Hello, everyone!
This is my first Supernatural story and I've been in the fandom only for a few months, so I apologize from the start if the characters are not always IC. I've tried very hard to stuck to their canon selves and I really hope I've managed it.
The story starts from the last part of episode 06x22 and goes on on its own, without considering what happens in the following season. You could say it's my own version of season 7, since I hadn't seen it yet when I started writing. Some pieces of dialogue are taken from the canon season 7 and some scenes are inspired by real ones. I didn't mean to copy the show, I just thought they fitted this story as /
The whole plot revolves mostly on the characters' interactions and relationships, with a special focus on the themes of trust and faith.
I hope you'll enjoy it! Every comment or critic is really welcome! Please, let me know what you think!
Warnings: This story contains slash (guy x guy romantic/sexual relationships). Don't like, don't read! English is not my first language.
Summury: AU for s06e22. Castiel, betraying his deal with Crowley, opens the Door of Purgatory to absorb the souls and gain the power to beat Raphael, but he is stopped by the last person he was expecting, Gabriel, who persuades him to give it up. However, before Cas can close the Door, something comes out and spreads on the Earth. So, the two angels find themselves in the position to fight a war against their own siblings and to have to deal with the Leviathans, whose leader seems to have ill intentions towards mankind.
The Winchesters are reluctantly forced to help, but the collaboration isn't going to be easy. Dean and Cas can't put aside their personal conflict and the angel decides to leave to try and find his lost faith, whose lack is quickly and inevitably consuming him. The brothers are left to fix the whole mess by themselves, together with the trickster archangel who has ambiguous intentions towards Sam and who is also busy dealing with his own issues.
In his behalf, Crowley finds an odd partner-in-crime in the brilliant IT employees Charlie Bradbury, but the results are not quite the ones he was expecting.
Pairings: Dean x Castiel, Sam x Gabriel, some Crowley x Bobby.
Disclaimer: I don't own the show nor its characters. Supernatural is Eric Kripke's creation.
The water dripping on the floor was the only sound breaking the silence that burdened the underground room. The walls were covered in mildew and the air was stagnant and humid. Castiel stared at the blood-dirtied jar that he was holding. It felt heavy in his hands and still a bit warm. The seal had already been drawn and was staring at him expectantly from the wall. He tightened his grip on the glass. Why was he hesitating? The expression of betrayal on Dean's face filled his mind, but he chased it away immediately. He wasn't at peace with the web of deceits he had woven, but it had to be done. That was the only way to stop the civil war that was ripping Heaven apart, the war he had started. He would fix everything as soon as he had solved the conflict and restored the order in his world.
He took a deep breath. Angels shouldn't feel nervousness, but after all he had been one of the few who had doubted and he had been about to fall more than once. He still was. He closed his eyes and recalled the words of the spell. It was his only option. "Ianua magna Purgatorii, clausa est ob nos, lumine eius ab oculis, nostris retento…" he started to recite, his tone resolute once more. "Sed nunc stamus ad limen huius Ianuae Magnae et demisse, fideliter perhonorifice paramus aperire eam". The Latin words came easily to his lips, as if they were a long lost reminiscence, a memory from an ancient time that he hadn't lived but that was part of him anyway. It made sense. Purgatory was one of God's creation and angels retained a glimpse of His essence. And yet even that knowledge didn't make the whole act feel right. He swallowed his concerns and kept going. "Creaturae terrificae quarum ungulae et dentes nunquam tetigerunt carnem humanam aperit fauces eius ad mundum nostrum nunc". There he was. Once he had pronounced the last words there would be no turning back. "Ianua Magna, aperta tandem!"
The portal opened before him with an explosion of light and energy, revealing a raging black hole that radiated evilness and despair. Castiel forced himself not to take a step back. The darkness was much stronger than he had expected, but that wouldn't stop him. It couldn't. He had sacrificed so much, done things he felt so very ashamed of, just for reaching that point. He opened his arms to capture the souls that were stirring frantically under the black surface. Once he would have brought peace on both worlds everything would be forgiven.
"Please! Don't tell me that you really believe that crap!" a voice laughed behind his shoulder, making him start. "That's just a nice excuse you are telling yourself to feel better, because you know really well that you are about to make a huge mess!"
