(Castiel, Sophia, Sam, and Dean have found Balthazar's hideout, and Castiel and Sophia head upstairs to find him. The door closes and locks behind them, and Balthazar smiles at Castiel.)
Balthazar: Castiel… you're here.
Castiel: Balthazar, what are you doing?
Balthazar: Whatever I want.
(Sophia steps from behind Castiel, and Balthazar stops dead in his tracks, completely disarmed. Sophia is a weak spot of Balthazar's, and he is not good at hiding it.)
Sophia: Hi, Balthazar.
Balthazar: Sophia. It's been a long time.
Sophia: That it has, doll.
Balthazar: You still look gorgeous.
Sophia: You're not looking so bad yourself.
Castiel: The weapons, Balthazar. We need them.
Balthazar: Sorry, brother. Can't do it. I do applaud you for being smart enough to bring my one weakness here to try and convince me, though.
(Balthazar reaches out, grabbing Sophia by the arm. He kisses her hand, and she smiles at him. Castiel watches, fighting jealousy and protectiveness as Balthazar romances Sophia, nearly kissing her before Castiel loses patience.)
Balthazar: You and I could have had some wild times, Miss Blackwood. You being Angelbait and all didn't hurt.
Sophia: You couldn't have handled me, Balthazar. Plus, you always were an immense tease. Just like now. I've always liked my angels with a bit more action.
Balthazar: Well, I don't have to be a tease, darling…
(Balthazar is inches from her mouth when Castiel rolls his eyes.)
Castiel: This was a waste of time, Sophia. Let's go.
(He takes her hand possessively and they turn around to find Raphael and his angels waiting. Balthazar disappears, and Sophia disables the two lackeys while Raphael goes after Castiel. Sophia stands at the top of the stairs after Raphael kicks Castiel all the way down the stairs. Her eyes glow purple.)
Sophia: Hey! Dirtbag! He belongs to me.
(Sophia knocks Raphael to the ground with enough force to break the floor. She jumps over the railing like a cat, landing with no effort. She grabs Raphael by the neck.)
Raphael: The scourge of the world dares to lay a hand on me!
(Raphael knocks her face first into the stairs. Sam and Dean see Castiel stand up, snapping the neck of Raphael's vessel, incensed at Sophia being hurt. Sophia stands up and shakes it off, grabbing Raphael by the neck and lifting him up, her rage at the surface.)
Sophia: I can end this now, Castiel.
Castiel: Sophia-
(Raphael kicks her in the chest, knocking her backward. Balthazar iodizes Raphael, saving all of them.)
Sophia: You came back.
Balthazar: To save a true beauty like you? Of course. I want nothing bad to happen to you or Castiel.
Castiel: Balthazar, the weapons…
Balthazar: Again, I won't let you have them.
(Dean calls Sophia.)
Sophia: What do you want?
Dean: I need to talk to you. It's about Sam.
Sophia: Is he okay?
Dean: I don't think so. Can I meet you somewhere?
Sophia: Fine. Where are you?
Dean: We just finished a job in Denver. Can you make it out there?
Sophia: Sure. I'll call you when I'm there.
(Sophia, a beanie pulled low over her eyes, sits down at a table in a bar with Dean. She pulls her sunglasses off.)
Dean: Why the disguise?
Sophia: There's a demon in Denver that will raise all Hell if she sees me. I have to keep a low profile. Make it quick, Dean. What's up with Sam? Where is he right now?
Dean: He was doing research when I left the motel room. I don't know, something's up. It's the way he's acting. It's like, he's Sam, you know? But he's not Sam. Did you notice anything when he came back?
Sophia: Yeah. You can't put your finger on it, but something's off.
Dean: Exactly! And I don't think he sleeps. He's awake when I sleep, he's awake when I wake up. When I got turned into a vampire, he watched it happen. He thinks I didn't see it, but I know what I saw. He let it happen. He looked excited. I could hear his heartbeat, and he wasn't scared. His heart rate was normal.
