Chapter 54
Last Resort
It started to rain as they cruised down highway I-90. Dean covered up Cas with the leather jacket, who was passed out on his lap, curled up against him.
He'd come to Oswego as fast as he could but they still had a shit ton of driving to do. Six and a half hours to be exact.
A lot could happen in that time.
Despite the fact his lover was peacefully and deliciously draped over Dean's lap and Cassie was potentially in danger, all he could think about was how badly he wanted to take out Metatron with the first blade.
Everything he saw was red. He needed blood. He needed to kill.
And it was impossible not to think about it.
He could only equate the feeling to being very very horny for a very long time and needing to get laid, but even then it didn't even come close to what he was feeling.
The only thing keeping a lid on his urge was the look of defeat and sheer depression staring back at him in the rearview mirror.
Sam.
Sam sat in the back, shaking with internal rage and grief.
Once again he'd failed.
All he could think about was how horrified Cassie had been at the graveyard, sobbing for those who had been brutally murdered and dismembered, the cold dead eyes of every corpse she saw, including the bodies of her family members. He'd completely failed to protect Cassandra and to top it off, let her entire family get slaughtered. By ghosts no less, the very thing he'd been trained his whole life to fight.
But the case had just been too big.
And then how abruptly she ended their phone call.
Why the hell did she want to meet them in Sanford, of all places?
"She better not be traveling on foot," Sam whispered to himself. The days of Cassie having to walk everywhere, adorning only a backpack and wad of cash were over. He was supposed to provide for her.
Where could she possibly have gone for her to want to meet them in Sanford, Maine?
Sam's heart sank every time the image of Cassie disappearing into that house conjured itself up in his head, causing him to visibly flinch. Maybe she'd been taken by a ghost or…
Wait a minute…
Where was she now?
Sam pulled out his laptop and logged onto the locator website they used for all of their phones.
Her phone was in Sanford, Maine.
What the Hell?
One minute she was with him in Oswego, and then in the next ten she'd suddenly traveled four hundred miles?
Oh shit. "Dean, she's already in Sanford."
He stiffened. "But she was with you in New York forty minutes before I picked you up. It's gonna take hours for us to get to Maine, how the hell is she already there?"
Sam wracked his brain. It just didn't add up. Unless…
Maybe she'd been somewhere after leaving Oswego and before ending up in Sanford. If he found out that location, he could get a gist of who had taken her.
He scrolled up to see the GPS' records.
Error.
Son of a bitch. "I think she was taken."
"By who? Crowley?" Dean took a guess, holding the steering wheel with one hand and resting his arm over Cas with the other.
Sam took a deep breath, clearing his head. It could've been, but…"I'm not sure…all I know is we gotta get there as soon as possible."
"Yeah, intuition is tellin' me she's up to somethin' and it ain't anything good." A thought suddenly occurred to him. "Isn't Sanford where she's from? That's where you guys ran into that Immortal jerkoff or whatever."
Sam's eyes widened.
At the mention of Amarandos, he knew exactly why Cassandra would be in Sanford.
"Dean, step on it. Fuck all the speed limit signs, fuck everything." Tears sprung to his eyes but he bit them back.
"What is it?" Dean asked, suddenly panicking internally at seeing his brother so distressed. "What are you thinkin'?"
He put his face in his hand, leaning against the car window. You promised me, he thought, clenching his fist. You can't just make a decision like this on your own. I need you. "If we don't…" we might not ever see her again.
Cassie gasped after falling to the ground. She held her head in her hands, groaning with dizziness, but eventually got herself to a standing position and rubbed her eyes, looking around.
She was back in Sanford.
Cassie still wasn't used to the whole Angel-teleporting-power-thing, but she recognized her surroundings. The library, the same intersection laced with trees…the cemetery where her father was buried…
She immediately started running down the road that would lead to the Brontes' jewelry shop.
It was a long shot, but it was all she had.
Sam dialed Cassie over and over, growing more and more depressed the more his calls went unanswered.
