Chapter 2 – Us And Them
The Angels had popped out of Cas and Gail's house to Mercy Hospital to pick up Josiah, after Gabriel had told the couple where Damien was now.
Cas had been angry. "Why didn't you keep them here?" he'd asked the Archangel, and Gabriel's eyes had flashed for an instant.
"Look here, buddy-boy," Gabe had said through clenched teeth. "I don't mind playing backup in your band from time to time, but don't you ever make the mistake of talking to me like your little errand boy again. Clear?"
There was a moment of thick tension between the two men as they faced each other. Gail was considering a quip to break it, but Gabriel sighed before she had the chance to think of anything.
"Sorry, Cas," Gabe said. "I'm pissed off, but not at you. I just can't believe they waltzed right out of here like that. And Bobby went with them! He didn't say so out loud, but I know he thinks we're crazy. Or liars."
Now Cas was tight-lipped as well. He and Bobby had had their ups and downs over the years, ever since one or the other of them had been in charge of Heaven. Cas respected his friend, and he respected Heaven's hierarchy, for the most part. But Bobby was a sensible man, a Hunter with many years of experience battling monsters and evil entities. Even if he didn't have all of the powers of the Office, Bobby should recognize the kind of evil Damien represented. It was curious, really. The only explanation that might make sense was that Bobby had allowed his affection for Sam to cloud his judgement. Sam seemed to believe Becky's continued assertions that Damien was his son, not Vincent's, Gabriel told the Angels when they had returned from the mental hospital. Bobby had been there too, and from what Gabe had seen, the kid had completely bamboozled Bobby, as well as Sam.
That was unfortunate, Castiel had said. But they had a job to do now, and it was their duty to do it.
They had inquired at the Information Desk, and the hospital's receptionist directed them to the 5th Floor, which was the General Care Wing. The Angels exchanged glances. General Care? That didn't sound like a place for a badly injured person. But they went upstairs and checked with the nurses' station there. Gabriel had been inclined to suggest they should just pop into the kid's room, grab him and the blade, and get him over to the bunker, before the Beast had the chance to do whatever he was gonna do over there. But he knew that Cas liked to work within the framework of human convention, whenever possible. Besides, they had no idea what this "Joe" was like, or how on board he was with this Beast-killing thing.
Gabriel could feel that his blade was near, as the nurse directed them to Josiah's room. The signal was very weak, but it was distinct. The Archangel's pulse quickened as they thanked the woman and started the slow walk to the Chosen One's room. After all these years, Gabriel and his blade were going to be reunited. How did he feel about that? Scared? Exhilarated? Both?
Joe looked up from the magazine he'd been reading, and his heart stopped for a second. Here they were: Gabriel, Castiel, and Gail. A part of him had seriously been wondering if any of this was real. In the weeks he'd been laid up here since the accident, the young man had had a lot of time to think. Too much time, actually.
When he'd walked across the street to board that bus in Kansas City, Josiah had felt so confident. So sure of himself, and his mission. But then, he'd been wiped out. Completely blindsided. When he'd woken up here in excruciating pain, the doctors and nurses had told Joe that he was lucky to be alive. But, was he?
In the days and weeks of recovery that had followed, Joe had had all kinds of thoughts. He knew that the accident had been mainly his own fault, because he hadn't looked both ways when he'd been crossing the road. His Mom had taught him to do that, from a very young age. Maybe the driver of the vehicle that had pretty much flattened him had had time to stop, or maybe they hadn't. But then, the longer he'd had to think about it, the more convinced Joe became that it hadn't been an accident at all; that the Beast's evil force had sent that vehicle to take Josiah out. He'd been frightened by that thought, and so he'd refused his medication and stayed alert for a few days after that. But there had been no attempts on his life and he was still in considerable pain, so at a certain point, Joe had capitulated. Given up. He had been laying here all on his own, with no clue what he was supposed to do, now. Was he supposed to wait for some kind of a sign?
Then he'd had the dream. His mother, Rosalie, had come to his hospital room, telling him that three Angels were going to come to him soon, and take him to where the Beast was. Did he have the knife? No, he'd told her, but it was stashed safely away. Good, she had said, because the Angels would be here right after Christmas to take Joe on his mission. He'd better get himself ready.
Joe had avoided his mother's gaze. Even though this was a dream, or a religious vision, or whatever, he still felt sorrow, and regret. "I'm sorry I ran out on you, Mom. I don't want you to feel bad. But, this is the reason I was born. I'm the Chosen One. I have to eliminate the Beast of the Apocalypse, before it's too late."
Rosalie had smiled sadly. "I know, Josiah. I've always known you were special. God spared my life so that I could give birth to you, and this is why. I'm so proud of you."
"Thanks, Mom. I love you," Joe had said. Then she had vanished, and even though he knew she hadn't really been there, it had been good to have the opportunity to say that to her, anyway.
The next morning, Joe had woken up, wondering how he was supposed to recover the blade. He'd hidden it in Kansas City, knowing there was no way he could try to take it with him on the bus. They were extremely sensitive about that kind of stuff on any kind of public transportation these days, and he hadn't wanted to take the chance on being arrested. But now, how was he supposed to -
Wait. Joe had been rearranging the blankets on the bed so that he could sit up, and then he felt it: the blade was next to him, under the covers. Well, how about that? After weeks of discouragement and despair, now Joe was finally receiving the sign he'd asked for.
The Angels were looking at him solemnly. Joe put down the magazine he'd been reading, hopping off the bed. He was almost fully recovered now, but the Chosen One had been malingering. There were a couple of reasons for that. The main reason was, the closer the calendar had gotten to Christmas, the more nerve-wracking the scenario became. There was an epic showdown coming, one that Joe was duty-bound to take part in, but woefully unprepared for. Hopefully, the Angels who were coming to fetch him would be able to help prepare him. And the other reason he was still here at the hospital was simple: Joe had nowhere else to go. As it was, he had no idea how he was supposed to be able to pay for all the care he'd received. If he had more than five dollars and change left over from his birthday money, he'd be really surprised.
But, first things first. The Angels were here now, and they introduced themselves to the young man.
"So, you're the guy who's got my blade," Gabriel said, and Cas looked at his Brother curiously. There was a tone to the Archangel's voice that Castiel couldn't quite identify.
"I found it on the shore of the Mississippi," Joe told him. He could see Gabriel's eyes move toward the pillows on the bed. Joe had put the knife there, right underneath his head. If anybody'd wanted to try to take it from him, they would have to have killed him, first.
"Can I see it?" Gabriel said, and now Gail could hear that strange tone, too. She and Cas exchanged glances.
Joe was completely intimidated now. This guy was Gabriel. The Archangel. The one from all those Biblical stories. The other two, he'd never heard of. They were probably his assistants, or something. It was kind of interesting to see a woman here, though. Joe had read the Bible cover to cover, and he couldn't think of anything in there that mentioned anything about Angels in jeans, or short little lady Angels with big eyes.
Josiah hurried over to the bed and slid his hand under the pillows to retrieve the knife, as Gabriel waved his hand toward the door of the room. It whooshed shut, and there was a clicking noise.
Cas frowned, but he said nothing. Modern hospitals didn't put locks on the doors of patients' rooms, so Gabriel had obviously improvised. But they would need some privacy right now, especially if they were going to be inspecting an Archangel blade.
Gabriel's eyes flashed when Joe brought the blade over to where the Angels stood. Joe was so disconcerted, he nearly dropped it.
"Place it in my hand," Gabriel said to the young man. Joe extended the blade timidly, putting it on the Archangel's outstretched palm. The blade edge glinted, and the hilt glowed a radiant purple.
Gail's mouth dropped open. Gabe's Archangel blade was beautiful! Even after the momentary glow faded, she could see that there were a number of gemstones where the hilt met the blade, and the knife was gold in colour, as opposed to hers and Cas's, which were silver.
"Those who lack faith will be destroyed," Gabriel said in a calm monotone. "Those who obstruct the path shall be burned."
