S10e23 At the Source
A Small Town
"Yes, I am glad of the opportunity to speak to you one last time," Castiel's low voice is slightly stressed. He and Claire sit side by side on the edge of a cracked sidewalk, looking over a grassy slope.
He holds out a thick bundle of bills, id cards, and papers. "I promised your father when he became my vessel, that I would keep you safe," He looks at Claire's face. "I'm sorry this is all I may be able to do. I know how difficult life can be for humans to care for their basic needs."
Claire looks at Castiel. "Why?" she asks, not taking the bundle.
"It's a long story." Castiel nods, looking away. "It would be easier to …" he reaches out and touches Claire's forehead.
Claire looks at him. "What? No," she says, shaking her head. "That's not right. It's crazy and stupid!"
"It's a joint decision. Our best option," Castiel shrugs his head.
"I don't understand," Claire says, looking at Castiel with tears in her eyes. "I don't understand how someone so wise, so compassionate, and so powerful could let the world almost be destroyed and now this!" she says, her voice cracking.
"I .. wisdom or compassion or power …." Castiel pauses. "It does not mean that I know what the best choice would be. I have … limited interaction with the human world. The many years I have spent here, have been as an observer or a soldier, in obedience or in disobedience to my superiors. I cannot tell what the right course of action will be."
"No," Claire says. "I won't take this." She looks at the bundle.
"Claire, this area will become very dangerous very soon. It is quite urgent that you leave. I … don't understand why you came here of all places."
Tears run down Claire's face. "When my father was dying, and he begged you to take him, him instead of me." She shakes her head. "He died. He should have gone to Elysium … just so I wouldn't have to be your vessel."
Her tears stop. Claire looks directly at Castiel. "People should carry their own burdens and responsibilities. I'm staying here with you."
"What? No," Castiel says.
"Yes. If you die. If your shell," she looks at the body of her father, "dies. I will say Yes, like I did before. This plan is really dangerous and you need to be there at the end to make it come out right."
Castiel looks like he will speak, but Claire breaks in. "I make my own choices. I always have. Just like when I said yes to you to save my dad and those two creeps."
"Dean and Sam …" Castiel tries to defend them.
"I did it for myself, but I also did it for them. If I had time, I could come up with a plan a thousand times better than this one, but I don't. You need me, Castiel. You need a backup vessel."
A Small Town, Day
Hundreds of tiny figures move through the forest surrounding a small town in broad valley. The town is barely more than a strip of stores along a highway.
Two figures fall through the air, then disappear.
"That was a-freakin awesome." Dean bellows to Crowley, a broad grin on his face.
The two saunter side-by-side, observing the bustle of activity. Ahead of them, Castiel directs several people spray-painting wards on the ground and buildings. "Yes, another stroke there, like this," he says, drawing a symbol in the air. A woman stands next to him.
Castiel turns to Dean and Crowley. "This will not hold them long. At best, you have a minute, perhaps two."
Charlie looks up from the giant symbol on the ground. "Wow, is that really you?" she asks with her usual cheerful, lighthearted voice.
Crowley smiles, "My reputation precedes me. I am .. the King of Hell."
"Charlie, Crowley," Dean says, swinging his arm around Charlie into a warm embrace. "Crowley .. Charlie."
"Pleased to meet you," Crowley steps forward to take Charlie's hand, but a look from the woman standing next to Charlie stops him. "And who might you be," Crowley says suavely.
"Oh, this is Arty," Charlie jumps in, glancing at the woman with a smile.
"Artemis," Dean holds his hand out. The woman ignores him, giving him a thousand-mile stare.
"Well, glad you came," Dean says into the awkward silence.
"She said she'd help," Charlie answers, glancing at Artemis's stern face. "Anyways, this is so awesome! Castiel said that the other angels will notice the wards pretty fast. Did you check the roads?"
"Yeah, they're closed off two hundred miles back."
"Great. The mountains should stop the blast from spreading further. Good luck guys," Charlie says, looking over at a hardware store. She shakes a can of spray paint.
Dean and Crowley walk through the town, observing the activity going on around them.
"Charming," Crowley says.
"Yeah." Dean replies uninformatively. They enter the hardware store.
"Sammy, it's ready."
"Great," Sam nods, standing next to the cluttered store counter.
Sam picks up the angelblade from the counter as Dean strips off his shirt.
Sam pauses.
"Shall I do the honors?" Crowley offers.
Glaring at Crowley, Sam shakes his head.
"Go on Sammy," Dean encourages him, leaning back against the counter casually.
Sam places a hand on Dean's forehead and starts to carve a symbol. The touch of the angelwing burns the symbols clearly onto Dean's face and body as Dean's eyes flash black.
