Chapter 10: Blood and Brothers

Dean flicked another cigarette butt into the ashtray on the side table. The pink porcelain dish already had nearly a full pack's worth of deformed white stubs sitting in it. The hotel room was silent aside from Dean's breathing. It was nearly deafening to the man as he sat on the sofa looking out into the Manhattan evening. From the twenty-third floor he could see the flecks of light coming and going below-the only signs of life beyond his own heartbeat and breath that Dean could perceive.

His head was still throbbing from the stress of his earlier confrontation and whenever he looked down at his hands he could see that they were still shaking with rage. Thirteen years. Thirteen fucking years he's been lying to me. Dad was killed by hellhounds to save that sack of shit's life and he never even once considered telling me the truth! And why the hell would a demon even kidnap him anyway? Even more, why would he want Sam to fight against a bunch of other people in some kind of twisted game to have only one survivor? Demons might be sick sons-of-bitches, but even they don't get their rocks off to mass murder… Well, not mass murder that elaborately constructed anyway. Something's up-there has to be some reason why he went after Sam…

Not that I fucking care. Dean huffed as he put out the last in his pack before crumpling the cardboard container and tossing it on the table beside the ashtray.

**SPN**

After the door slammed behind Dean Sam continued to stare blankly for some time.

"I understand that what just happened is not ideal, but at the moment I must inform my brethren of the discovery of the demons' plan. Once I have finished I will return." Cas stated before he nodded at Sam, then vanished from the room.

Getting to heaven wasn't instantaneous. Truth be told, none of the "instant" appearing and disappearing was in fact-at least for the angels going through the leap. For any human passengers it was, but for the angel going through it the journey was still there. Cas was deep in thought about the troubling turn of events as he neared Heaven's gate. They glistened iridescently as he slowed down to enter. He greeted the gatekeeper as he continued through the many passageways and corridors. He restrained himself from going rapidly through the many marble-lined halls, as while the news was of dire consequence, he did not want to cause undue alarm-he was not an archangel, and as such it was his duty to defer to the decisions of those above him on how to handle the crisis.

He stopped in front of the gilded doors that guarded the center court. It was an area reserved solely for the archangels, entering without permission was nearly unheard of. Castiel hadn't had time to request an audience with Raphael (as Michael was far too busy to see audiences, even for matters as dire as the one he possessed-the viceroy never had much time for anyone). There were no guards on the doors, as was custom for many of the rooms in heaven, likely due to the fact that Raphael had tried to create an image of approachability in more recent centuries after the other host had begun to avoid him for fear of his temperamental reactions to negative news.

Cas stood staring at the door a moment before he slowly pushed the door open. The large office was the same as it always had been-the sparkling glass windows overlooked the tree of life in the recreation of the garden behind them. The ceiling and walls were all constructed of a single piece of flawless marble, the bright white shone and reflected the presence of any angel in the room. Raphael was where he normally resided during his work, behind the desk in the center of the room reading a scroll and making notes in a ledger to the side.

"I see you standing there brother. Unless you simply wished to observe me I suggest you come in so that we may talk." Raphael stated, not looking up from his writing.

Castiel bristled slightly, knowing his light had shifted slightly redder than normal. "Sorry, I had not meant to do so, I have news to share and I did not wish to interrupt your work."

Raphael looked up, "Well whether you had meant to or not, you have. You may as well tell me what you have to share."

Castiel nodded and approached the desk. A chair appeared for him to sit in, so he obliged and sat facing the third eldest angel, "I have news from Earth that is gravely concerning. Lucifer's Army has escaped hell and is working on releasing the seals. They have opened at least 23 and are currently working to break as many as they can."

Raphael remained stone-faced, "And do you have proof of this assertion? What you are saying is hard to believe."

"Yes. Upon investigation of the town of Menace in the American territory of Alaska it was evident that nearly a thousand residents were possessed by demons of superior strength-strong enough to stand holy ground and leave to go elsewhere. Furthermore, in Jacob's Creek, Virginia one of those same demons used a human witch to break a seal involving the raising of the dead and confessed that it was the twenty-third seal that they had broken." Castiel replied, his superior's face still unchanged.

Raphael stood up and turned to look out the window, "This is highly disturbing news."

"I agree. What do you suppose we should do?" Castiel asked as Raphael continued his gaze.

"Nothing."

"Forgive me, but did you just say nothing?"

"Yes. We have been awaiting this day for some time. When the seals are broken our brother can leave his cage and we can end the nonsense of the mudmonkeys. Regardless of which side wins the battle, the apocalypse will ensure we no longer have to serve those inferior half-evolved primates. When the time comes Michael will be ready. Until then I suggest you busy yourself here, not much point in spending any more time on a doomed race."

Castiel was taken aback. "Brother, there are nearly three billion souls on Earth right now. If we stand aside and do not at least try to end the breaking of seals they will all perish!"

Raphael turned to face his brother, "It seems as if you have grown attached to them. Perhaps it was wrong of me to allow you to spend time on that wretched little sphere…" He snapped his fingers and suddenly two guards entered from doors on either side of the room. "Castiel has been speaking treacherous lies against God. He must be dealt with."

The two large forms with spears and shields approached, leading Castiel to flee from the room. He flew as fast as he could as the two were soon joined by a dozen others. He narrowly avoided capture multiple times as he neared the gate. Close the gate. None shall enter or leave heaven until further notice. Corrupting influences have tried to infiltrate heaven and we must protect ourselves against them. Raphael's voice rang through the air. Within a moment the large golden sides were closing. Castiel used the last of his energy to dash through as it slammed shut behind him. And like that he was locked out of heaven and a wanted fugitive.