See also
Grail Challenges
The Green Knight Sequence
The End
Timeline
This page contains spoilers for Apocalyptic Love Songs.
An introduction: this is a story hunters tell each other.
Chapter One: March 20-22
Joseph Temple is murdered and the Grail is stolen. (March 20.)
Dean has a vision of the murder, and Castiel tells him to find what was stolen. He convinces Sam they need to take the job, and they travel to Joseph’s home. Dean interviews Sophie Fisher, who tells him about Joseph’s altercations with Lorcan, and also warns him that there are many dangers ahead. Sam discovers the safe where the Grail was kept has a residual EMF reading.
Chapter Two: March 22
At the police station, they’re told of a Lorcan Murphy who’s a local businessman, find his address and plan to break in to steal whatever it is they’ve been charged with finding.
They do so, and there’s a demon waiting for them, sent by Lilith to find the Grail. There’s a fight and the demon stabs Dean with Ruby’s knife. Sam gets the knife back and kills the demon, they grab the briefcase and run.
Lorcan Murphy uses the body the demon left behind to summon a demon to help him, and Lilith comes. She promises to make him live forever in exchange for helping her find the Winchester brothers and bringing her the cup. He agrees.
Chapter Three: Night of March 22, day of March 23
Sam takes Dean to a hospital, where his wound is tended to by Dr. Celine Fisher.
Castiel comes to Dean in his hospital room. He tells the boys that they have the Grail, and they are the new Grail guardians now. He tells them to follow signs and portents and they will find the Grail castle, which they will find by locating other stolen objects along the way. (Does this need to be rewritten so Castiel doesn’t know as much? Or maybe he knows all this from the Fisher sisters, since they asked him to look into it in first place . . .)
Dean goes to sleep, and when he wakes during the night he sees {- Uriel and-} Castiel watching over his room outside.
In the morning Dean has a vision of mountains, and tells Sam they need to go north. They take off, and as they drive Dean notices no one is out plowing or planting.
They stop for breakfast and Dean asks their waitress for a good hike in the area. She ( Maya Fisher) recommends Mystery Hill, NH. While Sam is in the men’s room, she tells Dean the malachite protects people from bad dreams, to be careful of monsters, and not to be afraid of the dark.
Chapter Four: night of March 23, day of March 24
The boys drive to Mystery Hill but the park is closed for the night, so they check into a hotel. That night, Dean has a dream of the Fisher King and the Grail procession, where Maya shows him the dish. He does not ask the question, however, and the castle disappears. Dean hears a beast pursuing him and tries to run, but Castiel takes him away to the otherworld-mountain where the Fishers live. They talk about how they will never have normal lives, and then then Castiel sends Dean home.
In the morning Dean and Sam go back to the mountain and learn a little bit more about Mystery Hill, climb the mountain and start investigating the site. They find the oracle chamber and go inside.
At the end of the chamber is a “secret bed,” part of the oracle system of the complex. Dean crawls into the bed and finds the dish hidden among the stones. When he climbs out again they hear heavy footsteps, and see a great nose sniffing at the entrance to the chamber. It leaves without bothering them, and they leave Mystery Hill as fast as they can.
Chapter Five: March 24-25.
Sam and Dean argue about this job again and Sam leaves in a huff. Dean hides the briefcase, which is a good thing because who should come a-knockin’ but Lorcan and his two thugs. They beat up on Dean while Lorcan tries to get him to tell where the Grail is, which of course Dean doesn’t. Lorcan sends the thugs out of the motel room, and tortures Dean with the drops of blood he collected at his house–and then Castiel shows up, tells him to stop and sends him and the thugs away.
When Sam returns he yells at Castiel that he’s going to get them killed. Castiel says maybe, meantime take Dean to Bobby’s KTHNXBYE, and takes off. The boys pack and leave for Bobby’s.
At Lorcan’s, Slim and Hulk–or Grady and Jerome as they’re actually named–don’t know if they want to continue in a job that involves angels. Lorcan convinces them to stay on, as he’ll pay them more. Lilith comes and offers to teach Loran blood spells to keep the angels away.
The boys arrive at Bobby’s. He confirms the dish depicts a scene from the Green Knight but doesn’t know what it means, either. He worries about Dean’s weakness and gets him to rest properly.
Chapter Six: March 25-27
Dean is in so much pain that when Bobby gets a job he takes Sam along with him and leaves Dean home to rest. Dean tries to sleep but can’t because Lorcan is torturing him long-distance, prodding at the wound; and he has nightmares every time he falls asleep. Finally Dean pleads for Castiel to come and help him, so Castiel does and gives him a gift from the Fishers: a malachite amulet to wear and more malachite to put around the bedroom to protect him from bad dreams and help him heal.
