LUCIFER - SWEET CHILD O' MINE
Finally, the Devil thought with elation as he sauntered back to his and Felicia's apartment. Finally! After all of those wasted millennia, watching Dad give blessing after blessing to Castiel, and Gabriel, and Raphael, and Ignatius, and all of those other sanctimonious losers. Finally, it was Lucifer's time to shine.
He hadn't just snapped himself home, though, because he needed the time to think. Where did he want to go? What did he want to do? He felt just like a little kid at Christmas, drooling at the sight of all the presents underneath the tree. What to open first? The analogy tickled him, and he threw his head back and laughed. A dozen blocks away, an explosion ripped through a high school, and there was a multi-vehicle pileup on the highway that led into town. Or, what Lucifer would call a damn good start.
He took the page from the Book of Life out of his pocket and regarded it for a moment. With this little scrap of paper and his prodigious powers, he was going to be able to take this planet for his own. If he had been allowed to stay in Heaven, Lucifer would definitely have cast his vote for annexation. In his view, humans were vastly inferior to him and his kind, in every way possible. Their planet was his for the taking, and if those little paramecia didn't like it, that was too bad. They could either submit, or die.
He knew exactly where he was going to start, too. Now that the page had given him The Sight, Lucifer could see them sitting around in a circle, lighting candles and chanting. Plotting against him. Him! How dare they? Where did they get off? It was time to spread the news: Lucifer's Word was The Word.
He popped himself over to the dress shop.
"Are you sure this is going to work?" Felicia was saying nervously.
"Don't worry, dearie," Rowena assured her. "I've used this spell on many a brutal man before. It's only a pity that you can't be there to see the eyes pop out of his head. And his willy will shrivel up and turn black with fungus, as well. It's really a wonder to behold," she said fondly.
"But, this man is Lucifer," Patricia protested. "A powerful, fearsome entity."
"That's right, and don't you forget it," Lucifer said, appearing in the middle of the circle. He kicked over the bowl of ingredients, and then snapped his fingers. Patricia's eyes lit on fire, and blood started to gush from her mouth.
"Sorry, Honey," Lucifer said, shrugging. "You seem to have the proper amount of respect, but let's face it, you're kind of a dog. I only want babes in my harem. Nothing personal." Then he snapped his fingers again and she exploded, sending blood and brain matter all over the room.
Rowena made an outraged huffing noise, as the gore landed on her face and hands.
"What's the matter, Red?" Lucifer sneered. "Black fungus on my equipment is a 'wonder', but you can't handle some bitch's guts on your delicate skin?"
"She wasn't a 'bitch', she was our friend," Felicia said, tight-lipped.
Lucifer's head turned slowly to look at his girlfriend. "Oh, look. It speaks," he said sarcastically. "Whose idea was it to have this little hen party, anyway?"
"I just couldn't take it anymore," Felicia wailed. "I've never been able to stand up for myself in relationships, but you just kept on pushing me, and pushing me, until I snapped! Making me work two jobs, while you sat at home all day, or went out drinking. Making me submit to whatever weird sexual positions or combinations you wanted. Hitting me, when I told you I was too tired. You're a monster."
"Awww, my poor little fishie. I had no idea. I really am a rotten bastard, aren't I? Well, guess what?" A blade appeared in his hand. "I'm the Devil! Satan! Lucifer! I'm the rottenest bastard there's ever been! It's right there, in the name!" He stabbed Felicia multiple times, then cast her body aside. Stupid bitch.
Rowena and Abbadon were staring at him warily now. They were both ancient beings, who had escaped death a number of times. Castiel had recently slain Abbadon when the King of Hell had set the Demon woman up to be a sacrifice. But God had brought her back into the field of play, for some reason. Maybe to stick it to Crowley. God was being awfully hard on the Angels; maybe He had a hidden agenda for the other side, as well.
But the bottom line was that both women were intelligent, scheming individuals, who always put themselves first.
"You two bitches got anything to say?" Lucifer said nastily. If he had to, he would have no problem decorating this whole place with their guts. But they were both pretty gorgeous, and he was hoping to start his harem with the best-looking, sexiest women. Besides, these two looked like they'd had a lot of experience. And as a bonus, if he kept those who had plotted against him under his thumb, it would be a great deterrent for any others who might be contemplating the same thing.
"We say Hail To The New King," Abbadon said quickly, and she and Rowena knelt before him. Lucifer grinned. This was gonna be great.
DEATH - WITH OR WITHOUT YOU
Death had not been pleased when God had given Lucifer the page from the Book of Life, to use as His Son saw fit. The Book was being desecrated now, and the apple cart was upset once again. No; not just upset...completely demolished. Destroyed. Death had better outsource a whole lot of Reapers, because the bloodbath was due to begin any moment.
