Crowley was currently walking through the halls of Hell, until he gets cornered by all his minions so to speak, all with knives and he repeatedly gets stabbed, but he then wakes up from his daydream thanks to Rowena.
"Fergus! What's the matter?"
"Nothing."
"Nothing? You're soaked in the horror sweat. Haven't seen that since the plague years. Darlin', what can I do?"
"Not a thing, you evil bitch."
"Not a thing, you evil bitch, mother."
"Let's not get too cozy just yet."
That's when she takes the hex bag out from underneath his chair, clearly making him envision the horror. Dean however, had isolated himself in the bedroom, staring off into space and seeing the carnage he left behind back at Randy's. He goe over to the broken mirror and just stares into it.
"She barely speaks to me. She's like a wounded animal, just watching me." Cas explains about Claire.
"Look Cas, you know what? You really tried to do the right thing that night. You did. This guy Claire was hanging out with, uh, Randy...all he did was use her."
"Yeah, well, she thought he was kind, and for that she loved him. Shows how little kindness there was in her life. You know whatever Randy did, he didn't deserve..."
"Oh yeah, I know. I hear you."
"He didn't deserve it no." I agree.
"Dean has had to kill before. We...we all have. But...that was..."
"It was..." I trail off, shaking my head as well.
"That was what?" Dean questions, coming out.
"Dean."
"It was a massacre. That's what it was. I mean, there was a time I was a hunter, not a stone-cold killer?"
"Dean, you're not...it's the mark affecting you...it's not your fault." I try to explain.
"You can say it. You're not wrong. I crossed the line. Guys, this thing's got to go." Dean refers to the mark.
"That won't be easy."
"Well, then burn it off! Cut it off!"
"It is more than just a physical thing. It will take a very powerful force to remove the effect."
"Dean, we've been through all the lore. There's nothing."
"This reaches back to the time of creation. It may predate the lore. If we had the demon tablet, maybe."
"But you said it was missing."
"It is. There may be another way."
Rowena in the meantime had walked off to do some looking around for something.
"Oh, may I uh, help you? His majesty didn't want you wandering around unattended. Certainly not in here."
"Oh no, I was just looking for a wee scrap of food. That swill they bring me, hardly fit for the mother of the king."
"I wouldn't know. I don't eat. If you please, I have my orders."
"Oh you poor, dear man. Guthrie is it? Terrified of displeasing him, aren't you? I know how my son can be. You're all scared spitless. Still, a boy listens to his Mum. I'd be happy to put in a good word for you."
"I'm fine. Thank you."
"Guthrie...whatever this is, it bores me rigid. Do I sign or not?"
"I found it in order sir. Do sign."
"Mummy. Bored? Suicidal? Both?"
"Hardly my dear. I'm learning so much. This place of yours...poor thing, I see now why you are the way you are. My goodness! The discontent, the gossip, the plotting."
"Plotting?"
"Aye. And that one...worst of the lot. Watch yourself around him, mark my word."
"You do realize that's exactly what you said about the guard, Gerald, down in the cells."
"And was I not right? I know, I know you mustrust me, and I earned that. And it's a pity because more than any of your other subjects, I wish you success."
"I know what you're up to here Mother."
"Do you dear?"
"You are shamelessly sucking up so that I'll free you so you can run amok and gum up my operation once again. No thank you."
"Free, schmee. Why would I want to be free when I can be here with my son? Does it hurt that you are the king and there are advantages for me in that? No. But more important, I'm a mother. Sue me...I'm proud."
"Excuse me if I don't curl up in your lap. You did manage to stay away for 300 years."
"Please. We've been over this. The locals were going to try me for witchcraft, and that never ends well. I had to flee!"
"You could have sent for me!"
"Well, then came the chance to study under te great Milanese witch, Letitia Di Albioni. And then there was the unpleasantness with the grand coven. Anyway, it was no environment for a child!"
"So locking me away in a squalid workhouse was your solution?!"