Sophia: That's not weird, Dean. His heart beat rarely changes. Only when he's doing something physical.
Dean: How do you know?
Sophia: I can hear both your heartbeats. It's how I know you're still alive. I can hear both your heartbeats in my head, and I always know whose is whose.
Dean: I never knew that.
Sophia: I assumed it would freak both of you out. It's remnants of the spell I did on you, Sam and your dad. I'm still connected to your guys' vitals. Anyway. I'm not sure what's wrong with him, Dean, but I'll look into it. The only thing I can assure you of is that he's not dying, he's not dead, and he's not possessed. It's really him. I'd be able to sense at least those two things. But I WILL look into it.
Dean: Thank you, Sophia. I mean it.
Sophia: Is that all?
Dean: Well… I'm just worried about Sam. And you. And Cas. What's going on with Cas?
Sophia: Heaven is in the midst of a war. Some, including Raphael, want the Apocalypse restarted. Those who don't, don't necessarily stand with Castiel. Balthazar is a lone wolf with all of Heaven's weapons and is only interested in himself. Others are losing faith and joining with Raphael to avoid a fight. Castiel is fighting as hard as he can, and I've been working hard on Balthazar to get him to give up the weapons.
Dean: Are you safe? I mean, do the angels have a target on your back?
Sophia: It's not really your concern anymore, is it, Dean?
Dean: So I'm not allowed to care what happens to you?
Sophia: I suppose it shows that you're still human. But really. I need the boundary, Dean.
Dean: Are we still family?
Sophia: I can't answer that for you. You turned your back on me and gave up on us when you said you would never stop fighting for us. I feel like you and I were always one big lie, from Day One. And for the record, I was always 100% with you. Even when you weren't with me.
Dean: Is there any way we can find a way to work together? For Sam's sake. He doesn't want us apart.
Sophia: I'm already tolerating you for Sam's sake. I don't want you around, Dean. You broke my heart, and I was just getting to a good place. Do you know how much it hurts for me? To see you so deeply involved with another woman, when you never even gave me that? The things you said to me? The way you left? I know Sam was your brother, but I needed you. I needed to mourn with you. We should have gone through that together.
Dean: Sophia, I'm sorry. I am.
Sophia: I wish you had stayed gone.
(Sophia looks seconds away from crying as she looks at Dean, who is staring at the floor. Suddenly, she stands.)
Dean: Sophia?
Sophia: I have to go. I'll get back to you on Sam.
(She's gone.)
(Dean is feeling vulnerable and weak after saving Mandy and her son from the Skinwalker. Sophia, Sam, and Dean are all drinking off the stress they are under. When Sam goes off on his own, Dean cozies up to Sophia.)
Dean: It's been stressful, huh?
Sophia: Yeah.
Dean: Another drink?
(They signal for another. Dean looks at her, remembering how good her body looks naked.)
Sophia: Sometimes I wonder if that's really just me underneath it all. That I was just looking for a family with you guys.
Dean: We've been a horrible family.
Sophia: I guess. But I guess it's better than no family.
(Sophia, feeling a little alone herself, turns towards him. It's obvious they still understand each other's body language after all this time. Dean leans forward, brushing some hair out of her face. She looks deep into his eyes, nearly staring into his soul.)
Dean: Sam's starting to scare me. Do you think he's being totally honest?
Sophia: Yes. But I don't really want to talk about Sam, Dean.
Dean: You don't?
Sophia: No.
Dean: What do you want to talk about?
(Sophia leans forward, and Dean cannot stop staring down at her cleavage. He swallows heavily, trying to keep his hands to himself.)
Sophia: Why is your pulse sped up and irregular?
Dean: You know much that freaks me out.
Sophia: It was like that before I said anything. It's been that way since about 3PM yesterday.
Dean: You waited this long to bring it up?
Sophia: I know how much it freaks you out.
Dean: Well, you held it in as long as you could.
Sophia: I'm sorry, but if something's wrong, I can fix it.