Gail's eyes were as wide as saucers as she looked at Cas. Conversely, his eyes narrowed. It disturbed him to hear Gabriel talk that way, but it didn't necessarily surprise him. Even after all this time, Gail was a novice when it came to the mystique of Angel blades. She was proficient at using hers now, but to Gail, her blade was more or less an accessory, like a scarf, or a purse. Sometimes, when they left the house, she didn't even carry hers with her. Castiel's blade was an extension of himself. No matter where he was or where they were going, he always had it in his jacket, or his pants pocket on those rare occasions when he wasn't wearing the second layer. Even when they'd been on the beach in the Caribbean, his Angel blade had been within easy reach.
Archangels were generally the same way, Cas knew. There was a kind of symbiosis a warrior had with his blade that was hard to describe to others. A part of Cas was glad that Gail didn't have that sort of outlook. And, yes, he was a little surprised that Gabriel had snapped to like this the instant the blade was placed in his hand, especially given Gabriel's professed aversion to violence. But when all was said and done, an Archangel of the Lord was still an Archangel of the Lord.
Gail didn't like it, though; not one bit. Gabe was sounding like Raguel now, or how Cas had sounded when Patricia had dosed him with the poison which had caused his manic obsession with the Holy War. She stepped forward. "Wow, that blade is gorgeous," she said lightly. "It looks like one of the crown jewels, or something."
Gabriel turned his head to look at her, and she was startled to see that his eyes were a bright shade of purple. "Crown jewels?" he repeated.
"Yeah," she said softly. "Look at all those jewels on it. Next time we go out, you're picking up the cheque."
That was enough to do it. Gabriel laughed, and when he did, the purple glow faded. He regarded the knife once more and then flipped it in his hand, giving it back to Josiah hilt-first.
"Well, it's yours for now, O Chosen One," Gabriel said casually. "Once you dispatch the Beast, I'll take it back. Apparently, the ladies think it's 'gorgeous'." He winked at Gail, and she let out a relieved breath.
"We will take you to where the Beast is - " Cas started to say, but his cell phone rang at that moment. He reached into his pocket, checking the display. Dean. "I'll be right back," Cas said, winking himself out of the room.
Joe's heart sank. A teeny-tiny part of him had clung onto the faint hope that this was all just his imagination, but that little sliver vanished, once Cas did.
"I'll pack my bag," Joe said, and it suddenly occurred to Gail to ask: "What about the bill?"
Joe froze. He looked sheepish. "I don't know. I don't have anything even close to that kind of money."
"Bill," Gabe echoed scornfully, rolling his eyes. He waved his hand again. "There. It's paid. Now, let's get your husband on board, and let's skedaddle."
Joe was shoving his clothes into his duffel bag, but he paused again now. "Your husband?" he said incredulously.
"I know, right?" Gabriel said, smirking. "He's lucky he saw her first."
Now, it was Gail who rolled her eyes, but she was happy he seemed like his old self again. He had really freaked her out there, for a minute. "Yeah? And what would have happened if you'd seen me first?" she demanded.
"Introduced you to my Brother, of course," Gabriel said smoothly, and the Angels laughed together.
Joe was confused. One minute they were talking about the Beast, and people being burned, and the next, they were joking and laughing. He had to say, he kind of preferred them like this, though. The way that Gabriel had looked when he'd been holding his blade had been really scary.
Cas was down the hall, talking to Dean on the phone.
"The kid's scared of you guys," Cas's friend was telling him now. "So when you come over, try to be a little less like...you. Okay, Buddy?"
Cas might have smiled, if he didn't feel so sick to his stomach. It was obvious to him that Damien had used his powers to influence the Winchesters. When he and Gail had left the house to visit Andy, Dean had believed completely that Damien was Vincent's son. Now here he was, calling the child his nephew, and worrying about Its feelings. How was Cas supposed to tell him that at this very moment, they were arranging to bring to the bunker the one person who the prophecies decreed would be the one to kill the boy?
There was only one answer to that question, as repugnant as it may be: he couldn't. Cas couldn't run the risk of alerting the Beast about their imminent arrival. So he merely told Dean that they would be there as soon as they could get there, to brainstorm about how they were going to deal with Vincent. Then he had hung up.
If Vincent had been livid before, when he had realized that Andy was no longer under his thumb, he was frenzied now. The instant Gabriel had touched the blade, Vincent knew: they had the Chosen One. They had the Chosen One!
His mind raced. What the hell kind of b.s. was this? What was Castiel trying to pull? The primary reason that Vincent had never believed that there WAS a Chosen One was because he didn't think Castiel would have taken this long to produce him, if there was. Why would he have waited so long? He'd heard that his son-in-law played poker with ice in his veins, but this was ridiculous.
OK. Okay, then. Poker. Right. This was a game they were playing, that was all, and now it was Vincent's turn to make a move. He guessed it was his own fault, really. Vincent was the one who had put the short game in motion by aging Damien to nine years old, instead of ten. That had been a conscious decision on his part, just as it had been to send his son into the God Squad's territory. How much more it was going to hurt them after falling in love with the kid, and then discovering who and what he was. And it was bound to drive a wedge between the Winchesters and the Angels, as an added bonus.
But now, all that had to change. If the Chosen One was heading over to that stupid bunker of theirs, Vincent had to rescue his kid, before this all went south in a hurry.
He tried communicating with Damien telepathically, but of course, it was no use. How the hell was he supposed to get his son out of there? The story he'd sent Becky in with was that they had to keep Damien under lock and key, because Vincent was looking to grab him. That had been designed to give the boy enough time and proximity to the Winchesters to endear the men to him. Vincent knew that Sam and Dean Winchester viewed the safety and protection of family members above all else, so it would be a slam-dunk, as the expression went. They would never let anything happen to Damien.
But: two Angels, one Archangel, his blade, and the Chosen One? Suddenly, Vincent's full house looked pretty weak in comparison to Castiel's four of a kind. Which meant that it was time for Vincent to introduce the wild card.
"Bring that spell you were telling me about," he ordered Abbadon. "I need to escalate the game."
A minute later, they were standing in the back outside the bunker, as close as they could get to it. Vincent knew that there was still time; he couldn't smell the stench of Angels, yet. But they had minutes, only; maybe even seconds.
"DO IT!" he shouted at Abbadon. She glared at him momentarily, but waved her arms in the direction of the bunker, reciting the incantation. There were Winchesters in there. She'd waited too many years to get her revenge on the two of them, and doing that here at the Men of Letters' headquarters was especially satisfying.
Once she'd finished the incantation for the spell, Abbadon tossed two hex bags down on the ground. Vincent watched with amusement as vines grew out of them and snaked their way towards the bunker. Soon they reached the walls of the place, and started to move upwards. Green leaves sprouted from the vines and intertwined with each other, rapidly covering the outer walls.
"You should go into agriculture," Vincent wisecracked, "but then again, I guess you're more suited for horticulture." He giggled. "See what I did, there?"
Abbadon said nothing, but her fingernails curled into her palms. This guy was grating on her last nerve. But she'd decided to stick with him for now. Her association with him had already paid off, in the form of facilitating this glorious moment. The poison ivy spell she had just cast on the bunker was going to kill Sam and Dean Winchester and any other humans who happened to be in the bunker at the moment, and it was going to do so slowly and definitively. But it wasn't going to harm a hair on the little Voodoo Prince's head.
Sam was sitting in the library area, having a cup of coffee. Things were quiet, at the moment. After telling him that Cas had said the Angels would get there when they got there, Dean had yawned and said that he was gonna go to his room and Skype Nicole. Maybe have a nap, after. Becky and Damien were in one of the spare rooms, apparently watching TV.
The younger Winchester relished the peace and quiet now, because he needed time to think. None of this was adding up. None of it. Why would Vincent be going after Sam's son? What was Sam to him? Granted, the guy was an evil bastard, but still... Following that thread of logic, why would Vincent have even done the aging spell on Damien in the first place? Sam knew Cas and Gail very well, and he could tell that they were keeping something from him. Gail had tried to tell Sam back at the house that Damien was Vincent's son, but Sam knew that wasn't the case. Sam knew for sure that HE was the boy's father. Every time Sam touched Damien, he felt that warm paternal love that everybody always talked about. He saw his own eyes when he looked into Damien's, and the boy's profile looked like Dean, when Sam's brother had been a young teenager. Despite the circumstances surrounding Damien's birth, or the bizarre situation they found themselves in now, Sam knew that he would protect the boy down to his last breath, and he was glad that Dean had vowed to do the same. For a long time, Sam's son had been a huge bone of contention between him and Dean. But the chips were down now, and Sam's older brother was showing up, big time. Just like he always did.
