Hey guys finally back! Had a lot of university work to focus on! Happy Christmas and New Year hope 2020 is great for you all.
They waited an hour and fifteen minutes in total in their motel room that was just off the highway, the wait was agonising. Castiel had explained the plan to Laila, he made the phone call to the brothers and had the gun ready to kill them both. He had drilled the fact Laila had to stay out of this fight and hidden away into her brain so hard, she couldn't come in contact with the shifters, one wrong move and it would end bloody, even more bloody than intended. They past the time mainly in silence. It wasn't an awkward silence though, Laila was new to Earth and didn't know what it was to feel awkward. Cas on the other hand was more than aware of the sensation of being stuck in an awkward moment but right now he was so focused on his mission of killing his two best friends that he wasn't too bothered. Castiel stood at the window the entire time just waiting for that black Impala to pull up outside. Laila sat at the edge of one of the beds flicking through the TV; fascinated. She had even stumbled upon one station that US motels were famous for; Casa Erotica, to which she titled her head in confusion as she watched intently, "I'm confused. The baby sitter ordered her pizza with 'extra sausage' but the pizza man brought a plain pizza by mistake-" Cas cut her off as he glanced over his shoulder towards the TV.
"Ah, yes, I've seen this before, he makes up for the missing sausage" Cas replied, looking back keeping his focus out of the window, this was no time to be watching porn he had bigger things to worry about than the Pizza Man's sausage.
He heard a deep hum, it was so familiar to him. It was the hum of the engine of Dean's 1967 Chevrolet Impala. He focused on the entrance to the motel carpark and there she appeared, she drove right toward's Cas' room and the engine growled to a stop.
"They're here" Cas spoke with a hard swallow, his stomach was in knots.
Laila switched off the TV "Castiel, you're sure you can do this?" She asked as she stood behind him looking over his shoulder out the window at the Winchesters as they got out of the Impala.
"No" he thought to himself he'd never in his life wanted to step down from a task more, maybe he should just go back to heaven? Was this all really worth the hassle? "Yes" He replied; lying. "I have to" He added, his voice quivered as he spoke. He turned to face Laila, "Laila please hide away I don't want you getting involved it's too dangerous" He told her.
"This is for the best Castiel" She reminded him before she disappeared into the bathroom.
There was a knock on the door. "Cas?" Dean's deep voice called through it.
This was it. No going back now.
Cas opened the door and the brothers walked in.
"Sam, Dean" Cas spoke out loudly giving the two a wink which they returned.
"What's so important Cas? We were half way out the city" Dean told him impatiently.
"I'm sorry" Cas replied catching eye contact with Dean. He suddenly got an awful feeling in his gut, he couldn't go through with this…he knew these two stood before him were shapeshifters but he had a haunting thought in his mind that this could be the real Sam and Dean and the thought of actually killing them was unfathomable to him, but then the thought of leaving Earth and Sam and Dean forever and that thought was just as unfathomable.
"What is it Cas?" Sam urged.
"I've figured out a way I can stay down on Earth" He told them.
"What? That's great!" Sam's face grew the biggest smile.
"What is it?" Dean asked in disbelief.
Cas looked at Sam and then to Dean before he looked toward the ground, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "I'm sorry" He muttered before he held his hand out and the door slammed shut and locked instantly.
"Sorry?" Sam asked as his smile dropped.
Cas pulled out a gun from his trench coat and aimed it at Dean.
"Woah, What's going on?!" Dean demanded as he held his hands up, very uncharacteristic for the real Dean but luckily Laila didn't know them too well and the shifters had been told specifically not put up a fight.
Cas' hands were shaking uncontrollably. He'd thought about this moment nonstop since they decided on the plan, and for someone who doesn't sleep 'nonstop' really is a lot. He had come to the conclusion to kill Dean first, although he did share a more profound bond with Dean and he would be emotionally the hardest for Cas to kill but he didn't want Dean to watch his little brother die. Dean had spent his entire life protecting Sam and Cas just couldn't bring himself to kill him in front of Dean. If there was such thing as a 'nicer' order of killing a friend, this had to be it.
