PART II:
Fallen Angels

Chapter 9
Lebanon, KS
US 281

"He should be around here somewhere," Willow said, pointing to an isolated spot on their map. The witch had recast her spell on a local map of Kansas to try to determine a more exact location. It led them to long stretch of road just north of Lebanon, less than 10 minutes away from the bunker. Willow, Dean, and Buffy were leaning over the hood of Baby, studying the map where Willow was pointing. Her red hair fell into her face as she studied the map, and she tucked most if it behind her ear. The wind blew it back into her face.

"There's nothing there but farmland," Dean said. "What would Cas be doing there?"

"So, Cas' phone is now off, but I got a hold of Donatello," came Sam's voice. They all looked up as Sam joined them, tucking his phone back into his pocket. "He's still saying that Cas has only been gone a day or two."

"He said that 2 days ago," Dean said.

"Exactly. So who knows how long he's really been gone – maybe since we left?" Sam said. He put on a brave face for the women, but Dean could tell that his brother was worried. Dean was too. He didn't like it when Cas vanished on them, it was often a very bad sign.

"But he's still in the area," Buffy pointed out. "There's gotta be a reason for that."

"Probably," Sam agreed. "Going by where the spell is indicating, he's probably on some farm."

"There's a dirt road just up here," Dean pointed out on the map. Nothing was indicated on it, but he was pretty familiar with the area at this point.

"That would probably lead right to your angel," Willow said, following Dean's finger. "I think you must be right, Sam. He's on a farm."

They all agreed and piled back into the Impala, the girls in the back. Dean turned the key, the engine roaring to life, and he pulled back out onto the pavement, driving the short trip to where he knew the dirt drive was. He turned right when he saw it and followed it for almost a mile before an old farm house came into view – a large barn right behind it.

"Stop the car," Willow suddenly said. She sounded anxious. He did as he was told and stopped the car, turning off the engine.

"We're too exposed," Dean observed, looking around. There was nothing to hide them or the car in the area. They were surrounded by open farmland, the vegetation mostly dead or dying due to the season.

"That's not it," Willow said. "There's something here, a presence. Maybe more than one." Sam and Dean both turned to face her, matching expressions of concern on their faces. She looked thoughtful, if not slightly curious. The look on her face belied the concern in her voice.

"I can't feel anything," Buffy said wonderingly, looking at her friend. If Buffy couldn't sense any monsters, maybe it wasn't what they'd feared. Or maybe it was worse.

"It's powerful," Willow's eyes had gone glossy and she was staring at the barn through the windshield.

Dean glanced at Sam, who's eyebrows were raised in thought. "Angels," Dean said and Sam nodded. No matter how you sliced it, multiple angels made the brothers nervous. If they were from heaven it meant that they probably worked for Lucifer. If they weren't sent by Lucifer, it could mean any number of things. Dean turned back to Willow. "You can't tell if its more than one? It could just be Cas," he added hopefully.

"Wait, something's changed," Willow narrowed her eyes. "There's still something powerful in there, but it's different from what I felt before. I think whatever held the extreme power I was sensing is gone."

"Maybe someone left?" Buffy suggested.

"Well, if that's the case, I think there's no time like the present," Dean said. They nodded, but they were all anxious, not knowing exactly what they would be facing in there. As a group, they got out of the car and while Buffy and Willow carefully watched the barn, Sam and Dean circled around to the trunk, grabbing 3 angel blades, which was all they had with them. Dean handed the third to Buffy, "This'll kill an angel."

"That'll kill just about anything," Sam added. He turned to Willow, "I'm afraid we don't have one for you."

"That's OK," Willow said. "I'd prefer not to kill angels. Besides – if it came down to it, I'm better with defense than offense." Sam and Dean nodded, understanding. If working with Rowena all these years had taught Dean anything, it's that a powerful witch can be extremely useful to have around, even if he didn't like said witch. He did like Willow though, so, bonus. Idly, he thought he'd love to see those two red-heads meet. But then he thought better of it, realizing that would probably be a really bad idea.

The group slowly approached the house, the hunters and slayer all extremely aware of their surroundings and how exposed they were. Willow was studying the house and barn. The ranch-style house was painted in light green that was peeling. There was an old rocking chair on the porch that looked like it would collapse if a child tried to sit on it. There was the frame for a screen door, but no screen in front of the old wooden door. Several windows around the house were broken and the roof needed to be repaired, if not replaced. The grass in the yard was unmowed and brown, weeds creeping into the walk that led to the porch. The place was clearly abandoned.

