Song Remains the Same
Chapter 9 / Happy Freakin' Halloween
"You were told to soak the place and light the flame."
- Bullet for My Valentine
Alex and Castiel remained sitting on the bed in silence for all of three minutes, which was when the familiar sound of the Impala could faintly be heard outside. Alex immediately felt her nerves spike. What kind of state would Dean be in when he saw that she had crawled back? Beside her, Castiel appraised her as she stood and faced the door with her arms straight at her sides. She didn't have any more time to think about how she would react. The sound of the key sliding into the lock made her pulse hammer. Geez, you'd think a bloodthirsty werewolf was coming in... it's just your brothers. The door opened, revealing a familiar hulking form. Sam's face immediately registered shock and relief. "Alex! Oh my god!" He came forward without hesitation as if to embrace her, then noticed the other two men in the room. He moved toward his sister protectively, already reaching for his gun in his waistband as his voice became hard. "Who are these guys?"
Castiel had risen to his feet and Alex hurried to talk Sam down. "No, it's okay, it's okay." She shook her head, gesturing that Sam should leave weapons out of it. Behind her twin, the door darkened as Dean came in. His expression went from surprised to pissed in one second flat. Alex decided ignoring Dean would be best for now, and didn't look at him, instead motioning toward the angel who Sam scrutinized questioningly. "Sam, this is Castiel—the angel." A starstruck quality made Sam's face drop.
The angel nodded a stuff greeting. "Hello Sam."
"Oh my god!" Sam exclaimed, then his eyes went wide in embarrassment. "Er—uh—I didn't mean to—sorry. It's an honor, really, I—I've heard a lot about you." Sam held his hand out for a handshake.
Castiel stared at the outstretched hand with what Alex could only guess was confusion. Even as she thought that he looked at her like he was asking for an explanation. She stared back, bemused and wondering why he was so daft. "Shake it. Shake his hand." It was sort of cute if he really didn't know, but— "It's a greeting," she explained, mystified as she tried to figure it out. Had he really never seen a handshake? Surely he had.
As if to illustrate the point, Sam shook his hand up and down in the air. Castiel seemed to understand and put his hand into Sam's. "It is an honor to meet you, Sam Winchester. The boy with the demon blood." Sam's face fell slightly and Alex gave Cas quite the look. "Glad to see you've ceased your extracurricular activities," the angel continued, which alerted Alex to some good news indeed: Sam had stopped. Thank god.
"And let's keep it that way," Uriel commented passively, still facing out of the window with his back turned to them.
Dean, who hung back with an unhappy expression on his face, regarded Uriel harshly, then looked at Castiel and Alex for an explanation. "Anyone gonna introduce this guy, or...?"
"Heaven's biggest douchebag," Alex answered before Castiel could.
Dean met her gaze, scowling. "And just where the hell have you been?"
She shook her head. Not with the angels here. "Later."
"You bet your ass," he shot back peevishly.
Castiel approached Dean, oblivious to the siblings' conversation and focused on something else. "The raising of Samhain, have you stopped it?"
Samhain. Why did that sound familiar? Dean looked from his sister to the angel testily. "Why?"
"Dean, have you located the witch?" Castiel sounded short on patience.
"Yes, we've located the witch," Dean replied curly.
"And is the witch dead?"
"No, but—" Sam started.
"We know who it is." Dean crossed his arms.
Castiel nodded thoughtfully and walked over to the bedside table where a small hex bag sat. "Apparently the witch knows who you are, too." Crap! Alex hadn't even noticed that! She withered, embarrassed and dodging Dean's brief glare at her. Castiel picked the bag up and held it high. "This was inside the wall of your room. If we hadn't found it, surely one or even all of you would be dead." The Winchesters stared at the hex bag with mixed reactions—being on a witch's bad side was one of the worst things, ever, period. "Do you know where the witch is now?" Castiel asked.
Sam and Dean exchanged a look which Alex recognized with a twisting stomach. They weren't quite there yet. Dean confirmed her suspicions with his next comment. "We're, uh, working on it."
Castiel's jaw tightened. "That's unfortunate."
Dean was growing impatient. "What's it to you, anyway?"
"The raising of Samhain is one of the sixty-six seals."
"…So this is about your buddy Lucifer."
"Lucifer is no friend of ours," Uriel again interjected from his place near the window.
Dean looked his way irritably. "It's just an expression."
"Lucifer cannot rise, the breaking of the seal must be prevented at all costs." Castiel sounded deadly serious.
"Why don't you kill the witch then? You're super-powered angels, right?" Alex asked, pointing out what everyone else was thinking. Something here just didn't feel right.
Castiel shook his head so faintly it could have been imagined. "We cannot kill this witch."
"Okay, great," Dean muttered, "then why don't you tell us where the witch is, we'll gank her and everybody goes home."
"We're not omniscient," Castiel replied. "This witch is very powerful, she's cloaked even to our methods."