Dean: You would?
Sophia: I don't wish you dead, Dean. Sometimes, I don't even think I hate you. You're too good a man to be hated.
Dean: You still think so after everything I did to you?
Sophia: You're complicated. The one solace I have in all of it, after everything you did to me, is that I know you better than anyone. Sometimes, I think, even better than Sam.
Dean: That's why you're family, Sophia. You always will be, whether you want it or not.
(They are gradually moving closer and closer. Suddenly, Sophia signals to close out their tab. As she scribbles her signature, Dean looks at her, confused.)
Dean: We're done?
Sophia: I am. You want to keep drinking, it's on your dime. I'm going home and taking a hot shower.
(Dean knows this is a heads up to go with her. He slides his jacket on, following her out of the bar.)
(Sophia lets herself into her own home. She knows Sam is asleep upstairs, and she begins sliding off articles of clothing as she heads upstairs. She gets to the top floor, her master bedroom, and locks the door behind Dean.)
Sophia(softly): So what do you want, Dean?
(He pulls the two of them together, a hand holding her cheek. He looks down at her lips, then deep into her eyes.)
Dean: Please don't shut me out tonight, Sophia… Please…
Sophia: Come on, Dean…
(He meets her mouth, sensually and passionately invading her mouth with his tongue. She reaches up, yanking his jacket off and tossing it to the floor. He picks her up, wrapping her legs tightly around his waist.)
Dean: Sophia, please…
Sophia: Dean.
(They have intense and passionate sex. Dean clings to Sophia tightly, allowing himself to be vulnerable.)
(The next morning, Dean wakes Sophia up. She wakes up slowly, hungover.)
Sophia: What happened last night?
Dean: You don't remember?
Sophia: We drank a lot. Wait. Did we… Did we have sex?
Dean: Yeah. Yeah, we did.
Sophia: Wow. I must have been feeling pretty low.
Dean: You were.
(Sophia, who is pretending not to remember, jumps out of bed.)
Sophia: Well, things happen. I bet we had a good time.
Dean(quietly): I did.
(Dean watches after her silently, as she walks out of the room.)
(Sophia slaps Dean awake. He looks up at her. He notices she is in makeup, wearing a pretty black dress with silver jewelry.)
Sophia: Get up, loser. You're coming with us.
Dean: Where are we going?
Sophia: You'll see.
(Dean gets up, pulling on his clothes. He follows Sophia out to her car. Castiel is waiting in the front seat.)
Dean: Okay, what is this?
Castiel: We only need one witness.
Dean: For what?
(Sophia hands him her BOS, opened to the page with the bonding ritual. Dean looks up at them both.)
Dean: You guys are doing this for serious? Why me?
Sophia: I'm not exactly comfortable with Sam being in the trust tree right now. We wanted to do this quietly and not draw a lot of attention.
Dean: So… where are we going?
(Castiel touches both of them, and they are standing at the water's edge under a full moon. Dean nods.)
Dean: That's where we're going. Okay, what do I need to do?
Sophia: Dean Winchester, are you of sound mind and body and are you fully aware of your surroundings?
Dean: Yeah. I guess.
Sophia: Then you can witness this ritual. It needs at least one witness to be valid.
(Sophia gets down on one knee, lighting the contents of the bowl at her feet. She stands up, taking Castiel's hands in hers.)
Castiel: What do we do now?
Sophia: We say vows, or basically just talk about the other person and what we want from each other in eternal life. I can start.
Castiel: Okay.
Sophia: I have always been headstrong. I have never followed a script. I wrote my own. When I was told I had a destiny and that I was chosen for what I've become, I couldn't bear it. I went looking for a way to put it off, escape it, run away from it. Anything to avoid actually dealing with my purpose in eternal life. I wasn't afraid to live forever, nor was I afraid of the job I had to do. I just have never been the type to accept a fate I didn't choose for myself. And then you came to me. I knew what you were before you even spoke a word to me. I fell in love with you before your mouth ever opened. It was your soul I saw, and it was beautiful. You can change bodies as many times as you like, but I will always find your soul, Castiel. Our souls are eternal, and we are soul mates.
