Chapter Twenty- Five: Hurry Up and Save Me ((Tiffany Giardina))

Castiel very nearly went over the edge after Dean. This was both accidental and on purpose. He reached out, hoping beyond hope that he could make a grab for the hunter's arm before he was too far down. It didn't work; gravity was too quick and Dean was already gone. But he leaned too far over in his attempts, and lost his own balance when his other arm slipped over the edge. He would have tumbled right over after the human, but a hand grabbed at the back of his coat just in time, yanking him back.

He looked up to see Sam holding him back. But it was Lucifer that spoke.

"We can't have you doing that, Castiel."

His face felt wet. He supposed he was crying. But he was a bit too busy to marvel at human traits and emotions right now. The angel narrowed his eyes, glaring at his brother. "You killed him!"

Lucifer shrugged. "I only did as Sam asked. He wanted his brother out of Purgatory. I did promise after all."

"By making Sam drop him off a building? How could that be in any form what he would have wanted?" Castiel squirmed away, trying to wrench free of Sam's hold on his coat. "You made him kill his own brother, and he couldn't control it! How do you think he's going to take that? You'll destroy him, just like everything else you corrupt!"

The devil took a step closer, his calm exterior sliding away to let a bit of annoyance show. "I did as he asked. He wanted to save his brother from Purgatory, and I did it. It's not my fault he wasn't specific on the details. I upheld my part of our bargain."

Castiel shook his head. He'd felt sadness before, even before Purgatory. But it was a lot more intense when you were mostly human for it. Or maybe that was because he'd just never had a reason to feel this sad before. It hurt his chest, almost as if the reaction were a physical injury. It settled in deep, making his insides twist. Sam released his hold on the angel, but the fight had left him. He slumped back to the tile on his knees, staring at the floor.

Lucifer slowly crossed the distance, coming to stand by his baby brother's side. He looked down at the other angel, almost looking concerned. He brushed a hand through dark hair. "Castiel."

"He's gone…"

Lucifer sighed. He looked up at Sam, who stood unmoving, his face still expressionless even after killing his own brother. "Sam, go find the archangel and the demon. I believe they're in the basement somewhere. Bring them here."

Sam nodded, turning on a heel and walking toward the stairs.

Castiel didn't move, curled in on himself. His eyes were trained pointedly on the tile; if he looked at the roof's edge there was no guarantee he wouldn't try to do something insane. And doing something like follow Dean over the edge wasn't going to do anyone any good. He knew what he had to do. What Dean would have wanted him to do. They still had an important job to do. To defeat Lucifer, and to save Sam. Castiel knew above all that Dean would want his little brother to be safe. And he was gone now. Castiel supposed that he would be the one to care for the younger Winchester at this point. He would do that. Because he cared for Sam as well, and even with his small understanding of human nature, he knew how guilt affected the siblings, especially where each other were concerned. Lucifer had made Sam kill his own brother. Once they freed him from the devil's control, it was going to kill him if someone wasn't there to help him. Castiel couldn't let that happen. Not to Sam. He owed that to both of the brothers.

Lucifer crouched beside him, the calm look returned to his face.

"This was as much a blessing for me as it was for you."

The angel stared up at him, eyes squinting a bit in a confused glance. "How could you say that? How could this be anything good for me? For anyone, save for yourself?"

Lucifer offered a smile, which on anyone else, might have been considered kind. As it was, it only managed to feel dangerously out of place on the devil. He reached out, slowly cupping the smaller angel's face and locking eyes with him.

"I know about this… questionable relationship you had with this human. He was important to you. And while it wasn't my intent, I've done you some good in getting rid of him. Angels aren't supposed to love like that. If you had continued on as you were, it wouldn't have been long before you wound up falling."

Castiel stared at him, eyes impossibly wide and shining. "That can't be true…"

"I'm sorry, but it is." He explained quietly, patiently. "He would have been more important to you than others, and they can't have you playing favorites. Eventually, they would have found out what you were doing. You would have been stripped of your Grace and your powers. You would be forced to remain a human, and die as one."

"But—"

Lucifer shook his head. "No one human is worth that, Castiel, believe me. You're my brother. Even if we haven't exactly seen things the same way, you're still family. And I wouldn't want to see you hurt like that. Not if I could stop it."

Castiel tried to swallow down the lump in his throat. He stared at his brother, pained and uncertain.