Alex felt a prick of interest—there was a way to hide from angels? She was gonna find out about that.
Sam, ever the peacekeeper, spoke up again. "Okay, well we already know who she is, so if we work together—"
Uriel cut him off. "Enough of this."
Dean lost patience and wheeled, staring Uriel down with growing fire. "Okay, who are you and why should I care?"
Uriel simply turned and looked at Dean in silence, leaving Castiel to explain.
"This is Uriel, he's what you might call a… specialist."
Uriel finally approached with his hands behind his back and the hint of a smug smile playing on arrogant lips.
"What kind of specialist?" There was a long pause, and Dean's voice softened as he began to catch on. "What are you gonna do?"
Castiel's mouth was in a somber, thin line. "All three of you need to leave this town immediately."
Alex's eyes darted to the angel in shock. "Why would we leave? Don't we need to stop this Samhain guy?" After all, the angel had just told her, early that morning, to come to this town quickly. She glanced at Uriel, then Castiel, remembering his mysterious warning not to tell Uriel about that.
Cas met her gaze dead on, narrowing his eyes just slightly. "You have to leave because we're about to destroy this town."
"What!" Sam exclaimed.
"You're gonna smite the whole friggin' town?" Dean's disbelief palatable.
"Yes," was Castiel's emotionless answer.
"What?!" Alex stared at the angel, any short-lived fondness she'd had for him evaporating into thin air. "You failed to mention that little detail, Castiel!" she exploded accusingly, to which he looked at her without any trace of uncertainty or remorse. Only grim certainty.
"We're simply out of time. This witch has to die. The seal must be saved."
"There are a thousand people here!" Sam protested.
"One thousand two hundred fourteen," Uriel corrected, blasé.
"And you're willing to kill them all?" Sam was awash in disbelief.
"This isn't the first time I've… purified a city." Uriel hid a proud smile at his selection of words.
"Look, I understand this is regrettable," Castiel said, to all three of the Winchesters' dismay.
"'Regrettable'?" Dean repeated in disgust.
Alex felt too shocked to do anything except reel in betrayed disbelief. "…What kind of game are you angels playing?"
A muscle in Castiel's jaw jerked and he wouldn't look her fully in the eye. "We have to hold the line; too many seals have broken already."
"But these are people! Aren't you supposed to protect people? All people? Families? Kids?" Alex desperately searched for even a drop of empathy from either of the angels.
"You screw the pooch on some seals and this town—these people—have to pay the price?" Dean added angrily.
Castiel met Dean's gaze, but it was with effort. "It's the lives of one thousand against the lives of six billion, there's a bigger picture here." Castiel stepped closer, almost getting in Dean's face. "Lucifer cannot rise—he does and Hell rises with him. Is that something that you're willing to risk?"
"There has to be another way," Alex insisted.
Sam was right behind her. "We'll stop this witch before she summons anyone," he promised. "Your seal won't be broken and no one has to die. We just have to find her. Just give us that chance, please!"
"We're wasting time with these mud monkeys," Uriel muttered, as if the Winchester three weren't in the room.
Alex glared at Cas and jabbed an angry pointing finger Uriel's direction. "Cas, I have about had it with that dude."
"I'm sorry," Castiel said without feeling, turning away from the Winchesters, "but we have our orders."
"No, you can't do this, you're angels!" Sam protested. Uriel chuckled. Sam tried again. "I mean aren't you supposed to—you're supposed to show mercy!"
"Says who?" Uriel seemed amused. Sam looked like someone had killed his dog.
"We have no choice," Castiel repeated, to which Dean scoffed.
"Of course you have a choice, I mean, come on!" Dean glared at the angels in turn. "You've never questioned a crap order, huh? What are you both just a couple of hammers?"
Castiel sounded on edge when he replied. "Look, even if you can't understand it, have faith, the plan is just."
"Are you kidding right now?" Alex asked, shaking. Castiel looked back at her sharply as she continued. "Does it sound just? Killing a bunch of innocent clueless people because of the... the sin of one? How is that okay to you in any way?"
Castiel's facade faded into the beginning of reluctance. "It may not make sense to you, but it is what must happen. It comes from Heaven. That is how I know it is just."
"Oh, it must be nice to be so sure of yourselves," Dean said sarcastically.
Castiel looked at him seriously. "Tell me something Dean, when your father gave you an order, didn't you obey?"
Dean's expression chilled and he took a beat to find the ability to reply. "Don't go there with me," he said lowly, then pressed his lips into a thin line. "Know what? You two halos might wanna leave now. Plans have changed."
"You think you can stop us?" Uriel arched a darkly amused brow.
Dean began slowly drifting up toward Uriel, his face a mask. "Maybe not, but if you're gonna smite this whole town, then you're gonna have to smite us with it, because we're not leaving. See, you went to the trouble of busting me outta hell, I figure I'm worth something to the man upstairs. So you wanna waste me, go ahead, see how he digs that. Oh, and remember my baby sis over here? God wants her protected. That means undead. So destroying a city with her in it, not the best idea!"