"I will not apologize for being a career woman. Besides, what's 300 years more or less to folks like us? Nothing. I'm back now. We can be a family."
Castiel in the meantime was waiting by the gate to Heaven, which was located in a sandbox at a park. "They should be here by now. Was there word of a delay?"
"All I do is watch the door. Who are you expecting Castiel?"
Just then the door opens.
"Thank you Ingrid."
"I did as you asked...at great risk Castiel."
"I know. I approached you because I know you share my belief that it is Angels' mission to protect humans. And it's possible I can eliminate a great threat to them, but...I will need his help."
"He must be returned...intact. Is that clear?"
"Yes." Cas says as he takes Metatron.
"Told you last time I saw you, I would get out of the slammer."
"It's temporary. Trust me."
"Well speaking of temporary, you must've borrowed some more grace...you're looking very good. Of course, we both know that won't last. Is that why I'm here? You think I'm gonna help you?"
"This isn't about me."
"Of course not. The great Castiel never stoops to such...selfishness. So, what is it then?" He asks as he's led over to the car and Sam gets out. "Oh, I see. I'm betting you didn't tell Ingrid about him. Hello, Sam. Here to kill me?"
He's then taken to the bunker and Dean and I head down down to the dungeon with Sam and Cas, chaining him up, Dean and I hidden in the shadows.
"Lovely room. It's where you bring the kinky chicks. Am I right?"
"I'll ask the questions here. You...your only job is to provide information."
"Oh, well. Information does happen to be a specialty. Got about 2 billion fun facts up here. Of course whether I choose to cough one up or not is another matter."
"We need to know how to remove the Mark of Cain from Dean's arm."
"What? He's back? Because of the mark? So...he's a demon."
"No."
"Okay, what then? What, did he kill a human or something? He's gone nuclear! Total foaming at the mouth, ballas out maniac." Metatron laughs. "That's fantastic!"
"Do you know how to remove it?"
"Maybe. But here's the thing...you expect any help out of me, you keep that crazy brother of yours and his girlfriend on a short leash."
"Buddy...I don't care what happens to you. You killed my brother."
That's when Sam looks over to where we were and we walk out from the shadows, not a pleasant look on our faces.
"Better start talking Metatron." I glare.
Cas however goes to check on Claire, seeing her packing her things.
"I was hoping to be gone by the time you got back."
"If you don't like the room, we can find another one."
"It's not the room Castiel. It's you. This isn't going to work. I mean come on. You look like my father. Is is his body, and he dead. And I get it, you feel bad, but you...whoever you are...are nothing to me."
"Claire, that's not true. I'm in large part responsible for the way your life has unfolded. I- have a responsibilty to help you."
"No. You don't."
"Claire. You have seen things, you've been through things no one your age should have. And you are adrift. I want to..I want to help you have a life."
"I have a life. I'm good with it. If what you mean is a normal life, well, that ship has sailed."
"Well that doesn't have to be the case, you're still young."
"Stop talking to me like you're my father. You killed my father. And that friend of yours killed the last thing I had closest to family."
"Are you speaking of Randy? Family? A man had you in that room and Randy didn't make a move to help you."
"Maybe because he was at gunpoint. Dean Winchester's a monster."
"It's possible there's a little monster in all of us."
"You want me to trust you? And the fact that you'd even try to defend him just proves to me that I can't"
"Claire."
"No Castiel. I'm done. I have to be on my own." She says, leaving.
"Ain't lfe a bitch. Nebbishy little guy, me, always sticking it to the lunkhead jocks." Metatron remarks.
"You know what? Screw the mark. Let's just kill him." Dean adds.
"Boy, he really is a mess. Who knew the mark was so toxic? Well...actually, I did. You know it is going to own you sooner than later."
"Yeah, so how do we get rid of it?"
"What, just lke that, social hour's over?"
"Yes."
"Stop making small talk." I add.
