Future Pretenses

The room shook violently once again, the glass rattling in the window frames, threatening to shatter. The Heralds, the gathering of teens granted power from the Angel and the Demon, stared around wide-eyed at the shaking room. Jesse Turner, however, watched the aforementioned Angel and Demon, his eyes not blinking, his jaw set and determined.

The Angel was smiling, hands clasped behind his back, staring at the window through to the darkening sky. The Demon was watching Jesse instead, meeting him eye-for-eye, the chaos around them completely ignored, watching, waiting...to see who would blink first.

"I can feel it, Brother," the Angel practically purred. "Joshua has linked the openings together." His eyes danced with a maddened light, like stars in a slow swirling motion. He looked down at his brother. "We've done it. We've finally done it."

"Oh, let's not go getting ahead of ourselves, dear Brother," the Demon answered smoothly, eyes never leaving Jesse's. "The Old Man has wriggled out of tougher spots than this in the past. Besides, there are still...obstacles in the way before we can smash open that lock." His eyebrows raised, seemingly only for Jesse's benefit. "Isn't that right?"

Jesse felt a bead of sweat roll down his forehead. The Demon's icy cool eyes never wavered, but the corner of his mouth went up in a half-smile.

"Bah, trivialities," The Angel said, waving his hand through the air. "We will remove the last guardian and smash the lock in due time. She is doubtlessly standing in the rubble of Father's Kingdom of Heaven right now, wondering what to do next." He smiled, his head tilting backwards and his eyes slowly closing. "We will show Suriel what to do. We will show the Angel of Death how to die."

The Demon finally broke his gaze with Jesse, closing his eyes and then rolling them, letting out a huff in exasperation. He looked up at his brother with a look of disbelief on his face.

"Seriously? Is there a 'Master Plan' script somewhere that I never got to read? 'We will show her...' ", the Demon mocked, mimicking the Angel's voice. He let out a barking laugh. "C'mon...you know? C'mere...fist bump..." he said, holding his arm and curled up fist out towards his brother. The Angel frowned at him, uncomprehending.

"Fist bump? That's all we need to do these days to celebrate a big win. C'mon bro, don't leave me hanging here..." The Angel continued to frown, and the Demon let his hand drop with a sigh. "Suppose it was too much to ask for...", he mumbled, getting up from his chair, slapping the armrests hard with the flat of his palms.

"Soooo! Who's up for a little field trip?", the Demon asked the room. The teenagers turned their eyes to him, still shaken by the blackened sky and trembling earth. "C'mon...supposed to be really nice there...well, it was, anyway, up till about twenty minutes ago..."

One of the girls, Jesse remembered Leon had told him that her name was Sarah, broke the silence that followed.

"Where...where are we going?"

The Demon smiled. "Home."

Castiel watched the Old Ones advancing on the small group of Angels on the shore, Crowley, for his part, wasn't attempting to run away anywhere. He looked more in shock than anything else.

Castiel frowned. "Crowley?"

There was no response from the Demon.

"Crowley?", Castiel asked again, louder than before.

"Yeah?", Crowley replied back, his voice clipped, his head giving a slight jerk.

"Crowley, you have to trust that we're going to get out of this."

Crowley frowned. "What?", he asked simply.

"I've faced worse odds than this as a soldier of Heaven. And Father has surely seen the Old Ones breaking from their confinement. He will not let us stand alone." Castiel turned back to the creatures from the depths, watching even the moonlight itself getting swallowed up by their dark, scaly skin. He listened to their hisses and growls. His hand tightened on his Angel Blade, which had begun glowing with a subtle pure light once the creatures had appeared. He felt a surge of confidence, a pure kind of confidence in his mission and purpose. His thoughts were clear. He would stop this threat, he and his fellow Angels. Then he would find a way to close the door to Purgatory, and protect the lock to the realm of the Old Ones. He scanned the faces of his fellow Angels and saw that same grim determination on their faces. His looked for his past self, but he had disappeared when Joshua had. He grimaced, thoughts drifting before focusing back on Crowley, who had turned his head to him, a look of complete disbelief on his face. Castiel frowned.