But as soon as Cas and Gail got here, they were all going to have to have an open and honest discussion about what the hell was actually going on. And Becky would have to be included too, because whether Gail liked it or not, she was Damien's mother. Sam knew that Gail disapproved of the whole Becky thing, and he understood where his friend was coming from. He really did. But the bottom line was that Vincent was Gail's father, wasn't he? Not that Sam was saying she was responsible for the crazy bastard, of course. But still, she and Cas and Gabe, if they brought him, must have an Angelic trick or two up their sleeves to take care of the guy. At the very least, they could all brainstorm. There had to be something they could do to remove the threat, or to mitigate it.
As Sam was sitting there quietly, the ivy was winding itself up the bunker walls. Spores appeared now, springing up from between the greenery. The bunker was inaccessible to evil entities, but the ivy was a plant, and it was pliable. One of the tendrils found a ventilation grate far up on the wall, and the ivy crept into the bunker that way. The slits in the grate were small, but so were the spores, and they were cushioned by the leaves. Once through the narrow openings, though, the spores were free to open up and release the airborne poison into the bunker.
Rowena had taught Abbadon well. The Demon now knew every spell in the redheaded witch's book, save for the revival spell. Rowena had promised to herself that she would never divulge that spell to anyone. No one should have that kind of power; not even Rowena, herself. Years ago, she'd made the mistake of using that spell to bring her son, the King of Hell, back to life. And she'd regretted it ever since.
One of the spells Abbadon had learned was the Aging spell, the same one Vincent had used to accelerate Damien's growth. When she and Vincent had been talking about a way to flush them out of the bunker, she had suggested this method. She could hex every occupant of the bunker to age, exponentially. Though not nearly as rapid as Damien's growth had been due to the plant's indirect method of delivery, the poison would do its job, the brunette witch had assured Vincent.
He'd been angry. Damien was in the bunker too, and Vincent wasn't ready to unleash his version of the Apocalypse, yet. It didn't matter to him whether the Winchesters and Becky and whoever else happened to be there were turned into old coots, but he didn't want Damien to age a day. Children, especially cute ones, could open so many doors, couldn't they? Also, Vincent was being stubborn about this. He'd set it up so well; so carefully. The kid was supposed to pit the Winchesters against the Angels. That was the way that Vincent expected it to be, and that was the way it was going to be.
But Abbadon had looked at the Voodoo Priest indulgently. He might know how to prance around a fire shaking a bunch of bones, but he obviously had no idea how complex, ancient magic worked.
"The stuff won't do a damn thing to your precious offspring," Abbadon had said, rolling her eyes. "Trust me."
"Trust you?" Vincent said scornfully. "So I'm just supposed to take the word of a Demon whore, who wasn't even good enough for a lowlife like the King of Hell?"
Abbadon had had enough. Her eyes went pitch-black, and she'd pushed Vincent up against the cabana wall so hard that the structure shook. She grabbed him by the throat, pointing one of her long, blood-red fingernails at his eye. "Call me that again; I dare you," she said through gritted teeth.
Vincent was actually smiling. "You can't kill me," he told her.
"I know, but I can scoop out this juicy eyeball of yours and dip it into the next martini Franklin makes me," Abbadon said, matching his smile.
Vincent's smile grew. "I wish we had more time, 'cause I'm really turned on, right now."
"For your information, it was Crowley who wasn't good enough for ME. Apologize," Abbadon said in a clipped tone, her smile fading.
There was a moment's silence between the two, and then Vincent blinked first: "Actually, I CAN believe that," he said softly. "You're one of the sexiest women I've ever had the pleasure to be with. I apologize."
She considered his apology for a moment, and then apparently, deeming it to be genuine, she let go of him. Then Abbadon's eyes narrowed. "What men like you don't seem to realize is that women like me don't give you anything we don't want to give. And before you say it, I don't have penis envy; why would I want my IQ to drop that much?"
Vincent laughed. His son was a complete idiot to have let this one go. He didn't share that little gem with her, though. Abbadon had no idea that Vincent was, technically speaking, Crowley's father. There was no reason for her to know about any of that stuff. It was irrelevant in this situation, anyway. Crowley had forfeited his chance to be partners with Vincent, a long time ago. "Let's go, my dear," he'd said, and the two of them had left the Caribbean to rescue Damien.
Sam was cocking his head to the side now, wondering what he was hearing. It was coming from the direction of the stairs...no, wait. It was coming from the wall. What the hell?
He stood from his chair and walked over there to investigate. What he saw made his blood run cold: plant tendrils slithering down the walls, with sinister-looking white pods on the vines.
"Hey, Sammy, what's that noise?" Dean said grumpily, coming out from the hallway. He'd tried to have a nap, but his brain wouldn't stop long enough to let him.
Suddenly, there was a loud, booming noise coming from the metal door at the top of the stairs. Both brothers looked up reflexively, with apprehensive expressions on their faces.
"You have something of mine." A deep voice, coming from that direction. "I want it back."
Damien came running into the room. "Daddy, I'm scared!" he exclaimed. "What's going on?"
"Nothing. It's OK," Sam replied automatically, but Dean threw his brother a look. He realized Sammy was pretty new to this whole "Dad" thing, but the kid was nine, not stupid. "Stand back," Dean said, moving in front of the boy and gesturing with his hand. He reached under the table closest to the stairs and grabbed the gun that was always stashed there. Then he looked up at the door, waiting to see what was going to happen next.
"Where's your mother?" Sam said, putting his hand on Damien's shoulder to calm his son. The boy's thin frame was trembling with fear. Sam wanted Becky to take Damien away from here, so that he and Dean could take care of business. He had no idea what that sinister-looking ivy was all about, and the fact that Vincent was obviously here, and right outside, made him very nervous.
Damien considered his response. He'd heard what his real father had said just now, and the boy was confused. If this was one of Vincent's little jokes, Damien wasn't getting it. His Dad had sent him here to ingratiate himself with the Winchesters, and even though Damien felt that it was beneath him, he was still willing to do it. The Angels were looking to kill him, and even though the boy had powers of his own, they were still mainly untested. Damien's life had just begun; there was no way he was going to let those sanctimonious bastards spoil all the fun. He might only be nine years old, chronologically speaking, but Vincent's son had seen everything that was going to be made available to him in the Caribbean in just a few short years, and he knew that he wanted in. So if kissing a little Winchester behind was what he needed to do to stay alive for the moment, Damien was willing to pucker up.
But his Mom had proven to be a big liability. All she'd done since they'd gotten here to the bunker was get in the way. No one liked her, and all she could seem to do was mope around. Plus, she looked at him weird. It had been getting on Damien's nerves.
"She's in the bathroom," Damien said in answer to Sam's question. "She's been in there for a while."
Sam looked at the wall, where the ivy was still forming. The growth had slowed somewhat, but those ominous-looking spores really concerned him. Was it his imagination, or could he see a thin, misty spray issuing from them?
Sam frowned. "I'll be right back," he said to Dean. "I want to..."
"Yeah, I know," Dean said, nodding. "Take him."
As the younger Winchester scooped Damien up into his arms and rushed him down the hallway, Dean dug into his pocket for his cell phone. He hit the Speed Dial button for Cas's number with one of the fingers on his gun hand. Then he regarded the gun, looked at the ivy, then looked at the gun again. Nope. No. Bad idea. He put the gun down on the table and reached underneath it again for the Demon knife they kept there. Dean Winchester was never in the Boy Scouts, but he sure as hell knew how to Be Prepared. But as he gripped the knife in his free hand, it occurred to Dean for a split second to think that they were gonna have to give Damien a crash course in weapons safety, once this was all over.
But that was a conversation for another day and time. Right now they had to get through this stupid situation first, and just where the hell WAS Cas, anyway?