Uriel's amusement was gone. "I will drag you both out of here myself," the angel growled.
Alex couldn't help herself. "I'd like to see you try, asshole."
"With pleasure," he replied, and made to move toward her. Dean and Castiel stepped in at the same time, blocking Uriel's intended path.
"Do not touch the girl," Castiel warned. Alex sent an insolent and false smile directly at Uriel, who fumed.
Dean pushed past Castiel, getting in Uriel's face. "Over my dead body you'll lay one finger on her. And if you wanna drag me outta here, you'll have to kill me first." He turned and looked at Castiel. "We can do this, Cas. We'll find that witch and we'll stop the summoning. Just call off your attack dog."
Uriel apparently had reached the end of his patience. "Castiel! I will not let these peop—"
"Enough!" Castiel commanded surprisingly loudly, holding up a hand for silence. The room fell into quiet, and Castiel stared at Dean, then glanced at Alex, then Sam. Alex felt her heart hammering and her anxiety climbing. If Castiel said no, what next? She knew she couldn't stand by and let a whole town go up in smoke, but these were freaking angels... could she and her brothers really stand up to them if they were forced to? She wouldn't find out. It didn't come to that. Castiel relented with utmost grimness. "I suggest you move quickly," he said to Dean, and relief surged.
"Yeah great. And I suggest you two get lost," Dean retorted bluntly. The angels looked at each other and with the sound of wind against fabric, they disappeared from the room.
Sam appeared shellshocked, looking at Alex in disappointed confusion. She could see that the angels had not made the best first impression on her twin. She was blindsided about the plans to destroy the town and the angels' apparent apathy toward human life. Dean breathed in a deep, steadying breath then turned on his sister, his expression quite unpleasant. "Okay, that's out of the way. So. Explain yourself. Now."
Here we go. "Relax, Dean. Listen—"
"No, you listen. You think you can just up and run away in the middle of the freaking apocalypse? That you can just leave without a word to me? I never figured you for a deserter, Alex!" He began pacing in front of her, talking with his hands angrily. "Did you even think about how worried we'd be? You could've gotten hurt! You might not've been able to find us again! You didn't even think about what this would do to the family!"
"Dean—" Alex tried, looking away from him in discomfort. What he was saying was true, and it hurt.
"Oh, I'm not done." Dean was cold. "Of all the stupid crap you've pulled—"
Alex's voice rose as she cut her brother off. "Dean! Did you ever stop to think that maybe this is why I left?" She tried hard to stay calm, but it was hard. "You act like you run this family and the people in it!" He pursed his mouth, disliking the accusation. Alex wet her lips, trying to speak more evenly. All of the speeches she had rehearsed in her mind were gone, and she found herself stumbling over words. "I just needed some—some room to breathe. Some quiet to work through my thoughts."
"What thoughts?" Dean scoffed. "We have one little fight over Sam's demon crap and you abandon ship?"
"No!" Alex protested, beginning to feel like she was losing. "It's not even that, it's… I just—our family is in the worst shape I can ever remember it being in, you know? Every time I turn around, one of us is fighting the other about something."
Dean looked dismissive. "And?"
"And I can't take it!" Alex shot back.
"Tough crap, Sally Sue. This is our life and it's not all roses and throw pillows."
Alex crossed her arms, getting fed up. "Okay, now you're just being a dick cuz you're mad at me."
"You're damn right I'm fuckin' mad!"
Sam finally piped up. "Dean, come on, take it easy on her."
Dean whirled on his brother. "Shut up Sam! This conversation doesn't involve you."
"Like hell it doesn't," Sam countered, physically approaching his older brother. "Do you honestly think she'll stay if you talk to her like this?"
"I'll talk to either of you whatever way I like!" Dean retorted.
Sam was measured and reasonable. "Yeah, and look where that's gotten you." That drew some serious attitude from Dean in return.
"Don't tell me you're on her side."
Sam made a face. "Why does it have to be about sides?"
"Oh wow, so now it's my fault!" Dean crossed his arms defensively, grinning coldly before he glared once again. "Where the hell is this coming from? Both of you are free to leave, anytime! I'm not forcing you to stay and I sure as hell don't want you here if you're not committed."
"Dean, come on, man…" Sam complained.
"You don't have to act like that," Alex added.
Dean was in rare form. "Yeah, guess I should feel zero about my sister skipping out on the family huh." He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
Alex sank down onto the bed, putting her face in her hands and growling in frustration. Her head was killing her again, and her throat felt on fire. After a minute, she felt the bed dip as Sam sat beside her. His arm came around her and his hand squeezed her shoulder gently. "Hey," he said simply.