(Silence as Castiel gathers himself. He is openly emotional, tearing up and gripping her hands. Dean has to admit, he is moved.)
Castiel: I have been here since time began. I was a warrior for Heaven, and I kept order like any good soldier. I followed orders without question, down to the letter. You and I, Sophia, we could not be more different. It was what drew me to you in the first place. From the moment the angels caught wind of you, I was drawn to you like a firefly. When they chose me for the mission of bringing you into our legions, I couldn't have been happier. The idea of you serving among our ranks sent a thrill up my spine. I watched you from afar for weeks before I finally figured out how to make contact. When I looked into your eyes, I fell in love for the first and last time. Our magnetism to each other was cosmic. No matter what happens, my love for you is as eternal as our souls are. We really are kindred, really are soul mates. I have always belonged to you, since the day I met you, since time began. I don't care about anything else in between. We have waited for this, almost died for this. For us. And we're finally here. I love you, Sophia.
(Sophia, choking back her tears, cuts their hands, then holds her palm up to his. As their blood mixes and drips into the burning bowl below, the flame flares up. A burst of light erupts from both of them, and it signifies that they are now bonded forever. They look at each other.)
Castiel: Is that everything?
Sophia: Yes. We're bonded forever now, no matter what form we're in. It's our souls.
(Without hesitating, Castiel kisses his wife. The flames in the bowl go out, and Sophia turns to Dean. She holds up the BOS. He sees a line with his name printed underneath.)
Dean: I have to sign?
Sophia: Kind of. Here, sign your name first.
(Dean signs his name. Then Sophia pricks his finger, and rubs his blood by his signature. Everything is now official.)
(Castiel is spying on Sam, Dean, Bobby, and Sophia as they talk about him.)
Sophia: Look, Castiel would NEVER do this. He wouldn't. He must have been mistaken when he found those bones.
Sam: Well, it's looking like he is doing this, Sophia.
(Sophia's denial will not let her accept even the idea of this happening.)
Sophia: We can't just give him the benefit of the doubt?! He wouldn't lie to me.
Bobby: Yeah, because he's never done THAT before, Sophia.
(Sophia's eyes flip to purple, and he feels a sharp pain in his head. She's slapped him with her mind.)
Sophia: Shut your mouth, Bobby. You don't know mine and Castiel's lives before this. You don't know what we were up against.
Dean: Listen, we don't jump to conclusions and we don't make assumptions. We find out for sure before we think anything. He's our FRIEND, guys.
(The look on Castiel's face is one of pure pain. Suddenly, Sophia looks up, directly at him, even though she can't see him. We can't tell if she can sense him near her, but it's almost like she can see into his soul. He looks startled, but holds his ground.)
Sophia: I don't believe it for one second. Castiel would NEVER work with Crowley. He would rot in Hell first.
Sam: Well, he may do that yet.
Dean: You're awful quick to jump to conclusions.
(Suddenly, it seems a light goes off in Sophia's brain.)
Sophia: Wait. Wait. No. I must have been wrong.
Sam: What do you mean?
Sophia: Your eyes were hurting you.
Sam: What?
Sophia: When you came back, you said your eyes hurt.
Dean: What does that have to do with anything?
Sophia: It's his trademark. But it doesn't make sense.
Bobby: What do you mean?
Sophia: Crowley took responsibility for raising you from Hell, which if he were to assume the throne down below, he could theoretically do. But you said your eyes hurt.
Sam: Again, what does that matter?
Sophia: That's Castiel's trademark. Castiel is known for burning people's eyes out in his true form. You must have seen him in his true form when he pulled you out of the Cage, and it hurt your eyes.
Bobby: Say what?
Sophia: Think back to Pamela. Castiel, in his true form, can burn a human's eyes out. It's not on purpose, but direct contact with his true form can do that.