Finally, Sam puts the angelwing down and takes a needle full of dark red liquid. He plunges it into Dean's arm. Shuddering, Dean braces himself against the counter. He opens his eyes.
Crowley looks on, impassively.
"Is he .. still under your control?" Crowley speaks.
The brothers look at him.
"Sam, Artemis…"
"Yeah. I doubt she'll do much to help us." Sam withdraws the needle. "If we're lucky and it goes wrong, she might have an off chance of taking us out."
Dean gets up. He and Crowley leave the hardware store.
Outside of the hardware store, Dean turns to Crowley. "I'm fine. Sammy's in charge up here," he taps his head.
"I'm me, only better," Dean grins a chipmunk smile.
"No, no you're not." Crowley says impassively, as they continue to walk into position. "Just for my sake, let's go over the teleport sequence one last time."
A Small Town, Noon
Crowley is gone. Sam and Cain stand in the clearing. Dean stands in the center of sigil drawn on the asphalt, chained and held with tie-downs to rune-inscribed poles. Shining wards and spray-painted numbers cover the valley and mountains like a mottled spiderweb. A blue mountain lake feeds into a stream running out of the valley. Down the slope and outside of the angel wards, Castiel watches from the shadow of the pine trees.
Sam begins to voice an incantation. The air shimmers. The wind picks up.
Sam continues to speak, long words rolling off his tongue.
Sam stops. The air is quiet.
An immense light suffuses Dean's body. Thunder roars over the valley. The ground shakes. The world turns white and roars.
Dean looks up as the wind stops. All around the rubble of the town, the trees are white and fallen.
Pieces of Nick's body drop down from the sky. Adam floats above Lucifer, screaming. Cain drives an archangel blade into Michael. Light bursts from Adam's body, tearing it apart.
A Mountaintop
Crowley, Charlie, Sam, and Artemis watch the distant scene.
Castiel appears on the vantage point, the pieces of Adams's bleeding body in his arms.
Crowley looks at the two, then snaps his fingers.
The Clearing
As the light and wind fade, Cain appears in the demolished town.
Amid an appearing and disappearing army of demons, flashing into and out of the battle, Cain rushes at Lucifer.
Lucifer laughs at the attacks, even in his chained vessel's body. Demons explode in showers of blood all around Cain's flashing, reappearing and disappearing body. The chains start to fall away. "This vessel ...".
"Yes." Cain says calmly as he appears and disappears. The silver of the archangel blade flashes through the dust.
A shining silver-colored bullet flickers into Lucifer's left hand. He looks over at a distant female figure, who disappears as Lucifer turns his gaze. At the same time, Cain strikes. Without bothering to look, Lucifer's hand grasps Cain's over the handle of the archangel sword. Slowly, Cain's body begins to burn and his bones crack.
A sword slides slowly through Lucifer's chest from behind. Sam's face is knotted in a grimace of concentration as he pushes the blade in. The blade stops. Sam's body shakes.
Cain strikes. He drives the first blade into Lucifer's arm. Blood from Lucifer's vessel drips onto him. The first blade shatters. The mark on Cain's arm fades as Cain dies.
Thunder and light explode. Sam collapses into a kneel. He reaches out for Dean's arm. Sam bites down on the wound, drinking deeply.
Cain's archangel blade appears in Dean's hand. "Sam. I have to thank you for summoning me. Wearing this desecrated body of my brother's vessel. Walking free," he says, the last of the rune-inscribed chains falling away.
Sam looks up at Lucifer, blood dripping from his mouth.
Lucifer smiles. "I"m so glad, Sam. We were meant to be together, two halves to a whole. Glad you embraced your true self."
Dean's hands swing the blade in a wide, slow arc. His head falls onto the ground. White light explodes.
A Hundred Miles Away
Castiel's eyes burn blue as he crouches protectively over Sam. They struggle to their feet in the intense light and roaring wind.
In A White Light
Castiel and Sam appear over Dean's burnt-out, beheaded body. Blood starts to run from Sam's eyes and ears.
Sam and Castiel lay their hands on Dean's forehead.
Dean gasps, "Sammy," he whispers inaudibly. He opens his black eyes.
Dozens of angels dressed in business suits flash into the rubble of the town.
"Castiel!" the angel's voice is urgent. "We must speak."
"Of course," Castiel says in his deep voice. He glances into the distance, his eyes turning blue.
The angels disappear.
Sam gets up from a crouch. He looks at Crowley, his arm raised, palm facing Crowley. "I will rule in Hell, and you will serve me," he states. Black smoke rises from the rubble of the valley, swirling around Sam.
"Bow to the new King!" Crowley's voice carries loudly.
Sam's face twists into a grin, blood covering his mouth and chin. They disappear.