He had turned to God, to ask why. Why, after all these years, was the Almighty giving His most prodigal Son everything? Had He really washed His hands of His favourite pets, the human race, after all this time? Or was God merely flexing His muscles, having the ultimate Biblical temper tantrum?
But God had looked back at Death with a stony countenance, and the ancient entity's words dried up in his throat. There were many things that Death had the power to do, but he still didn't have the nerve to openly defy God, as His children had done. Castiel and Gail had no idea what they had just wrought. The death squads were going to seem like playtime in Kindergarten class compared to what they were about to face. God loved His children, or so He had always claimed. But God's love sometimes came at a high price. At times, Death had wondered if Crowley's way was the better way, if this was the manner in which God treated His favourites.
But Death was an independent contractor, to be colloquial about it. He respected God's authority and power, and top position in the hierarchy. But he had his own job to do, too. So even if he couldn't receive the souls he felt were his due, he would have to take the ones he could get.
It was Gail who was the particular architect behind this latest debacle, so it was Gail who should be punished first. Her childhood friend Aurielle worked as a resort director in Vail, Colorado now. Death popped over there and touched her with his walking stick, and she slumped over the book she had been reading on her coffee break, dead from a massive heart attack at a shockingly young age.
Then, Death knocked on the front door of Gail and Frank's childhood home. Jim was at work, and both siblings had flown the nest now. But Christina had been home, and when she opened the door, there had been another touch, and then she'd slumped to the floor. Another heart attack victim, although this one wouldn't be nearly as surprising. Christina had been getting on a bit in years, and after her children had moved out, she had resumed the 2-pack-a-day smoking habit she'd had before the kids were born.
Death could do nothing to the quartet that he and God had left on Kilimanjaro, because God had placed His protections on them. But otherwise, he had carte blanche. Sam and Dean Winchester's parents were long gone, and the brothers had either consciously or unconsciously evaded long-term entanglements for most of their lives. That was, until the Almighty God had seen fit to bless them both with wives and children in the current reality, of course. But, Death was not a thug. There were certain things he would not do. Besides, there was no need for him to do these things. There were others who would happily soil themselves, if set loose. Lucifer had already disbanded the coven by killing two of the women and seizing the other two, chaining them up in a large mansion he had built for himself as a home base. Currently, Satan was on his way to the Caribbean, to settle an old score there.
Death would be travelling quite a bit further than that, though. Quite a bit further, indeed. He waved his walking stick once more.
VIGNETTE - I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR
The man shook the desert sand from his pantaloons as he walked through the streets in the downtown area of the city. People were giving him peculiar looks. Death had told him that he would be inappropriately dressed for this day and age, so Azazel went into a clothing store and picked out a few items to wear. He left the Saqqaran clothing on the floor of the changing room and walked back out of the store, ignoring the young clerk's cries. The employee was lucky. The yellow-eyed Demon could have boiled the man's organs within his body, with just one look. But he had bigger game to hunt, now.
It had been simple enough to find Dean Winchester's house. Azazel wasn't very familiar with computers, but he was familiar with smaller-sized cities. Death had told the Demon that Dean was a businessman now, a self-made man who ran four automobile garages in and around the town. Also, he and his brother Sam and their friend Frank ran a detective agency. And, if that didn't make Dean busy enough, he and his wife did charitable fund drives all year long, for a foundation that his wife ran. And, they had a baby. Azazel smiled. This version of Dean Winchester didn't have a mother who had made a crossroads deal, or a younger brother who'd been marked for death from the moment he was born.
Azazel stopped by the nearest Winchester-owned garage, asking to speak to the manager, who turned out to be Mike. When Frank had left the shop to go to the detective agency full-time, he had promoted Mike to his spot. Carolyn had been thrilled for her husband. Yolie and Emma were going to have another little brother or sister in a few months, and they would need all the financial help they could get.
The ancient Demon told Mike that he was Nicole's father's brother. Her dear old Uncle Joe. He had lost track of his niece after she had grown up and moved away, and he had no idea how to work all that newfangled Google stuff. He did know her husband's name, though, and he had asked down at the diner on Main Street if anyone knew Dean or Nicole Winchester, by any chance. Imagine his surprise when a man had piped up and said that Dean had fixed his car free of charge a few years ago. The man's daughter had been sick, and his wife used the car to take the little one to her medical appointments. When Dean had found out about that, he had not only fixed the man's car personally, but he had also given him a home-made, signed voucher guaranteeing free repairs in the future. Dean Winchester was a saint, the man had said. Azazel's face had broken into a big smile. Yes; yes, he was, he'd told the man.
So the Demon had obtained the address of the garage from the man in the diner, and then once he'd told Mike that story, Mike had given him Dean's home address. Everybody in town loved Dean and Nicole, Mike said. He was happy to help.
Azazel popped himself over to Dean's house once he had left the garage. He stood on the sidewalk in front of the house. There were three cars in the driveway. Hmmm.