He spun around to face the newcomer and his blank expression faltered just for a brief moment as he recognised him. He lowered his arms. "Gabriel" he let out, sounding almost confused.
Gabriel smirked widely, amused. "Yeah! The one and only! You weren't expecting me, were you, little brother? Did you miss me?"
"Lucifer killed you" Castiel stated emotionless, ignoring the provocation hidden in the other's playful tone.
"I'm the Trickster! Or have you forgotten that?" the archangel pointed out, crossing his arms on his chest. Then he turned serious. "Nah, alright. Yeah, Lucy killed me. And it hurt pretty much. But apparently Dad wasn't done with his prodigal son."
"Are you telling me that Father brought you back?" The blue-eyed angel frowned deeply, not convinced at all. He could hear the door calling for him, but he couldn't tear his eyes away from his brother. "Why?"
"No idea, bro. I just woke up in the middle of nowhere and had this vision of you going crazy with delusions of grandeur and making this huge mess. And I told myself: "Gotta stop him", so here am I!"
"So He brought you back to prevent me from taking His place? He abandoned us, Gabriel. Our brothers and sisters are fighting each other. Many of them died during an Apocalypse He hasn't helped to stop. And more are still dying now. Some of them by my hand. I must stop this massacre" Castiel stated, his tone hard and determined. "I looked for Him, everywhere. I prayed and prayed for His help but I got no answer. He is gone. Forever. And someone needs to take care of His responsibilities."
"Yeah, of course. Dad left, but He brought you back to life two times, Castiel. He did help you stop Lucy's mess" Gabriel pointed out, sounding oddly patient. "I don't like the idea of my family fighting and dying either. I may have run away, but I still care for all of you. But, trust me, playing God is not the solution. Besides, at what cost? Come on, Cas, you let down your precious Winchester boys!" He shook his head, almost in disbelief. "I remember you back then, when Dad was still with us, before Lucifer's Fall. You always hung around, asking questions, wanting to understand, so full of faith that you made us archangels ashamed because we felt like we didn't believe hard enough. What happened to you, Castiel?"
The angel lowered his eyes. "What happened to me, Gabriel? You should know." He answered harshly. "One of my brothers betrayed us all. Another left without warning soon after. Father abandoned us. I was left to watch the Earth, learning about pain, despair and hate. I started to doubt and then I rebelled. I fought my own family, I killed some of my brothers and sisters. I fell and died more than once. I lost my faith."
The archangel was quite for some moments, struck by the bitterness of those words, but he recovered quickly. "Alright. You have your good reasons to be upset. But, trust me, this". He pointed the portal. "isn't the solution to your problems. Look, I understand what you are going through. I really do, because that's how I felt after the whole Lucifer's business and that's why I became the Trickster. But doing this will only bring you more suffering and troubles."
"It needs to be done. It's for a greater good."
"No, Castiel. You are wrong. There may be redemption for you after, if you ask loud enough, but I don't think you'll get forgiveness for what you have done to the people who care about you." Gabriel took a step towards his brother. "I know what I'm talking about. I did a lot of awful things in the last centuries. It was much fun, I can't deny it, but now I see that I lost who I used to be and I regret almost every bit of it. I'm no longer sure that it was worth it. When I fought Lucifer to save Kali and the Winchesters I found my essence once again. For those few minutes I was no longer the pagan Trickster Loki, but I was the archangel Gabriel. And it felt great, like I belonged once again. I found forgiveness because I did the right thing. Being a good guy sucks, but from time to time it can be nice. If you eat those souls, Cas, and do what I saw, you will pass the point of no return. Don't mess up more than you've already done."
Castiel shot him a brief a glance, as if he needed to make sure that he wasn't lying, and then turned away again, but this time he looked no longer hostile. His face wore a shadow of regret and shame and his eyes were darker. "And what do I do? How do I stop Raphael? I'm falling, Gabriel. I'm not powerful enough to stop this war. Some of our brothers and sisters believe in me and I can't let them down!"
"Of course. But they want you to fight, not to become a tyrant." The archangel's voice was filled with a hue of harsh mockery. "What will you do to the ones who don't follow you once you'll have turned into a bad copy of our Father? Imprison them? Kill them? I thought you wanted to stop the suffering of our kind. You would stop the war, but how many lives would you have to end? How many Rachels will you kill?"
