.-.-.-.-.
Waiting for Salvation
.-.-.-.-.

The study was filled with a tense silence. Three angels sat on the couch—one straight-backed and proud, the other two in varying degrees of embarrassment.

'Angels,' Ellen repeated for what seemed like the tenth time. 'I can buy that The Trickster turned out to be an angel—divine retribution and all that, but… Dean?'

'Fallen angel,' Dean reminded. He shrank back under Ellen's cold stare.

'You coulda saved so many more people!' Jo said, shaking her head.

Dean nodded and stared at the floor. There was so much more he could have done. Hell, he could have just run away and helped out random strangers. But, then he wouldn't have been there for Sam. How would Sam have turned out if he hadn't been there? Or if he had had powers and Sam didn't… Would Sam have pursued his psychic abilities even more if he had a brother with powers?

Slowly, he brought his head up and met the eyes of the women standing on the other side of the room, looking down on him in disappointment. 'It was worth it to keep Sam safe. He needed a brother. As normal a brother he could get, given this life,' he said as he stood. 'He might be human, and I might be an angel, but that don't change the fact that he's still my bother. And y'know what? I'd do it all again. Exactly the same. Standing with Lucifer, Falling, all the lies, corruption, death… All of it. Every last bit the same if it meant I did even a little right by Sam.'

Dean swallowed self-consciously as everyone stared at him, but he stood his ground, crossing his arms defiantly. His tension eased as Castiel's Grace filled him with love. He looked to Sam and breathed a sigh of relief at the half-smile and nod directed at him.

There was movement beside him, and he looked down as Gabriel stood next to him.

'Since we're having our little Angels Anonymous meeting… Hi, I'm Gabriel, and I ran away from home. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat,' Gabriel said with a cocky grin. He deflated a little under Dean's annoyed gaze. 'Well, past tense, that is. Not right now. I'm not running away this time.'

'I'll believe that when I see it,' Bobby said, and Dean nodded in agreement.

'Oh, don't agree with him! He can't see my Grace,' Gabriel said huffily, glaring up at Dean. 'He doesn't know jack squat about my change of character. You, on the other hand, I'm completely exposed to,' he said, spreading out his arms.

'Don't expose yourself too much, you might scare some children,' Dean replied. He smirked as Gabriel's arms dropped.

'Hey!' Ellen drew the angels' attention back to herself and placed her hands on her hips. 'Okay, so we can't change the past, but at least we have a chance with the future, right? You two can make up for your fuck ups right now, and you're gonna do it by saving the world.'

'That's a tall order,' Gabriel said weakly.

'What's wrong? Too short to fill it?' Dean snarked.

Gabriel pushed at Dean's Grace playfully. 'Says the tiniest angel in the room.'

The lights began to flicker, and a nearby bulb in a lamp popped as Dean and Gabriel's Graces wrestled. They stopped at the sound of Castiel's commanding voice.

'Enough! You can play with each other later,' he said. He frowned as the pair broke off in snickers, and he rolled his eyes. He looked pleadingly at the humans in the room. 'I apologize for their behavior.'

'No, it's…fine,' Ellen said, slowly shaking her head. 'A lot to take in, but…Dean's still…Dean.' She sighed as she stared at the young man. 'Just wish you had done more…'

'And makin' sure little Blondie was safe isn't good enough? He coulda played completely human and not even bothered keepin' an eye on her, ready to jump in at the last second.' Gabriel asked with a scoff. 'What's it take to impress you people?'

'What?' Ellen and Jo looked at Dean for an answer.

Dean shrugged and stuck his hands in his pockets. He had to trace out where Gabriel's Grace had been skimming for information and memories to find out exactly what Gabriel was referring to. 'With Holmes… I had Jo on my radar the whole time. I was ready to take out that ghost the second he laid a finger on her. Woulda wiped her memory of it, though… But she did good on her own. I saved who I could,' he said quietly. 'The ones no one would notice if they got away from an impossible situation. Others…there was no way I could get to 'em in time without revealin' who I was.'

Ellen and Jo shared a look, and Ellen nodded. 'Thank you for that,' she said quietly. Gabriel had a point. Dean could have done much less over the years. But he was always right in the thick of it, willing to take on jobs that even seasoned hunters were wary of. As angry as she was about Dean's big secret, she was grateful that they finally had a few allies that were worth something—even if Dean was technically a recovering addict thrown into the midst of temptation.

