What if Castiel hadn't been able to get Moishe's journal?
Castiel and Crowley met at their secret little clubhouse.
"I found out something interesting," Crowley said.
"What?" Castiel asked.
"Those dragons weren't the first ones to open the door to Purgatory."
"Who was?" Castiel asked. He couldn't stand this dirty little demon, but he had to admit that he was useful and good at getting information, among other things.
"A man named HP Lovecraft back in 1937."
"What happened?"
"I don't know, but I know who does," Crowley answered.
"Sure, this HP Lovecraft guy," Castiel said.
"He's dead. But before he died he was interviewed by one Moishe Campbell."
"Any relation to Samuel and the Winchesters?" Cas asked. He was amazed at the connections this one little family had to just everything.
"Samuel's uncle. I believe he left him a journal."
"Sam and Dean took all of Samuel's library to Bobby's," Castiel thought aloud.
"Then you should just pop over and get it," Crowley said.
"Can't. Bobby angel-proofed his house a few days ago."
"Well, he demon-proofed it months ago," Crowley reminded him.
"So, neither of us can get in," Castiel concluded.
"It would appear that way," Crowley concurred.
Castiel actually had an idea to get that journal. As soon as he had it he would know how to crack open Purgatory. He didn't need Crowley anymore.
"Well, at any rate, I'm sick of our arrangement. It's over," Castiel said.
"What?" Crowley asked.
Castiel stepped forward to smite Crowley, but he disappeared. Castiel figured it didn't matter now. There was nothing that arrogant little demon could do anyway.
SSS
Lisa was watching the game with Matt. She wasn't really all that into baseball, but she did like snuggling up with him on the couch. Ben was upstairs. He still hadn't come around to Matt, yet. He wanted Dean to come back. But that wasn't going to happen so he was just going to have to deal.
Suddenly the door crashed down and three men came rushing in. One grabbed her and Matt tried to interfere. One of the other men broke his neck. Lisa screamed. She just knew this was about Dean somehow.
Soon, Ben joined them downstairs dragged by one of the men. He was talking on a cell phone, too. "Dean, I need something from you."
So, she was right. This was about Dean.
SSS
Dean and Bobby were at Bobby's going through journals, trying to find some clue as to how Castiel and Crowley intended to pop Purgatory. Sam was at the library checking other sources.
Dean's phone rang. He looked down. "Ben," he answered it. The kid hadn't called since he pulled that parent trap thing. He hoped that wasn't what this was. He didn't have time and it was really hard on him emotionally.
"Not quite," came the answer.
"Crowley," Dean said, recognizing the demon's stupid, haughty British accent.
"Dean, I need something from you."
"What?" Dean asked. There was no need for Crowley to spell out the trade deals.
"The journal of one Moishe Campbell."
"What? Why?" Dean asked.
"You know the abandoned factory ten miles from Bobby's?" Crowley asked instead of answering Dean's question.
"Yeah."
"Meet me there with the journal in an hour, or they die," Crowley said and hung up.
Then he disappeared with his hostages and they reappeared in the factory.
Dean relayed the conversation to Bobby.
"We can't give him that journal. If he wants it, we don't want him to have it," Bobby said firmly.
"I know that. Plus, there's no guarantee that he would let them go anyway. We'll call Sam and launch a rescue," Dean decided.
SSS
Sam stepped out of the library. He hadn't found anything in there and he hoped that Dean and Bobby had had better luck, but he highly doubted it.
"Hello, Sam."
Sam looked up to see Castiel. "What are you doing here?" he asked. He certainly wasn't very happy with Castiel, but unlike Dean, he felt that he could at least understand him. Maybe because of that, he'd be able to talk some sense into him.
"I need something," Castiel said.
"What?" Sam asked.
"The journal of Moishe Campbell."
"Why?" Sam asked.
"I believe it has the answer to opening up Purgatory."
"Cas, this is a really bad idea. You know that, deep down, somewhere. When I was drinking demon blood, I knew it was a bad idea and I really wish I had listened to someone before it was too late," Sam said, appealing to the Cas he had known these last few years. He couldn't be totally gone.
"This isn't the same thing, Sam," Castiel explained. Why couldn't anyone see that he was doing the right thing? He supposed it wasn't fair to expect humans to understand.
"Well, I'm sorry. I can't help you," Sam said.
"No, but maybe Dean will," Castiel countered.
"I doubt that."
Just then Sam's phone rang. "Speak of the devil," he muttered as he checked the caller ID.
"Sam, it's me."
That was as far as he got before Cas grabbed the phone away from Sam and touched his forehead, knocking him out. Dean was unaware of that, though, so he continued, "Crowley has Ben and Lisa. He says he's going to kill him if we don't give him Moishe Campbell's journal."
"Well, that's unfortunate, because if you don't give me the journal, I'm going to kill Sam," Castiel informed a stunned Dean and hung up.
Dean kicked the chair he was standing next to across the room.
"What's wrong?" Bobby asked, wondering how such a short conversation with his brother could have affected him that way.
"Cas has Sam."
"What?" Bobby asked. "What does he want?"
"Same thing Crowley does."
"No way this ends well," Bobby stated the obvious.
"What do we do, Bobby?"
"Did Cas say where he was?" Bobby asked.
"No," Dean said.
"How you supposed to give him the journal, then?" Bobby asked.
"I don't know, Bobby," Dean sighed in total frustration. "Let's just try to rescue Ben and Lisa now, since we know where they are."
"Good a plan as any," Bobby agreed.
SSS
Castiel did a search and knew where Crowley was. He transported himself and Sam there. He had to make sure Dean didn't trade the journal for Ben and Lisa. He really felt that he had the better leverage, but he couldn't take any chances.