He popped into the house, to the upstairs floor. There was no one up here, but he could hear voices downstairs. Male, and female. It was the middle of the day; shouldn't the Winchester boys be out there working, providing for their families? And, speaking of which...
Azazel strolled into one of the bedrooms, where there were two cribs set up. Nicole had just received the news this morning: Baby Elizabeth was going to have a brother or sister. There was an impromptu celebration going on downstairs right now. Nicole, Dean, Quinn, Sam, Kevin and Paul were all there, having a drink. Little Robbie was toddling around on the kitchen floor under Quinn's watchful eye. Elizabeth and Agnes were currently occupying the cribs in the room where Azazel was.
The Demon smiled, and his yellow eyes lit up with evil glee. "Well, well. What have we here? Boy, does THIS ever bring back memories." He looked down at the infants. "There was only one of you, back then. One kid, who was supposed to die. Or, was he supposed to live? Who the hell remembers, anymore? That was way back, when Dexy's Midnight Runners were on top of the charts. Of course, that wasn't nearly as far back as where I've just come from. When ancient beings hold a grudge, they really hold a grudge."
Baby Elizabeth had been sleeping soundly on her stomach, but she rolled over now and gurgled. Baby Agnes hadn't stirred.
"Aren't you cute," Azazel said to Nicole and Dean's daughter. "This is nothing personal, I assure you." He snapped his fingers, and both infants turned into dust.
The Demon looked down at the cribs dispassionately. Hey, it could have been a lot worse. He had once set Mary Winchester on fire and attached her to the ceiling, for her husband and small child to find. What he'd just done was extremely tame, by comparison.
How to proceed next? Death had told the ancient Demon that the Winchesters had God's own protection on them, and therefore, even a former Prince of Hell such as Azazel couldn't harm them. But he could certainly take his revenge on them by hurting their loved ones, couldn't he?
"Frank still not answering?" Paul asked Dean.
"Nope," Dean said, tossing his cell phone on the table.
"It's just as well," Sam said, grinning. "More beer for us."
"Doesn't Gail have a cell phone?" Nicole asked her husband.
Dean rolled his eyes. "Yeah, she does. Now, ask me if she ever answers it, or checks her voice mail. Go ahead; ask me."
"That's 'cause she's with that Cas guy, all the time," Kevin said, smirking.
"Well, keep trying them both, anyway," Nicole said, nudging Dean. "The more people we have around to wait on me hand and foot, the better."
"I hope you get as big as I did with Agnes," Quinn teased her sister-in-law. "Remember all those Shamu jokes you guys made, when I was in my last month? Well, so do I."
Nicole laughed, taking Dean's hand. "Fair enough," she said, smiling at her husband. "Bring 'em on." She looked around at everyone else. "Does anybody want anything to eat?"
"Sit down," Paul instructed the mother-to-be. "I remember how big your feet got last time. We were making clown jokes, behind your back."
Sam shuddered. "I hate clowns. They're creepy."
"OK, uh - " Dean started to say, and then he realized he had nothing. "See, that's why we need Frank here," the elder Winchester remarked with a grin. "He would be able to come up with about a million jokes, right now."
"Has anybody tried Jody?" Quinn suggested, and Sam gave his wife a kiss on the cheek. "Good thinking," he said, picking up his own cell phone.
Frank and Gail were at their parents' house, receiving the sad news. Jody had switched to Sheriff mode, but she had advised Jim and the siblings that there didn't seem to be anything alarming at the scene. The Medical Examiner was going to take a second look once they got Christina's body to the hospital, but the preliminary examination he had done suggested a myocardial infarction. Which, in English, meant a heart attack.
Jim was downcast. "I asked her to quit smoking, and she said she was going to try," he said in a vague, trembling voice, and Gail took her father by the hand and led him into the kitchen to make him a cup of coffee.
"Thanks, Jodes," Frank said to his girlfriend, but he didn't make a move to hug her, because she was on duty.
Jody felt no such reservation, though; not under the circumstances. She put her arms around him, giving him a squeeze. "I'm sorry, Frank. It's always tough to lose a parent, no matter how old you are."
As they were embracing, her cell phone went off. Frank's lips twitched, very briefly. Had this been a less solemn occasion, he would probably have made a joke about that. As it was, he released her so that she could go about her business, and retreated to the kitchen to talk to his father and his sister.
Jody told Sam the sad news. "Oh, crap," the younger Winchester fretted. "Dean may have left a couple of really inappropriate voice mails on Frank's cell, considering the circumstances. You'd better warn him. And tell him and Gail that we're really sorry."
The Sheriff asked him what was going on over there. She could hear the sounds of talking and laughter in the background. Sam told her about Nicole and Dean's news, and Jody smiled. "Tell them we'll be in touch as soon as we can, and congrats," she said.