Dean: Angels smite people all the time and burn out their eyes. How is it a trademark?
Sophia: Because when any other angel does it, they burn the eye sockets red. When Castiel does it, the sockets burn black. You mentioned that your eyes hurt when you came back, and that there was some black residue around your eyes back when you were soulless.
Sam: So it was Castiel who pulled me out of the cage?
Sophia: It explains why you didn't have a soul. A demon of Crowley's new status could have pulled you out just fine, soul intact, but an angel, even a Seraph like Castiel, wouldn't be able to pull it off on their own. He probably thought he succeeded completely and didn't know you were soulless until we all found out.
Dean: So he didn't do it on purpose?
Sophia: No, but… it makes him look bad. Why would Crowley take credit for a half ass job, especially if Castiel did it? Why wouldn't Castiel tell us himself? You would think he'd be thrilled to have saved Sam.
Sam: So now do you think he's working with Crowley?
Dean: I'm sure it didn't start out that way.
Sophia: Until I hear it from Castiel's mouth… I won't believe it.
Sam: Denial is not just a river in Egypt apparently.
Sophia: Sam, you know what Castiel and I have been through. I find it harder to believe that he wouldn't have told me, and I wouldn't have figured it out.
Bobby: You've been saying that he's been gone an awful lot, Sophia, and he doesn't always tell you everything.
Sophia: …Because I trusted him.
Sam: Starting to feel like that was a mistake yet?
Sophia: Shut up, Sam. I want him to admit it to my face before I believe it.
(Dean, Sam, Bobby, and Sophia are confronting Castiel. Sophia is the highest possible level of denial.)
Dean: Cas, is there anything you want to tell us?
Castiel: …No.
Sophia: Don't lie to me anymore, Castiel. Me, of all people. You sold yourself out to us, Castiel. You've been spying on us and working with Crowley this whole time?! How could you?
Castiel: I knew you wouldn't understand.
Sophia: You're right, I don't understand. You lied to me, Castiel.
Castiel: I did it to protect you, Sophia!
Sophia: And what on this entire Earth could I possibly need protection from?! I can't even die, Castiel.
Castiel: From the pain, Sophia. It would kill you to lose the Winchesters again. I saw what it did to you last time. It nearly destroyed you. You were a mess!
(Castiel is shaking from his emotions. Even now, he still doesn't know how to handle his emotions. He waits until his jaw stops shaking.)
Castiel: You were devastated. I couldn't bear for you to go through that again. I would make a deal with the Devil before I let you go through any more pain.
Sophia: This isn't about me. I can tell it isn't.
Castiel: You're right; it's not JUST about you. But you don't understand, Sophia. I'm doing this for all of us.
Sophia: Just like letting me think my mother murdered you was doing it for "all of us"?
(Castiel is silent. The guilt is clear. Dean shakes his head. He can't believe this is happening.)
Dean: Look, Cass, I get that you had reasons. But if you need help, you come to us. You ALWAYS come to us. We would have helped you with anything you needed.
(Sophia is staring out her open window at home, the cool fall breeze whipping through her long dark hair. She looks regal, almost imperial. It's the October chill that gives her strength and power, and Castiel is behind her. She feels her eyes flip to purple.)
Sophia: You shouldn't be here, Castiel.
(She turns to him, and he is reaching out for her.)
Castiel: I can never seem to stay away from you.
Sophia: You may have to start learning, love. I don't want you to do this. I don't want anything to happen to you.
Castiel: I can stop the Apocalypse from happening again. I can beat Raphael if I do this! You have to let me try.
Sophia: I can't, Castiel. You said you didn't want me to go through any more pain… But did you think that if this kills you, it might kill me, too? Because it honestly might.
(She stares at him for a long, painful minute. The heaviness of her heart is almost a third character in the room. In this moment, we've discovered how deep Sophia's love for Castiel is, and it's laid bare for him to see.)
Castiel: Nothing will happen to me.