Cas was in Josiah's hospital room with Joe and Gail, waiting impatiently for Gabriel to return from Heaven. Gabe had said that he wanted to get a weapon from the annex to the storeroom, until he could get his own blade back.
Cas had felt like arguing with his Brother: Josiah would wield the blade, Castiel and Gail would be there to back him up, and Gabriel had formidable powers, with or without a weapon. Damien might be the Beast, but he was still just a child. Castiel didn't believe for one moment that the four of them would be incapable of handling the boy.
But he'd stopped short when he had seen the look on the Archangel's face. There was something in Gabriel's eyes which had dissuaded Cas from pressing the issue. Ever since Gabriel had gotten in the vicinity of his blade, Castiel had noticed a change in his Brother. There was a hard edge to Gabriel right now that Castiel hadn't seen since the Wars. Maybe that was a good thing, in a way. They had no idea exactly what they were facing in Damien.
Cas's cell phone rang. "Cas, where the hell ARE you guys?" Dean demanded. "We've got a situation, here."
"What do you mean?" the Angel asked his friend sharply.
Dean was getting really aggravated, now. He was chopping away at the vines with the Demon blade, but the damn things wouldn't budge. He checked the knife. It was honed to a fine edge. He started chopping away again, hacking at the plant like those guys trying to chop their way through the jungle, in the movies. But this was ridiculous, because what he was doing wasn't making a damn bit of difference.
"Cas, get your ass over here!" Dean exclaimed, exasperated. "Vincent's after Sam's kid, and we've got some kind of weird-ass, toxic Tarzan stuff growing in the bunker!"
Cas was flabbergasted. "You have a WHAT growing in your bunker?"
Gail moved quickly to her husband's side. "What is it, Cas?" she said apprehensively.
"Dean," Sam called out from down the corridor. "DEAN!"
"Little busy here, Sammy!" Dean yelled. His teeth were clenched in frustration. His knife wasn't even making a nick in the stupid thing, and Cas had picked one helluva time not to get a pop culture reference. "Ask Gail!" he shouted into the phone.
"I'm not going to wait forever!" Vincent's voice issued from the direction of the metal door, sounding much closer than it should have.
"Dean!" Sam called down the hall in a louder voice. "Come here! Now!"
"Ask Gail what?" Cas said into the elder Winchester's ear.
That was it. Dean was done. "Just get your Angel ass over here, NOW!" he shouted into the receiver, hanging up on Cas and tossing the phone on the table. Then he pointed the Demon blade menacingly at the ivy. "I'll deal with you in a minute," Dean said aloud to it. He looked up at the bunker door, brandishing the knife again. "You too, Voldermort!" he added. It was unclear whether his mispronunciation was deliberate. He looked at the ivy once more. "Don't tell Sam I said that," he said to it.
"Dean, I need you to get your ass down here!" Sam yelled.
The elder Winchester did a double-take. Geez, what had gotten into his little brother, all of a sudden? Who TALKED to people like that?
"Keep your shorts on! I'm coming!" Dean shouted back, starting for the hallway. "Geez, you'd think Cas would get a clue," he muttered aloud. He smirked. Hopefully, Gail was educating him, on the way here. "He was Tarzan for Hallowe'en, for - "
Then Dean saw the blood on Sam's and Damien's hands, and suddenly, nothing was very funny any more.
Gabriel winked himself back into Josiah's room.
"It's about time," Cas said impatiently. "We've got to get to the bunker, right now! Vincent is there. He can't get in, of course, but it sounds like he's trying to flush them out, by using some sort of plant-based poison." He actually HAD understood Dean's reference; it had simply been a shock to hear. Cas had never thought about the bunker being vulnerable to something like that; none of them had.
"Where's your weapon?" Gail asked Gabriel, and he shrugged. "I didn't get one," Gabe told her. "I decided that Cas was right. We should have more than enough juice to get the job done. Make sure you keep Sam and Dean out of the way, though. We don't want them getting hurt by friendly fire."
Gail glanced at Cas, her forehead wrinkling. What the hell? Gabriel had made them wait here for him while he was supposedly getting a Heavenly weapon, and he didn't even get a weapon?
But Cas was moving decisively towards Joe now, and his blade was already drawn. Gail got hers out, too.
"Here, give me that," Gabriel said to the young man. He took Joe's travel bag out of his hand. "Get that blade out of your pants, and have it ready. We don't know exactly what we're walking into. Let's go."
"You may feel a little vertigo when I do this," Cas told Joe. "You'll regain your equilibrium quickly, once we get there."
Without any further ado, the four of them disappeared.
Dean stood in the open doorway of the washroom, looking down at Becky's body. "What the hell happened?" he asked his brother.
"I don't know," Sam replied quietly. He was still stunned. "I brought Damien to Becky's room, but she wasn't there. I noticed the bathroom door was closed, so I knocked, but she didn't answer. Damien said she'd been in there for quite a while, so I thought I'd better...make sure she was all right. So I opened the door, and found her laying there."
Dean pushed past his brother, crouching beside Becky. "Did you check her vitals?"
Sam's frown deepened. "Of course I did, Dean." What did his brother take him for? But that momentary flash of annoyance gave way to heartbreak as Sam looked down at his son. Damien was clinging to Sam's leg, wide-eyed. The boy was getting blood all over Sam's jeans, but the younger Winchester scarcely noticed. All he saw was the look of terror in his son's eyes. When he had opened the door and saw Becky laying on the floor in a spreading pool of blood, Sam had frozen in shock for a moment. But Damien had rushed forward and dropped to the floor beside his mother, touching her. That was how the child's hands had gotten so bloody. Sam doubted that Damien would know enough to be checking his mother for a pulse or a heartbeat, as Dean was doing now. Sam's son appeared to be very bright, but he had technically been an infant up until just recently. No, the child had just been reacting to the shock of seeing his mother like that. Probably seeking comfort. And that was what had broken Sam's paralysis. He had gone to his knees and checked Becky for signs of life, shouting for Dean at the same time.
Sam had been so frantic, and so worried about Damien, that he hadn't had a chance to look around the room, much. As an experienced Hunter, he had made note of the Angel blade that was laying on the floor beside Becky's hand. But he had not noticed the bloody lettering beside her other hand.
Joe stumbled when his group appeared in the field behind the bunker, and Cas caught the Chosen One by the elbow to steady him. Cas had wanted to come out here first, to see what they were dealing with. He had expected to see Vincent, of course, because Dean had told him that Gail's father was here. But nothing could have prepared him for the sight of the Demon woman who was standing next to Vincent.
"Hello, Castiel," Abbadon said with a wide smile. "Did you miss me?"
Damien watched as Dean checked Becky for signs of life. He knew it was no use, of course. Damien had done a number on her with the Angel blade, and then he had put the blade in her hand, to make it look like suicide. It would be a shame to give up that Angel blade, but he wouldn't really need it any more, anyway. The Angels were going to be busy contending with his Dad and Abbadon and, if they got past them, there were still his "Uncles" here, who were now firmly on Team Damien.
"Hey, there's some writing, there," Dean remarked, pointing to the floor. "Did you see that?"
Damien's stomach clenched. What the hell? What had that bitch done?
"Abbadon," Cas breathed, still in shock at the sight of her.
"You remember. How sweet," she said in a silky-smooth voice. Then she looked at Gail. "Don't tell me this is your wife. What a cute little thing she is. You and I will have to have a little girl talk later, honey. You'll have to tell me how you landed Heaven's sexiest Angel."
"Hey! Standing right here!" Gabriel objected sarcastically. He knew OF Abbadon, of course, but he'd been absent when that whole Battle Royale had taken place between her and Crowley. Gabe had thought that Abbadon was dead, and based on the stricken look on his face, so had Cas. Not that that meant anything much to them. In Gabe's experience, only the good ones ever actually died. The scum simply rose to the top of the pond. Just because this particular abomination came in such a gorgeous package, that didn't mean It wasn't still an abomination.
"Why are you here?" Cas demanded, staring at Abbadon.