The barn was not in much better shape. If it had ever been red, it was brown and rotting now. A part of the roof had caved in, but the large barn door appeared to be whole and firmly in place. They headed toward the barn when Willow stopped them.

"Hold on," she said, gazing at the barn, her eyes narrowing. "This place is warded up the wazoo. No magic allowed." She turned to the others, "I'm not sure I'd even be able to walk in, too much residual magic inside me. 50/50 chance, I'd say. I think my magic may already be affected. I'm not sure I'd even be able to fly over the place to look in, which had been my plan."

Sam and Dean both stared at her. Dean momentarily forgot about the mission as he gaped at her. "You can fly?" he heard Sam ask, awe (and maybe a little jealousy) in his voice. Buffy looked slightly amused, and a bit proud, but Willow's cheeks flushed.

"Probably should have mentioned that before we got here," Willow said, face still red. "There never seems to be a good time to bring something like that up."

"Focus, guys," Buffy said, snapping her fingers in Dean's face. He shook his head, but couldn't help it when his eyes continued to watch Willow. She could fly? He would pay money to see that.

"OK Willow, if your power is going to be affected in there, then maybe you should stay here, magical backup if we have any issues leaving," Dean said, his mind regaining his concentration. Cas. I have to focus on getting to Cas. They still had no idea what they were dealing with and what Cas was even doing here.

Willow agreed and hung back as the other three approached the barn door, angel blades at the ready. Dean approached the smaller regular-sized door that was inside the giant barn door and he and Sam took their usual precautions. Sam on the left, Dean on the right and they both silently counted to three, Dean pulling the door open and Sam rushing inside, Dean right behind him.

They looked around wildly, expecting just about everything, but all they saw was a battered man in a trench coat tied to a post. Cas. They rushed over to him. He was cut in several places, fresh blood seeping from the wounds. Dried blood on his clothes and hands indicated that he'd been here for a while. His arms were limp and he sagged against the post. He wasn't wearing shoes, his feet caked with dirt and blood, and his customary tie was on the ground in a heap nearby. Yellow and brown bruises on his neck indicated that he might have been strangled with it at some point.

"Cas!" Sam said when he rushed over. He got to his friend's side and immediately pulled out his lock picks and started to work on the large shackles that bound him. They had spell work etched into the steel.

"Cas, you okay?" Dean asked, looking into the man's eyes. His head, which had been hanging down, came up, his one good eye wide as he looked back at them. His face was a patchwork of cuts and bruises. One eye was swollen shut and his lip was split. There was a dried trickle of blood coming out of one ear. Dean winced at the many injuries, feeling the pain for his best friend.

"Dean, Sam," he said, his gravelly voice sounding dry and raspy. He'd been screaming. "You shouldn't be here. He'll be back any time."

"Who?" Sam asked, as the shackles fell away. Cas brought his hands up, rubbing his wrists. "Cas, what happened? Donatello said you left days ago and never came back."

"I heard whispers that something was rising," Cas said, taking a cautious step. Sam and Dean both lifted Cas' arms, putting them over their shoulders, helping him walk.

"Let's get you out of here first, then we can talk," Dean said, pointedly glaring at Sam for his question.

"Can you heal yourself?" Sam asked.

"In time. And away from this place."

They were walking (or limping) toward the door. Out of the corner of his eye, Dean saw Cas give Buffy a curious look. When they'd found Cas, she'd hung back to give them some space. They got to the door and Dean went through first so he could help Cas over the step in the wood.

Dean could see Willow waiting by the car as he took Cas by the arm again. Her red hair was clearly visible against the dark paint of the car. When Willow saw them, she rushed over to help.

"Willow Rosenberg," Cas said simply, looking at her. Willow blinked in surprise. His head was tilted in recognition and curiosity. Then he coughed before adding, "It's an honor."

Buffy and Willow both stared at Cas, not comprehending how he knew who she was. Of course, Dean himself wasn't sure how he knew, but this wasn't the time. "We can do introductions later," he said quickly. "Let's get out of here before whoever did this comes back."

He and Sam started to pull Cas toward the car when Cas growled, "Michael. Guys, Michael is back. He did this." He was clearly angry with his old brother. Angels – Dicks!

"We'd heard Michael was back," Sam said. "But what did he want with you?"