"And now we're moving on to our keynote speaker."
"Which is you...with us asking the questions and me taking the personal pleasure of carving the answers out of you."
"Just...whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold on there badass. Lighten up. Why do you just assume I'm not gonna be helpful?"
"Uh, isn't it obvious?" I question.
"Because you're a dickwad."
"Exactly." I nod.
"But I'm your dickwad. I have a special place in my...non-heart for you three, to which end...ta-da! I would be tickled to help you pop this biblical zit. To do it, you are gonna need one specific thing."
"What's that exactly?" I question.
"Your old bud...the first blade."
"What?"
"As I said...ain't life a bitch?"
"That can't be true, he has to be lying." I remark.
"Now why would I lie?"
"Because you're Metatron, you lied to everyone." I glare, before not thinking clearly and storming towards him, but Sam and Dean stop me.
"Let me go! Let me kill that son of a bitch!" I struggle.
"Brooke, stop."
"No, let me go!"
Since I wasn't stopping with the struggling anytime soon, they literally dragged me out of there and we go upstairs.
"You should've just let me kill him."
"You heard what Cas said, he has to stay intact, therefore he stays alive. But Dean, this is the single, worst idea I 've ever heard. You just whacked a whole houseful of people and that's when the blade was nowhere around, and now you want to be in actual contact with it?"
"We don't know that I have to be in contact with it. All we know is that we need it."
"No, no, no. all we know is he says we need it. We don't even know what he want us to do with it."
"Okay, step at a time alright? We play it safe, we learn whatever the spell is, how it works and we keep the blade out of my hand."
"Wait a second, are you sure this isn't the mark making you want the damn thing? I mean, why would we trust anything Metatron says?"
"I don't trust Metatron."
"You don't tr...then what?"
"What's his game if he's lying okay? W...the blade without me is useless, the blade with me is trouble for him."
"Then what does he want?"
"I don't know, but if you weren't willing to take a shot, then what was the point in bringing him here? Unless you got a better idea."
"Well I guess I'm willing to try anything to get you back to normal." I shrug.
Rowena in the meantime was fixing tea for her and Crowley. "Of course you recall the lovely lullaby I sang to you nightly after you fed the goat."
"You never sung me a lullaby. You dosed me with whiskey until I passed out."
"Even then I had a touch for pharmacology. Your mum was a prodigy."
"Funny. Not what I called you." He remarks, before his phone rings. "Business. Squirrel. It's been a while. Back to your former self?"
"Crowley, we need to meet A.S.A.P."
"Where?" He asks, taking a second before hanging up. "Got to go. Urgent. A matter of state."
"My son. So important. Shall I wait dinner for you?"
"You don't cook. I don't eat. It's a perfect arrangement."
"Not even a goodbye."
With him gone, she goes into his tie storage and cuts a piece off of one.
"After my mom split and went crazy, Randy was like a father to me. First I lose my dad, then I lose my second, and who killed him and trashed my life? The buddy of the guy who killed my first dad and wants to be my third dad." Claire explains, while playing pool with a couple at a bar.
"Wow. Sounds just like my life."
"Complications and pain, that's all family gets you."
"Yes."
"That's why me and Tony keep moving...no strings. Hey, why don't you hang with us for a while? And unload this whole mess?"
"Um, you might want to reconsider. People near me get pretty unlucky pretty fast. Oh my...that's him again."
"The guy who killed your second dad, or the guy who killed your first dad?"
"The second thing."
"Tell him to get lost."
"I did. He's a...turn the other cheek kind of guy."
"Hon...you seem real sweet, but sweetness don't clean up messes."
"Right."
"Really Crowley? Radio silence?" Dean remarks as we meet him in an alley.
"Look, say something."
"You want me to do what?!"
"Get the first blade."
"We need you to bring it back."
"Bring back the blade? I don't think so!"
"You don't have to give the thing to me." Dean remarks.
"I should say not."