Is she in trouble or is she ignoring me on purpose?
Either way, it took a toll on his emotions.
Cas woke up, groggy and weak on Dean's lap, but sat up and ran his fingers through his hair to straighten it when he realized the car was still moving. "How much further?"
Dean didn't take his eyes off the road. "Legally, it would take another four hours, but we're gonna make it there in one."
He sighed. "I understand her actions," Cas said, his voice croaking with tiredness. "She sees the death of her siblings as a personal failure to protect them, so she wants to become stronger, preventing an incident like that from ever happening again."
"By what, shooting herself up with Angel juice? What if it kills her?"
Cas flinched. "If Cassandra doesn't make it through the process…she will disappear and Sarah's soul will inhabit the vessel." He didn't say anything more, trying not to think about it.
Dean shook his head. "So we'd meet the actual Sarah. Not looking forward to that."
"Cassie is not going to die," Sam said firmly, his eyes red from holding back tears. "She can't."
No one confirmed or denied his claim. The rest of the car ride was silent, and with each passing half hour the tension grew.
It was freezing, snow starting to fall. Cassie shivered and hugged herself, trying not to think of the blood and dirt coated on her hands.
Sarah was flickering in and out of Cassie's vision, and slowly she felt herself starting to slip. Cassie knew that Sarah knew she no longer had any intention of trying to preserve the human soul inside her vessel, so she was fighting back.
But Cassie was in no condition to barricade her conscious against Sarah's assaults. I have to, she thought. Sarah, you have to understand…
For her brother, for Dean, for…
His eyes were burned into her mind.
Soft, brown, warm.
It was the only thing keeping her from slipping away.
She circled around the building, pulling up a hood over her face to avoid the odd looks from passersby.
Like she figured, there was a back door to the store...but it was locked.
She didn't have any skill with picking locks like Sam, and even if she did, she didn't have any tools with her to attempt it. She looked around her, scanning the ground for anything that would be of use.
An old trick she'd had to use in her past involved one of the oldest ploys in the book.
She grabbed the glass bottle, knocked promptly and hard on the back door, then bolted to hide behind a large dumpster.
A few moments later Ikaros emerged, glancing around him suspiciously.
With her back against the dumpster, she threw the bottle forward, causing a large sound of breaking glass.
Ikaros immediately ran over to investigate, going right past her.
She only had a time window of maybe eight seconds.
Which is how long it was before she was inside the building with the door shut and locked behind her.
She crept quickly in a kneeling position, focusing on her watch so she could activate her blade if needed.
She made her way down a hall which eventually opened up into the main room with the jewelry counters and sofas, but she was looking for something in particular.
She glanced at all the office doors alongside her, trying to find the nameplate that would've been Amarandos' office…
But the only name she saw was Sabine Brontes.
That might be the next best thing. After Amarandos…passed away, it was possible that Sabine had moved a few of his belongings into her office, since she'd inherited them.
It was the only place it could be.
Remnants of the potion for awakening her grace.
She tried the knob, and to her incredible luck, it was unlocked.
She immediately ducked inside and locked the door behind her.
By this point, she'd heard loud banging from the door that she'd locked Ikaros' out of, but even if he made it back inside there was no way for him to tell which door she'd gone through.
Cassie flicked on the light to reveal a distinctly bohemian-themed space, a stark contrast to the clean, simplistic look of Amarandos' Greek style of blue and white staccato.
There were boxes, a desk, and various chests to look through.
She had probably five minutes to find it. Ikaros would search for her, fail to find her, alert Sabine, and the first thing she'd do was check her office.
To which she'd inevitably have a key to.
Cassie starting pulling open the drawers of filing cabinets, searching through Sabine's desk, rummaging through papers and lose strands of jewelry, all to no avail.
She had to be careful not to trip over the throw pillows on the floor that were most likely for clients.
Finally, she found a box sealed shut with duct tape, labeled toss.