"She's a very important member of my team," Vincent stated calmly. He wasn't particularly surprised that the two of them seemed to know each other. A little heads-up might have been helpful, though, he thought with a flash of annoyance. Oh, well. No harm done, he supposed. This might actually spice things up a bit.
"Your team?" Cas echoed angrily.
"Wait a minute," Gabriel said, his eyes narrowing. He moved closer to where Abbadon stood, and his head tilted upwards, as if he was sniffing the air. "You're only half-Demon," he said to her. "You're also half-Angel! You're the Angel of the Abyss!"
"What? That's impossible," Cas said, but his expression was uncertain. Archangels could sense things that ordinary Angels, even high-ranking ones, could not. And it had been foretold that the First Beast and the Second would join with the Angel of the Abyss and the False Prophet to bring about the Apocalyptic event. But how had Castiel not been able to see what she really was, before? Had it been because his perception had been clouded by his concern and affection for Dean and Sam? Most especially Dean, who'd had the Mark of Cain on him at the time. Cas had been more concerned about that situation than he had been about Abbadon's lineage. But, now that he thought about it, that would explain a lot. It would explain both Castiel's and Crowley's strong feelings of animosity towards her. A half-Angel, half-Demon was practically unheard-of. Nephilims, which were half-Angel, half-human, were bad enough. They were creations that should never have been made. In the past, Cas had considered them to be purely abominations, but now, his stance had softened a bit. Now, he considered them to be more like...mistakes. But the offspring of a male Angel and a human woman who had been possessed by a Demon? THAT was a true abomination. To not only possess a human, generally without her consent, but also to subject her to being with child while in that corrupted state, was nearly beyond Cas's comprehension. He took a split second to wonder who the parents had been. But, they were wasting time now.
"Take Joe inside the bunker, and keep Sam and Dean safe," Cas said softly to Gail. "Gabriel and I will deal with these two."
"Not so fast," Vincent said calmly. "It's up to you, of course, but if you send them inside the bunker, you'll be sending them to their deaths." He pointed to the ivy that was covering the bunker walls. "See that? My lovely colleague here infused it with the same Aging spell I used on Damien, but she ramped it up, a little. The longer it's inhaled, the more accelerated the aging will be. If your friends don't come out of there soon, they'll start to bear a striking resemblance to Cathy Scanlon, after she skipped her little health shake. You remember that, don't you, Gail?"
Dammit! she thought. That rotten bastard! She had no doubt that he was telling them the truth. Other people might be bluffing, but in Gail's experience, Vincent was not one of those people. Pretty much everything he had threatened to do in the past, he had done. She wondered about this Abbadon woman, too. Gail didn't like the way she was looking at Cas, or at Gabriel, either. Not that Gail was worried about anything happening there from Cas's viewpoint, of course. Actually, both of the Angel men were looking at Abbadon like she was some kind of a poisonous spider, or something. In a way, she probably WAS one, Gail thought contemptuously. Even though she'd never met the Demon before, Gail was sure she knew what type of woman she was. The poisonous spider analogy would be very apt. Just like a Black Widow spider, Abbadon would probably metaphorically eat any guy who had the misfortune to get caught up in her web. If that wasn't too laboured of a metaphor.
But was Gail really going to stand here at what was shaping up to be a clash of the titans and fret because this Demon woman was looking at Cas as if it was dinnertime, and he was the main course? Wasn't that pretty juvenile? They had far bigger issues to worry about, at the moment. If what Vincent was saying about the ivy was true, they'd better get Sam and Dean out of there. Becky too, she supposed, Gail thought with dark humour. Would the stuff work on Damien, too? Gail's blood ran cold. It was her understanding that once the boy reached ten years of age, it would be too late to kill him, Chosen One or no Chosen One.
The Winchesters were the priority here, Gail decided. We have to let them know what that ivy could be doing to them. Yes, Vincent had obviously had Abbadon grow that ivy on the bunker walls to flush them out of there, but what was the alternative? To leave them in there, breathing the toxin?
"What does it say?" Sam asked his brother. He could have stretched to look at it himself, but he was trying to shield Damien as best he could from having to look at his mother lying there dead, in a still-spreading pool of blood. What a terrible thing for a child to have to experience. They would have to treat little Damien with extra care, after this was all over.
"It says: 'I killed Quinn'," Dean said grimly, looking up at his brother's face.
Damien let out a huge sigh of relief. For a minute there, he'd thought she had used up her last few seconds of life to sell him out. Let these guys know that it was her own son who had ended her pathetic life. Hell, somebody'd had to do it. Damien's mother should be thanking him, wherever she happened to end up. All that would have been ahead for Becky was misery. Her son had dispatched her as quickly and efficiently as he could. His mother hadn't even lifted a finger to defend herself when he'd come at her with the blade, nor had she said one word to him. She had just looked at him with sadness and resignation in her eyes. Not one trace of surprise, though. Damien guessed that when you'd lived in somebody's body for a while and spent as much time together as he and his Mom had before his real Dad had come along and emancipated Damien, there weren't too many surprises left. To say nothing of the fact that the two of them had shared their little cannibalistic secrets. That kind of thing tended to bond people to each other, because it was such a societal taboo. Becky had been a fairly rotten person towards the end of her life, but Damien knew that what she'd had to make herself do to keep him appeased had been weighing on her conscience.
Her son felt no such impediment. In fact, he was really looking forward to being reunited with his father soon, so that he could delve a little more deeply into some more societal taboos. He wondered why Vincent had shown up here so soon, though. The initial plan had been for Damien to ingratiate himself, discover the secrets of the bunker, and pit the humans against the Angels over that whole "Beast of the Apocalypse" thing. His Dad was going to concentrate on finding the False Prophet, and once he did, the four of them were going to...what? What were the four of them going to do? Vincent had said that they would talk about that when the time came, and Damien had nodded. But a part of him honestly wondered if his Dad even knew. Which was really disconcerting, in a way. But then again, in a strange way, it was also exhilarating.
His mother's murder hadn't been in the playbook, either. Damien had just gotten so tired of hearing her sighs, and looking into her sad cow eyes. She would have been useless to them, going forward. Or worse, a liability. There was no room on their team for anybody with a conscience. That was for people like the Winchesters, or the Angels.
It was the remnants of her conscience which had prompted Becky to write her confession to Quinn's murder in her own blood, seconds before Becky herself had died. The moment she'd killed Quinn had been the moment she had ceased to be a human being, and became a monster, Becky realized. She hadn't been at all surprised when Damien had opened the bathroom door and stepped inside, holding the Angel blade aloft. She was only surprised it had taken this long. There was a reason she had said aloud where she was going, and also a reason why she hadn't locked the door, or taken any precautions.
As Becky had looked into her son's eyes for the last time, she had searched them for any sign of goodness, or decency. But she'd seen none. She had considered appealing to him to kill his father, instead. Then, if Damien wanted to go out there in the world and live his life however he saw fit, Becky wouldn't stand in his way. She'd considered trying to tell her son where she had been coming from emotionally, when she had made that fateful decision to accept Vincent's help in seducing Sam. But she knew that it would be no use, and besides, what was done was done.
So she had surrendered herself to the knife that Damien had wielded, and as her one small act of atonement, Becky had left her bloody confession for Sam, so he could at least get some closure on it. Should Becky have added that Damien was the one who had killed her? Definitely. The brothers were one hundred percent certain that she had committed suicide, and her confession to Quinn's murder did nothing but bolster that certainty. Or, maybe Becky should at least have added a little P.S. to Sam, admitting to him that he wasn't actually Damien's father. That little tidbit of information would have been most helpful.
Whether it was because Becky's life and strength had been ebbing away at that point, or because she had been unable to bring herself to deny Sam's love for her even with her last breath was unclear. But Becky's decision had been what it had been, and things were about to get a lot more interesting for everyone because of it.
"How do we know you're telling the truth?" Cas said to Vincent angrily.