"No, no. Just retrieve it and hang onto it until we need it."
"You. Moose. You're the sane one. You on board with this?!"
"Wings on Titania, bear mine eyes aloft as I bid thee..." Rowena casts a spell and finds out what Crowley is doing.
"It's insane. You want me to procure the most dangerous weapon on the planet for Dean Winchester, the man who goes mental every time he touches it! I thought you wanted to go for a beer, catch a film."
"Look, if this plan works..."
"It's not a plan. It's a probably death sentence for me and my kind."
"If it works, it's better for you. Look, when the mark is gone, the blade can't operate."
"Win-win. Huh? Win-win!"
"Stop that."
"ou win either way Crowley." I add.
"It can't operate. It's hidden."
"Okay look, the blade might be powered down, but the mark is not, and I'm doing everything I can to keep it together. Now you think the body count around me is high right now? Wait till Hal takes over."
"We figured you stashed the blade somewhere far away..."
"Damn right. It's in a crypt with my bones."
"Alright, well?"
"I hate Guam this time of year."
Rowena then comes back to herself, grinning.
"And why is this imperial communique coming through you? The king always deals with me mano a mano." Guthrie remarks.
"Well, the king, my son, had pressing affairs and asked me, his mother to speak with you. His most trusted...underling. He said, 'only Guthrie can be trusted with this task'."
"I don't know."
"It's not your place to know, just to obey. I did mention that as his majesty's mother, I have an unerring sense of what or who is best for my son, yes?"
"Ad nauseam."
"You will recall it was I who exposed the traitor Gerald. The one the king executed. Turns out, not all demons are nice, and I am a tigress when it comes to my bonny lad."
"What is this task the king requires?"
"Your resume indicates you were a crossroads demon before your promotion?"
"I was."
"Then you do travel. Is that not correct?"
"The first blade is back in play and Crowley is the one getting it?" Cas questions as he walks into the bunker. "I don't mean to be an alarmist, but you..."
"Yeah well, you know us. When we screw ourselves, we like to go whole hog." Dean replies.
"This would be the Crowley who let the blade turn Dean into a demon?"
"Cas..." I trail off.
"I don't have a choice okay? I don't do this, I'm down the rabbit hole. Hear evil, see evil, do evil...the trifecta."
"Cas look, let us worry about this. You've got enough on your plate with Claire."
"Claire is gone."
"Gone where?"
"I don't know. I-I-I should have stopped her, but I am certain that she is destined for more trouble and disappointment. She is so...so full of rage."
"She's a teenager...they typically are."
"Listen man, if I could make it better, I would."
"That's actually why I'm here. I was hoping you might reach out to her."
"Me?"
"Yes."
"Seriously, I'm probably the last person she would want to hear from."
"I thought there would be a connection...one extremely messed up human to another. You could expain why you murdered her only friend."
"Oh well, yea, when you put it like that." Dean says sarcastically.
"All I know...is she won't talk to me. I thought if she understood the kind of man Rany was and the danger she was in, she might..."
"What the hell? Why not? Long shots seem to be the theme around here. I'm gonna go make a sandwich."
"I'll uh...I'll text you her number."
"Okay."
"I like texting. Emoticons. He seems calm, considering the effects of the mark and Metatron in proximity."
"Too calm. I think he's worried about what will happen if he pops the cork."
"So to speak."
Crowley however gets to where his bones are in a tomb and opens it, finding where he stashed the blade, but it's gone. Guthrie gets back, with what Rowena had him get.
"I have it. This is my responsibility. I will deliver it only to the king."
"You have demonstrated unimpeachable loyalty Guthrie. You more than any deserve this reward from a grateful monarch." She states, killing him. "Don't screw with me sycophant."
"What in hell?!" Crowley remarks.
"Exactly! What in the hell is going on in hell?! You said Guthrie was one of your best, your most trusted, and..and yet I found him inciting unrest amongst the court."
"Can't be true."