It had to contain the remnants of what used to be in his office. Which hopefully included the potion.
After she found it, she'd bolt to her old house, call Crowley (she didn't have the summoning spell for a demon memorized) convince him to perform the spell…
And hopefully it would work.
Another twenty minutes passed before there was a sudden fluttering of wings…
And Gadreel appeared in the back seat.
Sam recoiled from him, immediately drawing his gun. "Dean!" he called.
Dean swerved in surprise but then straightened out the car, glancing into the rearview mirror. "GET THE HELL OUT OF MY CAR!"
"Dean, let's hear him out," Cas said, turning around to face Gadreel.
"Metatron took Cassandra. She then requested that I take her to Sanford, Maine."
God dammit. "Why?! Why did he take her?!" Sam yelled, not lowering his gun.
"Sam!" Cas shouted. "Put the gun down and listen! He's on our side!"
Sam glared at him for a few moments, but dropped the gun in his lap. "Why did he want her," he insisted. "What did he do to her?"
Gadreel sighed. "He took her through time and showed her each demise of every past lover you've ever had."
Sam froze. Wait…what? "Uhhh...oh. R-really?" That's not good.
Dean scoffed. "Jesus, no wonder she left."
"Dean, shut the hell up!" Sam growled, then turned back to Gadreel. "Why?"
Gadreel continued. "He was trying to convince her that eventually, she too would perish since Cassandra is so attatched to you. Metatron's goal was to drive her to attempting the awakening spell."
"Like that would work." Sam remembered her promise to him. "How would he possibly – "
" - So far everyone she's ever loved in her life has died. Except for the three of you. She is determined to protect you all, no matter the cost."
Sam shook his head, heat and anguish festering in his chest. "No, she doesn't…she can't possibly think it's her responsibility to protect us." It was supposed to be the other way around.
Dean suddenly pulled over and parked the car. Then turned around to face Gadreel.
"Get us there. Now."
Cassie stared at the box, her hand shaking just from holding it. She felt the power emanating from it, but at the same time the danger.
You don't want to do this, I feel it, Sarah warned. Waking up a 4,000 year old Warrior Angel? You won't be the same as you are now. Not by a long shot.
That statement solidified her decision. "That's the point," Cassie growled. The way I am now is weak. I couldn't protect my family, which means I can't protect Sam, and I sure as hell can't help my brother win this war. I don't have a choice. I have to do this.
Not to mention Metatron's smirk, the way he acted all high and superior to her, making wisecracks about the deaths of her family and Sam's past lovers…
One of the few times Sam connected with someone after his first relationship blew up in smoke.
She balled up her fist. I want to be strong enough to tear him to pieces.
We could work through this. You're acting rashly right now because you're grieving. I get that. But if it's really coming to this, I'm not gonna to hold back.
I know. She activated her blade, watching it gleam to life and take form.
Once it was firmly in her hand, she tore at the duct tape, opening the box.
There were various pieces of jewelry, gold and silver mini-idols of the Greek gods…
And three vials of the oily substance she recognized, sealed shut with wax.
She immediately stashed them in her jacket.
Cassie took a sharp intake of breath at the sound of the door's handle being jostled.
Someone was trying to get in.
There weren't any windows.
Shit. She dialed Crowley, flinching as she canceled out all the "missed call" notifications from Sam and Dean.
666.
"How'd you get this number, mortal?" A deep voice answered on the other line.
"Get Crowley," She demanded with a no-nonsense tone, starting to panic as the door was jostled more vigorously. "Tell him Lizzy is calling and it's tea time."
The demon on the other line picked up on the fact it was code, and he briefly said, "One moment, please."
There was a pause, and then she heard the now familiar British accent on the line. "Hello, Love. Didn't expect to get a call from – "
" – Brontes' Jewelry Shop in Sanford, Maine. I'm alone, trapped in Sabine Brontes' office."
She blinked and he was there, with a smirk. "You have the decency not to set a demon trap for me. Can't say the same for your Winchester counterparts."