She looked up at him, and his sympathetic expression and offer of peace bridged the gap somewhere deep inside for her. "Hey," she replied softly. They shared a small, hesitant smile. A truce. Sam pulled her a little closer, and she put her head against his shoulder, squeezing him back—and just like that, all the months of being too angry to even speak to each other seemed to evaporate.
"He'll cool off in a couple minutes," Sam counseled softly. "He's just been worried sick about you. We, uh, we both have."
Alex drew back to look her twin in the eye. She felt guilt clenching her stomach again. "I shouldn't have left. I feel really stupid."
"Nothing we can't get past," Sam said, his voice full of willingness and a comforting empathy that she didn't feel she deserved. He laughed softly. "I mean, I kind of understand wanting to leave." He became serious once again. "I've run away before, too, you know. About time you gave it a try." He offered a surprisingly conspiratorial smile. And then Alex sneezed loudly and sniffled afterward. "Eesh. You don't sound so good."
Alex grabbed a tissue off the bedside table. "I'll be fine," she mumbled. She blew her nose with noisy gusto, receiving a slightly grossed out look from her twin. She tossed the tissue and stared at her knees. It was time to face what was eating at her. The witch and the mission could wait for a few minutes. "I, uh, I owe you an apology, Sam."
He looked surprised, then touched, then quickly shook his head. "I'm the one who needs to apologize." He paused. "Ever since you left, I've been thinking about it. A lot, and I need to go first." He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. "I should've done a lot of things differently. Not lied to you and Dean for starters." His expression was pained. "And not left you alone after Dean died. I was so angry and messed up. Had myself convinced that you didn't want me there."
Alex shook her head, eyes softening with self-loathing tears. "I know." Telling your brother you wished they were dead tended to do that.
"It's okay," he said tensely but genuinely. "We both said things we didn't mean that night and I always knew that." He wet his lips, barreling on with more. "You know, I never got the guts to tell you but, ever since you got your voice back... I, I dunno, it was a big change for me. I was always your big brother who you needed, you know? I wasn't used to you being, I dunno, like so independent." He laughed softly, maybe a little embarrassed. "All I knew was for the first time in my life, you yelled at me, you made me feel like you hated me. That's a normal sibling thing I guess but... well, you ripped me a new one and... I guess it just really shook me up. Mostly because I agreed with what you said about me. I did abandon the family."
"I don't hate you, Sam," Alex managed, so full of regret her throat choked up. "And I don't think you abandoned us like that, I was just—I was just trying to hurt you I guess. Wish I could take it all back." How could she explain it? The new problem this year had presented? "It's been hard, being able to just say whatever I want to right away." She sniffled, and not from her cold. "There's... there's no time to think. I just... say things, before I even know what I'm doing." Sam again put a reassuring arm around her shoulder. "Telling you that I wished you were dead instead of Dean was the most fucked up thing I could have ever said." Her voice cracked. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean it, not for a second."
Sam's face showed compassion and relief. "I know that. And you need to know I did not leave the family when I was eighteen because of you, or because of Dean. I just wanted a normal life. To get out from underneath Dad's thumb." He trailed off and looked down. "But no matter what I wanted, I always end up right back here. 'Cause it's where I belong, I guess." He sounded unsure about that last part. Alex looked at him sadly. She knew he was always going to long for a 'normal life' deep down, and would probably never be able to have them. That made her ache for him. She knew he'd always felt different and broken. She knew that feeling well too.
"I'm just really glad you're here, Sam," she told him honestly, intensely thankful that they'd found a way to bridge the gap.
He cracked a grin at her, dimples cutting into his cheeks. "Me too." Alex hugged her arms around him, finally feeling okay for the first time in a while. Even if it were only for a couple seconds.
Dean burst back in, only fractionally calmer than when he had left. Seeing them sitting on the bed and embracing, he gave them an annoyed face. "Ladies, this is so touching. My heart can't take it. But we got a witch to find and not much time to do it in." He waited expectantly, jerking his thumb toward where he'd come from.
"Yup." Sam stood up.
"Also, some jerkwad egged my friggin' car," Dean said, supremely aggravated. He finally looked at Alex and cleared his throat. "Sorry about chewing your head off back there. You know how I get."
Alex stood, grabbing the hotel notepad and pen off the side table then heading his way. "Yeah, I do."
Dean sighed heavily and held out his hand. "Truce?"
She shook it with her free hand. "Truce." And that was how Dean apologized.
"Glad you're back, Al," Dean told her, but in no uncertain terms fixed her with a warning look. "But if you leave like that again, I'll friggin' kill you."
"Yeah, yeah." She was already heading out the door, scribbling on the notepad as she walked: This motorcycle was stolen and belongs to the man at the following address. She wrote down the street name, house number, and city of the residence she'd stolen the bike from—she'd committed the info to memory before whizzing away. Alex tucked the note into a tight space near the speedometer, planning to call the hotel front desk in a bit to alert them about the note. She patted the bike sadly. "Nice knowing you." When she turned, Dean was shaking his head and laughing at her from the nearby sidewalk.