"Castiel?", Crowley said slowly.

"Yes?", he answered carefully.

"You are such a bloody idiot sometimes!", Crowley spat, turning his head back to the thousands of Old Ones on the shore advancing on them.

"What?!", Castiel shouted back in annoyance.

"Just look at that out there!", Crowley yelled back, his arm waving out at the army of monsters. "And your answer is 'Daddy's gonna save us?' Really? Answer me this; since when did your Father give a damn about what happens to us down here? Oh, sure, the occasional burnt tree or demand that someone sacrifice his son as a show of faith or something, but support in the face of something like this?" Crowley shook his head. "He's never going to show up here, Castiel. And do you know why?" Crowley looked back to Castiel, eyes blazing with fury. "Because he's a bloody coward, Castiel."

"What did you say?" Castiel growled, grabbing Crowley's arm and spinning him around.

Crowley glared back in contempt and ripped his arm away.

"You heard me, choir-boy!," he shouted. "I said he's a bloody coward! He could have stopped all of this. At any point. But no." Crowley's voice cut off and he turned his head away swiftly. "No, not Him. Not His Allmighty Wisdom-ness. No, He just let's you open up the gates to Purgatory...twice I might add, and allows this to come pouring out. And where is He, Castiel? If He's so All-Powerful, where is He? Why doesn't He bloody HELP US OUT ONCE IN A WHILE?!"

Crowley stormed off a few paces, breathing hard, back to Castiel, who watched him, stunned.

"Are...are you saying that this is my fault?", Castiel said finally, voice just over a whisper.

Crowley let out a deep breath and turned back around. "What?", he asked, his eyes tired and red-rimmed.

"The gates...I...I'm the one that opened them. Father...He...I guess that He must have needed me to do that. He has a plan, you know." Castiel turned away, frowning, shoulders slumping. "A Fallen Angel like me. That's the only one that could have done this..." His Blade dropped from his limp hand and fell with a heavy thump into the sand.

Crowley sighed. "Castiel, Castiel...I'm not saying that." He walked over and put a hand on the Angel's shoulder. Castiel turned towards him. "I'm saying that it's His," Crowley said, turning his eyes briefly skyward. "It's some kind of game to them. To all of the high-and -mighty, apparently. We're just the poor bastards stuck on the chess board."

Castiel looked away.

"We're going to die here, aren't we?"

Crowley shrugged, and a sudden smile appeared on his face. "Probably. But hey, look at the bright side."

Castiel looked back, confused. "What bright side?"

Crowley shrugged, patting the Angel on the shoulder and handing him back his Blade.

"I've got nothing, actually. But pick up that damned blade anyway, choir-boy, and let's see if we can at least take a few of these bastards with us." He smiled and clapped Castiel hard on the shoulder again. "C'mon, you've convinced me. Let's have us a fight then, shall we?" His eyes blazed bright red, and he stood up straight, yelling as the monsters started to close the last few yards to them.

"Come get some, ye slimy, smelly beasties! Come to Papa Crowley!""

He flung his hand out and a few of the Old Ones flew backwards violently into the second rank, bursting aflame with hellfire as they crashed into the mass. They roared in fury and defiance and flung themselves at the small group of Angels and Demons.

Castiel stared at the glowing runes in Crowley's lab. He could feel the power of Purgatory flowing into his vessel, millions of souls...the energy filling him beyond his limits, the universe unlocking and unraveling before him – a child's plaything ready to bend to his will.

This is wrong, he felt a voice whispering to him deep in his thoughts. Stop this now. He shook it away, aware of Dean and Sam's eyes on him. He felt a wave of...was it shame? He looked back up and saw Raphael there. Her eyes were wide with fear. He smiled, forgetting his feelings of doubt. The Demon Crowley had already fled before him. It didn't matter. He had his uses. They'd talk later. ButRaphael...

"Now, what's the matter, Raphael? Somebody clip your wings?", he growled menacingly.