"Get me to 934 Platt Drive," she said desperately, her head turning toward the door.
The knob was turning.
The door creaked open…
And they were both at the front door of her house.
Crowley crossed his arms. "You do know I'm the king of Hell right? I've got better things to do than chauffeur around wayward angels."
She sighed, letting out a huge breath. She was out and safe. Well, relatively.
You're about to commit glorified suicide, Sarah said. Cassie could practically see her arms crossed.
Actually it's going to be murder, Cassie countered coldly.
"You look like hell," Crowley suddenly said, looking her up and down. "I would know."
"Yeah I know," she sighed, putting her forehead in her hands. She couldn't believe there was a time she was afraid of Crowley.
Then again she supposed that she still should be.
"I got the last of the potion from Amarandos," she said, pulling out one of the vials.
Crowley looked at it, then back at her. "Bollucks." He rolled his eyes, knowing what she was going to ask. "You, young lady, are going to get a very large bill in the mail for this."
"I'm not young or a lady," she stated, "So you're wrong on both accounts."
Crowley snapped his fingers, and Cassie was back in order. Hair brushed, blood and dirt gone, and she smelled significantly better.
"Fairy godmother at your service," he said sarcastically, curling his fingers in a
come on" gesture as they entered the house.
Sam's first thought was to go back to the mansion and look for her, but she reduced that place to nothing.
There wouldn't be anything for her there.
The four men walked briskly around Sanford, Sam in the lead. "The only place she'd think to look has to be the jewelry place."
They reached it in minutes, then bolted in, metaphorical guns a-blazing.
Sabine froze momentarily at the counter, but crossed her arms. "I thought the deal was I wouldn't see you ag – "
Sam marched up to her and demanded, "Where is she."
Her eyes filled with recognition. "It was her," she realized, her eyes going to the hallway.
Sam's eyes followed hers, then he took five quick strides to the office door that laid ajar.
It was a mess inside, papers everywhere, boxes torn open…all covered in small smudges of dried blood.
She was here, Sam thought.
Sabine walked up next to him. "Ikaros got locked out of the building, and when I went to check the surveillance tapes to see what happened, I discovered that my office had been locked from the inside. But once I'd opened it, there was no one and nothing here but a huge mess."
Locked from the inside? Then how did she get out?
Dean stepped into the office, not caring much about the papers on the floor. He sniffed. "I smell sulfur."
Sam gritted his teeth. "Crowley."
Cassie lied on her back on her old bed, the same bed she'd given her virginity to Sam on.
He's why I'm here. He's the reason I need to get stronger.
Crowley drizzled the oil onto her skin without any of the sexual subtext that Amarandos had displayed, simply neutrally performing the spell.
He chanted a few words in latin, then slit her wrist and used her blood to draw symbols on the wall, just as Amarandos had done.
All that was left was to slam his hand against the symbol on the wall, and it would start.
"You're really sure about this? You can't take it back, whatever happens," Crowley said.
Cassie raised an eyebrow.
Crowley shrugged. "I mean I don't really care of course, it's just you know, I thought I should ask. Plus it'd be a shame to go through all this effort just to have you chicken out on me."
Cassie locked eyes with him, deciding not to close them just yet.
In case she didn't make it, she needed to have a last moment.
Something tangible to hold on to.
Her last memory would be lying in her old bedroom, covered in oil and blood with the King of Hell.
At least it's memorable, she told herself, but deep down she wanted her last tangible thing to be the feeling of her lips against Sam's.
But beggars can't be choosers.
"The boys are smarter than you give them credit for. After you've done it, you should leave. It won't take them long to figure out where I am, and they're not exactly gonna like you when they find out you're the one I put up to this."
Crowley surprisingly felt a twinge of human emotion tugging at him. Despite everything, she showed a smidge of compassion towards him, warning him ahead of time to get to a safe place. "You better come back you," he said, "We still haven't had tea." He broke his eyes away as his hand made contact with the wall.