"Such a do-gooder," he said, but even though he was poking fun at her, she could hear the hint of pride in his voice.
The Winchesters got into the Impala (which was splattered in eggs, just like Dean said), and Alex sank into the familiar back seat, breathing in the scent of old leather and familiarity. Home again. She smiled.
Up front, Dean had his eyes on Sam, who had fallen silent since exiting the hotel. "What's wrong, Sammy?"
"Nothing." Sam was clearly not being honest. A second later he sighed and relented. "I just thought they'd be different."
"Angels?" Alex guessed.
"I just… I mean, I thought they'd be righteous."
"Well, they are righteous, I mean, that's kinda the problem," Dean said, turning on the windshield wipers. "Of course there's nothing more dangerous than some a-hole who thinks he's on a holy mission."
"But, I mean, this is God? And Heaven? This is what I've been praying to?"
"Sucks, doesn't it?" Alex's question wasn't rude. It was gentle. She thought back to all of her strange interactions with Castiel, who did not fit her preconceived notions of angels.
Sam glumly agreed. "Yeah."
A brief silence hung. Then Dean tried to cheer Sam up. "Look man, I know you're into the whole God thing, you know, Jesus on a tortilla and stuff like that. But just because there's a couple of bad apples doesn't mean the whole barrel's rotten. I mean, for all we know, God hates these jerks. Don't give up on this stuff is all I'm saying. Babe Ruth was a dick but baseball's still a beautiful game."
Doubtful at Dean's analogy, Sam nevertheless began going through the hex bag contents. He pulled out a small, blackened shape that looked suspiciously like a bone. Dean chuckled as he cut off the windshield wipers. "Well, are you gonna figure out a way to find this witch, Sam, or are you just gonna sit there fingering your bone?"
Alex snickered, shaking her head at Dean's immature sense of humor. "You think you're so funny."
"You're laughing," he pointed out, pleased with himself. Alex rolled her eyes and smashed the smile off her face.
Sam missed the joke, intently staring at the bone. "You know how much heat it would take to char a bone like this, guys?"
"A lot?" Alex asked glibly, getting an eye roll from Sam.
"No kidding, Sherlock. A lot more than a regular fire or some kitchen oven could produce."
Dean joined in on the trolling. "Okay Betty Crocker, what's that mean?"
"It means we make a stop," Sam said. "Back to the school."
Alex leaned forward in the seat as Dean started the car. "While we're on the way, someone catch me up to speed."
Dean immediately saw an opportunity to amuse himself. "Not it."
Sam sighed. "Basically… this witch is trying to raise Samhain, the demon who pretty much founded Halloween. Apparently, today is the day where the veil between the living and the dead is the thinnest."
Alex wanted to groan. "Awesome."
"Yeah. And if he rises, he can raise other things from Hell."
"But you guys know who the witch is?"
"Yup. It's this high schooler named Tracy. But we haven't been able to find her."
"Damn." Alex looked at the dashboard clock. It was getting close to six. "We don't have a whole lot of day left, guys."
"Which is why we gotta find her, and soon."
Castiel and Uriel lingered at the edge of a city park, watching humans enjoying the crisp fall weather.
"I don't like this." Uriel sat on a bench, his expression terse.
"The decision's been made," Castiel replied from where he stood a few steps off.
Uriel laughed humorlessly. "By a mud monkey."
He received a hooded sidelong glance from Castiel. "You shouldn't call them that."
Uriel chuckled. "Ah, it's what they are. Savages. Just plumbing on two legs."
Castiel's jaw tightened. "You're close to blasphemy." Uriel just sighed at him, and Castiel tried to reason with his brother yet again. "There's a reason we were sent to save Dean Winchester. He has potential. He may succeed here." Uriel said nothing as Castiel sat down beside him. "And any rate, it's out of our hands."
"It doesn't have to be."
Castiel's sharp eyes cut sidelong dangerously. "And what would you suggest?"
"That we drag Dean and Alex Winchester out of here and then we blow this insignificant pinprick off the map."
Castiel fixed his brother with a stern gaze. "You know our true orders. Are you prepared to disobey?"
Uriel smirked, looking out at the park. "Are you?" He looked back at Castiel, the smile almost mocking.
Castiel didn't understand. "What are you implying?"
There was a pious pause. "There is… concern among our brethren that your judgement has become... impaired. I saw it myself. The way you spoke with those little flecks. Like they were your equals. As if you didn't have command or authority over them."
Castiel shook his head, trying to ignore the way a protective, defensive feeling flared in him. "I'm only carrying out the tasks I've been given."
"No. We both know it has gone far past that. The way you treat them—especially the girl—" Uriel shook his head, trailing off even as Castiel for reasons unknown felt he had been caught in a sin. "Be careful, brother. Do not confuse humans for angels. And do not let this... fascination be your undoing."
