Author's Notes: All I wanna know…where is Sam's handprint?

What a heartbreaking episode! I think the finale may kill me…Right now, I'm thinking, Cas is gonna redeem himself at the last second to save the boys, but Raphael will be too powerful. I think Sam's wall's gonna fall (or be torn down) then and all the power behind it, Sam can use to destroy Raph, leaving him wrecked and that cliffhanger for Season 7 they've been talking about.

Then there will be puppies and kittens, but in the meantime, here's some speculation on a worst case scenario.

Summary: So it's all been about souls and now Sam and Dean know what Cas is doing. But they don't know the whole plan. Not yet. Some mentally-tormented!Cas with despairing!Dean and Hurt!Sam.

How Twisted Our Entanglements

Dean pulls at the iron holding him to the wall. He looks to the opposing wall at his unconscious brother worriedly before turning to Cas and Crowley, standing in the middle of the room.

"I'll keep you here until after Raphael is defeated. Bobby won't be involved either, I'll make sure." Cas tries to sound reassuring, but won't look at Dean. "You'll be fine."

"Your brother, on the other hand, well…that's a bit of a different story." Crowley chimes in with a smile. Castiel glares at him, real hate in his eyes.

"What the hell are you talking about?" Dean's directing it at Crowley, but he doesn't take his eyes off of Sam, hanging limp in his bonds. "Cas?"

The angel still won't look at him. Crowley seems delighted, hands in his pockets, now leaned back against the wall casually.

"Go on, Cassie. Tell big brother-"

Dust flies as Cas pins Crowley to the wall, growling at him from clenched teeth.

"Leave. Or you will wish I had burned you."

Trying to disguise the fear in his eyes, Crowley dusts off his suit and shrugs at Dean. The demon vanishes but Dean doesn't relax in the slightest. His voice is a growl.

"Cas?"

"…They've all been right." Cas looks to the unoccupied wall. "It's all been about the souls. Dean…it…"

Cas looks to be truly searching for the correct words to explain himself.

"…I intended to raise Sam, all of him, from the Cage. Please believe that. But I could only take hold of his body and another attempt was out of the question. The first was risky enough." The angel sucks in a trembling breath. "But…because Sam's soul was trapped for so long…"

There's a long silence and Cas finally turns to face Dean, looking desperate.

"Sam's soul has spent centuries in the Cage, all the while absorbing the power of the two brightest archangels to ever exist. And because of Sam's own power…" Cas shakes his head, staring into Dean's eyes like he's one correct phrase away from convincing Dean he's doing the right thing' getting him to jump on board. "Dean…he's so powerful now."

Cold realization settles in Dean at the confirmation of what he had suspected for some time. He begins pulling at his bonds in earnest.

"You bastard. We trusted you…We thought of you like family!" Cas's shoulders slump. "Sam's not some weapon you can use up and destroy because you're in over your head. And don't think this is some 'greater good' crap. Sam gave up everything to save the world from the war you dicks started!"

Dean breathes shakily for a few moments, trying to gentle his voice.

"Cas…this has nothing to do with saving the world and everything to do with choosing family over everything else…Don't you get that? We did it before and won. You saw that. How can you say that was wrong now?"

The angel looks back at Dean, really looks at him, a thousand emotions flickering through him.

"…I've kept him unconscious on purpose. He won't be in as much pain-" Dean starts thrashing wildly as Cas slowly approaches Sam. Despair claws at him and his eyes mist. He knows there's no way to reach Sam, to stop Cas, and the fact that he can only watch the tragedy unfold, watch the man he called a brother destroy the little brother he'd raised is gutting him.

Cas twists and contorts Dean's words until they soothe him somewhat. Sam had given everything to save the world, so who's to say he wouldn't be just as willing to give himself up now to do the same? The wall in Sam's head would fall eventually. He's only speeding up the process and saving the world as a by-product. Sam would be proud to be a part of that.

But he won't dare ask. He needs these assurances, even if they're lies.

"If you touch him," Betrayal and fear choke Dean's words, labeling them as no threat, but an ultimate consequence that he would fulfill. "I'll kill you."

Castiel swallows and closes his eyes briefly. This is not what he wanted. Not ever.

"…I know."

Dean screamed in rage and fear. He wanted to keep both the men he'd come to recognize as his own family safe. He'd done everything toward that end. He'd dove into Hell alone on his mission to rescue Sam. A task assigned him by no one but himself; his own free will so viciously fought for. He'd failed and he'd unleashed an emotionless killer unto the world. A mistake that he could not bring himself to correct and had, in the end, only resulted in heaving more pain onto Sam's re-souled shoulders.

He'd gone to Dean, but left him be. Let him try and process his overwhelming grief in an attempt at normalcy, at safety. He'd failed. Dean had been dragged back into hunting anyway and Cas had made a deal with the demon next in line for the title of Devil instead.

Every step he took to try and save the Winchesters had been another step away from them until he himself wasn't even sure how they all got here. All he'd wanted…all he'd fought for…free will and the desire to spare his friends anymore pain.

He'd only trapped them into a crueler destiny and carved their wounds deeper.

Castiel approached Sam. Dean cried out and twisted and fought behind him, promising him the conclusion Cas knew was inevitable after what he was about to do. The angel braced himself and reached into Sam's chest.

There was light and pain and bone-shaking screaming in surround sound. Cas could feel the power, the assuredness that Rapahel would not be able to stand against him now flowing through him.

At that moment, Castiel was one of the most powerful creatures in existence, but he felt immeasurably small. He hung his head as Dean's desperate yelling became choked with emotion. Cas didn't look up, knowing he wasn't worthy to look at either boy he'd just destroyed.

"I'm sorry."

He released them both and flitted away, sparing himself from watching the result of what he'd done. He headed to gather his garrison and meet Raphael. With the image in his head of Dean cradling his wrecked brother close in grief, Castiel found himself realizing that no matter the outcome of the battle now, the price he'd paid, extracted, would never be worth it.

Staring at his own heavenly brother's eyes, knowing he could never face those of his human counterparts again, Castiel fervently hoped that this would be the last battlefield he or Raphael would ever see.