Dean finally sleeps, and feels well enough to try reading the Green Knight poem for clues. He is unable to find any, though.
Castiel comes again and they finally sit down for a long talk about the thing between them. Castiel tells Dean he’s loved him all of Dean’s life, and doesn’t know how to deal with the physical aspects of being human. There is kissing and comfort, but Castiel doesn’t feel right have sex while he’s in someone else’s body. Dean is unhappy about this.
Chapter Seven: March 28-30
Sam and Bobby check in, and Dean decides to read John’s journal for help in interpreting the Green Knight clue. He finds a line about “seeking the other side” in Chicago, and decides they need to go there next.
He’s getting stir-crazy, so he drives into the city to eat out; and on the way he passes a crossroads. The car stalls on the crossroads, but he manages to get it going again. He finds a diner and eats, and notices a Green Man on the wall. He asks the person who brought it where they got it, and he says he found it in a home store in Chicago. This is a confirmation to Dean that they should go to Chicago next, and he heads back to Bobby’s.
However, again the car stalls, and this time stops. Dean prepares to shoot whatever is following him with salt pellets, when Maya Fisher shows up and tells him just to watch. He sees a great beast with hooves and horns go by in the dark, and Maya tells him, next time, stay where you’re protected. He hurries back to Bobby’s.
Bobby and Sam return, and Dean tells them about the line in John’s journal. Bobby tells them about the legend of the hanging Man pub, which is in the Other Side. They can’t find it on their own, though, but decide to go to Chicago anyway. When they’re alone, Bobby tells Dean he’s had bad dreams about Sam.
Chapter Eight: March 31-April 3
The boys drive to Chicago and search for the garden store where the cook bought the Green man. They don’t find it.
Sam refuses to hold the Grail and tells Dean it’s been giving him bad dreams, that he’s sure the Grail wants him to turn dark side. Dean tries to convince him it’s sacred and doesn’t want to hurt him, and realizes the Grail makes him feel loved.
The second day in Chicago is April Fool’s Day, and while they’re at breakfast the Trickster drops in, tells them he’s been sent to help them and will take them to the Other Side. After they’ve eaten he takes them to the art museum and through a tapestry to the Marketplace, and from there to the Hanging Man.
There, they meet the Green Knight. He and Dean get a little testosterone-y at each other and Maya has to swoop in before the Green Knight beheads Dean on sheer principle.
Chapter Nine: April 3
She offers to test them for him, and so has each other them take a tarot card from her deck, even the Trickster. The Trickster gets the Fool, which he knew he would because he always does. Sam gets the Tower, and Maya tells him to beware of pride. Dean gets the hanging man, and she tells him it’s about self-sacrifice for wisdom, but also to beware of giving up. She has him draw another card and he gets the Star, and she says this represents the person he loves: someone who gives him peace. But it also represents his weakness: he feels such happiness is hopeless and that he doesn’t deserve it.
The Green Knight then takes his axe to each of them and has them answer one question truthfully. He asks the Trickster why he helped the Winchesters, and the Trickster says because they bought him pancakes. He asks Sam what he desires, and at first Sam says he desires to leave all of this behind him. The Green Knight says he lying and Sam confesses that what he desires is for the end to come so he can defeat the demons, and that Dean could be the man he used to be.
Dean is devastated by this. When it’s his turn the Green Knight asks him if he’s a righteous man, and Dean says, “No.” He confesses to everything he did in Hell, including starting the Apocalypse. The Green Knight says he’s honest but wrong, and gives them the sword. The Trickster leaves, and Maya tells the boys she’ll take them home.
But first she takes them out into the Marketplace again, which is now deserted because it’s late at night in the otherworld. She gives Sam more warnings, and tries to get the boys to talk to each other. They end up arguing about Sam using his powers and Castiel’s influence over Dean.
Maya takes them home where Ruby is waiting. She tells them they were gone for three days, and she and Sam off alone to “talk.” While Dean is alone Castiel appears. Dean asks him why he didn’t tell him Sam was getting so strong, and Castiel says he thought Dean didn’t need another thing to worry about. Dean asks him to leave him alone.
During the night, Dean feels the walls of the hotel shake. When he looks outside he saws the creature sniffing around the street.
Chapter Ten: April 3-6
In the morning he’s waiting for Sam to come to the Impala and concentrating on on the Wheel of Fortune card, their next clue to the next Grail castle, when he has a vision of the Rocky Mountains and knows to go west.