"I'm so sorry Dean" Cas closed his eyes and prepared to pull the trigger.
"Cas please don't do this" Dean begged.
Just as Cas was about to pull the trigger he heard a cry of pain; he knew it was Dean's, he'd heard it many times before. He opened his eyes to find Dean had an angel blade plunged through his chest from behind, blood poured from his mouth and splattered on the floor.
"NO!" Cas roared as Dean dropped to the ground revealing Laila was stood behind him holding the angel blade, "Laila what have you done!" Cas shouted as he dropped the gun; the shifter was dead.
"You were stalling Castiel" Laila replied, "I'm helping" she concluded as Castiel looked at the last remaining shifter warily.
"Laila, run" Cas warned her as shifter Sam looked down at his dead friend.
Shifter Sam pulled out an angel blade from his jacket which had the handle covered in some material, he lunged at Laila and managed to cut her across her chest, Laila fell to the ground wincing with the pain.
"Stop!" Cas shouted grabbing his attention.
Sam looked towards Castiel, "This is your fault!" He roared as he charged toward Cas with every intention of killing him.
Cas managed to grab Sam and held him in front of him, "Please don't do this, I don't want to kill you" Cas begged as he managed to push Sam away causing him to drop the angel blade. Cas quickly reached into his inner pocket of his trench to grab his angel blade but soon realised that the blade Sam had must have been his; he had no way of killing this shifter. Sam suddenly morphed into Cas and looked back at Laila, making sure that she was well aware of the fact that Castiel had lied to her, he morphed back into Sam to continue the fight, Sam was taller, stronger, a clear advantage over Castiel. He grabbed Cas and threw him to the ground, leaning over him as he repeatedly punched him in the face, all Cas could do was try and cover his face with his hands and except the blows. Sam reached out, grabbed his angel blade form the ground and lifted it high ready to plunge through Cas' chest. Cas closed his eyes tight and waited for death. Suddenly Sam's body dropped lifelessly on top of Cas'. Cas opened his eyes to find the shifter had a knife in his back and a familiar demon stood before him.
"Crowley?" Cas asked astonished.
"Looked like you could use some help" Crowley told him, "Iridium knife" added as he held his hand out to help Cas to his feet but within seconds Crowley flew across the room as was pinned up against the wall.
"Castiel." Laila stood before Cas who scrambled to his feet.
"Laila I-" Cas was cut off.
"You lied to me!" She shouted grasping tightly to her angel blade.
"I'm sorry, I can explain-" He was cut off again.
"And you're working with the king of Hell?!" She yelled as she grabbed him by his tie which began to strangle him.
"No, No I-" Cas struggled to breathe.
Laila threw him to the ground and stood over him as he tried to steady his breathing. She kneeled down in front of him and grabbed him by his jaw, she slammed his head back hard into the wall causing some of the plaster on the wall to crumble behind his head, "Lying Castiel, it's a human trait. Obviously the other angels were right, you're a lost cause" She spoke out as she brought her angel blade up to his throat and pinned it up against him looking deep into his blue eyes, his face covered with blood from his shifter beating.
"Then take him back upstairs, have him cleaning the floors for a bit to make up for it, I mean come on you gotta admire the guy's effort" Crowley spoke out, Laila turned and gestured towards him pinning him harder against the wall causing The King of Hell to call out in pain.
"Oh, no…" She turned back to Cas, "Not even that job is worth bringing him back for; he's no Angel, not anymore" Laila grabbed Cas' hair and again slammed his head back into the wall once again.
"No Laila, please, please don't do this, I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'll come back to Heaven, please let me come back to Heaven, I'll never come to Earth again" Cas begged as he fought in her grasp. Laila sliced across Cas' neck, just above his Adams apple and out poured his silver coloured grace which Laila collected in a small tube.
"Its too late" She spoke as she tied the tube of his grace around her neck, "I'll keep this with me so I will always have a piece of you with me in Heaven, which was how it was always meant to be" she told him, "Goodbye Castiel". She was gone.