Sam awoke when they got there.
Lisa and Ben were tired to a beam in the middle of the room. "Are you guys OK?" Sam asked.
Lisa just nodded. In reality, she felt anything but OK.
"What are you doing here?" Crowley asked.
"Stopping you. I need that journal, Crowley."
"Well, if you hadn't broken our deal, we wouldn't be working at cross-purposes," Crowley pointed out. Angels, always trying to blame everything on demons, when most of the time they were at fault.
Sam figured he would take advantage of the distraction of their conversation and started to get up, but Castiel threw his hand out towards Sam and he was forced back to the floor, painfully.
"Do you really think Dean is going to choose Lisa and Ben over Sam?" Castiel asked, indicating his own hostage.
Crowley actually wasn't sure. His first thought had been Sam. Everybody knew Dean would do anything to protect Sam. It didn't matter what Sam did. But, Crowley hadn't been sure he could contain the mutant, so he had gone with the woman and kid. He also knew that Dean cared about them and may even put innocent lives in front of his brothers. "We'll see," he said to Cas.
Just then the door came crashing open and Dean and Bobby were there with their salt guns. Unfortunately, Sam knew they didn't have the knife, because he had it, but he was being held down.
"You have to choose, Dean," Crowley said. "Give the journal to me and Lisa and Ben go free and Sam dies. Or give the journal to Castiel and Sam goes free and Lisa and Ben die. Of course, you can't trust Castiel. He goes back on his word, whereas my word is sacred."
"Oh yeah. Like when you said you'd give me my soul back?" Bobby pointed out.
"So, I'm not perfect," Crowley admitted.
"Enough,"Castiel said. "Dean, give it to me." He made a motion with his hand and Sam screamed.
Crowley did something similar and Ben and Lisa screamed.
"STOP!" Dean yelled. "You know I can't make that choice."
"Give it to Crowley," Sam moaned from the floor. Ben and Lisa deserved to be saved more than he did. Also, as sad as this was to even think, he felt like Crowley might be the lesser of two evils right now.
"OK," Dean said. He actually thought he could get rid of one of the threats right now.
"What?" Castiel asked.
"Ben and Lisa are innocent. Sam and I know the risks. He's right. I have to save them."
Sam really wanted Dean to save Lisa and Ben, but paradoxically, he was a little hurt that that was his choice.
"NO!" Castiel yelled and flitted over to Crowley, placed his palm on his forehead and obliterated him.
"One down," Dean whispered to Bobby. He had hoped that Castiel would eliminated the competition if afraid that he was winning.
"There. Lisa and Ben are safe from Crowley. Now give me the journal," Castiel ordered.
Dean backed up. "I don't know, Cas," he said.
Castiel was fully concentrating on Dean. Sam felt the hold on him disappear. He inched over carefully behind Cas, not making a noise. He silently made his way over to Lisa and Ben as quietly as possible.
"We didn't even bring the journal with us," Dean was saying.
"Then go back and get it," Castiel said.
Dean wanted to ask him to let Lisa and Ben go, but wasn't sure he would and didn't want to bring any attention to them. He could see Sam through the corner of his eye. He was cutting through the ropes with his knife, but then what were they going to do?
Sam was helping up Lisa and Ben and herding them toward the door behind them. As he opened it, it squeaked. Castiel spun around.
Sam had enough time to shove Lisa and Ben out the door before it slammed shut. He turned around to face Castiel.
"Going somewhere, Sam?" Cas asked.
"Guess not," Sam answered.
Castiel flitted next to Sam and grabbed him in a headlock. "Go, get the journal. Sam will stay with me until you get back."
Not having any choice, Dean and Bobby exited the warehouse. Ben and Lisa were still outside. "Take them back to your place, Bobby," Dean instructed. With the angel- and demon-proofing, they would be safe there.
"What are you going to do?" Bobby asked.
"I have to save Sam."
"How?" all three of them asked.
"I don't know. But I can't leave him here. You gotta getthem out of here," Dean stressed.
"Fine," Bobby said and they took off.
Dean waited fifteen minutes until he knew they were safe. Then he cut himself and drew a new sidgil he and Bobby had read about earlier that day. He hoped it worked.
"Cas. I have the book," he yelled.
"Bring it inside," Castiel yelled back.
"No. You come out. We'll exchange out here and Sam and I will leave."
Castiel decided it made no difference. They were only humans. They couldn't beat him. He would probably just kill them when they were done to punish them for their betrayal. He kept Sam in the headlock and dragged him outside with him. The hold was completely unnecessary of course. He didn't need to physically hold Sam to keep him under control, but it made more of a statement to Dean. He had always been jealous of Dean and Sam's relationship. He had wanted a closer relationship with Dean, but Sam was always in the way. Now, he would kill them both and be done with it. Sam first, so he could see the pain in Dean's eyes.
As soon as Cas was outside he touched his bleeding hand to the sidgil and Castiel fell to the ground still holding Sam. "What happened?" Sam asked as he extricated himself from Cas.
"We found a sidgil that doesn't blast angels away, but actually kills them," Dean explained.
"Oh," Sam said. "I'm sorry, Dean."
"For what?"
"About Cas. I know how you felt about him." Sam had liked him too, of course. But, Cas had been right when he said he and Dean shared a closer bond.
Dean was sorry, too. He didn't have too many people he actually got close to. The ones that he did, either died or betrayed him. Bobby was the one exception. Even Sam had betrayed him—and died for that matter.
"Let's just go check on Lisa and Ben." Of course, they hadn't betrayed him either, but they still couldn't be in his life. This proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt. It was just him, Sam and Bobby against the world.
The End