Willow climbed into the back seat to help Cas from inside. Dean wouldn't let Cas answer before they left; they could talk on the way to the bunker. Away from the crazy Archangel. With Cas injured in the back, Buffy had to squeeze in the front between Dean and Sam. It was a bit of a tight squeeze, but Dean found himself enjoying the feel of her warm leg against his own. Then he scolded himself for letting thoughts like that rise in circumstances like this.

Dean tore away from the house and barn and as they approached the road, he could see Cas starting to heal in his rearview mirror.

"So what did Michael want with you?" Sam repeated, turning his head to look at Cas.

"You," Cas said simply. "The cage must have made him insane, because he seemed to think that Lucifer was still using you as his vessel, despite the fact that both your body and your soul were pulled out of the cage years ago. Maybe Michael had already gone mad by then," he speculated. "But how did you know that Michael was back."

"Believe it or not, Gabriel told us," Dean said, pulling back on to the main road and speeding down it.

"Gabriel!" Cas said, sounding amazed. "He's alive? But didn't Our Father say that he was gone and would need to be brought back if we wanted his help?"

"He did. Maybe it was another trick, something Asmodeus or Lucifer picked up from Gabriel to keep him hidden," Sam speculated, sounding just as confused. Sam and Dean briefly explained about the reappearance of Gabriel and the news he brought. They were approaching the bunker before they finished. Cas looked mostly healed at that point. Cas had heard through Michael's ramblings that Lucifer had taken over heaven. None of them could fathom how Michael had even found out, let alone actually broken out of the cage. When they got out of the car, Sam and Dean made introductions for Willow and Buffy. Cas already knew who they were due to their roles in other apocalypses.

Dean unlocked the door to the bunker and let everyone in before he entered himself.

"Whoa," Buffy said, sounding amazed as she took in the place. She went down the stairs and into the library. "What is this place. I thought you said you lived in a bunker?" she asked staring at the brothers, her mouth open. Willow's eyes had gone wide too, she excitedly squeaked and started looking through the book titles. Cas had sat down tiredly at one of the tables.

"We do. Welcome to the Men of Letter's US Based Headquarters," Dean said proudly, his arms spread wide.

"OK, that's the third time I've heard that name. Who are these 'Men of Letters?' And why the sexist name?" Buffy asked, both impressed and slightly annoyed. Behind him, he heard Willow chuckle.

"Never mind that," Sam said, sitting down next to Cas. Dean went over to the mini fridge and pulled out some beers and a few water bottles. He handed Sam a beer and Cas a water. Buffy also took a bottle of water and sat down. Willow had sunk down onto the floor with a book in her lap. She'd already tuned the rest of them out, completely absorbed in the book. Sam opened his beer, took a sip and then turned to Cas, "Michael kidnapped you to find me?"

"Of course, he knows we're friends. He seemed to think the best way to find Lucifer was to find you. Of course, if he'd been making any sense, he would have realized that if Lucifer had your body, I certainly wouldn't have known where you were or still been acting as your friend. I tried to explain that to him, but he wasn't understanding. He's unbalanced. He was asking about you too, Dean," Cas said. He took a sip of water and went on when Dean raised his eyebrows. "Your brother Adam is still acting as his vessel, though I suspect Adam probably isn't alive anymore. Not really."

"So we've heard," Dean growled. They really had failed their other brother: more guilt for the pile.

"But through his ramblings, he mentioned that he would be stronger with his true vessel. With you," Cas continued. "Another reason he thought I could help. When I left the bunker a few days ago – not sure how many now - it had been because I'd heard rumors of a power shift in heaven – that would be Lucifer taking over. Michael found me within moments and brought me to that barn. He and his demons were taking it in turns to try to torture answers out of me. I gave them nothing."

"I'm so sorry," Buffy said.

"Me too, Cas. You shouldn't have had to deal with a crazy Archangel on our behalf," Dean said.

"It's not the first time," Cas said. He smiled as though joking, but he was completely serious. "And from the way things are going, it probably won't be the last."

"So, if Michael is looking for Lucifer, does that mean Lucifer isn't in heaven?" Dean asked curiously.

"Apparently Michael tried to get to heaven, but he didn't realize that the gates were closed and that there was a back door entrance that we now have to use. So instead, he found a few angels on Earth and 'interrogated' them the same way he did me. They said that he was searching the Earth for his son. Not to mention you two," Cas explained.

"Michael told you all this?" Dean asked surprised.

"Like I said, he was rambling the entire time. I gathered most of it by piecing together the scraps that made sense through the insanity."

