Cas was pushed into a wall before he realized what had happened; of course it was Dean trying to cover him, and he jumped up, looking for what- or whoever had broken in. Once glance told him that John was still confined in the ring of Holy fire, at least.

A young man was standing in the hole in the wall – he had a blade in his hand. Angel, then.

"Adam" Dean said.

He was standing in front of Cas, hoping the hunter wouldn't do something stupid.

He should have taken him out while he had the chance. This was his fault.

Adam looked strangely taken aback, however.

"Dean..."

He saw John in the circle and froze.

"Adam, get me out" he ordered immediately. "Dean, help your brother."

Dean couldn't help it; he laughed. With all the stress he was under, with the voices roaring up to scream at him again, this was the worst thing John could have said.

He only had one brother. If he'd learned anything, that was it.

"Sorry, John. No can do."

Adam should have acted, but he could only stare. Even though he had known Dean had rebelled, the open defiance shocked him. This was their superior. They should –

"Adam! Get me out!"

He had to follow his orders. Dean moved forward to block him, signalling Sam and Bobby to let him do it. He knew they were worried, but he also knew that Adam wouldn't harm him. He could feel it. Somehow, something had shifted between them in the moment he'd decided not to attack him in Alaska, although they had barely been friends before.

"Dean – step back."

"What are you doing? The traitor!" John screamed, realizing that he was losing control of another angel. Sam smirked. He had trusted Dean as he always did, and it had paid off.

"I – " Adam began, looking at Dean, but he wasn't attacking him. He was just standing there; his angel blade was in his hand, true, but it was pointed towards the floor.

"Adam, you are a soldier. As your garrison leader – "

"It doesn't really matter because there's a ring of holy fire around the barn" Zachariah informed them cheerfully.

They had almost forgotten he was there, but he had reacted anyway. Cas gave him a thankful smile as Sam inquired, "Won't anyone see?"

"We're in the middle of nowhere. I don't think anyone has been here in years."

Sam nodded.

"Quick thinking" Bobby commented.

"It comes with the job. Sorry for locking you guys in".

"No problem. We got you to quench the flames."

"Stop talking" John hissed.

"Good idea. How about you talk instead? Lilith's an important part of this. You have to know where she is, that she's safe."

"Even if that were true, you couldn't expect me to tell you."

"We have our ways."

"Are you just going to stand there?" John shouted at Adam. "You see what they are going to do – "

But Adam was still looking at Dean. And Dean understood only too well. What it meant to doubt for the first time. What it meant to suddenly feel that one's superiors didn't have the answers to everything.

"Sir" said Adam, "he's not attacking me."

"What?"

"Dean, he's not – none of them – "

"Who cares? I order you to attack!"

The emphasis seemed to have an effect on Adam; he took a step toward them but stopped, looking confused.

"What is going on?" he asked.

"What does it matter?"

"Why is John in the circle?" he asked Dean.

"We need information of him. You see, we need to kill Lilith – "

Adam frowned. "Killing demons is one of our priorities. Why did you have to put John – "

"Because he doesn't want us to. Lilith is important, she needs to die at a certain time to ensure the Apocalypse is going to happen, and Heaven is working towards it as well, so – "

"Heaven is not trying to free Lucifer!" Adam cried out, completely shocked.

"Look" Sam said, stepping forward, "we can't ease you into this. John has been – "

"Adam, ATTACK!"

The command was too forceful to be ignored, and Adam jumped forward, aiming at Sam. It was Dean who intervened however, their blades meeting only a short distance from Sam's breast; the angel jumped back as Adam looked at Dean and his resolve flattered.

"Why did you spare me?" he hissed, still pushing his blade against Dean's. "You're older than me, and you surprised me. You could have killed me."

"There was no reason to. You weren't trying to harm me."

Adam swallowed, for the first time using a human gesture to keep himself grounded. His theory had been correct. Dean hadn't harmed him because he hadn't harmed Dean, even though he could have caused them problems. He had spared him just like that.

But still, the new doubts in his mind were too weak to fight against years of obedience, and he found himself fighting Dean, but only half-heartedly; the older angel easily blocked his attacks, and then suddenly Adam was propelled into the circle of holy fire, next to John.

"You disgust me" he hissed. "You're no better than them".

Adam flinched, then he remembered.

"Dean said you were working towards Lucifer's rise – "

"You must not believe that."

Adam was silent.

"So" Dean said, grinning proudly, "where were we? Oh right, where's Lilith, or rather more specifically, where in Hell is Lilith? She's probably in deep."

"Dean?" Cas asked. HE turned to the hunter. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm..." he stopped. "You know what? I'm actually great."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I – I thought that stress would make it worse, but I had to protect all of you, and I – it doesn't bother me anymore because I know we can have doubts. Even the most loyal soldiers. My programming isn't strong enough for that."

Dean smiled at him happily and Dean found himself grinning back.

"I'm really happy for you, but we should probably consider that if one angel found us, others may too and that the holy fire outside is a red flag" Zachariah pointed out. They looked away blushing.

"You're right. John, we already know the truth. Tell us where Lilith is" Bobby tried once again, knowing it was hopeless. They would have to make John give up the information. And Zachariah was right. The ring of holy fire around the barn was a giveaway. Not that he blamed him. He'd had no other choice.

"I'm not going to tell you. And thanks to Dean's mercy" John spat the word at them "we're two now. And Adam will obey me. He's a good soldier."

"Don't be so sure" Dean said simply, looking at Bobby, who nodded.

But sadly, there would be no time to question John further. The roof started to shake.

"Wishful thinking" Dean said, raising his blade, "but maybe it's just the wind."

Before anyone of them could answer, John breathed, relieved, yet sounding strangely apprehensive at the same time "Michael."

"What?" Cas exclaimed as a thunderstorm broke out, rain quenching the circle of holy fire around the barn and quickly dripping through holes in the roof, starting to put out the one John and Adam were trapped in.

Before Case could react, John had jumped through one of the holes that had opened up and went straight for him; he would undoubtedly have grabbed him and delivered him to Michael if Adam hadn't tackled him and thrown him against the wall.

Adam looked at Cas, then at Dean.

"I don't know" he said, answering their unspoken question. "it just feels right."

Dean nodded. "Come with us" he said quickly, "Michael will be here any second."

Adam shook his head. "Someone has to keep John back. And I can easily be found. You can't."

He was right. They didn't have time to brand the sigils into his ribs and make sure he couldn't be called back to Heaven; but they could just make him untraceable for now and –

John screamed and Adam attacked him.

"Dean" Cas pulled at his arm. "We have no choice."

"I know" he replied, and they were gone thanks to Bobby, who had been ready to leave from the moment he knew who was coming.

Adam didn't know how – John was ferocious in his attack the second he realized they were gone – but it was still the Archangel who got to him first. Somehow, he held out until he felt a new presence behind him. Even though he had never been deemed worthy enough to meet Michael, he still knew who it was; and before he could turn around, he was burning.

Even as his Grace cried out dying, his thoughst became clear for the first time since he had found Dean.

The rebels, as John called them – they were right.

Why else would an Archangel inflict this pain upon a brother, even as unimportant a brother as Adam?

Father, he prayed in his last moments, let them succeed. Let them live.

And then it was over.