A/N: Welcome to the final chapter of part one of the Sun Rise trilogy. Hopefully, part two won't take me as long to complete. Enjoy!
Aline stared at the lapping flames from Kevin's funeral pyre, feeling numb.
Why had she and Dean trusted that angel?
Why had she listened to him?
She let herself believe once, just once, that some angels were okay, but what's-his-face came along and stabbed that belief with an angel blade in just the right spot to kill it. She reached out and tightly grabbed Dean's hand, and he held on just as tightly as if he was afraid the same thing would happen to her.
Hours later, they were back in the bunker. Aline was sitting on the floor next to where Kevin died, holding onto a crumpled up piece of paper. Dean was nearby, staring at Kevin's phone. There was nothing but pure devastation on Dean's face, and he touched his forehead to the phone.
Aline barely flinched as Dean threw the phone against the wall with all his strength and, in almost the same movement, sent everything flying to the floor. She watched as he shoved the lamp off the table and slung a heavy chair across the room. She stood up, walked over the destruction, and wrapped her arms around him. Just like earlier, he held onto her.
Aline dropped a bunch of weapons into her duffel bag. It was on the table in the main room next to Dean's. They both were completely focused on the task, easily avoiding bumping into each other.
"Dean, Aline," a familiar voice stated, catching their attentions. It was Castiel.
Dean's grin was hollow. "Cas," he greeted. "Now, look at you, all suited up and back in the game."
"I, um... I came as soon as you called. I wa—" Cas stopped, looking at the still-messy floor before looking back at the two hunters. "What happened? What's wrong?"
They both stopped packing and looked at each other before looking back at Cas. It took a long time to tell him what happened.
"Sammy was dying," Aline pointed out. "What were we supposed to do?"
"You let an angel possess him?" Cas inquired, making Aline flinch.
"He said it was the only way, and we believed him. Now Sam's gone. Kevin's..." Dean replied hurtfully, trailing off.
"Dean, Aline, I'm sorry."
"Yeah, well... Sorry don't pay the bills, does it? It sure as hell ain't gonna bring Kevin back. We gotta find that son of a bitch."
"If the angel possessing Sam isn't Ezekiel, then who is it?"
Aline glared. "A dead man walking," she replied, her voice hard.
"What, you're gonna destroy him?"
"Damn right," Dean answered.
"You kill an angel, its vessel dies, too."
"Think we don't know that?" Aline said. "If we don't end Sam and that halo burns him out and we... Mom, I was so damn stupid."
"You were stupid for the right reasons, Aline."
She scoffed. "Yeah, like that matters."
"It does. Sometimes that's all that matters. Listen to me, both of you. Sam's strong. If he knew an angel was possessing him, he could fight. He could cast the angel out."
"Maybe," Dean said. "But as far as we know, he's in the dark. I don't know how we clue him in."
"Do you remember Alfie?"
"The kid angel? Yeah. Why?"
"Before he died, he told me the demons were able to dig into his mind, access his coding. We might be able to do that here. Might be able to – to bypass the angel and talk directly to Sam."
"And you think that would work?" Aline questioned.
"I don't know, but I think we should try."
"Okay. Um, where do we start?" Dean asked.
"Welcome home, sweethearts."
"..."
"Strange seeing an old vessel, isn't it? Like looking in a funhouse mirror. But first things first – the tasks I gave you, any hiccups?"
"Killing Thaddeus was easy. He had it coming."
"I know all about your history. Why do you think I gave you his name? Consider it your signing bonus. And the kid?"
"That was... less easy."
"He was a threat, but I flipped a switch upstairs, and now that Kevin is gone, there will be no more Prophets. And what about Dean Winchester and Aline Peverell?"
"You never gave me their names, Metatron."
"Not much for seizing the initiative, are we? Gadreel, we are writing our own epic story here. To make that work, sometimes you have to kill your darlings. It's not like you haven't done worse before."
"..."
"Sorry. Sorry. Onto new business. … Your next target."
"How many more lives do I have to take?"
"It's not your place to ask questions. It is your place to obey. You want to be my second in command? Prove you're ready. Prove you're loyal. Or don't. Walk away. Go back to being Gadreel the traitor, the sap, heaven's longest running joke."
Dean, Aline, and Cas (along with Crowley) found not-Zeke in Somerset, Pennsylvania. The Impala is outside a house. Dean ran his hands over the car, making sure she was okay. Cas and Crowley stayed outside, and Dean and Aline walked into the house. On the living room floor was a man with his throat slit. Aline heard the kitchen water running and motioned toward the kitchen to Dean.
The two hunters walked in to see not-Zeke leaning over the kitchen sink, washing his hands.
"You should not have come here, Dean, Aline," the angel warned without turning around.
"You killed our friend, then you take my brother, and you think we're gonna let that stand?" Dean inquired harshly.
"I allowed you both to live."
"Mistake," Aline growled, and they both lunged for him.