Suddenly a loud bang met their ears and they all turned to the hallway where Donatello burst in, breathing heavily. Sam, Dean, and Buffy all stood up, on alert. Cas sat up instantly, but appeared too tired to stand. Willow deigned to look up from her book. Donatello appeared to be dressed in the same clothes they'd last seen him in, only with grease and ink stains. He hadn't shaved in several days, if not the entire week. It reminded Dean forcibly of what Kevin had looked like when he'd overdone it with the demon tablet.

"Sam, Dean, Castiel," he wheezed, as he stopped to lean against a table. "I'm so sorry. I didn't even realize I was doing it!"

"Doing what?" Sam asked urgently. Dean had pulled out his gun on instinct. Usually when they saw someone in this state of distress they were in trouble. He put the gun back, realizing Donatello was alone.

"I've been reporting to Asmodeus!" he cried. Dean's eyes widened and his heart sank into his stomach. "He brainwashed me, told me to report back with everything I found on the demon tablet! And I did! I told him everything! He knows how to get to the other Earth!"

"Son of a bitch!" Dean said, sitting back down and feeling the need to drink more.

Cas' eyes had gone wide. "Why are you free of the brainwashing now, what happened?"

Donatello blinked in confusion, "I… I don't know. But it vanished a few minutes ago as though cut. I went to call you, but then I remembered that you said you were on your way back, so I came right here." He was still breathing heavily and then he collapsed in a chair, a hand over his eyes.

Buffy got up and handed him the water bottle that she hadn't touched. He took it appreciatively. She sat next to him and put her hand on his arm, smiling reassuringly, "It's not your fault." After everything, all the darkness she'd seen as the slayer, she was still a kind soul. Dean marveled. He probably would have just gotten Donatello a beer.

Donatello looked at her, confusion on his face, "Oh, I'm not worried about that. I know it's not my fault. But these guys are protecting me. If this angel war gets to them, what'll happen to me?" Buffy blinked at him in surprise at his lack of caring. It was amazing how a soul (or lack thereof) could affect a person. "Also, there's a chance that if the boys found out I'd betrayed them and that realization hadn't come from me – they might kill me."

"I'm sure they wouldn't kill you," Buffy said uncertainly, glancing at Dean. Dean considered… chances were in Donatello's favor, if they found out about the brainwashing.

Cas looked speculative, "If the link that was keeping you brainwashed was severed, I think the safest assumption would be that Asmodeus is now dead. Killed, maybe by Michael? After Michael took over Hell, Asmodeus fled, but Michael was looking for him too. That must be where he took off to after he left me in that barn where you found me." He paused, thinking, then continued, "And if Michael found Asmodeus, I think it's safe to assume that Michael now knows everything that Asmodeus knew."

Suddenly Cas stood up, looking panicked. "We need to check the wardings on the bunker," he said looking around. Asmodeus couldn't get in here, he's still just a demon, but an Archangel…"

Suddenly, there was a blinding light on the stairs that lead to the Crow's Nest. A voice rang out, "An Archangel would have no… no problem… problem… no problem getting in there-here-there and everywhere."

Everyone stood up suddenly, facing the man before them. Michael, in Adam's body, was smiling at them all. But his eyes were darting around, as though seeing everything and nothing. He tried to take a step forward, but then he balanced on one foot and skipped, like a child jumping over a block in hopscotch. He landed with his arms spread wide and he looked at them all. He found Sam, and his eyes focused slightly.

"Hello brother-Sam. Red minivan riding through the jungle. The Devil sits in the driver's seat, doesn't he?" Michael smiled lopsidedly. They all stared at him. Dean subtly backed up, reaching for a knife that was in his pocket. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sam doing the same thing.

"Brother, you cannot wait any longer. Longer brother. Tall brother reaching to the heavens," he turned and started pacing, eyes on the ground. Dean took the opportunity to cut his hand and move to where his arm was hidden behind a pillar. He stopped when Michael looked up and saw him. He pointed at Dean.

"My savior. My home. My… my… who are you? Shut up!" he turned to something no one else could see. "You say you want to help, but do you help? Help! I need somebody. But where were you when the star landed? Nowhere… where's the flower… flower petals? Just say yes, Dean. No, yes? Deir m'athair leis an mbó ag stánadh. No, that's not right." He lost focus again and tripped slightly, his hand on the wall to steady himself. He looked up and found Dean again, "I need you. I have to defeat… fight… conquer… Lucifer. Fata quiescit in mundo iecoris!" he screamed the last phrase as Sam managed to finish the sigil that he'd been working on. Both Michael and Cas were blown away in a flash of light.