Raphael's eyes widened even further, a mixture of pure fear, and also uncontrolled rage.

"Castiel, please. You let the demon go, but not your own brother?", she asked, in complete disbelief.

Castiel shrugged. "The demon I have plans for. You on the other hand...", he released a burst of energy with a snap of his fingers. Raphael disintegrated in an instant. Castiel smiled to himself. So little energy needed to destroy an Archangel, he mused to himself. There's so much I can do with this... He turned back to the Winchesters, meeting Dean's eyes. He could see the fear there...mixed with...what was that? Concern? Castiel frowned. Why would Dean need to be concerned anymore? The voice inside of him shouted louder, but Castiel ignored it, completely paying it no heed. It wasn't important. Instead he focused on the brothers. He could make them understand. He had to...

"So, you see, I saved you." he said smoothly, trying to reassure them. Let them be calm...

"Sure thing, Cas. Thank you, " Dean answered back quickly, but warily, his eyes focused on him.

Castiel frowned, they still didn't understand.

"You doubted me, fought against me, but I was right all along."

"Okay, Cas, you were. We're sorry. Now let's just defuse you, okay?", Dean answered, licking his lips.

Castiel cocked his head, not comprehending."What do you mean?"

Dean tried his best to be charming, disarming, smiling at Cas in intervals, as if talking to a particularly dangerous child.

"You're full of nuke. It's not safe. So, before the eclipse ends, let's get them souls back to where they belong."

Castiel sighed inwardly. They didn't understand. How could he still not understand?

"Oh no, they belong with me."

"No, Cas, it's it-it's scrambling your brain." Castiel watched as he saw real fear start to appear in Dean's eyes. He set his jaw. He had to show them. Yet still he had to show him.

"No, I'm not finished yet. Raphael had many followers, and I must punish them all severely."

"Listen to me. Listen, I know there's a lot of bad water under the bridge, but we were family once, " Dean said, talking quickly, desperation entering into his tone. "I'd have died for you. I almost did a few times. So if that means anything to you... Please. I've lost Lisa, I've lost Ben, and now I've lost Sam. Don't make me lose you too. You don't need this kind of juice anymore, Cas. Get rid of it before it kills us all."

"You're just saying that because I won. Because you're afraid." He felt, rather than saw Sam moving behind him, picking up Raphael's fallen Blade. He shook his head slightly. They just wouldn't listen...

"You're not my family, Dean. I have no family," he said coldly. He felt alone, as if he was watching everything from a long way away. Still a voice somewhere yelled at him, trying to get him to hear...

The Blade slammed between his shoulders, and he barely felt it. Is it the new power?, he wondered. He shook his head. He could hear the voice a bit more clearly...what are you doing, Castiel? Stop yourself, now!...he frowned and pulled the Blade out, letting it fall, bloodless, to the floor.

"I'm glad you made it, Sam. But the angel blade won't work, because I'm not an angel anymore. I'm your new God. A better one. So you will bow down and profess your love unto me, your Lord. Or I shall destroy you."

Somewhere deep within him, the voice began to scream...

Suriel stood in the wreckage of Heaven. Pillars still collapsed around her as the ground shook. She regarded the pillar of energy rising from Earth and spat in contempt. A Portal, ripping through all time and space. A Portal leading through the hidden realm of Purgatory, a Portal that, once opened, would expose the Gates to the Darkness, to the Old Ones themselves. God's opposite. The end of all things.

The most important thing that the Angels were tasked to protect. The only reason they were on Earth in the first place. And it was the one thing they had failed to do.

She felt the flutter of energy as something...something powerful...manifested behind her. Suriel frowned.

"What do you want?", she whispered. "Can't you see that it's too late?"

"It's never too late to come home," a voice that surprised her to her very core spoke. She whirled, her eyes narrowing in disbelief.

"And I've brought some help," The Archangel continued, cocking his head at Suriel. "Maybe we can get through this after all."

Suriel stared for long moments. Marble and dust flew around lazily in the air. There was a rumble in the distance as yet another palace collapsed.

"You..." she finally managed to reply hoarsely.