Not-Zeke used his angel force to knock them back into a bookcase, and Aline's vision went black.
They'd taken not-Zeke to an abandoned warehouse. The angel was tied to a chair with warded handcuffs and was in a chin and head restraint, unconscious.
Once he regained consciousness, Dean greeted, "Welcome to the party, pal. Cas, how we lookin'?"
"Most of Sam's internal burns have healed. I should be able to fix the rest," Cas responded before looking at not-Zeke curiously. "What's your name? I thought I knew every angel in heaven, but I've never seen you."
"Why would I tell you anything?"
"Well," Aline responded. "I don't give a damn who you are. You need to get out – now!" Her voice was lowered to a growl, azure eyes narrowed in a glare.
He looked over at her. "And if I don't?"
"Then you and I will have a lovely little playdate," Crowley replied.
"Even bound, I can rip this body apart. Tell them, Castiel."
"You do, you die," Dean threatened.
"You want this to end? Go ahead. Put a blade through your brother's heart. If it makes you feel better, I have Sam locked away in a dream. As far as he knows, the three of you are working a case right now – something with ghouls and cheerleaders."
"Why are you doing this, huh? We fought together. And I trusted you. We trusted you. I thought you were one of the good guys!" Aline almost shouted.
"I am doing what I have to do."
"Well, so are we."
Both Dean and Aline nod to Crowley, who got up and picked up a large think needle from a tray and moved toward not-Zeke.
"So am I," he stated, sticking the needle into Sa—the angel's temple and started to move it around. Not-Zeke screamed in pain. Aline grabbed Dean's hand, and she clenched her jaw. Ten minutes later, the two hunters suddenly walked away, holding on to each other.
"Hey," Cas called.
"I can't watch that anymore," Dean stated.
"Me neither," Aline added, her voice cracking.
"I understand," Cas replied. "It's not Sam, but... It's still Sam."
"Pretty much, yeah," Dean said, his voice cracking with emotion. "How are you doing?"
"You want to talk about me now? You both do?"
"Honestly, I'd rather talk about anything that's not a demon sticking needles into my best friend's brain," Aline answered.
"Me too," Dean threw in, looking out a window. "Yeah, humor us, man. How you doing?"
"Uh... I'm okay."
"Good. Good. That's, uh... So, what, you just change the batteries out, power back up? It's that easy?"
"It wasn't easy, but I didn't have a choice."
"Yeah. Well, that's usually how it goes," Aline said bitterly, her grip on Dean's hand tightening.
"Cas...," Dean stated. "We're sorry."
"About what?" the angel asked.
"Kickin' you out of the bunker. That's, uh... You know... not telling you about Sam."
"You both thought his life was at stake."
"Yeah, I...we got played."
"I thought I was saving Heaven. I got played, too."
Both Aline and Dean smiled weakly as Aline said, "So you're sayin' the three of us are a trio of dumbasses?"
Cas gently smiled back. "I prefer the word 'trusting.' Less dumb. Less ass."
Suddenly, Crowley called out, "Kirk! Spock! McCoy! Get in here!"
The trio rushed back into the room. Not-Zeke's head was tilted forward, his eyes shut.
"Pinhead's out cold, but watch this." He moved two of the needles stuck in not-Zeke's left temple. The angel sucked in a breath and began to speak in Enochian.
"Zir noco iad Gadreel. Zir noco iad Gadreel."
"What's he saying?" Dean questioned.
"His name. Gadreel," Cas replied.
"Does that mean something to you?" Aline asked.
"Well, it's why I've never seen him. He's been imprisoned since the dawn of time. Gadreel was the sentry who allowed Lucifer into the garden."
"My, my. A celebrity," Crowley stated.
"Wait, the garden? Like eden? Adam and Eve? Fig-leaves garden?" Dean inquired.
"It's his fault – all of it. The corruption of man, demons, hell. God left because of him. The archangels – the apocalypse. If he hadn't been so weak, none of it would have happened." Cas glared at the unconscious Gadreel and started to shake him. "You ruined the universe, you damn son of a bitch!"
Dean grabbed Cas and swung him around to face him. "Cas! Cas! Hey!" he said, trying to catch his attention.
"Dean, he – "
"I get it. But you got to chill."
Crowley continued to probe needles into Gadreel's head. Aline began pacing.
"What's taking so long?" she growled.
"Other than the fact that I'm trying to unravel a living, multidimensional knot of pure energy, not that much," Crowley snapped.
Gadreel gasped in a breath and opened his eyes. Aline stopped pacing and felt a twinge, hoping it was Sam's consciousness that was speaking, but...
"It won't work. You will never find Sam. Go ahead. Poke and prod. I can sit in this chair for years and watch you fail over and over again. I've endured much worse than this, Dean and Aline. So...much...worse. And I have all the time in the world," Gadreel stated.