"Can't it? He...he said you were colluding with someone called Winchester? Y-yes? And that you were going to fetch him...oh, oh, what was it? The first blade, which could kill us all. He said he got it first becaue you couldn't be trusted. Naturally, I confronted him. And...he attacked me. I had no choice."
"I had a vision of Guthrie attacking me."
"A prophecy. I am an interpreter of signs."
"It's not possible."
"I know, sonny, and yet..."
"How could he have known?"
"Spies everywhere. I did try try to warn you. Fergus, these Winchesters he mentioned, they're not the hunter Winchesters are they? Because they too could be a great danger for us. I mean, today we got lucky, but tomorrow, who knows? Who is there left for you to trust?"
"Oh we loved living there. It was our dream house."
"Of course, the family came home from vacation, screw up everything."
"I just about peed myself when the wife pulled that gun out of her purse." They both laugh.
"We tore out of there, ran two miles, bare-ass naked."
"Hey, it's Dean. Look, Claire, we need to talk in person. Just tell me where, okay? Call me."
"That him again? Guy that caused you so much grief?"
"Worse. Dean Winchester...the one who butchered Randy."
"And why? What was this Dean's connection to Randy?"
"He didn't even know him. Or the others. And he gutted him. And I saw him standing there, soaked in blood, looking like he enjoyed it. And now he wants to meet and talk."
"Maybe you should."
"What?"
"Me and Tony are worried for you. With this guy around, you're always gonna be looking over your shoulder."
"We've handled situations like this before. We can take care of him so that they won't bother you anymore."
"Beat him up bad."
"Or...something more permanent."
While Dean's making a sandwich, Crowley calls him.
"Yeah."
"Squirrel. I've got it."
"That's good to hear."
"Of course, I'm gonna hang onto it until you work out how to get that thing off your arm." Crowley states before Dean hangs up, and then he heads into the dungeon to Metatron.
"I'm gessing you're not here to reminisce."
"No, we did what you said. We have the first blade."
"Not here? Not on your person?"
"Not saying. So, back to you. What's next?"
"This is where it gets kind of interesting."
"Uh huh."
"It's very lonely here, and I have little to do but think. And it occured to me that you really need this mark taken off of you. And in order to do that, you really need me. So here's the deal...that first little tip I gave you, a freebie. Just cause you're you. Every future step? They're gonna cost you. Big. Oh and FYI, there's a bunch..."
Dean takes the blade out and goes and shuts the door and locks it.
"Whatcha doing there slugger?"
"I'm settling a score that's taken way too long to settle. Oh, and while I do that, I'm gonna get some information...and I'm gonna enjoy every minute of it. Because you're gonna tell me everything...all of it...and it ain't gonna cost me a damn dime...slugger." Dean just grins. "Alright, I'm gonna ask this exactly once before it gets ugly...what is the next step in removing the mark?"
"I repeat my offer...each step costs you."
"You're confuse. See, each step you don't give me...is gonna cost you. And it's been a long time coming. I mean, where do I begin? Stealing Cas' grace...casting out the angels...making Gadreel kill Kevin using my brother's hands, starting an angel war...and oh yeah...you killed me and caused Brooke and Sam emotional hell."
"My morality is being judged by Dean Winchester? How many people have suffered and died because they believe in you? How many times have you lied to Sam and Brooke, including, oh by the way, when he was possessed by an angel? And you say, oh well it's all for the greater good. But lately buddy, that greater good thing just went away, didn't it? Now people die just because you want them to!" Metatron exclaims, causing Dean to punch him in the face. "Good Dean. Go darker." He taunts, causing him to punch him again. "Go deeper." He taunts yet again, earning a few more punches. "Surely you've noticed every time you respond, when the mark gets you all twitchy, you fall deeper under it's spell. You think roughing up a few humans and demons makes it worse? Try messing with the scribe od God, bucko!"
"It's late." Cas states. "I'm gonna drive around a little bit, see if I can find Claire."
