "Everyone accounted for?" Dean asked, looking around.

Sam was helping Castiel to his feet. "For the most part," he said. Assured that Cas was fine on his own, he moved over to Amy and helped her stand.

"What the hell were you doing here anyway?" Dean asked. Sam gave him a 'be gentle' look. Dean nodded an acknowledgement but waited for her to answer.

"He contacted me," Amy said. "I wasn't sure if you were actually doing anything to help, so I had to do something."

"You could've gotten hurt."

"Me being here was what gave you the drop on him," Amy said then stepped past Sam and over to where Mark was lying, unconscious still.

If that was Mark. Dark could have tricked them by transferring himself to the body, leaving Mark to be the one killed by Castiel.

"We won't leave until we're sure," Sam said, on the same wavelength as Dean.

Dean nodded then looked over at Cas, who was now standing with Felix and Crowley. "You could have gotten killed, Cas," he said, not planning on ever voicing his theory that Castiel might have killed Mark instead. Castiel had enough on his plate right now. "You were lucky."

"But did it accomplish anything?" Castiel asked, having doubts of his own. He looked around. "What happened..."

"We got the guy," Dean said. If Dark was still around, he and Sam would take care of it. "Get Felix home."

Castiel hesitated a moment then nodded and left with Felix and Crowley. Dean watched them go then turned toward Amy.

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Amy knelt down beside Mark, clearing debris away from around him. She placed one hand on his chest, relieved to feel the rise and fall of every breath he took. She brushed his hair back from his face, willing to wait right here for however long it took for him to wake up. She needed to be the first thing he saw after everything that happened.

Then his eyes opened. He looked disoriented for a moment then his eyes met hers.

"Hey," Amy said.

"Hey," he said in return and it was the most beautiful thing she had ever heard.

"Welcome back." Amy was crying tears of joy now. She helped him sit up then threw her arms around him. "I was so afraid I'd lose you."

"I'd never let him take me from you," Mark whispered in her ear, putting his arms around her. "I'm here now."

Amy kissed him long and hard, feeling him holding her as tightly as she was holding him.

They broke apart and turned when Dean cleared his throat.

"Sorry," Amy muttered. She wiped her face and looked at Mark. "Let's go home."

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It was just getting into late afternoon when the impala pulled up to Mark's house. It had been a silent drive and Dean had kept a close eye on Mark and Amy in the back seat as he drove.

Maybe he was just being paranoid. Dean didn't trust a lot of things and everything about Darkiplier was practically screaming "Don't Trust This." But Mark seemed fine. Amy seemed to believe Mark was Mark. And after what she had been through, she would know. Right?

Dean wouldn't trust anything until Mark passed the Chica Test.

Everyone climbed out of the car. Sam and Dean remained by the car as Mark and Amy started for the house. Halfway to the door, Mark said something to Amy then started back toward Sam and Dean. Amy went on ahead into the house.

"Don't instigate anything," Sam murmured before Mark was within hearing range.

"If he's Mark, nothing will happen," Dean said then nodded when Mark was in front of them. "How's the new body feel?"

Mark gave a small shrug. "Feels the same," he said. "But kinda like coming home." He looked down at his hands then back at Sam and Dean. "I wanted to thank you. Tell Castiel thanks, too."

"You never met Cas," Sam said. Mark shouldn't have known Cas by name.

"Dark knew about him," Mark said. "Probably from whatever Crowley meant to him."

"You spent a lot of time in Dark's head," Dean said, glancing past Mark to see Amy standing at the front door, letting Chica out. Dean wasn't the only one thinking about the Chica Test then. "Can you give us anything to explain why he came after you?"

"Dark's gone," Mark said. "Why does it matter now?"

"For curiosity sake."

"He kept most of his thoughts guarded from me," Mark said. "But...it felt like I had done something to him. He wanted to get back at me." Dean had already guessed that gunning for the fans wasn't Dark's master plan.

Unless this was Dark...

That thought left his mind when Chica ran right up to Mark, greeting him happily. Mark knelt down, giving the dog affection.

"That settles that," Sam said, only loud enough for Dean to hear.

"Yeah, well, we gotta go," Dean said. He didn't know what exactly had happened back at that gas station, but Dark was gone and that was all that mattered. He turned and started around the car.

Sam said his goodbyes then they got into the car. Dean turned the impala around and drove off.

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Mark, still kneeling and petting Chica, watched as the impala faded from view. He stood up, telling Chica to go inside as he headed for the house where Amy was waiting. She went inside with Chica.

And as Mark turned to close the door behind him, Dark smiled, his eyes turning a solid black.

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With a cry, Mark sat up, the feeling of being stabbed still there. He grabbed his middle, but there was no blood or pain. He looked down at himself, grateful to be alive.

But what happened?

And where was he?

"Where it all began."

Mark quickly got to his feet and turned, seeing a woman standing there in front of him.

"I'm Celine," she said. "And I'm afraid you're trapped here.

"Forever."

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TO BE CONTINUED IN THE SEQUEL: Where It All Started (with Demons)