Jody hung up. She had been just about to go back into the house when she saw Cas striding up the walk. Funny; she hadn't seen him approach.
"How is she?" he said anxiously. For a split second, Jody almost retorted, "Dead." But she knew he wasn't talking about Christina, and a guy like him wouldn't understand the concept of black humour, she was sure. Jody willed her lips not to twitch. She had "space alien" in the mock pool that the guys were running on Cas.
But Gail's boyfriend wasn't waiting for an answer. He swept into the house, as Jody followed. She supposed they should cut the guy a break. He obviously cared about Gail a great deal. It was just that he was so over-the-top about it, sometimes.
Castiel also had the old-school manners, so as he entered the kitchen, he looked at Jim immediately. "I'm very sorry for your loss, Sir," he said respectfully. "She was a fine woman."
"Thank you, Castiel," Jim said softly. "We were just discussing arrangements for the funeral. Would you like to ride in the limousine with us to the service?"
Cas was nonplussed. He had no idea what to say. He had never been to an Earth funeral before.
Frank recognized that look by now, and he decided to let Cas off the hook. Gail's boyfriend was still weird, but he was kind of growing on Frank. Ever since he and Gail had had that little hiccup in their relationship, the guy had been as solid as a rock. "That's the family car, Cas," he explained.
Now, Cas was astonished. "The family - " he started to say, and then he couldn't speak for a moment. He was being asked to join Gail's family at one of their most private and solemn occasions?
Gail could see the look on Cas's face too, and she slipped her hand into his. Cas was suddenly and most unexpectedly on the verge of tears. But, Gail's father was expecting an answer. "I would be most honoured, Sir," he stammered out.
Jim sighed. "I told you, Cas: you can call me Jim."
Castiel nodded. Yes, Gail's father had said that. But at this moment of crisis, he had reverted back to the formalities that Angels used. Actually, he hoped to be able to call Jim his father-in-law, very soon. Ever since Gail had decided not to go to the Caribbean, the two of them had grown closer and closer, and Cas had begun to make more and more of an effort to open up to her, and encourage her to do the same. None of Gail's family or friends knew Castiel's true status, not even Frank. He and Gail had supposed they would have to come clean about the fact that Cas and Gabriel were Angels very soon. She had quipped that it was a small miracle, or maybe a large one, that nobody in their circle had found out about it yet. Cas was normally very discreet, but Gabriel wore his power like a second skin, and he loved showing it off. He was aware of the need for discretion around humans, of course, but every once in a while, it seemed as if he just couldn't help himself. The fact that Gail now knew was a bonus for Gabriel, though. Every now and then, he would invite himself along on one of their dates, and once the three of them were alone, Gabe would cut loose. He soaked up the look of amazement on Gail's face when he would suddenly materialize exotic food and drinks for her to try, or trace actual patterns with the stars in the sky.
Jody had followed Cas into the kitchen. "Well, I'll get going, now," she told them. "Frank, Gail, can I talk to you outside on the porch, for a minute?"
As the siblings followed Frank's girlfriend outside, Cas offered to get Jim a cup of coffee. He took one for himself out of habit, and brought the beverages back to the table, then sat down next to Jim.
"You've never been to a funeral, have you?" Jim asked him bluntly.
The Angel started to smile, and then he remembered what Gail had told him about smiling at inappropriate moments, and he made himself stop. What her father had just said had been unintentionally amusing, considering what Castiel was. But then, Cas frowned. He had certainly been present for a lot of deaths, but no funerals. But he was making a concerted effort to change, with Gail's help. He had told her about some of his background, without going into unnecessarily graphic detail. And he had alluded to the sort of individual he used to be, without telling her exactly how loathsome he had truly been. He had vowed never to be that way again.
"No, Sir...I mean, Jim," Cas said to Gail's father. "My family members tend to live very long lives." Then he winced inwardly. "I'm sorry. Gail has told me that I can be insensitive, sometimes. I assure you, I don't mean to be. And I can also assure you that I'm working on self-improvement."
Jim took a sip of his coffee, regarding Cas over the rim of his cup. He'd been very unsure about this man, when Cas had first started coming around. But, like his son, Jim had warmed towards Gail's boyfriend. He was an acquired taste, though. Cas seemed like a fish out of water, a man from a different era, almost. But he was gentlemanly, with good manners, a rarity these days. And by all accounts, he treated Gail like a princess. A queen. So Jim supposed it could be a lot worse.
Frank and Gail's father sighed. "Well, Cas, I hate to interrupt this little bonding moment we seem to be having, but I need to make some phone calls."
