Postgame Interview
"You total prick! I'm going to rip your frikkin' head off!", Dean screamed. Sam was holding him back, a firm grip on both of Deans arms. Crowley regarded both of them cooly, standing with his hands in his suit pants pockets and sipping coffee, eyes slightly raised.
"I really can't see what all the fuss is about," Crowley replied evenly, taking another sip and turning back to the Big Board. "Everything worked to near perfection, and we finally stopped our worthy opponents on the Armageddon playing field." He turned back to Dean and lowered his eyebrows in puzzlement. "You would think that you'd be grateful, maybe even want to throw a 'Thank you Crowley" my way or something."
"Let me go, Sammy!" Dean struggled further. "I want to wipe that smug smile off his damn face!" Sam grunted with effort and looked up helplessly at Crowley.
"You aren't making this any easier, Crowley," he panted. "You want to maybe explain to us why you didn't think it was necessary to let us in on all of the details of your little plan?"
Crowley shrugged indifferently. "More believability. You three are terrible actors," he grinned slightly at Dean, who had stopped struggling, but had murder in his eyes.
"Fine, you want it spelled out for you?", Crowley continued, meeting Dean's eyes. "I needed a foolproof way to de-rail their broadcast. There were too many variables in trying to physically stop it, as you unfortunately directly experienced. If it helps, I do apologize for that." He paused, waiting for a reaction from the Winchesters, and, getting none, he looked over Sam's shoulder at Castiel, who was seated at the conference table with his arms crossed, not looking. Crowley shrugged again helplessly.
"So, I approached the Pastor with the phony speech, thinking that he would never read it anyway. I was actually surprised that he was willing to do it. I haven't lost my touch, it seems." He grinned and downed the last of his coffee. "I absolutely knew they'd be watching him, and I also absolutely knew that I needed him alone to possess him. Sending them after you three was the only way to get him all to myself. Well, mostly, anyway. It turned out that our friend Jesse showed up as well, but he can't spot a demonic possession like an Angel or a Demon." He paced around the conference table to its head. "Once I had the Pastor alone, I stashed this beautiful specimen of a vessel in the closet, possessed the good Pastor, kept my eyes shut, and waited until the Angel left. Smooth sailing."
Sam sighed loudly. "Except for the part where you used us all for bait, Crowley."
Crowley's brow lowered. "But...you're all so good at it," he answered smoothly. When he saw Dean start struggling to break free again, he exhaled loudly and grabbed the chair in front of him with both hands.
"Look, go ahead and get indignant if you must, but we're in this particular game for the world, boys. I needed...we needed a win here, at any cost. And if that means maybe reverting to some of my own old tried and true methods, then I say; SO BE IT!", his voice raised, frustration mounting. "We've been getting our rear-ends handed to us for the better part of two months now, and I, for one, am more than a little sick of it! For some reason that only God himself knows, I'm included in this team of misfits. So," he continued, sighing, his voice lowering. " if it's Crowley that needs to be here, then it's bloody Crowley you're going to get!" He spun the chair around violently and shoved it away from him, glared back just as angrily at Dean as he passed him, and stormed out of the room, slamming the door.
After a few seconds, Castiel stood up, looking at the doorway before turning back to Sam and Dean.
"I hate to admit it...but he has a point," he murmured.
Sam sighed. Dean's shoulders slumped. "Cas, we could've easily been killed. All of us," he said quietly.
Castiel walked over to Dean and nodded. "I know that, Dean. That doesn't change anything. I'm aware of the danger of that always being a possibility. Are you?", he asked, eyebrow raising. When Dean didn't answer, but simply looked away, Castiel shook his head and paced slowly away. "I'm not saying that Crowley was right," he continued. "I'm just saying that we were in no more danger than if he hadn't kept the truth from us." He looked over his shoulder at them both. "And Dean?", he asked.
"Yeah Cas?", Dean answered dryly.
"That doesn't mean that I trust, or forgive, him. I want you to know that."
The next day they all gathered together in the conference room. The news reports regarding the Pastor Wald broadcast were sketchy, at best. Most of the larger networks were writing it off as a publicity stunt by the show that backfired. The most important part of the information was that the show had been 'temporarily cancelled' following an investigation by the network executives and the FCC. Pastor Wald was shown in a few interviews, shaky, claiming that he remembered none of what occurred. His now ever-present lawyer continued to state that his client had been hypnotized somehow.