"I…I haven't thought about that" the angel confessed, feeling his determination crumbling. His brother was right. But what other choices did he have? He looked up again, staring right into the other's eyes. "However, many lives will be ended anyway. At least I can be sure that this war will be over once I'll be done."
"No one has ever told you that power goes to your head, I guess. Look what happened to Lucy…or to me. You have watched mankind for so long, you should know what I'm talking about." Gabriel lifted a hand to prevent his speaker from talking back. "But let's not dwell on issues of general morality. It's tedious and you won't listen to me. Let's talk about more personal matters. What about your dear Dean? You made him almost hate you. Do you think he will ever trust you again if you get to the bottom of this? Do you really think he will be able to forgive you, bro? At least if you stop now you could always prove him that you are really sorry. But if you start playing God you'll no longer be believable. Trust me."
"Dean…He will understand" Castiel stated, but it was clear that he himself was having a hard time believing his own words. "After stopping the war I'll fix Sam's wall and Dean will trust me again. He will finally see that I'm doing everyone's good."
"In your dreams" the archangel snorted. He was losing his patience. He knew that his brother could be stubborn, but he was exaggerating now. And, besides, the more time the portal stayed opened the more likely was that something came out of it. "You wanna know what you'll do? You'll enjoy too much playing God and go around the world forcing people to worship you. You'll turn Heaven into an angel cemetery and you'll become a problem to Sam and Dean. Oh, and in the end you will explode because you can't contain all that power. Not even I could! So stop this shit. You are being too whiny for my likings. Obey your big brother and be a good kid."
"Gabriel, don't…" Castiel started to say, but he was interrupted by a sudden tremor that shook the ground.
The two celestial beings turned just in time to see the surface of the portal exploding with a terrible roar. Black trials erupted from the dark surface and rushed past them, disappearing from their view as quickly as they had appeared. A look of disbelief spread on Castiel's face as his eyes widened in horror. The jar fell from his hands and hit the floor, breaking in a thousand pieces. Gabriel cursed heavily under his breath. He knew that it would have ended that way. He shouldn't have waited so long. Maybe it would have been better if he had just knocked his brother out and closed the door. After that, they would have had all the time to talk. But he had wanted to do the things in the right way and that was the result. Being a good guy really sucked.
"Close that fucking door! Now, Castiel!" he shouted, exasperated, and finally he got the response he had been looking for.
The blue-eyed angel obeyed immediately, muttering the spell under his breath and extending his arms towards the black hole. The portal fought his powers hard, draining him, but suddenly Gabriel's hands were on his shoulders and he felt the archangel's Grace flooding through him, adding strength to his own. The door closed with a deafening rumble, leaving the two panting in front of a newly intact mouldy wall.
Gabriel was the first to speak. "What the heck were those things?" he exclaimed, still a little bit out of breath. "They were fucking strong!"
Castiel dropped his gaze on the ground once again. "Leviathans" he muttered quietly. His voice was emotionless, but his expression was dark and pensive.
"Oh, shit. More troubles for us…" the other groaned, running a hand on his face. "Wasn't a civil war in Heaven enough?"
"They are my problems. They are my faults." He stated, shaking his head. He stepped forward, laying a hand on the blood seal and making it disappear. "I must take care of them. You stopped me, your job is done. You can go back doing whatever you used to do now."
The archangel grabbed his arm. "Don't be an idiot, Castiel. I didn't come here to scold you and then leave you to face all this alone. I've been an awful big brother for long enough. This is my chance to redeem and to make our home less boring" he claimed with determination. "I won't throw it away! Besides, I've never liked Raphael too much. I don't want him to be our new boss."
Castiel stared at him silently for a while then his lips opened and he let out a barely audible whisper: "Thank you."
"Yeah, yeah, I know that you have no reason to trust me and…" Gabriel started to say, but stopped abruptly as he realised what the other had just said. He looked at him in disbelief. "Come again?"
"Thank you, Gabriel" the angel repeated, in a louder voice. "I do trust you. You've just prevented me from ruining many lives and from losing myself. I owe you. And I'm happy to have you back. I missed you." He rested his hand on the top of his brother's, which was still gripping at his arm. "I am sorry. I was wrong. Forgive me, brother."