"Right now?"
"She's probably settled down somewhere by now, not on the run."
"I have to try."
"Alright, well, be careful." Sam says as he walks into the kitchen. "Uh guys? Where's Dean?"
That's when it dawns on us.
"Metatron." I state, and we quickly head that way.
"And Kevin's death? All on you. You put him in harm's way and kept him there. Gadreel possessing Sam? Who was it who tricked Sam into letting him in? Oh and then my personal favorite. Dean Winchester, who's entire existence is defined by a war on the dark and monstrous, bromancing his way around the country with the king of Hell!"
"Let's try this again. What is the next step?!"
"What is it you humans say so...inelegantly? Oh yes. Go screw yourself." He chuckle.
"Dean!" Sam yells, pounding on the locked door.
"Let us in Dean!" I add.
"Now it's time to get serious."
"Dean!"
"What is the next step in removing this mark from my arm?"
"Dean, open the door."
"You don't know what you're doing Dean, let us in!"
"What is the next step?!"
We hear Metatron screaming in pain and Sam desperately tries kicking the door in, but he can't.
"Move!" Cas demands.
"Behold, the river shall end at the source."
That's when Cas bursts open the door.
"No! Dean, hey! Stop! Stop! You were killing him!"
"I have to take him back."
"Cas, this won't happen again."
"I gave my word. I have fences to mend in Heaven, and as it is, I have a lot to explain."
"If you ever ask me for help again, I will choose death. You realize it's going to get worse Dean. You're gonna get worse!"
Once Cas leaves with Metatron, Dean goes to the library to calm down. I'm there with him of course, my head on his shoulder, arms wrapped around one of his arms, both of us silent, until Same comes in with a few beers for us. "Hey. You okay?"
"He said the river ends at the source."
"What does that mean?"
"Maybe nothing. It's the last thing he said before you guys busted in."
"Dean...look man, we had to."
"Hey no. I get it, alright? I...I was gonna kill him. And I couldn't stop myself."
"We'll figure it out alright? Remember what Cas said about needing a-a powerful force?"
"Yeah. So?"
"So...I've been thinking. Look...Cain still has the mark right? And he's lived with it. For years he's lived with it. So yeah, the-the mark is...strong, but...Dean maybe there's a part of you that wants to give into it. And maybe you have to fight that, you know? Maybe...part of that powerful force has to be you."
"I mean, we have a wedding we have to plan. I'd rather start planning when you're back to yourself Dean." I remark.
Just then his phone goes off. "Yeah."
"It's Claire. I've thought it over. Maybe it's only fair to hear your side of it. I mean...Castiel seemed to trust you...a lot."
"Yeah okay. Where do you want to meet?"
The next day, Dean goes out on his own to meet Claire so he could talk with her about everything. She watches from the RV nearby. That's wen the girl and the guy come out, planning on killing him.
"No!" Claire screams and the girl misses with the bat and manages to get it away from her, holding her with it, so she can't harm anyone.
Tony then goes after him with the ax, missing every time of course. Dean picks up the ax as he looks down at the couple.
"No!" Claire screams and dean destroys the bench instead.
Claire runs away and Cas pulls up to her. "Claire."
"How the hell did you find me?"
"Angels are able to find those who pray to them."
"Pray? Oh believe me, I gave up praying a long time ago."
"It doesn't have to be a formal prayer. I can pick up on a...a longing. Perhaps you wanted to tell me something?"
"No. I don't know. Maybe. I guess I just...wanted to tell you that I thought about what you said. I'm gonna try doing things a little bit different, let go of the little bit of monster in me."
"Well um...I could...could try to help you with that."
"I still got to go it alone. But I could...maybe call sometime. Get out of here would you? No one's gonna pick me up with that butt-ugly car sitting there."
"I'll see you Claire."
"Oh, hey. Not that you care but...I like you better in the tie."
Cas smiles and then takes off, watching her in the rear view mirror.