Uriel stood and walked a few feet away, leaving Castiel to himself. And although Castiel did not move or change his expression, he felt a strange sensation somewhere in his stomach. Uneasiness.
After stopping by the high school and visiting the art department, Sam found a drawer where more human bones were stored. When paired with the brothers' realization that the hex bag showed up in their motel room after they spoke with the art teacher, they made quick work of accessing the school's teacher files and getting the address for a Don Harding—the art teacher.. He had. apparently led Sam and Dean on a wild goose chase, tricking them into believing that a student named Tracy was the witch, not him.
It was dark when they got out of the school and drove to Don's quiet and dark house. In the basement, they found the art teacher in the process of sacrificing a small, blonde girl—Tracy. Sam, thinking he was saving the day, shot Don without hesitation. When they helped the girl out of her restraints, they realized they'd been triple tricked: she revealed herself as the witch and with only a word, sent all three Winchesters crashing to the floor, paralyzed with pain. She began completing the spell as they writhed helplessly on the floor. Her chanting grew louder and louder, shaking the room with dark power as Samhain's spirit conjured. While Tracy wasn't looking, Sam thought quickly and smeared blood from Don's gun wound onto his face, then Dean's and Alex's, whispering "trust me!"
They played dead—possibly the stupidest and craziest thing they had ever done—and listened to Samhain (now inhabiting Don's body) kill Tracy. He left without even a second glance at the Winchesters, much to their relief. They were quick to get up and give chase, but Samhain had already disappeared. Sam suggested that he would go where he could raise the largest amount of spirits. On that wild hunch, the Winchesters headed for the town graveyard.
Sam's theory turned out to be correct. The Winchesters heard screams coming from the central crypt as soon as they arrived. The three hunters raced through the graveyard and into the crypt then down the stairs where a group of costume-wearing teenagers were locked inside the mausoleum behind a metal gate. Behind them, gravestones were cracking and crumbling as corpses struggled to break free. Not good.
"Where's Samhain?!" Dean frantically looked around for the demon.
Sam peered down a side tunnel, then pointed to Dean and Alex. "He must've gone that way. You guys help them!"
"Dude, you're not going off alone!" Dean protested even as Sam took off down the hall, demon blade in hand.
"Just do it!" Sam shouted over his shoulder.
"Dammit." Alex cursed to herself as Dean yelled at the teens to stand back. He shot the lock in half and then with team effort, he and his sister yanked the gate open.
"Go on, come on, get out, move!"
Even as the screaming teens streamed out, something in mausoleum room crashed to the ground, shattering. A once-human, now-zombie crawled out of the grave they'd just escaped and stood awkwardly even as another grave cap crashed to the ground. Another mangled zombie began to crawl out.
"Stake, please," Alex required in a high-pitched voice, holding an urgent open hand out to Dean.
He was already rummaging in his backpack. He tossed her one then pulled out another, his sights set on zombie number one. "Bring it on, stinky!" He charged forward and plunged the stake into the zombie's chest while Alex dropped the zombie that had only partially crawled out of the grave. Another door of another grave crashed down, then another and another.
"Dean, there's like twenty graves in here!" Alex shouted, lunging at the newest zombie to arrive. The knife sunk into the rotting flesh with a sickening squelch and she kicked the zombie off the blade, her face twisting. Gross. She turned, startled to see a pale woman standing beside her. Alex attempted to attack her with the silver blade, but the woman flickered out and disappeared, only to reappear behind her. Crap, a ghost too?! Both Winchesters went crashing against one of the stone walls.
"Ouch," Alex groaned.
"Zombie ghost orgy huh?" Dean panted, realizing they were going to get outnumbered real quick around here.
Alex grimaced and pushed herself up to her feet. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
"Yup. We're torching this whole place."
A couple minutes later, Dean and Alex sprinted down the hall after Sam, leaving a blazing inferno behind in the mausoleum.
They rounded a corner and froze. Sam stood at the end of the hallway, Samhain facing him. Sam's hand was extended, his face screwed up in pained concentration. He was doing exactly what Dean had begged him not to.
"Oh my god," Alex breathed in horror. "What do we do?"
Shocked, Dean couldn't manage a real reply. "I—I don't..."
Blood ran down from Sam's nose, as he exerted himself with what looked like agony. Black smoke poured out of Samhain as he stumbled forward, trying to reach Sam. But he fell over as Sam's exorcism succeeded. Sam shuddered, looking close to collapse. Breathing heavily, he looked up at his brother and sister, already shamefaced. At the sight of him so pitiful and afraid, Alex darted forward, trying to help him stand, asking if he was all right, wiping the blood from his face, shaking from adrenaline and shock and even a little fear. Sam began crying, maybe from shame, maybe from pain. It was hard to tell. Either way, he had saved them. But at what cost?
Dean approached slowly, his expression sad and even a little afraid.