The archangel remained quiet, not really knowing how to answer to that show of absolute trust. Those blue eyes were too bright, even for him. Castiel had always been able to feel in a way that should have been impossible for angels, and yet it had always come so natural to him. He almost smiled at the thought. Dad really had to have a soft spot on his weird nerdy son. He cleared his throat, trying to recover his usual cockiness. "I'm not the one who should hear your apologies, Cas" he said, stepping away from the other. He gestured towards the corridor. "Come on, we have two boys and a demon waiting for us. And I can't wait to see the Winchesters' faces when they'll realise that I've come back from the dead!" He smirked. "They'll be delighted."
"I thought they couldn't stand you" the other angel pointed out, confused. "Why should they be happy to see you?"
Gabriel felt the strong urge to bang his head against the wall. He bent down and picked up the pieces of the jar, which rebuilt in his hands, and then he handed it to his brother. "I was being sarcastic, Cas."
"Oh."
The archangel wondered briefly if Castiel understood what sarcasm was, but he didn't dare to answer. He had already used all his patience in the previous conversation and he had no intention to deal with his brother's inability to get non-literal meanings. He preferred leaving the task to the older Winchester. They walked side by side in silence, but for once after centuries there was no tension between them.
ж
Crowley stared at the blood seal wearing an uncertain expression that matched Raphael's puzzled one. The incantation words had had no effect. No flash of light had lit up the room, no roar had torn the air and, especially, no door had opened in front of them. From their place on the floor Dean and Bobby exchanged confused looks. Something obviously hadn't worked, which should have been good news for them, and yet the young hunter couldn't chase away the bad feeling in his guts. Something was off, they just didn't know what yet.
"Mm-hmm…" the demon mumbled, without looking away from the wall. The seal was correct, he was sure of that, so the problem had to be elsewhere. "Maybe I said it wrong."
A flap of wings came from behind his back in that very moment and a voice followed it almost immediately. "You said it perfectly" it claimed flatly as Crowley turned around. "But what you needed was this."
The King of Hell eyed the jar that Castiel was holding. "Oh, I see" he commented, sounding almost impressed. He stepped towards the seal and took a bit of blood on his index finger. "And we have been working with…" He licked the red liquid away from his skin. "…Dog blood. Naturally."
The two hunters stared at the newcomer stunned, not knowing what to expect with his sudden appearance. They still couldn't grasp what dangerous game the angel was playing. It was clear that he wasn't going to let Raphael win Heaven, but there was no way he could challenge her in battle either. Dean kept his eyes on the now familiar figure, but his gaze that time wasn't returned. Castiel looked his usual self, but at the same time there was something different in his posture. He seemed more tensed, worried, and in his sky-blue eyes there was a shadow that looked awfully a lot like deep guilt.
Raphael, from her place by Crowley's side, was starting to tremble with rage. She approached her brother threateningly and glared at him. "Enough of these games, Castiel. Give us the blood." She ordered imperatively. "Your game's over."
"His jar's empty, just in case you haven't noticed" the demon politely pointed out, waving his hand in the direction of the glass can. Then he spoke to the angel. "So, Castiel, how's your ritual gone? Better than ours, I'll bet."
"It worked" Castiel offered laconically, never tearing his gaze from his sister.
"So why I don't sense an awfully great power coming from you?" Crowley asked, raising an eyebrow. Why opening the door and then not getting the souls? Wasn't that what the angel had tried to accomplish since the beginning? What had changed? It made no sense to him. He was surely missing something. "Was Purgatory too scary for you, little angel?"
"No, but common sense was very convincing!" another voice claimed and suddenly Gabriel appeared at Castiel's side. "I got there just in time to prevent my younger brother from making the biggest mistake of his sorry life!"
The King of Hell turned towards him, intrigued by the sudden twist of events, a smirk playing on his lips. It seemed that he wouldn't get the power he had been promised, but the angelic family business was proving itself to be entertaining enough to make it up for that. For those who weren't involved in it, of course.
"Gabriel!" Raphael exclaimed, caught off guard. Her eyes were wide with incredulity. "You were dead. Lucifer killed you, I saw that!"
"For the second time, yeah, Lucy killed me. But, apparently, I still had some unfinished businesses here" the other archangel answered, offering her a cocky smirk and patting Castiel's shoulder. "My little brother needed me, so I came back. It makes sense, doesn't it?"