Vincent shrugged. "You don't. It's your choice, Cas. What are the lives of three humans, compared to the entire human race? Gail hates Becky's guts, and honestly, don't the Winchesters get on your last nerve, sometimes? When's the last time Dean talked to you with anything even resembling respect? And Sam pictures your wife's face, every time he goes to bed with a woman. So, I'll make you a deal: if you'll just pop in there and bring Damien to me, I'll get Abbadon to cover the damn place with that stuff. Then we can all go our separate ways, and there doesn't need to be any animosity between us. How does that sound?"
Cas laughed harshly. "It sounds like you've lost your mind, that's how it sounds. What would ever make you think I would take a deal like that?"
"Just a minute," Gail said. She put her hand on Cas's arm. "I think we should talk about this."
Cas's eyes narrowed, but she told him quickly over their frequency that she'd had an idea. It was pretty "out there", but it could work. Could Cas and Gabriel stall Vincent for a few minutes?
We can try, he told her.
Gail grabbed a thoroughly disconcerted Joe by the arm. "As a show of good faith, I'm going to take the Chosen One to our house here on Earth, while we're negotiating," she announced loudly. "That way, you don't have to worry about your son's safety, while we're trying to strike up a deal."
Vincent regarded her balefully. "What do you take me for? You'll just pop him into the damn bunker!"
"No, I won't," Gail told him. "You have my word."
"Well, aren't you cute," Vincent said, grinning. She was his daughter, all right.
"OK, OK," she grumbled. "Geez, I'm your kid too, you know," she added, unconsciously echoing the thought he'd just had. "But, it's typical. The instant the boy child comes along, they forget all about the girl." She looked at Abbadon. "You ever have that problem? Oh, wait: never mind. Your father was probably a jackal, or something."
Gabriel laughed. Dammit! She'd surprised it out of him. But he knew there had to be a reason for Gail to be behaving this way, all of a sudden. She was smarter than this. There was no way Vincent was letting her go anywhere with the Chosen One.
Abbadon was looking coolly at Gail now. "You're Vincent's daughter? YOU?" she said scornfully. "An Angel of Heaven?"
"Seems strange, doesn't it?" Gail retorted. "Maybe we should all just go on Maury and settle things, once and for all. Why don't we bring Sam and Becky, too, while we're at it?" she added tartly, looking at Vincent.
Vincent stared at her. Gail had an agenda; he just had no idea what it could be. Did she really think he was going to let her zap the Chosen One into the bunker, and kill Damien with that Archangel blade the young man had in his front pocket? Vincent could tell it was the real deal, too. Next to those golden candlesticks, that blade was the most repulsive object the Voodoo Priest had ever been around. Still, Vincent was sure that he was holding the better hand.
"You can stand there and make all the little jokes you want," he said to Gail. "The longer we stand here shooting the breeze, the more infected they're going to get." He gestured to the bunker. "You're stalling, my girl. We all know that. The only thing I don't know is: why? Waiting for backup, maybe? I notice God isn't here at this little gathering. Go ahead; invite him. He can't kill me. None of you can. So, all you're doing right now is making sure your friends die faster."
"I'm afraid he's right, dearie," Rowena said, emerging from the bunker.
Gail HAD been stalling. She'd put through an emergency prayer to Bobby, telling him what was going on here. The first thing they had to do was find out if Vincent was telling the truth about the poison ivy, or if he was just running a bluff. The only person she could think of who could confirm that to them one way or the other was Rowena. If the redhaired witch had really meant what she'd said about forging a more conciliatory relationship with them going forward, this would be an excellent opportunity for her to prove it. She could tell them if the spell was genuine, and if the answer to that was yes, she should be able to perform a counter-spell that would remove the threat.
It had been a very good idea. There was only one problem: as Rowena approached their little group, she was shaking her head. "I'm sorry, but I can't reverse the spell," the witch told them. She glared over at Abbadon. "My former partner used the spell I taught her, but she has added an extra component to it."
Abbadon smiled. "You noticed! How sweet. Yes, I didn't see much point in making it reversible. Where's the fun in that? Sam and Dean Winchester have been a thorn in my side for years. Dean hacked me to pieces with that damned First Blade! Finally, thanks to Vincent here, I was able to exact my revenge. They're going to get older and older, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it. I'm surprised you even care, Rowena. Do you know how many witches those two have killed?"
"So, let me get this straight: it's too late to do anything about this?" Gabriel said angrily, gesturing to the ivy on the wall of the bunker.
"That's right," Abbadon said proudly, "and, the longer they stay in there, the faster the spell will accelerate. If they come out now, they might have a few more months to live. But if they stay in there, that time frame will be considerably shortened." She sneered at the Angels. "Unfortunately, the spell doesn't work on non-humans."
"That's good to know. My arthritis doesn't need another excuse to flare up," Bobby said dryly, emerging from the bunker. He looked at Cas and Gabriel. "Why didn't you call me sooner?"
The men looked back at him. They had actually discussed that, prior to leaving Joe's hospital room. But the lecture that Bobby had given them at Christmas had deterred them. He didn't believe their assertions that Damien was the Beast, and Gabriel had told Cas and Gail that by the time the Winchesters had taken Becky and Damien back to the bunker, Bobby had seemed convinced that the boy was actually Sam's son. The last thing they needed while fighting the forces of Evil would be having to fight God, too.
But God was here now, and he was angry. Bobby turned his attention to Vincent. "What do you want with Sam's son, anyway?" he asked the Voodoo Priest.
Vincent was trying not to grin at the looks on the Angels' faces. Damien had obviously done his thing, convincing God that the boy was the Almighty's de facto grandson. Damn, the kid was good. Look at Cas's face.
"Oh, I don't know," Vincent said offhandedly. "I just thought I'd come here and rattle some cages."
"You're not taking him," Bobby said firmly. "We protect our family, here." Then he looked at the Angels again. "I'll deal with you three, later. Did you actually think you were going to bring this innocent young man here, to be the scapegoat for your vendetta against Vincent? Look, Cas, I don't know if there's still some residual stuff in your system from what Patricia did to you, but Brian – Damien – isn't a damn Beast of anything. He's practically your nephew, for pity's sake! He's in there right now, and the kid is scared, because he has no idea what's going on. His mother is dead, and - "
"What?!" Cas interrupted Bobby, looking at him sharply. "Becky is dead?"
Now Bobby looked sad, instead of angry. "Yeah, Cas. She committed suicide."
"She committed suicide," Gabriel echoed, his voice laden with sarcasm. "I don't suppose the kid was anywhere in her vicinity, at the time?"
Vincent was beyond impressed. Like Gabriel, he was also extremely skeptical that Becky had committed suicide. No; Damien had killed his own mother, within spitting distance of Sam and Dean Winchester, in the hallowed bunker? Oh, this was too good. But he knew better than to show his immense amusement right now. Everything was going Vincent's way. The God Squad just didn't know it, yet.
"I'll tell you what," Vincent said to Bobby. "In deference to your family's grief at this time, I'll leave you alone. I'll even get my associate to take off the spell. But they're going to have to come out of there. She was telling the truth about that. The longer they're exposed to the spores, the worse it will become." Bobby looked at him with a dubious expression, so Vincent held his hands up in supplication. "I'm not up to anything; I promise," Gail's father said in a sincere tone of voice. "I'm not about to go up against God, an Archangel, two fierce warrior Angels, and two Winchesters. I know when I'm outgunned. In fact, why don't you search me, and make sure I don't have a weapon? Gabriel, is it? You and I haven't really had the chance to get acquainted, but I know you've been very good to my daughter. Although, I'm sure you'd be even better to her, if Cas would just look the other way for an hour or so. Am I right, Big Guy?"
Now Abbadon was smiling, too. "That's a terrific idea," she added. "Castiel, you can search me. But, you'd better be very thorough; there are all kinds of places I could be hiding a weapon."
Bobby sighed heavily. So, this was Abbadon. Just as Vincent wasn't really familiar with Gabriel, Bobby had never had the chance to meet Abbadon. He'd already been gone from Earth by the time the boys had gone through that whole thing. If Bobby'd been here, he would have made sure Dean would have never gotten that damn fool Mark, in the first place. But they were wasting time now. Rowena had assured Bobby that the spell was legit, and he believed her. They'd get it taken off, the boys would take custody of Damien and make arrangements for poor Becky's funeral, and Bobby would deal with the Angels. They would also have to sort out one very freaked-out young man, who was standing behind Gabriel at the moment, looking utterly confused. Not that Bobby could blame him. What was his story? God wondered. How had Cas roped him into this mess?