Cas sat on the floor, feeling helpless, hopeless but most of all weak. Crowley who was now free from the wall looked over at him awkwardly.
"Crowley, I'm sorry about your shifter friends" Cas told him breathlessly keeping his head down, blood still pouring down his face from his open wounds.
"They weren't friends and don't worry I had every intention of killing them after this anyway" Crowley told him as he brushed off his suit, "I'm sorry that didn't go as planned for you" The Demon spoke sincerely as he stepped towards him, "Cas...Cas are you okay?" Crowley asked seeming genuinely concerned. Cas didn't reply, instead he just pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged them.
Sam and Dean burst through the motel door, there was a pause while they quickly examined the mess of the room, "What the hell happened?!" Dean demanded.
"It turned into a dog's dinner is what happened" Crowley replied.
Sam and Dean looked at the dead shifters on the ground and Dean saw red making a beeline for The King of Hell, "What the hell happened?!" Dean roared as he grabbed Crowley and pinned him up against the wall.
"Laila happened" Crowley replied.
"Dean" Sam spoke out having spotted Cas on the floor but Dean ignored him.
"What do you mean 'Laila happened'?! Where's Cas?!" Dean shouted.
"Dean!" Sam called this time getting his attention.
"Cas" Dean spoke out surprised, he let go of Crowley who again dusted off his suit, "Hey, Cas, you good?" He asked as he took a step towards him, he shot a glance back at Crowley who gave him shake of his head answering that question for him.
"Cas what happened?" Sam asked carefully; he looked awful.
"Cas" Dean kneeled down beside him, "look at me man, what the hell happened? Where's Laila?" he put a hand on his shoulder.
Cas slowly looked up at him, "She's gone, back to Heaven" he told him, his voice was almost a whisper.
"Okay, that's good right? You're still here" Dean asked looking over his shoulder at Sam for a moment, "Those cuts look bad Cas, heal yourself up" Dean told him looking at the numerous cuts and blood that covered his friends face, it was hard to look at.
"...She, she took my grace Dean" Cas whispered.
Dean didn't know how to reply and for what seemed like the first time in his entire life, he was speechless. He stood up and glanced over at Sam who seemed to be in just as much shock as him.
"Then we get it back" Crowley spoke out in determination stepping forward towards the brothers.
"What do you mean 'we'?" Dean snapped as he spun on his heels to face him.
"Well, when we get back to the bunker-" Dean cut Crowley off quickly.
"Oh no, no way! You're not coming back with us!" Dean spoke sternly.
"We had a deal" Crowley replied.
"Yeah and look what that deal got us! Screw your deal Crowley! Screw you!" Dean yelled.
Crowley took a step towards him, "I want to help Cas" he told him.
"I said screw you!" Dean roared a she grabbed Cas' angel blade and charged toward him to plunge it through his chest but Crowley had disappeared before he reached him, "Son of a bitch!" Dean shouted as he threw the blade to the ground angrily.
An awkward silence fell in the room for a moment as his younger brother watched his outburst, "Dean Crowley's right" Sam spoke out before he turned to their graceless angel friend, "Cas we're gonna get your grace back okay? You've got it back before we can do it again" Sam told him with a friendly smile as he kneeled down beside him, "Hey at least you're staying down here, you're just human now, welcome to the club" Sam tried to lighten the situation.
"I used to be apart of a much better club" Cas replied as he wiped some blood from his face and winced at the pain; he hadn't missed pain.
Dean shook his head angrily, "I'm going on a beer run" he stormed out. He needed to clear his head. Maybe they'd been too optimistic hoping this plan would work and why he trusted Crowley he'd never know. This damn plan couldn't have gone worse. If he were to be honest with himself he blamed himself for all of this, heck he wasn't even there to help Cas fight Laila, or the shifters…some friend he was. This was the last thing Dean wanted for Cas, he would have rather he got sent back to Heaven than become human again but right now all he could think to do was get drunk.