"It doesn't actually. Never heard of an archangel that comes back to life because he has unfinished businesses" Crowley muttered under his breath, but his words didn't go unnoticed.
"Fuck off, Crowley. This is family business. No demon allowed" Gabriel told him, waving his hand quickly. "And you'd better go now that you have the chance to, because I can't guarantee that you'll remain unharmed if you stay longer."
"Since you have asked me so nicely, I'll take your advice" the demon mocked, faking a small bow towards him. "After what I've seen, I don't want to be involved with angels for a while. None of them is a straight shooter apparently. Exit stage Crowley!" And he disappeared before someone could say or do anything.
"So, Raphael, back to business" the archangel said slowly, turning towards their opponent. "What do we do now, bro? Uh, well, sis."
"You let that demon go and you are challenging your own brother, Gabriel?" Raphael attacked him, offended. She was wielding her sword now. "You are no better than Castiel!"
"You were the one who attacked Cas first. Just because you were the last archangel left, it didn't mean that you automatically had the right to become the new leader of Heaven" Gabriel talked back, untouched by her rage. He snapped his fingers and his blade appeared in his hand. "Besides, I've chosen a side and I don't want the Apocalypse to happen anymore. So little Cas has my favours now."
"You are in minority, Raphael" Castiel interjected, getting a hold his own weapon in turn. "You have my same alternatives now. Flee or die."
Her gaze hardened, but she lowered her blade. "It's not over, you traitors" she proclaimed firmly. "I'll have your blood on my hands soon." And she was gone in a flap of wings.
"Ah, why did you let her go?! We could have taken care of her here and now!" Gabriel complained with a snort. "She and her minions will surely come after us!"
"We were not ready to face her. I'm still weak from the ritual and you are not in your best shape either" the blue-eyed angel stated emotionlessly. "And besides…" He shot a glance at the two hunters who had watched the whole scene without moving. "…We couldn't risk having a fight here. The consequences could have been nasty."
"I see…" The archangel followed his eyes and stopped on the two humans. A new smirk opened on his face. "Ah, Dean Winchester! You were in a better shape the last time I saw you! You've had a pretty rough time, haven't you?"
"Oh for fuck's sake!" Dean groaned exasperated, finally getting himself up from the floor. "I admit that I've wished for some back-up, but I wouldn't have asked if they had told me that it would have been you!"
"How nasty. You wound me!" Gabriel complained, but his grin remained. "I've just saved your sorry ass once again, you should be grateful, Deano."
"Grateful my ass…" the older Winchester muttered with hostility. His eyes met Castiel's and his tone became even harsher. "I wouldn't have needed help if someone hadn't had the awful idea to go and play God, breaking my brother's mental wall in the process!"
The angel lowered his gaze on the floor, looking remorseful. The archangel patted his shoulder once again and threw a nasty glare to the hunter, who stared back with the same amount of distaste. Bobby looked at the three of them and then pulled Dean's T-shirt to get some help to stand up, which the youth instantly offered.
"So, here is the famous angelic Trickster" the older man said, carefully moving the conversation on a neutral ground. "I remember you from that hunt in Springfield. And the boys told me about what you did after. A disloyal opponent."
"In person. Nice to see you again, Bobby Singer! It's true, I don't always play nice. I'm the Trickster not without a good reason" the archangel admitted with a shrug. "But I'm on your side now. Or, rather, we will be all fighting the same things from now on."
"Meaning? We are not getting involved in your fucking angelic business" Dean growled. His stare was once again on Castiel. "Not after what you have done to my brother."
"We are not asking you to fight our war, Dean" the latter spoke quietly. "I have no right to ask you anything. I will still keep my promise and fix your brother somehow, even if at the moment I don't have the power to do it." He couldn't bring himself to meet the young man's eyes. "I…When Gabriel came to me, the door of Purgatory was already opened and something was unleashed in this world. Strong, merciless creatures that will bring devastation on mankind if they are not stopped."
"Ah, great job, Castiel!" The hunter exclaimed incredulous. "Now we have more monsters to deal with! As if I didn't have enough problems. Thanks a lot, man!"