And now Cas did smile, because Gail's father had reminded him so much of her brother Frank at that instant. Cas liked Frank very much: he was friendly, funny, and extremely protective of his younger sister. Cas didn't mind if Frank had been a little standoffish to him at first; that had just made the Angel respect him all the more. Besides, he had been getting along much better with Frank lately, and it seemed as if Gail's friends were warming to him as well. But now, there was this. Cas would have to shelve his plans to propose to Gail once again, until after her family had a chance to observe a suitable period of mourning. How long should that be? He had no idea. Perhaps he should check with Gabriel. But in the meantime, Cas would be riding in the limousine, just as if he were a member of Gail's family. He was so honoured.
Jim was sitting there staring at Cas now. He wasn't too good at taking hints, was he? Gail's father had been just about to say something more to the point when Cas's expression changed. "Oh. You want me to leave!" Gail's boyfriend said proudly. Cas did feel proud, too. So many times, he had missed out on the subtle signals and nuances that humans seemed to use. They seldom said exactly what they meant. Gail's father had wanted Cas to leave him alone so that he could make his phone calls, but he hadn't just gone ahead and said so, because he had been concerned about Cas's feelings. That made Cas happy, and so did the fact that the Angel had come up with it himself, without having had to be told.
Cas sprang to his feet immediately and left the kitchen abruptly, without another word. Jim stared after him, shaking his head slowly. Yeah, Cas was a unique character, all right. He got the address book out that Christina kept in the drawer of the side table and started to make his calls.
CASTIEL - BAD
Cas joined Gail, Frank and Jody on the porch, and he was surprised to see that they were smiling. Gail saw his puzzled expression, and she interpreted it correctly.
"Jody just told us that Nicole is expecting again," Gail told her boyfriend. "That's why we were smiling." But then her smile faded just as quickly. It felt wrong to be standing here grinning so soon after her mom's death.
"They're having a get-together right now, but I told them we'd have to pass," Frank remarked.
Just then, Jody's portable radio crackled to life, and she flipped the bluetooth on. She listened for a moment, then swore viciously. "I've got to go," she told the trio. "You're not going to believe this: we've got reports of screams at Dean's address, and a woman running out of the house, covered in blood." She swore again, then rushed to the patrol car and took off down the street.
"Oh my God!" Gail exclaimed. She looked at Cas, and he looked back at her. "I have to go," Cas said quickly, and he strode off the porch and down the street.
"OK, what the hell was THAT all about?" Frank asked his sister, but she couldn't tell him, of course. Their mother had just died, and now was not the time to have that conversation.
So she just sighed, instead. "Let's go see what we can do to help Dad," she said to her brother. Then she turned and went back into the house, a puzzled big brother trailing behind.
Cas appeared in front of Dean's house a moment later. He saw the woman immediately, laying face-down and motionless on the front lawn. He rushed to her, checking her for signs of life. But it was too late. He gently turned her over. It was Sam's wife, Quinn, and her face and clothing were covered in blood.
The Angel popped into the house just in time to see a terrifying tableau: Sam, Dean, Nicole, Kevin, Paul, and little Robbie were all gathered in the living room, held hostage by an individual who was all too familiar to Castiel.
Dean was struggling mightily, but Azazel had both him and Sam pinned to the wall. Nicole's face was bloodied, and she was clutching little Robbie tight, trying to shield him with her body.
Kevin and Paul were both on the floor, bleeding copiously. Cas couldn't tell if they were alive, or dead.
"Cas!" Dean shouted, as soon as he saw Gail's boyfriend. "Get out of here! Run! Call the cops!"
Cas smiled that strange little smile of his. Dean was concerned for his safety. That was so touching. But Dean had no idea what they were dealing with here. None. His eyes flashed a brilliant blue, and then they turned dark as the Angel Castiel took over.
"Leave these humans alone," Castiel commanded. "You have no quarrel with them."
Azazel was amused. "See, now, that's where you're wrong," he said sarcastically. His eyes flashed a brilliant yellow, just as Cas's eyes had flashed, a moment prior.
"He says he killed our babies!" Nicole said to Cas in a trembling voice. "But, when Quinn and I went upstairs to check on the girls, they were gone!"
Azazel rolled his yellow eyes. "They weren't gone," he contradicted her. "They were still there. I just returned them to their original carbon-based forms."
"You killed our kids?!" Sam exclaimed. He was struggling to free himself from the hold that the Demon had on the brothers, as Dean was. But he had a sick feeling in his stomach now. A really, really sick feeling.
Cas withdrew his blade from his jacket pocket, and Azazel laughed. "What are you going to do with that? You can't kill me with it."
"No, but I can distract you long enough for Gabriel and Raphael to get here," Cas said calmly. "You remember my Brothers, the Archangels?"
Azazel's eyes widened. He had no desire to tangle with Archangels. Still, he didn't feel as if he had accomplished what he'd set out to do here. So, as Gabriel popped into the house with a blade in his hand, Azazel sent a salvo toward Nicole and little Robbie. The toddler had been squirming in Dean's wife's arms, and the beams of light hit the poor child directly, vapourizing him instantly. The light beam then deflected, hitting Nicole in her chest. She crumpled to the floor.