The Next Day
Sam and Alex packed up alone in the motel room. It had been a quiet morning. Dean had remained pensive and troubled, Sam apologetic and conflicted, Alex just ready for it all to be over. She could accept that Sam's abilities had saved them, and that they might not have succeeded without them. But it was eating at her. She didn't know if she should be afraid of Sam. It wasn't exactly a human ability to be able to exorcise demons with the mind alone, but did that matter at the end of the day? For now, she decided to try and treat Sam normally. He felt like a freak, and she didn't want him to feel like that. She'd been much too harsh on him before.
She stooped to pick something off the floor and looked across the bed at her twin. "Don't forget your dirty socks." She mischievously threw them at his face. He caught them with fractions of an inch to spare and threw them back at her, chuckling. "Hey!" she laughed. Then her expression fell. She stared at the newcomer seated on the couch behind Sam.
"Tomorrow," said his deep voice. Sam whirled around to see Uriel. "November the second, it's an anniversary for you," the angel continued.
"What are you doing here?" Sam demanded.
Alex regarded him darkly. "Where's Castiel?"
Uriel stood, ignoring the questions. "It's the day Azazel killed your mother. The day your voice was taken away." He glanced at Alex briefly before looking back at Sam. "And twenty-two years later, your girlfriend's life taken too, Sam. It must be difficult to bear, yet you so brazenly use the power he gave you, boy. His profane blood pumping through your veins."
Sam's eyebrows raised faintly. "Excuse me?"
"You were told not to use your abilities," Uriel said flatly.
"What was I supposed to do? That demon would've killed me, my brother and sister, and everyone else too."
"You were told not to."
"If Samhain had gotten loose in this town–"
"You've been warned, twice now," Uriel said, not breaking eye contact with Sam.
Alex became more and more defensive. "Sam did what he had to. While you did nothing."
Uriel finally acknowledged her, distaste bold on his features. "You test my patience, little speck."
"Hey," Sam growled, blustering up. "Watch the way you speak to my sister." He shook his head with a short humorless and cold smile. "You know? My brother was right about you, you are dicks."
Uriel ignored the insult. "The only reason you're still alive, Sam Winchester, is because you've been useful." His presence was threatening, his gaze deadly. "But the moment that ceases to be true, the second you become more trouble than you're worth, one word. One, and I will turn you to dust."
Alex stepped into Uriel's space, her expression and voice deadly. Uriel stared back unyieldingly. "Don't come in here and threaten my brother after he saves a whole goddamn town."
Uriel smiled softly, dark amusement playing on his voice. "I do as I like, child. Don't think just because Castiel guards your life that makes you safe." Well that was shady. But, Uriel did step back a bit. "As for your older brother, tell him that maybe he should climb off that high horse of his."
Sam's anger was becoming palatable. "You know, I think I've had just about enough of your self-righteous advice."
"You should be grateful that I even grace you with my presence," Uriel hissed. He paused and looked at Alex, then Sam again. "Ask Dean what he remembers from Hell." Then, he was gone just as suddenly as he had come.
…What Dean remembered from Hell? Alex's mind reeled. "…What's he talking about, Sam?" The question was soft. Afraid.
Sam looked similarly troubled and thought hard. "I asked Dean about it, remember? He said he didn't remember anything from Hell." The twins looked at each other for a long, uneasy moment. Was Dean lying to them? Why would he do that?
"I mean, he's seems... okay, right? Maybe a little easier to piss off than normal?" Alex tried to find evidence in her recent memories, and began to feel a sense of dismay. "We would know. Wouldn't we? If something were wrong. We would be able to tell, right?"
Sam's guilt-stricken answer only made her spirits sink further. "Maybe not." Alex racked her brain as paranoia set in. Sam ran a hand through his hair, his worry growing more intense. "And what the hell did Uriel mean about you not being safe?" His jaw set hard. "I don't like this."
Alex jogged across the street to where Dean sat on a bench alone with his back to her. She was fired up, ready to tell him about Uriel and demand answers about Hell, but when she got to where he was, she could see that something was very wrong from the way he looked. Forgetting her original objective, she hesitated, then sat carefully. "Hey. You okay?"
"Yeah." He looked at the ground between his feet. "Cas just popped in for a quick chat."
Alex's frown deepened. So, he got a visit from an angel too. "What'd he want?"
Dean gave a short, tormented laugh. "Would you believe he told me that his orders weren't to destroy the town? His orders were to go along with what I said."
Alex couldn't hide her surprise. "After that big 'but we have no other choice' speech?" Dean shrugged. He wasn't angry. He was disturbed, which was worse. "But why?" Alex asked, confounded. "What kind of game is that?"
"He said it was a test."
Alex's eyebrows rose as she quickly realized the implication. "Like, from God?"
Dean was preoccupied. "I guess."
"Okay... so did you pass?"