Sophia: That's what Dean said when he sold his soul to save his brother's life. That's what Sam said when he said yes to Lucifer. They were lies they told themselves and me so that it was easier.
Castiel: I'm not lying. I know how to handle it, Sophia.
(Sophia's eyes, purple again, are flooding with tears.)
Sophia: Dean said that, too. Please, Castiel, I don't even care that you've lied to me and left me out in the cold. Please just don't do this. I don't want to lose you, baby.
(She comes close to him, reaching out for his cheeks, holding him close to her. He wipes her tears from her face, and a few of his own maybe spill, too. But he is resolute.)
Castiel: If I stop now, Crowley will have control of all the souls in Purgatory. He alone will be able to open the portal. Regardless, it's better off in my hands.
Sophia: I don't care! We'll fight it together. You promised me… Us, until the end. Remember? You told me you would do anything you could so we could be together forever. You said we'd be together for real this time. This is not us together, Castiel.
Castiel: You could do this with me, Sophia. We could cut Crowley out of the deal and it could be us.
Sophia: I can't do that, Castiel. I can't support you on this, much less stand with you on it.
Castiel(confused): Does this make us enemies?
Sophia: … I don't know. I don't know if I could see you that way. But I can't be your ally.
(Castiel takes Sophia by the waist, pulling her into him and kissing her passionately. He looks deep into her eyes.)
Castiel: You will never be my enemy, Sophia. Never. Nothing on this earth, nothing in Heaven, Hell or Purgatory, could ever make me turn away from you.
(Castiel leaves the lab, suddenly aware that Sophia is following him. He continues into the woods until they are far enough away that Crowley's demons can't catch wind. He turns to face her. She is looking up at him.)
Castiel: You followed me from the lab. Why?
(She closes the space between them, touching his face gently. He melts into her hand.)
Sophia: I was in the neighborhood. I needed to see you…
Castiel: This is dangerous, Sophia.
Sophia: For who? You or me? Let them come for me. I don't care.
Castiel: I was hoping you'd reconsidered what I said.
Sophia: I can't do that, Castiel. You know that. Just because I can't stand with you doesn't mean I don't care… And that I don't want to see you… And that I don't still love you. Castiel, spend the night with me.
(Castiel takes her in his arms. He runs a hand through her hair, looking down into her eyes.)
Castiel: I wish I could.
Sophia: You can, baby… Just come with me tonight.
(Castiel teleports them away from the lab, to Sophia's bedroom. Sophia triple locks the bedroom door, and uses her magic to soundproof everything so no one knows they are there.)
Castiel: What if they find out I'm here?
Sophia: It's my house. They can leave if they choose. Come here, Castiel.
(She pulls him close to her, kissing him. He lifts her up, kissing her with his whole mouth. She pulls his trench coat off, letting it fall to the floor. She looks up at him, and he slides her leather jacket off, his hands gentle.)
Castiel: I want to be with you tonight, Sophia.
Sophia: Then stay.
(She sits down on the bed, and he sits next to her. He reaches out for her, kissing her again. They crawl back onto the bed together, and begin stripping off each other's clothes. Castiel climbs on top of her, holding her close to him. In the middle of sex, he stops, looking down into her eyes.)
Sophia: What's wrong?
Castiel: No matter what happens, Sophia… I love you. I always have and I always will. I belong to you.
Sophia: I love you, too, Castiel.
(Sophia is sitting in her kitchen and Dean sits down at the table with her.)
Dean: Can I just ask you one thing?
Sophia: What?
Dean: You… know things, right?
Sophia: Such as…?
Dean: Well, like if someone said something, you'd know if they were lying.
Sophia: Considering the outcome of our non-relationship, I'd say no.
Dean: That's not what I mean. I…
Sophia: Say what you mean.
Dean: Am I Ben's real father?
(Sophia is silent, considering the question. Then, she leans forward.)
Sophia: It must be terrible. The pain of not knowing.
(Sophia stands, leaving the room and leaving Dean hanging.)