"Hey!" Gabriel warned, preventing his brother from speaking. "He couldn't know. No one could. He shouldn't have opened that portal in the first place, but he was just trying to do the right thing. For you too. We are not omniscient. And we make mistakes as you humans do. So shut the fuck up and leave my brother be."
The human let out a bitter laugh. "The right thing, sure. You mean his own business! And since when you are so protective of your family?"
The archangel ignored the provocation. "Since I'm trying to make up for my past mistakes."
A heavy silence fell on the room. Bobby kept out of the discussion for everybody's sake, even if he was feeling the words twitching on his tongue, pushing to come out. By his side Dean had gone still. He couldn't help the uneasiness that Gabriel's words had left inside him. He understood too well what the other had meant. Everyone in his fucked up family had tried more than once to find a way to make up for their faults. He and Sam were still trying to put up with all they had been through and all they had done to each other. And he also understood why the archangel was acting like that towards Castiel. He would have done the same thing for Sam, even knowing that he was wrong. He would have beaten the crap out of him when they had been alone, but he would have stood up for him in front of the others. Because that was what family was for and because he himself had to make something up to his brother.
Gabriel's hand was still lying on Castiel's shoulder, protective and reassuring. The younger angel shot his brother a confused but grateful glance. He had been taken aback by that sudden change of behaviour, but he had to admit that he had missed having someone so ready to look out for him. The Winchesters had done it in many ways while they were facing the Apocalypse together, but it wasn't the same thing. He had felt close to them, but Gabriel was his real family, the one he had thought lost forever after rebelling.
"Dean! Bobby!" Sam's voice broke the silence and the sound of his hurried steps against the metal staircase echoed in the room. The younger Winchester stopped at the end of the stairs, pale and panting, his eyes locking on the archangel. "Gabriel?" he questioned carefully.
"Heya, Sammy! Oh, you look awful! Worse than Deano here!" the latter commented, studying the human. "Cas made a real mess with you. But don't worry, you'll be fine!"
"Sam!" Dean exclaimed, approaching his brother quickly and ignoring the archangel. "How are you feeling? And don't say fine because I'll send you back to dreamland!"
"I feel…Uh, as if a train had run over me?" Sam offered hesitantly. Then, seeing that the other hunter seemed satisfied with his answer, he looked around the room and asked: "What the heck happened here? Why is Gabriel there? Weren't you dead?"
"Here we go again." Gabriel groaned.
"We'll explain later" Castiel interrupted before another discussion started. "We need to get out of here. Raphael could decide to come back with her followers any time. It's not safe."
The three hunters stared at him sceptically. It was clear that none of them was going to trust him any time soon, but he really meant his words. Raphael hadn't been very pleased with what had happened and she would be back as soon as possible to get his and Gabriel's head.
The archangel seemed to guess his thoughts because he immediately agreed with him. "Come on, we'll let you put us in a circle of holy fire as soon as we'll be out of here. But let's get out!"
Dean and Sam exchanged glances, but the one who made the final decision was Bobby. "I hate to say this, but they have a point. I don't like the idea to take a traitor and a trickster to my house, but it's the most intelligent thing we can do right now. We can't risk facing an army of angry angels."
"Ah, alright. Let's go." Dean gave up, not even trying to hide his reluctance. "But I need to get my car back before we leave."
Castiel nodded silently, elbowing Gabriel to prevent him to make one of his awfully misplaced comments. They were walking on thin ice and they couldn't afford any other stupid mistake. They couldn't fight the Leviathans and Raphael alone. They needed allies and he had no intention to ask Crowley for help again, assuming that the demon would talk to him again after what had happened between them. Besides, he wanted badly to show Sam and especially Dean that he was really sorry. He needed their forgiveness.
Gabriel punched his shoulder gently as they followed the older Winchester out of the building, Bobby and the younger behind them, as to make sure that they didn't try anything. He lowered his gaze and his brother met his eyes.
"We'll fix everything, so stop sulking" the archangel's voice echoed in his mind.
"I can't see how" he answered, his shoulders slumping."Even if we find a way to send the Leviathans back to Purgatory, we'll have to pay a high price to stop the civil war."
The other snorted. "So what? Do you regret not getting that power? Not becoming the new God?"
Castiel shook his head. "No. I just wish I could believe as I used to…"