"You son of a bitch!" Dean bellowed at the top of his lungs.
"See you later, Winchesters," the yellow-eyed Demon said nastily. Then he looked at the Angels. "Better hurry up and organize that Army, Castiel. My Lord and Master has already started the Purge."
As both Castiel and Gabriel raised their hands, sending their own salvos of light towards Azazel, he vanished. Their light beams hit the opposite wall, blasting a hole through the plaster.
Gabriel swore in Enochian. Dean and Sam were released as soon as Azazel was gone, and they rushed forward to check on the people in the living room.
Cas knelt down to check on Kevin and Paul, but they were both dead. So was poor little Robbie, whose only crime had been being afraid of the scary yellow-eyed man. The present-day Sam had no first-hand knowledge of Azazel, or anyone of his ilk; all he knew was that some kind of Demon bastard had invaded Dean's house and killed their kids, and that Demon bastard was going to pay. Sam rocked his son in his arms and he began to sob, his hair hanging in his face.
"Cas! Gabe! Get your asses over here!" Dean commanded the Angels.
"Are you so sure we shouldn't be annexing Earth?" Gabriel said to Castiel dryly. But Cas ignored him, rushing to Dean's side. The elder Winchester was cradling his wife in his arms, just as Sam had been cradling Robbie. The only difference was that Nicole was still alive.
"Look, I don't know what you guys are, and right now, I don't really care," Dean said in an agonized tone. "All I know is, if you can do something to help her, anything at all..." Dean looked at Cas, tears filling his eyes. "Please. I'm begging you."
Cas was unsure if it would work. How many times had Azazel struck her, before he'd gotten here? But he put his hand on Nicole's chest, and the blue glow came out, suffusing her torso. They all held their breath.
"Five more minutes," Nicole said weakly. "Just give me five more minutes, Pootie Bear. Can you start the coffee?"
Dean and Cas smiled, glancing at each other. Nicole sat up slowly, and Gabriel's lips twitched. "'Pootie Bear', huh?" he said. But it wouldn't be right to show too much mirth right now, would it? Because now, Sam lifted his head and said, "Where's Quinn?"
Castiel's heart broke for the younger Winchester. He had lost his entire family here today. Now that Cas had spent more and more time with Gail and her family and friends, Cas understood human emotions such as sorrow, love, and compassion. He felt all three for Sam now as he said, "I'm sorry, Sam. Your wife is dead. Please excuse us. We'll be back as soon as we can."
Cas looked at Gabriel, his expression grim. Gabe nodded. He had heard it, too. And if it was true, there were much bigger issues for him and Cas to deal with now. He waved his hand and repaired the far wall of the living room. Then he and Cas popped out of the house, without another word.
"What the hell is going on here, Cas? What have you done?" Gabriel asked his Brother when they were alone.
"What do you mean?" Cas said angrily. He was still very upset about the losses that Gail and her friends had just experienced.
"What do you think?" Gabriel said sarcastically. "I suppose it's just a coincidence that our old buddy Azazel just showed up on Earth, fresh from the deserts of Saqqara, and headed straight for the home of one of your human friends. And, what was that crack about his 'Lord and Master'? He's not talking about - "
"Lucifer," Cas said, biting off the word contemptuously. "We will have to prepare the troops immediately. If he has already begun the killings, we cannot delay."
"Uhhhh...I hate to tell you this, Cas, but that's not gonna happen," Gabriel said, frowning.
"What? Why?" Cas exclaimed.
"Didn't you wonder why Raphael never showed up, when you called him just now?" Gabe inquired of his Brother.
Cas gave a half-shrug. "Frankly? No. Not really. I only called on him because I thought that if I invoked both of your names, Azazel would be the most fearful, based on yours and Raphael's past experiences with him."
"Awww, aren't you sweet," Gabriel said dryly. "Look, Cas, I called Raphael on our frequency when you were healing Dean's wife, and I said regardless of our political differences, when one of his Brothers calls on him, we expect him to show up."
"Thank you, Gabriel," Cas said softly. "That means a lot to me."
"Yeah, well...it meant less than nothing to Raffy," Gabriel said, frowning. "Not only did he not show up, but right now, he's gathering the Army, to move upon the Earth. It looks like the annexation is on."
"Where is Ignatius?" Castiel fumed. "Why did he not stop Raphael?"
"Ignatius is dead," Gabriel said bluntly. "The first casualty of the Holy War. You know, the Apocalypse. Sound familiar?"
Cas was alarmed. The Apocalypse? How had they gotten here, all of a sudden? But, Gabriel was right: if Raphael was leading an Army of Angels unto the Earth, and Lucifer was already there, beginning the Purge, it would truly be the End of Times. The question was, what could he and Gabriel do about it?