'All right,' she eventually said. 'What do you need us to do?'

.-.-.-.-.

Gabriel and Jo watched as Ellen finally downed the last shot glass in front of her. She grinned across the table to where Castiel sat.

'All right, big boy,' she said as she leaned back.

Castiel stared down at the five shot glasses in front of him. 'Well.' There was a not-so-gentle prod from Gabriel. He sighed and picked up the first glass in the line. He drank it and quickly continued with the other four. He set the final one down and blinked as he felt twinge of dizziness pass over his vessel. 'I think I'm starting to feel something,' he admitted. Dean and Gabriel had been feeding him beer after beer all night, and he had yet to feel anything. He blinked wearily as a mug filled with clear liquid was shoved into his field of vision. He looked up at Gabriel's grinning face and reluctantly took the mug.

In the other room, Sam and Dean were seated around Bobby's desk, a map and notes scattered across it.

'It's gotta be a trap, right?' Sam said. 'I mean, Crowley is a demon, after all.'

Dean laughed softly as he looked up at Sam. 'Sam Winchester. Having trust issues with a demon… Well, better late than never,' he said with a shrug.

'Thank you for your continued support,' Sam dryly replied.

'You're welcome.'

'And might I say that it's nice to see your rehabilitation coming along smoothly.'

Dean nodded. 'Five weeks dry and counting,' he said and lifted the beer bottle he held. He smiled as Sam raised his own and their bottles clinked.

Sam sighed as he stared at the papers strewn across the desk. 'Trap or not… It's a bad idea that we're even going…'

Dean nodded as he leaned back with a heavy sigh. 'Yeah… Vessel and ex… This could go south real fast.'

'You sure you're okay for both of us to go?' Sam asked.

'Not really,' Dean admitted. 'It's a mistake. I know it's a mistake… You know it's a mistake… Everyone knows. But we don't have much of a choice. He's not giving us much of a choice. Whatever Lucifer's got planned…we gotta try to stop it. Gotta try 'n' stop him.'

.-.-.-.-.

It was early afternoon when the small group of hunters and angels reached the city limits of Carthage. They had planned for Dean and Gabriel to hide their presence, and let it seem like Castiel was the only angel. Sam and Gabriel rode with Dean, and Castiel had eventually been coaxed into the back of Ellen and Jo's car.

Dean narrowed his eyes as he drove through another Reaper. 'Still no signal, huh?'

Sam shook his head as he stared at his phone. 'Nothing. The place is completely empty… We should have seen someone by now.'

'Not empty at all, Sam,' Gabriel replied. He kept his eye on a nearby cluster of Reapers as the car drove by. 'Reapers all over the place…'

'This is as good a spot as any,' Dean said as he pulled over. He stepped out as Ellen parked next to him. 'You doing okay in there, Cas?'

Castiel appeared in front of Dean and nodded stiffly. 'This is not a wise plan…'

'It's the only one we got,' Dean replied.

'And do you really want me 'n' Seri advertising?' Gabriel added. He grimaced at the Reapers that surrounded them. 'I can't be the only one that thinks this is creepy.'

'What? An empty town?' Jo asked as she got of the car.

Gabriel shook his head and waved his hand around them. 'Bunch of old guys staring into space. Somethin' big is goin' down here…'

'Town's crawling in Reapers,' Dean explained. 'And I can barely feel Lucifer… Just traces. Nothin' I can really lock onto without giving myself away. Wish we knew what he had planned.'

'With this amount of Reapers? My guess is extermination,' Gabriel said. He lightly touched Dean's Grace, sharing his apprehension. He hoped that Lucifer wasn't beyond saving, but with how things looked… He sighed as he crossed his arms and looked up the street. 'Whatever's going on, we need to find out what it is and stop it.'

'Well, me 'n' Sam'll start with the police department. See if we can find anything,' Dean said as he opened the door to the Impala.

'We'll take this area,' Ellen said.

Castiel had been looking at the Reapers and felt the barest twinge a few blocks away. 'I'm going to find out why they're here,' he said as he began walking. He paused as both Dean and Gabriel's Graces brushed against him, warning him to be careful. He nodded and continued on his way.

'Guess that leaves you,' Ellen said, looking at Gabriel.