But, first things first. Bobby called Dean's cell. "Come on out, Boys."
A minute later, Sam and Dean emerged from the bunker. Sam was carrying Damien, but as soon as he saw Vincent, he put the boy down and nudged him behind both brothers.
Dean was focused on Abbadon, a shocked look on his face. "Son of a bitch!" he exclaimed.
"It's good to see you again, too," she said, grinning widely. The Demon woman looked around at everyone. "Isn't it wonderful, how so many of us know each other?"
"How are you still alive?" Sam said to Abbadon, astonished.
She shrugged. "Let's not pull on that thread, Sammy. Believe it or not, I have no idea, myself. But the bottom line is, I am, and now, I'll get to see you and your brother die. Isn't that delicious?" She looked at Bobby. "You and I don't really know each other, so I'll short-cut this for you: there's no way to take that spell off. None. The only way that spell can be broken is if that ivy is cut down. Good luck with that, though. If I know Dean – and I do – he's already tried every kind of knife there is in the place. Then, Rowena would have tried to hex it off. No luck. You probably tried it too, didn't you, Bobby? But, no dice. Am I right? There's only one thing that will cut that ivy, but I'm not going to tell you what it is. Why should I?"
Gabriel was seething. "Well, in that case, we might as well do what we came here to do," he said through gritted teeth. "Do your stuff, Chosen One." He wiggled his finger, tossing Sam and Dean to the ground.
Joe hesitated for a moment, looking at Damien. He was just a little kid! But then, the Archangel blade was in his hand. How had it gotten there? Joe had no idea. But now that it was, the blade glowed a bright yellow-gold. Joe could feel it pulling him in the direction of the boy. He raised the blade, and Damien's stomach clenched. He tried to move, but he was unable. The Winchesters were struggling to get off the ground, but Gabriel was holding them there.
Bobby waved his hand, thinking he would push Damien elsewhere, but the boy wouldn't budge. Why? Because Vincent, Abbadon and Rowena were reciting incantations loudly now, shielding the child. Meanwhile, Castiel and Gail were waving their arms, holding the child in place. Bobby had some powers the others didn't, but he didn't have enough juice to cut through all of that.
As Josiah reached Damien, Cas and Gail and Gabriel all made eye contact, and all three Angels focused their energies on nullifying the shielding around Damien. Rowena was confused. Why were they leaving the boy vulnerable like this? Bobby, Dean and Sam had told Rowena that Damien was Sam's son. The witch had been trying to help, by using her magic to help shield the child. But now, as the Winchester men were slowly rising from the ground, and Bobby was shouting at his Angels to stand down, the young man they had called the Chosen One thrust the blade at the boy's chest, and...
It bounced off Damien's thorax. Joe tried again, putting all of his weight behind the attack. The Archangel blade was repelled again, and this time, it flew out of Joe's hand, and into Gabriel's.
As the Archangel Gabriel gripped his blade tightly in his fist, it glowed brightly again. The wind picked up in the field behind the bunker, and there was a flash of lightning, and a roll of thunder.
"I am an Archangel of the Lord, and I do this in His name," Gabriel intoned loudly. There was another flash of lightning, and his wings spread out behind him. Gail noted with amazement that they hadn't even ripped his shirt.
Gabriel flew over to Damien, who fell to the ground. The boy was terrified. He'd known that so-called Chosen One wouldn't be able to kill him. The guy was just an ordinary human. But he hadn't expected this wisecracking womanizer to transform into a Heavenly assassin in less than two seconds. And what was Damien's father doing about it?
Vincent was trying, but with Castiel's and Gail's combined powers focused on him, he felt like he was underwater, swimming against the tide. He bellowed with rage.
Sam had finally risen off the ground, and he launched himself at Gabriel now, shouting, "Don't kill my son! Please! He's just an innocent little kid!"
"He will turn everything to dust, and the streets will run red with blood," Gabriel said coldly. He waved his free hand, and Sam was held immobile.
Gabriel raised the blade over a cowering Damien. "Bobby! Cas! Stop him!" Dean yelled. "He's Sam's kid, for God's sake!"
"He is the Beast of the Apocalypse," Cas insisted. He raised his arm, rendering Dean immobile. "This is what must be done."
"If you do this, we will hunt you down, and we will kill you," Sam said to Gabriel in a deceptively calm tone. Then he looked at Cas. "And anyone who helped you do it, too." Then he looked at Gail, and his tone changed. "You can't let them do this," he said to her. "He's my son, Gail. Tell them to stand down. They'll listen to you. Please. He's the only son I'll ever have."
She was crying now. "He's NOT your son, Sam. He's Vincent's. And he's evil. You know we wouldn't be doing this if he wasn't."
Gabriel brought the blade down, and Damien threw his arms in the air, screaming...
Vincent roared with laughter as Gabriel went flying across the field, still clutching his blade. The Voodoo Priest couldn't help it. His son had just repelled an Archangel, in full pious, winged mode. Fantastic! First, the so-called Chosen One, now this.
"Hey, Cas!" Vincent crowed loudly. "Why don't you try it? If he can do that to an Archangel, he can probably tear YOU to pieces!"
Gabriel was shocked, to say the least, but he was also furious. That little bastard! Damien was getting up off the ground now, a smile playing on his lips.
Meanwhile, Rowena had sidled up to Abbadon during all of the action, and she was looking at her former partner with a hurt expression. "How could you just leave me like that?" she asked the Demon woman bitterly. "No goodbye, not even a note? And, to go to HIM?" She gestured angrily at Vincent. "Why?"
"Because I'm the Angel of the Abyss," Abbadon told her. "Because I'm finally getting my chance. I'm going to be the Queen of Hell, and Crowley will be my little footstool, once I sit on the throne." She looked at the Winchesters. "I've already killed his favourite pets. In just a matter of months, maybe even weeks, the two of you will grow old, and then you'll be dead. Enjoy some quality time with your son, Sam. Better make sure he's in the Will."
"I took you into my home, and I taught you the ancient ways," Rowena said to Abbadon. "You betrayed me."
"Oh, grow up," Abbadon snapped. "You knew what I was when you met me."
"I thought I did," the redhaired witch said evenly.
Abbadon shrugged. "And I thought I knew YOU. What are you doing here, hanging around with the good guys? That's not who you are."
"You have no idea who I am, and what I'm capable of," Rowena fumed.
"Whatever," the tall, dark-haired woman said coolly. "Vincent and I are going to burn it all down to the ground, anyway. Either you can get on board, or you can burn, too. You witches are familiar with being burned, aren't you?"
"Daddy!" Damien shouted. He ran for Sam, tears spilling down his cheeks. Now that he had his confidence back, the boy had switched easily back into his role. He'd been pretty badly scared there for a minute, though.
Sam scooped the boy up into his arms and Damien looked at Gabriel, who was dusting himself off. Gabe's wings were gone now, and he looked like an ordinary Angel again. The boy smiled.
Then Damien looked at Josiah, who had turned out to be just as plain as his name: Joe. The young man just stood there, his mouth gaping open. What a fool. Had he really thought he was going to be able to kill the Beast of the Apocalypse?
Damien's little fist closed, and he squeezed as hard as he could. Joe started to cough. Blood ran from his mouth, and he fell to his knees on the ground, clutching at his throat.
Cas and Gail rushed over to the young man, to see if they could help him, somehow.
"You're on the losing side," Abbadon told Rowena softly.
"Why don't you join us?" Vincent chimed in, grinning at the redhaired witch. "You know you don't belong with the Angels. Come with us. We can show you a really good time, while we're covering the Earth with burned-out Angel wings."
Gabriel was advancing on Vincent now. "Hey, Vince! Nobody knows a good time better than me! Nobody! And right about now, I'm thinking it would be really fun to gut you, like a fish!"
"Big talk, from a guy who couldn't even take out a nine-year-old," Vincent sneered. "Oh, and by the way, where IS that pesky boy, anyway?"