GAIL - WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE
Gail flopped down on one of the wooden chairs that were set up at the side of the room. "I can't do this anymore," she complained breathlessly. "I can't breathe, I'm sweating like a pig, and I'm so sore I can barely move. Cas is going to have to let up on me."
"I have so many sex jokes going through my mind right now, it's not even funny," Nicole remarked with a bit of a smile.
Gail was glad to see it, however small it might be. Ever since that horrible day, and the funerals that had followed, the smaller group had banded even closer together. Nicole herself had been physically healed by Cas, but she had lost the baby she'd been carrying that day shortly afterwards.
The Winchesters had been devastated by their losses, but once Castiel and Gabriel had let them know what was about to happen on Earth, Sam and Dean and Nicole had vowed to do all they could to help. So, along with Frank and Gail, a group of a few dozen humans were gathered in the gymnasium of one of the college campuses just outside of town. The premises were deserted. There was no time for academic pursuits during Armageddon. Many parents had come and taken their kids back home, whether willingly, or not. Some of the more socially responsible young adults were volunteering to serve in the military, or to help out at the hospitals and medical centres, which were full to overflowing. Even veterinary clinics were treating people now. Victims who were either brought in or managed to stumble in on their own were surprised to find themselves cheek to jowl with household pets that had been caught in the crossfire.
"Look at Lucy Liu, over there," Carolyn said, taking a seat beside the other ladies and grabbing a towel to mop her face and neck.
They looked to where Mike's wife was indicating. Linda and Gabriel were in a simulated fight, and Kevin's mother was giving the Archangel a real challenge. It was funny, in a way; but in another way, it was really sad. Linda was training so ferociously because she was also one of the heartbroken. After she had buried her son and son-in-law, Linda had demanded that the group include her in the fighting.
There was no more pretense among the humans and the Angels, of course. That ship had sailed, as the old saying went. Once Castiel and Gabriel had determined that Raphael and his legion were poised to move upon the Earth, the Angels had brought the few of their brethren who had the courage to stand against Raphael here, to train with their human friends.
The humans had been amazed to discover that there were different types of Angels, with differing levels of powers. Castiel seemed strange to them because he had been an Angel for so long that he knew very little about modern humans and their ways. Gabriel had likewise been around for just about forever, but because he had spent a lot more time in the company of humans, he had assimilated, to a certain extent. Then there were the Biblical Angels, like Daniel and Gregory, who knew absolutely nothing about humans, or their way of life. But they also held the view that their Father's creations were sacred, and must be protected. Whether the Almighty was present in Heaven or not, that didn't matter. Good works were supposed to be performed whether anyone was watching or not.
Then, there were younger Angels like Ethan, who had been taken before their time. They had been humans fairly recently themselves, and as a result, they were horrified at what Raphael and his troops were doing. Those particular Angels had thrown in with Cas, too. But there were all too few of them. Raphael had been executing those Angels who had openly defied him, and now most of the young ones were too intimidated to even try.
Now Jody came along to sit with the women, and she was toweling off, as well. As members of local law enforcement, she and Efram and Riley had been helping to train their fellow humans in hand-to-hand combat, and teaching them defensive moves. They, in turn, were receiving instructions from the Angels on how to wield blades. Guns would not be of any use fighting otherworldly beings.
"If I didn't know otherwise, I would still have picked space alien in the Cas pool," Jody commented lightly. The woman all laughed, even Gail. Once everything had come out about Cas, Gail's friends had confessed to the couple about their make-believe pool, attempting to inject a little levity into a very heart-wrenching situation. Cas had been nonplussed, but Gail had laughed, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze. So then the Angel had smiled, but he'd still been uncertain as to whether he found it amusing, or not.
"Look at him go," Nicole marveled. The women were all watching Cas now. He was fighting Frank, Dean, and Sam, all at the same time. Gail was open-mouthed. Wow. On the one hand, she admired his skill, and if she was going to be really shallow about it, he looked very sexy. But on the other hand, he had hinted to her that there had been a time, and not so long ago, when he had used his skills to hurt some of his fellow Angels. He was an extremely complicated individual in so many ways, she realized. But Gail believed that he was honestly trying to better himself, and they were all attempting to protect the humans of the Earth from the Angels who meant them harm. So Cas's fighting skills, and his and the other Angels' powers, were desperately needed now.
Then, there was Lucifer's contingent. After travelling to the Caribbean intending to wreak his revenge on Vincent and his voodoo cult, Lucifer had instead recruited them, and they were killing people in his name. The Devil had the witches casting spells, and he had most of the monsters in his camp, as well. He and Crowley had formed an alliance with Azazel and Vincent for the moment, but it was an uneasy one. All of those Alpha males together were bound to clash, sooner rather than later, Rowena had told Abbadon. Abbadon agreed. They were still toiling away in servitude to Satan, of course, but they were biding their time. Once the infighting among the males began, they had their own contingency plan.