"What the hell was that!" Donatello shouted.

"A crazy-ass Archangel," Dean said.

"I've never seen anything like that," Sam said, turning to Dean.

"I have. When a god goes crazy… it looks kinda like that," Buffy said. Willow was nodding behind her. Dean's curiosity rose. He would have to ask about that story later. Donatello collapsed in his chair again. He was still gripping the water bottle that Buffy had given him; he'd crushed it slightly.

"What did you do?" Buffy suddenly asked. "Where'd they go? Did you mean to send Cas away too?"

"It's a sigil. It sends all angels away from the area for a bit. We need to re-angel proof the bunker ASAP. We can let them down enough to bring Cas back in, but we need to make sure that no angels – not even Archangels can get in here again without permission," Dean said. "Michael could probably get back here extremely quickly, but maybe he's crazy enough to be distracted for now…"

They all quickly got to work warding the bunker. Willow was extremely helpful in this capacity as she knew some wards that they didn't; ones that should be able to keep out even Archangels – in theory. They worked rapidly and efficiently, taking different parts of the bunker to make sure that they didn't leave any gaps. It took them over an hour and in that time, Cas had managed to call them from a pay phone saying he was a couple hours away and on his way back. Fortunately, Michael did not reappear before they got the new wards up.

When they were finished, they all collapsed at the tables in the library again, hopeful, but not confident that the wards would actually work since they had no way to test them. They were exhausted and all agreed to a beer this time; so Dean handed out some bottles. Willow held hers, but got up to start examining books again.

They were drinking in silence when a loud shriek came from where Willow was standing. They all looked at her and she pulled out a large tome. "I can't believe you have this!" she said, her voice an octave higher then they'd ever heard before. She held out to the book to them. The cover was faded and Dean couldn't read the title.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Abraham Abulafia's final work, 'Light of the Unseen!' Giles said that the Watcher's Council had the only copy and that it was destroyed along with the council. I've wanted to translate and read this for years. I can't believe you have it! Giles is going to lose it when he finds out," she exclaimed. She held the book like it might explode and she brought it over to the table.

She pulled a bag that she'd brought with her, over from where it'd been sitting on the floor, and she pulled out a notebook and pen. Then she pulled out a laptop, opening it up. Finally, she opened the book and immediately began to work. She started typing on her computer briefly, before she looked up at Sam and Dean.

"What's your wifi password?"

Dean chuckled and said, "Assbutt. One word, capital A."

"Umm… okay," Willow said, shaking her head.

Buffy looked at him curiously while Sam started laughing. Donatello was just shaking his head and sipping his beer. Dean glanced back at Buffy and said, "You can ask Cas when he gets back about that one… Classic."

Eventually Sam went out to find food for them. A few minutes after he left, Cas came down the stairs, looking disheveled, but otherwise OK. "I really need to charge my phone," he said, sounding frustrated. He sat down in a chair next to Dean, who handed him a charger. He plugged in his phone and continued, "I arrived 30 minutes ago, but I had no way to contact you to let me in. And I guess you couldn't hear me knocking. Sam found me when he went out. Then he had to remove some warding so I could come back in. Once I was in, he put the warding back up."

"Glad your back, Castiel," Buffy said, smiling at him. His annoyed face softened a bit and he turned back to Dean. "Dean, you know that if Michael truly knows everything that Donatello has learned from the demon tablet, we probably won't be able to use the spell on it to find Jack and your mother." Donatello grunted and scowled. He probably would have cared quite a bit more about what happened if he had his soul.

"What?" Dean asked, surprised. "Why the hell not?"

"He'll put things in place to stop us. He knows about Jack and he'll do anything to stop Lucifer from getting his son back."

"Wait, Lucifer doesn't even know that Jack is on the other Earth. How does Michael?" Dean asked.

"Asmodeus," Cas said.

"Right, Donny would have told White-Suit that Jack was on the other Earth, and Asmodeus probably told Crazy-Pants. That's just awesome," Dean huffed, taking another drink of his beer.

There was silence for a minute before Dean concluded, "So we can't use anything we've found from the demon tablet."

"Which was most of the spell, by the way," Donatello noted. "Forgot to tell you that before."

Dean sighed, "We need a new plan."