The Old One spun away from Castiel hissing and kicking up clods of blood-stained sand. Castiel grunted in response and swung his free arm at the creature trying to attack from behind him. His fist landed with a satisfying crack and the monster fell to the sand in a mass of teeth, muscles and barbed tentacles.

He saw out of the corner of his vision another flash of white light. Another Angel had fallen. They were losing, quickly. There were maybe three of them left, plus Crowley, who, surprisingly, was holding a literal beachhead of his own, standing atop a small reef and blasting away Old Ones by the dozens. His red fire was like a beacon over the ocean. Unfortunately, it just drew more and more attention to him. Castiel watched as more and more ranks of the monsters moved towards him. It wouldn't be long now. Is seemed that Crowley sensed that as well, he cackled loudly as his hair whipped around in a wild, wet web in the air over his head. His eyes blazed with a madness that made Castiel shudder.

He felt a claw grab his ankle and he lost his balance. He pushed against the sand but could find no good leverage there as whatever it was dragged him towards it's allies, a mass a darkness and claws and teeth that would consume him quickly if he didn't get clear.

He swung his Blade down in a wild chop and connected with the thing holding his leg. It let out a howl , but did not release him. He gritted his teeth and tried to stand, only to feel claws scrambling over his back. He heard the fabric of his trenchcoat tearing as it clawed at him, sinking it's talons in until it found the flesh in his back. The weight of the thing made him fall forward onto the beach, pinned to the ground face down.

Castiel screamed in pain and fury and desperately tried to turn, but to no avail. He felt fists and claws pounding on him. Sometime during the onslaught, he lost his Blade. He started to see darkness at the edges of his vision and could feel himself moving away from his vessel.

Father, he whispered to himself, Father, why have you not helped us? As he slipped further and further into darkness, the answer came to him.

Because I've failed you, he thought to himself, the last sparks of hope going out in him. I wasn't strong enough, he thought. I thought...I thought that I could make a difference...

Somewhere, from what seemed like very far away, a horn blasted from the Heavens. Castiel felt the blows stop and heard the creatures howl in fury. He raised his blurred vision to the sky, blood dripping from his chin, sand covering his mouth.

The horn blast sounded once again, louder than before. Castiel's vision began to clear as he saw the darkness break overhead.

Clouds moved away from each other forming a circle, and from this circle, blazing white comets of light came streaming down, each one slamming into the sand and sending up a explosion of earth. Hundreds of them, no, thousands of them...Castiel lifted his battered head even further, and saw forms standing inside of the rings of settling sand and dust...he saw the darkened wings and glow of silver plate. He heard the ring of Angel Blades being freed like a crystal chime in the stormy air. The Old Ones howled in defiance, but began to scramble back to the sea.

An Angel, shining brighter than the rest, came forward out of the sudden light and reached a hand down to Castiel. Castiel took it, and, with a grunt, let himself be helped back up to his feet.

The Archangel studied him, a curious look on his face. Castiel felt metal slap into his palm, and looked down to see that the Archangel had handed him his Blade back.

"Lose something?", the Archangel asked, smiling and cocking an eyebrow playfully at him.

Castiel found himself smiling back involuntarily.

"Gabriel," he said, his voice full of thanks, and relief. "You...you are a sight for sore eyes."

Gabriel moved his head back questioningly. Castiel smiled back.

"I'll explain later," he grunted, rolling his shoulders and turning back to the retreating wall of monstrosities.

"Now, let's say we try that again," he growled, as he strode forward in the blood-soaked sand, the Angels followed at a run. He glanced up at the reef where Crowley stood, or more accurately, knelt, breathing heavily, and gave him a salute with his Blade. Crowley's face was awash in relief, and grinning widely.

"About time, Choir-Boys!", he shouted down at them. "Now, give 'em hell!"

A few of the Angels shot him a quizzical look, but continued the forward charge.

Castiel, with the entire Host of Heaven at his back, crashed into the Old Ones like a wave of avenging light, and the whole of Atlantis shook with the fury of it.