Aline growled and powerslashed the wall. "Shut up! All right. Plan 'B.' Cas, you gotta possess him," she stated, desparation coloring her voice.
"What?" Cas replied.
"Do it now! Get in there, tell Sam what's going on, and help him kick that lying son of a bitch out!"
"It might work. But I can't possess a vessel without permission."
Crowley cleared his throat, catching both Aline's and Dean's attentions as he raised his hand as a volunteer.
Dean shook his head. "No. Not happening."
"Don't be daft. Demons can take what they want. I can burrow into that rat's nest of a head. I can wake Sam up. Just call me plan 'C.'"
"You can't—"
"...you got a better idea?" Aline questioned without looking at Cas. "What about the angel?"
"I'll work fast."
"And if he finds you?" Dean asked.
"I'll run. I'm not dying for you lot. Of course, if I do this, you two're gonna have to..."
"Take off the leash. Yeah, we get it."
"And it stays off. I save Sam, I leave here a free man. Do we have a deal?"
There was no hesitation in Aline's voice as she said, "Cas, burn off Sam's tattoo."
"Aline."
"Do it. Do it."
Cas walked over to Gadreel and pulled down his shirt collar to reveal his warding tattoo. In a blaze of light, Cas removed the tattoo.
"If you mess with Sam," Dean warned, "if you try anything – "
"I keep my bargains. Besides, I don't want to be inside your brother any longer than I have to. I'm not one for sloppy seconds."
"When you find him, say 'Poughkeepsie.' It's our go word. It means 'drop everything and run.'"
"Fine. While I'm gone, hands off the suit."
Gadreel glared at Crowley. "I will destroy you."
"Eat me." Then a cloud of red demon smoke shot out of Crowley's mouth and rocketed into Gadreel's mouth.
"A demon and an angel walk into my brother. Sounds like a bad joke."
"Dean, Aline, if this doesn't work..."
"It'll work."
Long story short, plan "C" worked, and, now, Cas, Sam, Dean, and Aline were on a long dock in the pouring rain. Cas slowly moved his hand over Sam's head healing all the stab wounds from the needles. Sam swayed unsteadily.
"You feel better?" Cas inquired.
"A little, yeah," Sam replied.
"It'll take time to fully heal you. We'll have to do it in stages."
Sam nodded in agreement, but he kept looking unsteadily at Dean and Aline. The two older hunters approached him with reservation. Cas backed away to a respectful distance.
"All right. Let's hear it," Dean said, sounding resigned.
"What do you want me to say – that I'm pissed? Okay. I am. I'm pissed. Especially with you, Aline. You both lied to me. Again."
"We didn't have a choice," Aline replied.
"I was ready to die, Aline!" Emotion was clouding Sam's voice.
"I know. We know. But I wouldn't let you. I couldn't, because that's not in me. Not in either of us."
"So, what? You decide to trick me into being possessed by some... psycho angel?"
"He saved your life," Dean pointed out.
"So what? I was willing to die. And now... Kevin..." Sam's eyes filled with guilty tears.
Aline shook her head. "No. That is not on you. Kevin's blood is on my hands, and that ain't ever getting clean. I'll burn for that. I will. No one, not even my mother, can stop that. But I'll find Gadreel. And I will end that son of a bitch. But I'm gonna do it alone."
Both Sam and Dean had shocked looks on their faces.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam asked.
"Come on, man. Can't you see? No matter how good I think I am, no matter how many people I help, I hurt triple that number. The thing is, I – I know that it's my fault. What happened with Kevin was, is, my fault because I freaked out over losing you. So I called for help, and, instead of getting someone I can count on, I get a freakin' psycho angel who just pretended to be trustworthy. So I can't – I won't... Drag anybody through the muck with me. Not anymore." Aline stuffed her hands into her pockets. Her ears were tilted downward, her expression pleading.
"Go," Sam replied. "I'm not gonna stop you."
Her face falls in defeat and surrender and, after shooting Cas and Dean glances, she slowly turned to walk away.
"But don't go thinking that's the problem, 'cause it's not."
She paused, but she didn't turn back. "What's that supposed to mean?" she inquired.
"Just go."
Aline slowly walked over to the Impala, not hearing the footsteps running to catch up to her.
"Aline!" she heard a familiar voice shout, making her stop in her tracks and turn to face Dean.
"Didn't you hear what I just said, Dean? I'm going after Gadreel alone," she said.
"Course you are, and I'm coming with you." The moment he caught up to her, he looked her dead in the eyes. "You're wrong, by the way."
"What?"
"What happened to Kevin isn't just on you. We share the blame. We talked about this before you fought Orochi, remember? So, we're gonna end that SOB. Together or not at all."
Aline sighed. "You're right, Dee."
"Of course I'm right. Besides, as much as I love ya, you aren't driving Baby."
She felt her face heat up, and she chuckled slightly as Dean unlocked the car and they both climbed in. They drove away, leaving Sam and Cas in the rain.