A muscle jerked in Dean's cheek. "Cas didn't know." He shook his head, at a loss. "I mean, look at this. These people, this town. It could all be gone if I wasn't the stubborn asshole that I am." He breathed out heavily, watching a nearby mother push her laughing toddler on a swing. "I could've sentenced these people to death without even knowing it. Why's this all on me? I don't get it. And these so-called angels. Especially Cas." He paused darkly. "Dunno what to make of that guy." Alex didn't either. The quiet way he said the words, the anxious look on his face, the way he was absently wringing his hands together... Alex worried. She trusted Dean's judgement, but she felt the same about Castiel: she didn't know. And she was worried about what God wanted with Dean. And for that matter, with her.
She leaned forward, elbows on her knees, matching her brother's stance. "I was starting to think he was an okay guy until he started talking about wiping out a town of people. But I mean, maybe he can't help it. Angels don't have free will according to most mythology." Even though she wasn't sure if she bought that theory after meeting a couple of them.
"Maybe not," Dean replied darkly. "I'm not convinced yet."
Alex studied her brother closely. "What makes you say that?"
Dean wet his lips. "Just a feeling."
She thought momentarily about relaying how Castiel was the one who told her to hustle back to Dean and Sam... but then decided against it, for now. She wasn't sure why Castiel had done it, and she wanted to know that much first. Especially since it had been kept a secret from Uriel. "Can we trust this guy?" she asked quietly. She really, really needed to know. More than she'd needed to know something for a long time.
There was a long pause. "Not sure yet."
She nodded solemnly and for a moment, the silence was companionable as each Winchester fell into thoughts. "You know, I'm not convinced that angels are the good guys," Alex finally said.
"Yeah. I definitely get that." Dean managed a thin smile. "Life was a lot simpler when it was just demons, huh?"
Alex chuckled weakly. He was right. "Well, whether or not Cas is trustworthy… he gave me back my brother. So. Can't hate the guy, probably." Dean looked at her from the corner of his eye. Alex continued, enjoying this part: "Uriel can go fuck himself though."
Dean finally chuckled. "I'm with you on that one."
Another beat of silence passed, in which Alex decided to make the long overdue confession that had been bothering her this past week. With a soft clearing of the throat, she started off awkwardly. "Hey—you remember the time Sam smoked in the car?"
"Huh?" It had, after all, been years ago. But Dean's confusion evaporated. "Oh... yeah, actually. I do." He sounded distantly surprised. "Why?"
"Well. Uh... that wasn't Sam who smoked in there." Alex looked at him with a wince. "It was me."
Incredulous, Dean's eyebrows rose up high. "That was you?" A disbelieving smile came over his face, then a lecturing look as he shoved her shoulder playfully. "You little twerp." He thought a minute more then made another realization. "Whoa, guess I owe Sam a big-time apology, huh."
He wasn't the only one. "Me too. Shouldn't have let him take the fall."
Dean remained blessedly lighthearted. "Ah, he'd do anything for you, you know that. You're too cute to say no to." Alex wrinkled her nose at him and he pinched her chin like he used to do when they were little, chuckling when she batted him away. In a better mood, he slapped both of his hands down on his knees. "All right. Enough of all this sappy stuff. I want a corn dog."
Hidden from human sight, Castiel watched as Alex and Dean made their way back to the motel. They walked closely, in sync without meaning to be. They had clearly made amends, and he heard the rare sound of Alex laughing as the two got further away. He liked that sound.
The little smile on his face faded as other thoughts returned. Telling Alex to come to this city had been his own idea. After he had learned about the plan to present the brothers with the imminent destruction of the city—after being made aware that Uriel would be the one who accompanied him—Castiel had felt an inexplicable urge to take matters into his own hands. He had known that the Winchesters would be against the idea of a whole town being wiped out. They were a family who'd spent their lives fighting to save strangers, after all.
But knowing Uriel's persuasions, Castiel had reasoned that Alex's presence would give Uriel less room to act since she was under heavenly protection. And it had worked. Dean had used Alex and himself to derail Uriel, who had very much wanted to destroy the town. Having been against it from the beginning, Castiel had feared Uriel would somehow succeed in destroying this town of humble, helpless humans.
Castiel watched people pass. Families, children, students. All unaware of how close they had all brushed with death. Had he gone too far? Involved himself where he shouldn't have? How could he know if what he'd done was a violation of God's will or not? Just a few moments prior, he had confided in Dean something he had told no one else: he had doubts. He didn't know wrong from right anymore.
The most unsettling part to Castiel was that no matter where he turned, he felt a disconnect. His angel brothers and sisters were scattered across Heaven. The humans that Castiel knew couldn't even begin to understand him, and they certainly didn't trust him. Who could he go to for a glimpse into truth? Where could he find the answers he so desperately needed? He feared that Uriel was right. That his relationships with Dean and Alex—his growing fondness and concern for them—had clouded his judgement.
He stood there a long time, watching humanity pass by, deeply troubled.