Ethan came over to where the ladies were sitting. "This is starting to look like an eighth-grade dance," he quipped, earning tired smiles from some of them. "Cas wants everyone to line up for repelling practice."
The women all moaned then, and Jody sighed heavily. But the Sheriff stood immediately, motioning for the others to do the same. "Let's go. Hop to, ladies."
Gail rolled her eyes. It was easy for Jody to be so eager to practice these kinds of things, because she was already so good at them. But Gail was sore all over, she had bruises on her bruises, and repelling practice was the worst. Cas had come up with the idea to line all the humans up and have one of the younger Angels use his or her powers to fling them against the wall, or across the room. The human in question would be required to keep hold of their weapon, or at the very least, scramble to retrieve it once they were able to move, then go on the attack once again. Everyone hated repelling practice. The Angels who had opted to join Castiel's ranks had done so because they wanted to help humans, not hurt them. But Cas had insisted. They needed to hone their Angelic skills, and the humans needed to learn how to withstand being repelled by otherworldly beings, because it was going to happen. A lot. He was going to try to send an Angel out with every pair or trio of humans, but his celestial options were limited. The human fighters were just going to have to do the best they could.
It was all smoke and mirrors, though. They were whistling in a hurricane. He and Gabriel had sent out multiple messages on Angel Radio, warning that they had a mighty Army of their own, and that Raphael needed to cease and desist, immediately. But it would all be to no avail, in the end. The reality would become evident soon enough. The humans and their planet were merely pawns in what was shaping up to be the ultimate battle between Heaven and Hell. And the decent Angels and humans, of which there were all too few, could do nothing to prevent it. Yet, they had to try.
"If it's repelling Cas needs, he should just have Frank eat some garlic," Gail wisecracked, and the others laughed. Nicole touched her friend's arm. She and Gail had grown very close, just as Dean and Cas had. Ever since Cas had healed Nicole, she and Dean had warmed to him considerably. Now that they knew the real reason why Cas was so different, they appreciated what it had taken for Cas to reject his Angel Brothers and Sisters and stand with them, instead. Or at least, they thought they did. But they had no idea that a scant couple of years ago, it would have been Cas leading the Angel army, not Raphael. But now, he and Gabriel had a bounty on their heads. Cas had sacrificed everything he had ever been taught to believe in to stand with the humans, and he and Gabriel had now given up their home, as well. If the Angels who were fighting under Raphael won the battle, Castiel and Gabriel would be executed as traitors. Of course, if Lucifer's side won the battle, that would be a moot point. If the side of Evil won, the Angels' main fear was not that they would be executed, but rather, that they wouldn't be.
As the humans all began to line up, Jody grabbed Gail by the arm. "Can I see you for a minute?" she said to Frank's sister, pulling her out of the line.
"Sure, Jody. What's up?" Gail said.
"I want to show you something," the Sheriff said, tight-lipped. She pulled out her cell phone. It was a minor miracle that it still worked. With everything that had been going on, it was a wonder that they weren't making fires and clubbing animals to death for food by now.
She turned the phone on and found some video footage. "Recognize that?" she asked Gail in a clipped tone. "That used to be my station house." Gail stared at the smoking rubble, astonished. "I lost a few dozen good men and women in that building," Jody went on. "The only reason I wasn't there, or Efram, or Riley, is because we were here, with all of you. Eyewitnesses said that a man came sauntering down the street, pointed a finger at the building, and a huge ball of fire came out of nowhere and blew the place to bits. And the worst part, if such a distinction can be made, is that the man had huge wings coming out of his back. Wings, Gail. That wasn't a Demon; it was an Angel. So go ahead, laugh it up. Your boyfriend's family is killing humans, and Lucifer's buddies are killing kids. That's what's actually happening, here."
As Gail stood there trying to absorb what Jody was telling her, Jody shut off her phone and let out a breath. "I'm sorry, Gail. I guess that was a little harsh," she said. "I know this isn't Cas's fault, and I know that you and Frank use humour as a defense mechanism. And I know you've had some losses, too." That was true enough. Gail had gotten the sad news about Aurielle from her old friend's family the same day her own mother's funeral was held, and a scant month after that, her and Frank's father had died, too. The doctors had said that it was a stroke, but Gail was sure that it had actually been heartbreak.
But Gail had received a bit of a wake-up call, now. Jody was right; this was serious business. She had been somewhat aware of what was going on out there in the world, but it was apparent to Gail now that Cas had sheltered her from a fair amount of it, too. And if she was this horrified by what was happening, think how he must feel. Jody had hit the nail on the head: the entities who had been committing the atrocities that Gail had been trying so hard not to think about weren't all from Lucifer's side. It must be hurting Cas a great deal to think of his own Brothers and Sisters, murdering humans by the thousands.
"Let's go practice," Gail said to Jody in a sober tone.