Crowley was seated calmly at the head of the table, his fingers customarily steepled, frowning at the Big Board, and occasionally glancing at the Winchesters and Castiel. He clicked the Board off with a remote, and stood up.
"There's been no sighting of either Jesse Turner, the Angel nor the Demon in the last few hours. I'd like to point out that that doesn't mean they aren't going to pop up again, and soon. And most likely looking for us."
There was a long, tense pause as Sam, Dean and Castiel watched Crowley.
Sam finally cleared his throat. "What's the status on Jesse, then? Is he powerless?"
Crowley shrugged. "Can't be certain. My sources tell me that the followers that tattooed themselves are still in a sort of religious trance. In my opinion, that means he's still relatively powerful."
Castiel nodded. "I agree. Close to two-million followers is a lot of souls. I believe that he may be able to feed off of all of them, like a battery."
"Any way to break that connection?", Dean asked.
Castiel shook his head. "Not to my knowledge. I would say that we have to deal with Jesse Turner as he is."
Sam shook his head. "Man, Cas, I can't go with that," he said. "I knew this kid. In his heart, I believe, no, I know, he's a good person. They've filled his head with so much crap, he can't think straight. I think we can get him back." Sam looked around the room. "We have to at least try."
Crowley sighed. "If you must. I won't attempt to stop you there. If it works, that's a big win for our side."
Castiel stood up. "Of more immediate concern, is whether we're on the right track with hunting down Raguel. The Angel I spoke to was very...ambiguous...about me calling him that."
Crowley's brow furrowed. "You don't think it's him? Damn. I thought we were on the right track there."
Castiel shook his head. "It still might be, but if it is, he's changed, somehow."
Crowley frowned. "Changed how?", he asked.
Castiel looked up at the ceiling before continuing. "I'm not sure. The vessels that he was using, that both of them were using, were different than the ones in Baltimore. Still teenagers, though."
Crowley rubbed his chin. "Switching vessels? That only makes sense if they're burning through them too quickly. And yeah, for an Archangel, that makes sense. But Baltimore was only a few weeks ago. They can't have burned through them in that short of a time, even an Archangel can't do that."
Castiel nodded. "Exactly. There's got to be another reason. Plus, they were able to break both the ring of holy oil and the devil's trap, by seemingly, switching energies."
"Switching energies?" Crowley asked, obviously confused.
"It wasn't subtle," he answered. "I watched the energy in the Angel switch from positive to negative, from heaven to hell -so to say- when he walked out of the circle. The Demon did the same thing. They seem to be able to shift somehow."
"Or they are containing both types of energies in their vessels," Crowley mused. "That would actually explain them burning through their respective vessels so quickly. So, they figured out a way to control both types of energy. If it is Raguel..."
Sam shook his head. "No. I've got another idea on that."
Castiel and Crowley turned towards him.
"When we were in the van, both of them kept mentioning 'roles to play'," he paused, looking at Dean. "Sound familiar to you?"
Dean shook his head. "Gabriel's dead, Sam. It can't be him."
"You sure about that?", he answered simply. "It wouldn't have been the first time we all thought that."
Dean nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's no lie. So, what's the play?"
Sam looked back to Castiel. "Is there any way to summon Gabriel? Even if he's hidden and protected himself?"
Castiel paled. "He is...was...and Archangel, Sam. There are ways...but I can't guarantee..."
"Let's do it," Crowley said, interrupting. "This lead sounds promising. And anything's better than sitting around here waiting for the next shoe to drop," he glanced at Castiel. "What'd you need to get started?"
Castiel met his eyes evenly. "It's not that simple, Crowley. Summoning an Archangel that is actively hiding himself requires extraordinary methods."
Crowley nodded slightly. "I don't doubt that. So, once again; What. Do. You. Need?"
Castiel looked down at the table, the breath leaving him. He brought his head back up and shook his head.
"I'm banished for the moment, it will have to be one of you that gets it."
Crowley's eyes widened. "So what we need is..."
""...right in the middle of Heavens vault," Castiel finished. "We need to break into Heavens Vault."
So, that's it for Episode 3 of Castiel and Crowley: The Next Missions! I hope you liked it, loved it (sent a link on to all of your friends...*cough cough*) :)
There'll be a new Episode in about two weeks premiering, so stay tuned! And thank you all for reading! - WatchingOne