Desolation
Garth heaves himself out from under a pile of trees and rubble. He staggers. The demolished town and valley of rubble is quiet.
Sniffing, he walks lightly over the rough ground and broken road, then stops and flips a tree up and away from Claire's body. Claire looks up at Garth, a dazed look on her face.
"Hey. Can you sit up?" Garth asks gently, crouching beside her.
Claire looks at Garth. Her face is dirty and blood covers her torso. "Yeah," she says. After a pause, she sits up. Garth's arm comes around her back as he helps her up. "I'm ok," she says. Claire looks around, then down at her chest. She touches it. Blood comes away in her hand. "It's not as bad as it looks." She gets to her feet.
"Yeah, ok, take it easy." Garth says with a look of concern.
"I'm ok. No, I'm not okay. Castiel healed me."
Garth blinks a little and looks at Claire. "Looks like you almost died!" he says in his cheery voice.
Claire doesn't say anything.
The clattering of rock echoes loudly in the valley as Claire and Garth scramble over the broken asphalt highway. Cain and Lucifer's bodies lie on the shattered pavement. They look for a long moment.
"Well that didn't go too badly!" Garth exclaims. "I mean compared to what could have happened."
Claire glances at Garth.
"Hey!" Charlie's bright and cheery voice calls out. She waves her arm. Her other hand holds Adam's hand.
"Charlie!" Garth calls back.
Charlie and Artemis walk closer. Adam is slumped onto Artemis' back, with Charlie holding him on. As they reach the bodies, Artemis puts John down. She crouches and picks up a silver-colored bullet, taking it from Dean's fist. John sits mutely, drool running from his open mouth.
"Is he alright?" Garth asks with a look of concern.
Charlie shrugs nervously, looking at John's face. "He's sitting up on his own now."
Artemis checks Dean's forearm, looking for the Mark of Cain. His arm is clean. She drives her silver blade into Dean and Cain's chests, one after the other.
"Um .. right" Garth looks at Artemis. "Yeah, hey did y'all see where Sam and Dean and the demons disappeared to?"
"Arty said the demons smoked out and went with Sam, Dean, and Crowley to Hell." Charlie answers for Artemis. "Sam kinda .. declared himself King in Hell."
"What? No way!" Garth exclaims. "I can't believe it!"
Claire gives Charlie a look. "Where was Castiel?"
"He disappeared with the other angels." Charlie looks around.
"We should burn the bodies," Garth says. He springs into action, leaping down the slope toward the shattered pine forest. Charlie turns to gather wood.
Claire watches them leave. "Lucifer's dead. Is this paradise?" Claire asks Artemis.
Death
Death and Dean stand near Dean's headless body, watching the scene unfold. "Is this paradise?" Dean asks, turning to Death.
Death is silent.
"But we killed Lucifer. We had the apocalypse." Dean's face is expressionless.
"You changed the fate of your world. Not all things will continue as they were foretold." Death answers calmly.
"Please. Let me speak to Sammy once."
"I believe he is making the best of the situation." Death looks at Dean, "Your brother is quite adaptable."
"He declared himself King of Hell! Demon blood goes straight to his head!"
"It was angel blood, Dean. It's not quite the same." Death looks at Dean.
Dean looks at Garth, dragging a bleached white log over the rubble. "Let's go. I'm ready. I've seen enough. If Sammy can handle it, he can handle it." Dean looks at Death. "Why haven't you taken me?"
Death's mouth twists a tiny bit. "You and your brother are abominations who violate the natural order. Perhaps I am not inclined to take you at this time."
"What. You're going to leave me here." Dean's voice raises slightly. He looks at Garth building a pyre over the bodies. "Why?"
The King of Hell's Castle
"So where is it?" Sam glares at Crowley.
Crowley rolls his eyes. "I don't know. Maybe his soul ended up by some incredible happenstance in Heaven or more likely ... in Purgatory. What can I say. It should have come in by now. I'm not Death, I can't give you an answer."
Sam's eyes burn with a glimmer of blue light. He draws a knife and walks towards Crowley.
"Wait, you need me .. you need me to .." Crowley holds out his arm as Sam gets close.
Sam holds Crowley's arm and slits it with his knife. He bring up the arm to his lips and starts to drink.
"Careful now. Don't know how demon blood will mix." Crowley looks up at Sam, a look of fawning adoration appearing on his face. "So this is how Ruby got her rocks off. Can't say it doesn't appeal now."
Death
Dean and Cain's bodies burn. The light of the fire is muted in the bright afternoon. Death looks at Dean. "Now, I'll take you."
"Why would you want Sam to stay King in Hell?"
"You will come with me. I've indulged your questions enough." Death looks at Dean. He places his hand on Dean's shoulder, which Dean mutely accepts. They turn and walk away from Dean's burning body.