Gabriel looked from the Impala to the two women and back. 'I'll keep these two safe,' he said, jabbing his thumb toward Ellen and Jo. 'If anything happens, screw secrecy and call for help. Got it?'

Dean rolled his eyes, but nodded as he got into the car and started it.

'Be careful,' Sam said before joining Dean.

'So… Where should we start?' Jo asked, looking around.

'How about…' Gabriel turned and his eyes landed on a storefront. 'Oh! Porn store! Dibs!'

'Some angel,' Ellen muttered as she watched Gabriel happily saunter across the street. He would occasionally sidestep, and she assumed he was avoiding walking through a Reaper. She sighed as her daughter soon followed Gabriel's path.

.-.-.-.-.

Castiel was about to give up and return to Dean when a flash of movement caught his eye. He looked up in time to see someone move away from a window. He narrowed his eyes and reached out with his senses, but felt nothing. He appeared in the room where he had seen the figure and frowned, his eyes darting back and forth.

As he moved further through the building, he wondered if he should go back and get Gabriel or Dean. He brushed off the thought as he went deeper inside. It was probably just a demon—nothing he couldn't handle. Besides, they had already seen him, and if he were to take the time to get someone else, then they would have already escaped.

He reached out his senses again and felt the barest hint of a demon. He followed the feeling and sighed when he reached a dead end.

Bright light filled the room, and Castiel froze as he was trapped by a circle of holy fire.

'Hello, brother.'

Castiel swallowed and slowly turned around. In front of him stood Lucifer. His thoughts were torn between regretting not getting help, and being glad that only he had been caught. He was a nobody. At least, that was what he thought. But from the way Lucifer was looking at him, he felt like he was more important than he had originally thought.

'So… You must be Castiel,' Lucifer said. He narrowed his eyes as he drew closer and looked over the younger angel. 'You're different from the other young ones…'

Castiel shifted uncomfortably. He had caught glimpses of Gabriel's thoughts whenever the other angel would curiously poke at his Grace. The more confused Gabriel became, the more irritated and confused Castiel grew as well. 'So I'm told.'

'What are your intentions with Seraphiel?'

Castiel blinked in surprise. 'Seraphiel? I don't know what you're talking—'

'You've marked him,' Lucifer said, cutting Castiel off. 'I've seen it in Gabriel's Grace. Do not lie to me, little brother. I could easily destroy you.'

'Could you?' Castiel countered. He stared hard at Lucifer's face, illuminated by the glow of the fire. 'You don't look well.'

Lucifer smiled and nodded as he gestured to the welts on his face. 'Yes… It's this vessel. Nick is a poor substitute. Sam Winchester would be the better option, and I hear that he is fairly close by.'

'He won't say "yes",' Castiel insisted. 'Not to you. Not ever.'

'I beg to differ.' Lucifer frowned and looked away as he felt a panicked spike of energy go through the old Angel Radio. He gave Castiel a curious gaze. 'Where is Seraphiel?'

'As far from you as possible,' Castiel ground out.

'Loyalty… Such a nice quality to see in this day and age,' Lucifer said approvingly. There was another spike of panic, and he recognized it as Seraphiel, but he couldn't tell how close or far Seraphiel was. Not yet. 'I'm told you came here in an automobile.'

'Yes?' Castiel carefully replied.

'What was it like?' Lucifer asked. He was truly curious. Especially after hearing that it was currently Seraphiel's preferred form of travel. Gabriel never shared much information, but he had gone on at length about being dragged along in a car for hours on end.

Castiel looked around, wondering what Lucifer was planning to do with him. It didn't seem like the other angel was out to kill him or even punish him for winning Seraphiel's affections. On the contrary, Lucifer was being quite civil. Not what he had been expecting at all. 'Um… Slow. Confining,' he eventually replied.

'I see. Oh! It would seem that Seraphiel is here, after all. And looking for you…,' Lucifer said as Seraphiel's voice rang out, demanding to know Castiel's whereabouts. 'Good. That should keep him busy for a while.'

Castiel tilted his head curiously at the tone in Lucifer's voice. There was regret and guilt—almost apologetic. He licked his lips before speaking. 'Whatever you're about to do…please stop. It doesn't have to be this way, Lucifer. D—Seraphiel believes in you. Don't…don't prove him wrong.'

Lucifer shook his head sadly and looked away. 'It's already too late,' he quietly replied before leaving Castiel alone in the darkened room.