"I suppose you're wondering what kind of Heaven would allow that." He smiled in a comforting manner, and if Castiel hadn't been thinking that before, he certainly was now. "Heaven isn't the caring place you thought it was. They love you conditionally. As long as you play by their rules, they'll be there for you. But if you do something they don't like, they'll disown you faster than you can blink."

Castiel frowned. He knew his brothers and sisters loved him. He'd always felt at home in Heaven. But before now, he'd never gone against their rules. He'd never had any reason to disobey. He didn't know if it was actually against the rules to love a particular human. But if what Lucifer said was true, it meant that he was going to find out soon. Or he would have.

The devil's thumbs stroked across his cheeks, comforting. "We're not so different, Castiel. We're both rebellious because of our passion. The reasons might be different, but the feeling is the same. You and I could make quite the formidable team."

"You… you want me to join you?"

"Of course. You're my little brother." Lucifer smiled. "I would be honored to fight by your side."

Castiel shook his head. He looked conflicted, so the devil continued.

"I could bring him back."

The younger angel's breath caught in his throat. "W- What?"

"If that's what you wanted, I could bring the human back. He would be here with you, and you and I could rebel against the place that would keep you apart. You would fall. But with me, you would still have as much power as you had in your ranks as an angel. Possibly even more. You could use it to protect him. And Sam. I would help you."

Would it be worth it? He would have Dean back, alive and safe. Could he go against everything he'd ever known, just for the sake of one human? The one human that taught him the importance of family, of responsibility. That did his best to keep a powerless angel safe when others would have left him like the burden he was. That put up with things that made him uncomfortable, just for Castiel's sake and comfort. That loved teaching him how to be human, and smiled so beautifully whenever he picked up something.

The human that didn't know what exactly the two of them were getting into, but had been ready to jump in anyway, because that's what they wanted.

When he thought about it like that, there wasn't really any other choice. He'd give up everything for Dean. He was special, important, and he had deserved someone who would care about him as much as he cared for those he had been close to. And if Heaven wasn't going to allow this, then he would rebel against them. And it would be worth it.

The uncertainty died away, leaving a fierce determination in his eyes, bright blue burning.

00000000000000

Crowley hissed sharp through his teeth, jerking back as a splash of Holy Water landed on his arm. It sizzled and burned, even through the sleeve of his jacket.

"Dammit, angel, keep that stuff to yourself!"

"S- Sorry!" Gabriel moved away from him, aiming another splash of the water bottle at an advancing demon's face.

The fight wasn't going so well. The pool room was larger, giving them more room to charge at the pair. And there were at least twice the number as they fought in the kitchen. Even with demon powers, Holy Water and exorcisms, they were still getting thrown around by the sheer number.

The archangel dumped the last of his bottle on the nearest demon, grabbing him by the arm to quickly mumble his Latin. Moments later, the demon was gone, and the body slumped to the floor. There were still too many, and now he was out of the water to distract them.

An elbow knocked into his side, shoving him forward with a pained noise. Crowley took care of her, his demon powers flinging her across the room and into the wall. It wasn't doing much damage, but at least it was keeping them at bay.

Of course, they weren't really getting any closer to finding Sam this way. He certainly wasn't in the pool.

Gabriel straightened, rubbing his ribs where he'd been elbowed with a frown. He moved just in time to grab another demon before it reached Crowley, his grip tight on his arm as he muttered the exorcism's words. Another demon dispatched, and another body dropped to the ground. He looked around quickly; it seemed like for every one they dealt with, two more took their place. It was like a demonic hydra.

Crowley huffed out a frustrated noise. "We're never going to get anywhere like this!"

The archangel tossed the empty plastic bottle, smacking a demon in the face. "No shit… what else can we do though?"

"Quiet, angel, Daddy's thinking," he took a step back and stuck his leg out, tripping a demon that charged him.

The demon lost his balance, falling over the other's foot and landing in the pool with a yell. He splashed around, trying to reach the edge and pull himself out. Crowley hummed in thought, frowning at the water.

"Can you make Holy Water?"

Gabriel rolled his eyes. "I'm a freaking archangel; of course I can make Holy Water…"

Crowley nodded to the pool. Hazel eyes widened in realization. Gabriel nodded, sidestepping another oncoming demon. He fell to his knees by the pool's edge. Without a second thought, he rolled up his sleeve and dipped his arm in the water. His throat was dry from all the words he'd spoken thus far; it was an unnervingly human reaction that he didn't at all care for. He started to chant the words he needed.

