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Cas glanced at the clock worriedly and returned his gaze back to Dean's hands working silently at a ticking time bomb sitting in a metal box atop of his precious Impala.
They had been working in deafening silence for an hour, nine minutes and fifty seconds.
Rewind about nineteen hours and they were both sitting calmly at a table in the roadhouse both enjoying beers and burgers that were greasy enough to cause a coronary. But neither of them cared. Sitting across from them was Sammy, the younger of the Winchester brothers, eating a plate of fries because "the roadhouse didn't serve rabbit food" and Ellen had stated that "Sam needed a bit of meat on his bones".
None of them had any idea that later, that very same day, they would be the only thing stopping the world from being wiped off the galactic map by nine specifically located nuclear bombs positioned all around the world. One in London, Rome, Moscow, Beijing, Sydney, Brazil, Washington D.C. and Cairo.
All of which would activate in exactly fifty-one minutes, destroying the whole world, diminishing the population. Wiping every single speck of humanity off the globe as easily as setting ants on fire with a magnifying glass.
Cas and Dean were left trying desperately to dismantle the system their lives depended on while Sam was halfway across America, on a wild goose chase.
He was trying to find Metatron, one of heavens fallen angels and also the scribe of God. Falling had changed the angel, and he was now working on Lucifer's side to wipe out humanity.
Dean's hands were shaking and sweat dripped down his freckled cheeks. They had two hours to dismantle five parts of the bomb.
So far, with Dean doing the handiwork and Cas making calculations and solving problems, they had disengaged three out the five parts. The last part needed a special code made up of twelve letters and seven numbers which Sam was pursuing. Only Metatron and Lucifer knew the code and before facing them Sam would need to find the Michael sword.
Cas looked down again to find Dean's fanfiction green eyes locked on his. Dean was grinning proudly and displaying another disarmed part of the bomb which was now making a low monotone noise.
Only two parts left to disable and no word from Sam yet. The trio only had thirty nine minutes left to complete their task and save everyone from their slowly approaching doom.
The fourth puzzle turned out to be a series of knobs which had to be turned in exactly the right position to unlock the box and reveal the keypad into which they had to enter the code.
Den examined the knobs for a few minutes before cursing loudly and turning to Cas for help. "Cas, buddy, please tell me you've got an answer to this one".
Dean stepped aside and Cas took his place, bending over and examining the box. He eventually noticed the small but prominent scratches in each corner of the box. Tally marks. Castiel wrote down all the numbers quickly and Dean set to work writing down all the possible combinations while Cas put them to work. They worked hastily until Cas tried the seventh combination on Deans sheet and the box swung open making a satisfactory clicking noise.
The two men exchanged high fives and brief words of praise before returning their attention to the box, which now displayed a small keypad with a green LED screen. They only had nineteen minutes left and Sam still hadn't called them.
The pressure from the weight world on their shoulders was causing both men to sweat with fear, hope and anticipation.
14 minutes
Cas picked up his phone and dialled Sam's number, eagerly awaiting a response while Dean hovered over his shoulder. After the phone ringing five times Cas hung up and looked to Dean, who immediately retrieved his phone and started dialling Sam. Still no reply.
12 minutes
Dean and Cas sat down, their backs resting against the doors of the Impala, with the small metal box, planted in between them.
Dean reached over and took Cas' hand and stroked it softly.
10 minutes
Both men jumped when they heard the familiar ring tone of Dean's phone. Not letting go of each others hand, they stood up and Dean answered his phone. It was Sam.
With only nine minutes left before imminent death, Cas used his free hand to key in the code which Dean started calling out.
"8, 5, 9, B, 7, A, 2, C, X, 3, 3-"
Deans voice suddenly stopped and he liked down at the phone in despair. "S-signal cut out" he stuttered weakly.
6 minutes
Cell reception had been cut short in both men's phones.
5 minutes
Dean looked at Cas with tears brimming in his emerald eyes.
"I'm so sorry, Cas" he whispered.
4 minutes
Acting almost as if the world wasn't ending, Dean led Cas to the hood of the Impala and they both rested against it. Dean held Cas near him, looking at his fallen angel, memorising his face one last time.
He remembered first seeing the angel, in a dark barn, in the middle of no where. He remembered how sparks literally flew the first time they looked at each other.
He remembered the first time they shared a meal.
The first time he prayed to the angel.
3 minutes
He remembered the first time they kissed, right after a hunt which almost went fatally wrong for Cas.
He remembered their first night together.
Their wedding day.
Their honeymoon.
He remembered adopting their cat after Cas whining to get one for so long.
2 minutes
Their first fight. The first time Cas got drunk. The tension when they were sitting in the adoption office. Signing the papers.
He remembered bringing home their baby boy, staring deeply into his eyes and crying from happiness as he held him. They'd named him Benny after an old flame of Dean's.
The very same baby boy who was now three years old and having a sleepover at uncle Bobbys.
1 minute
Dean stared right into Castiels stormy blue eyes and whispered "thank you for everything angel. I love you".
Cas whispered "I love you too Dean" and Dean leaned forward for their last kiss. As their lips touched they heard the piercing sound surround them and the blinding white light engulfed their surroundings.
The Impalas windows shattered and both men fell to the ground, as their hearts ceased to beat. All around for miles there was a deadly silence, nothing could be heard apart from the deafening sound of death and pain.
For a minute everything stood still. Until somewhere in the distance, a lone car radio started playing. The empty sound of a single voice, eerily making its way through the destruction.
"Wise men say, only fools rush in,
But I can't help, falling in love with you"