When Sam comes Dean tells him about the beast, and says it’s a quite a coincidence that the beast showed up the same night Ruby did. Sam calls Bobby to tell him they’re okay and about their two clues, and Bobby says he thinks it’s medicine wheels.
As they drive west they salt and burn a ghost, and drop in on Bobby. Bobby gives them some research materials and tells Dean he’s still having bad dreams about Sam. Dean isn’t surprised.
Dean misses Castiel a lot.
They arrive in Lovell, Wyoming, the night of the fifth; and realize it’s not going to be easy to get up to the medicine wheel. Sam tells dean he’s okay with Dean being in love with Castiel, and Dean tells him it doesn’t matter: even if they succeed, Castiel can’t stay on Earth, and he admits he thinks he’s going to die stopping the Apocalypse. Sam asks him if he ever thought he has the demon powers to protect Dean, and muses that maybe Azazel wanted him to rule Hell so he could make it a better place. Dean thinks this is insane.
In the morning they steal a Jeep from the forestry service and drive up the medicine wheel. They have to hike the last bit, and Dean’s in pain and quite weak by the time they reach it. Sam uses the sword to find the spear point, and all four objects glow in recognition of each other.
When the boys hike back down to the rangers station/visitors center, there are rangers and officers waiting for them–who just happen to be possessed by demons. Lorcan Murphy and his goons are also there. Lorcan takes the briefcase and knocks out Sam, has his goons beat up Dean, and sets fire to the building. They leave, locking Dean inside.
Thinking it’s better to die quickly than be burned to death, Dean prepares to shoot himself. He has the gun in his mouth when Castiel put his hand over it.
Chapter Eleven: April 6-7
Dean awakens in the Fisher home, an in-between place near a mystical mountain Castiel has taken Dean to before. Celine Fisher gives him a healing drink and washes the ash and blood from him, and Dean rests.
When he wakes again Castiel is with him. Castiel feeds him, as he promised the Fishers, and Dean tells Castiel he’s not afraid to die for the sake of the world. He tells Castiel he loves him, which Castiel thinks is just the big emotions of the day talking, so Dean kisses him. They make out and be very lover-like for a while, and Dean begs Castiel to give him just this one night before they have to face Lilith and rescue Sam.
Castiel does. Sex occurs.
Chapter Twelve: April 7-9
In the morning Dean goes looking for Castiel but finds Maya instead, who tells him Castiel has gone for a day or so, and that he has asked that Dean be allowed to stay with the Fishers indefinitely. She tells Dean Castiel thinks the battle is lost and if Dean goes back to the mortal realm he’ll only be killed, and of course Castiel doesn’t want that. She tells him Castiel plans to steal the Grail to prevent Lilith from using it, and if he fails at that he expects he’ll have to kill Sam to prevent Lilith from using him as either a sacrifice or a vessel for Lucifer.
Dean is furious about all of this: what’s the point of all the questing, all the people they’ve lost, if they’re just going to give up? And if Castiel kills Sam, Dean will never forgive him.
Which Castiel knows: Maya tells him if Castiel fails to bring the Grail to them, he doesn’t expect to return to the Fishers ever again. She also warns Dean that Sam has been wondering what his purpose in all this is, and that he’s nearly convinced himself that he’s supposed to make Hell a better place.
Dean calls shenanigans to all of this. Castiel isn’t the one who can stop the Apocalypse: Dean is. And he doesn’t know how he’ll save Sam, but he knows he has to try.
Maya offers to show him a way to learn how to save Sam, and Dean agrees, no matter how hard it is. She takes him to the great ash tree in the garden and gets a rope, and hangs Dean from one of the branches by the ankle. She tells him to be brave, and leaves him to learn what he can from the World Tree.
Dean has visions of Lisa, Jo and Mary; all three offer him things he desires: a family of his own, freedom on the road, or peace and rest; and he rejects all three because otherwise everyone will suffer.
He sees a vision of the Fisher King, and Maya comes to explain that the king and the land are one, that the Grail keeps the king alive but he’ll only be healed once the land is whole; and asks Dean the Question, “Whom does the Grail serve?” Twice Dean says he doesn’t know, and then realizes it serves whoever asks it for help and that it wants to help everyone.
He wakes to find Castiel cutting him down from the tree, and tells Castiel he has to save Sam. Castiel finally agrees, and says he left to ask where the next Grail castle is so he knows where they’re supposed to go. All three of the Fisher sisters come to bless Dean and send him on his way, and then he and Castiel go back to the waiting Impala and start the drive to San Francisco.
Chapter Thirteen: April 10
The climax. EEP!