The demon, meanwhile, was at his back. Anyone that got too close was quickly flung back as far as he could manage. Even psychic demon powers lose some effectiveness after a lot of use. And this fight had been going on for quite some time now, not including the earlier fight in the kitchen. The opposing demons just weren't being tossed as far as before. They were just lucky that these were the lowest level of demons. They might have been able to overpower a human on their own, but they couldn't take down another demon, or even a half- Graced archangel. The only thing they had going for them was the sheer number.

The bursts of psychic power were barely pushing them back a few feet now. Crowley wasn't going to be able to do much more without a rest. If it came to that, Gabriel had a small amount of power left, but they were trying to save that if at all possible. There was still Lucifer to deal with, and they needed all the strength they could get for that.

Gabriel stopped mumbling and got to his feet, turning to face the demon's back. He was careful to keep his wet arm as far away as possible.

"Done yet?"

"Yeah, it should work."

Crowley quirked a brow. "Should? Need a little better reassurance than 'should', angel."

Gabriel rolled his eyes, stepping from behind his lover to grab the nearest demon. She fell forward in surprise, and he turned sharply, flinging her into the pool. She let out a scream, thrashing in the water. Smoke from burning skin was like a fog over the water.

"That work for you?"

Crowley made a face. "That works, I suppose."

"It won't kill them for sure," the archangel reached for another, tossing him in the pool without a second thought. Crowley had to strain to hear him over the yelling. "But if we can get them in there, it'll buy us enough time to get out."

Crowley kicked one of them toward the water. He wanted to stay as far from the edge as he could. The thought of accidentally falling in after them made him sick. Holy Water didn't kill demons outright, but a splash hurt like pressing up against hot metal. Being submerged in it was like being trapped in a house fire. It very well COULD kill him if he couldn't get out fast enough.

It wasn't something he wanted to experience, thank you very much.

Gabriel had no such qualms, aside from keeping all wet appendages away from Crowley. He shoved at demons left and right, knocking them into the Holy pool. Some had already sunk to the bottom, not able to get out in time. Others were flailing violently, and there was a lot of agony- induced screaming. Smoke covered the top of the water, and the smell of burning demon flesh overpowered the room.

It didn't take nearly as long as the exorcisms. A few of the demons managed to make their way out of the pool before they burnt up, but none of those attacked them again for fear of going right back in. Instead they turned tail, getting out as fast as possible. It worked just as well for the pair of them. Those that didn't flee wound up in the water. Gabriel wasn't taking any chances at this point. He was tired, and he knew they were wasting time that they needed to find Sam. He could only hope his brother and Dean were faring better than they were.

He chased the last of them out, watching them flee for the doors. Good riddance. Now they could actually accomplish something, like finding the younger Winchester brother.

"Gabriel!"

The archangel whirled around at Crowley's shout. The demon was hanging over the edge of the pool, clinging to the arm that fisted his shirt, keeping him suspended.

Well. At least they found Sam.

Crowley was frozen still, any movement he might make a chance at him slipping and falling in. Sam held him in place, his face completely devoid of emotion. His eyes were glazed over and he seemed to stare through the demon in his hold.

Gabriel was running across the concrete before he registered it. "Sam, stop!"

Sam didn't look at him. The archangel thought for a moment that the hunter hadn't even heard him, but then he responded.

"Gabriel, stop."

He skidded to a halt immediately, suddenly more afraid then he'd been in a room full of demons. "Sam, c'mon, stop," he pleaded, "let him go…"

This time the taller man did look over. His expression didn't change, nor did his eyes focus. "You're going to come with me."

The archangel held his hands up in a placating manner. "Okay, okay, just chill, alright? Keep the demon away from the pool."

Sam pushed his hand forward, and Crowley teetered on the edge with a panicked shout.

"Alright! We'll go, just get your moose hands off me before I wind up taking the last swim of my life!"

He tilted his head, and for a heart stopping moment, Gabriel thought he was going to push Crowley in anyway. But then he yanked the demon by the shirt, pulling him away from the edge.

"Lucifer is waiting with Castiel." Sam said dryly, forcing the shorter man along.

Gabriel followed after him. Sam was obviously under his brother's control. If they could beat him, the younger Winchester would be okay. So he let him lead them up toward the roof. He could keep up the powerless routine long enough to get a shot in at Lucifer. Crowley was dragged along, growling sharply at getting manhandled as the three made their way to the elevator.

There was never a more awkward elevator ride.