They all halted. While this latest fracas had broken out, no one had been paying attention to Sam and Dean. The brothers had Damien, and they were hustling the boy towards the bunker door.
"If anybody comes near him, they're dead!" Dean shouted. He glared at Cas. "Anybody."
"Dean - " Cas said, straightening up from where he'd been crouched over Joe, who was laying on the ground. The young man had choked to death, drowning in his own blood. There was nothing that Cas or Gail were able to do for him, now.
"I mean it, Cas. Hands off of him. All of you," Dean repeated. "If we see one Angel – any Angel – near him, they're dead."
"Where are you going?" Gail called out. "That ivy is poison, remember?"
"Don't you worry about that," Dean retorted. "Maybe you should just worry about the fact that you just stood there, and let those guys try to murder Sam's son. I thought more of you, Gail. I really did."
"He's NOT Sam's son!" she exclaimed through gritted teeth, frustrated. "He's - "
"Stop it, Gail!" Sam shouted. "Just...stop it. Damien is my son. He's my family, and Dean's. Just like I thought that you and Cas were. Even Gabriel. You know, Becky tried to warn me. She said you resented my having a son. So now, you've made up this whole 'Beast' nonsense, so you can justify it."
"Do you realize how ridiculous you sound, right now?" Gail shrieked. "Why, why on Earth would we want to DO that? You're our family, Sam! You and Dean are our brothers!"
"Not any more," Sam said bluntly. With that, he turned his back on them and carried Damien back into the bunker. Dean paused for a moment, glaring at Cas. It was Cas's betrayal that had hurt Dean the worst. His best friend, signing off on the murder of Sam's little boy. Even back in the days when Cas had been Heaven's most infuriatingly tight-ass soldier Angel, Cas would have never considered doing something like that. He had defied his Heavenly orders, time and time again, to stand with Dean and Sam. "How the hell could you do this to us, man?" the elder Winchester said to Cas now, in a pleading tone of voice.
"Dean, please. Listen to reason. We can talk about this," Cas said, matching his tone.
"No, we can't," Dean replied. "We're done, here."
The assembled group heard the garage door open, and the Impala pulled out, Sam at the wheel. Now Cas realized what the brothers had been doing. He stepped forward, but Dean pulled the Angel blade out of his pocket, pointing it in Cas's direction. "Don't. Don't even think about it," Dean said harshly.
Cas stopped in his tracks. He and Gabriel and Gail could overpower the brothers, of course. But, then what? No, it was better to just step back for now, and let things cool off for a bit. He had been dismayed to witness how easily Damien had been able to defend himself against both the Chosen One, and Gabriel. The Beast was much more powerful than Castiel had been led to believe.
Dean headed for the car and got in, and then Sam floored the accelerator. The car fishtailed a bit, and then, it was gone.
Vincent started to laugh. This was fantastic. Exactly what he'd hoped would happen. Damien had those guys wrapped around his little finger. Sam and Dean Winchester would protect Vincent's son with their lives, however long those may be, until Vincent located the missing member of their team, the Prophet. Bimbo Becky was dead, and the Chosen One was history, too. Even Gabriel in all his fearsome Archangel glory had been no match for the Beast. Cas and his merry little band were out of luck, weren't they?
"Looks like you're out of chips, Cas," Vincent said cheerfully. "Next time you try to kill my son, maybe you should bring a little more firepower. Or, you can just try it, yourself. Damien won't even have to lift a finger, then. Your best buddies will be glad to do the job." He grinned at Abbadon. "Way to seal the deal on that ivy," the Voodoo Priest said to her. "See you all at the Apocalypse." He waved his hand, and the two of them disappeared.
Bobby shook his head vigorously. "HIS son?" he said in a dazed voice. "But, I thought - "
"The Beast had you in his thrall," Cas said, tight-lipped, "just as he has Sam and Dean, now. As long as they are in his presence, they will continue to believe that he is Sam's son."
"So it's true, then? That little kid is - "
"- The Beast of the damn Apocalypse," Gabriel said, letting out a frustrated breath. "So, what the hell are we supposed to do, now? Got any bright ideas, my Lord?"
"Don't smart off to me, Boy," Bobby said irritably. He was angry at himself for having been taken in so easily.
"Well, it would have been nice to have had a little backup," Gail chimed in, her hands on her hips. But then, she sighed. "OK, we're all going to have to calm down, here. You realize that what we're doing right now is exactly what Vincent wants us to do, right? If we fight amongst ourselves, we make it easier for him."
Cas was thoughtful. "Was the Demon telling the truth?" he asked Rowena sharply.
She looked at him, her gaze baleful. Castiel made it very difficult for her to maintain her resolve to work with the Angels, instead of against them. His tone was imperious; demanding. But she was angrier at Abbadon and Vincent, at the moment. How dare that Demon bitch take Rowena's magic, and use it that way? Well, to be fair, she supposed, the idea for the spores in the ivy had been Madame Marie's, to begin with. But Rowena's former partner had shared the spell freely with her, and Rowena had shared it with Abbadon, just as freely, only to be stabbed in the back with it. And all for Vincent, no less. In the red-hot heat of her anger, the irony of her own past deeds was completely lost on Rowena. All she knew was that she was determined to help the Angels now, even if it was the last thing she did on this Earth.
Her expression brightened. Marie! "I know of a way to break the spell," Rowena said out loud. "Balisarda."
"What's that, Ro?" Bobby asked her.
Rowena's lips twitched momentarily at his usage of the short-term version of her name. She especially enjoyed the way Castiel's mouth tightened upon hearing it.
"That's an ancient sword, which was forged by a French sorceress," Rowena responded. "It's capable of cutting through any enchanted substance. If we cut that ivy with the sword, the spell will break, too."
"Terrific. So, where do we go to get that?" Gabe said sardonically. After the humiliation he'd just suffered, he was starving for anything that could possibly be good news. "The French Revolution? 'Let them eat cake'." But then, the Archangel glanced down at Joe's body, and his smile faded. What a mess. Poor Joe, cut down in his youth by some snot-nosed little Apocalyptic wanna-be. Gabriel wanted another shot at that kid. How dare he toss an Archangel of the Lord around like a frisbee? And then there was Becky, laying dead there in the bunker. Granted, she hadn't been their favourite person, but she hadn't deserved that, either.
Rowena laughed softly at what Gabe had said. "Not that far," she replied. "Try New Orleans, Louisiana, at Mardi Gras."
"Mardi Gras?" Gail blurted out. "But, that's not until..."
"The Druid parade is held at the end of February," Rowena informed her. "My former partner will have the sword in her possession for a pagan celebration that weekend."
"Your former partner, Marie Laveau?" Gail asked the witch.
"That's right, dearie," Rowena said, nodding.
"Uhhh...didn't Sam kill her, when we were there?" Gail inquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Obviously not," Rowena replied calmly. "In fact, I saw her a couple of months ago, on an unrelated matter. Those Winchesters should be very grateful that they didn't kill her. She is the one who will have the sword that we need. Now, all we'll have to do is persuade her to loan it to us."
Gail was still puzzled. That was weird. Both Sam and Dean had assured her that they had killed Marie Laveau in that graveyard. It wasn't like them to make a mistake like that. But, like Rowena said, she guessed it was a good thing that they had made it. They had to break the spell that the poison ivy's spores had infected Sam and Dean with, and then they could worry about mending fences with the brothers. Damien obviously could have killed Sam and Dean too, if he'd wanted to. But it must have suited Vincent to leave his son with the Winchesters for the moment, knowing that the brothers would protect the boy. Still, it made her blood boil.
"You know what, Bobby?" Gail said now. "If you can track those guys down, I could pay them a little visit. I can let Damien know we're not going to put up with any crap, and then at least I could tell Sam and Dean we're going to get something that'll take that spell off, if they can hang in there for a couple of months."
"No," Cas said quickly. "That's out of the question. You saw what the Beast did to Gabriel, and to Josiah. Not to mention killing his own mother." Like Gabriel, Cas didn't believe for one second that Becky had committed suicide.
"Besides, Dean said that they would kill any one of you, if you tried to get near Damien," Bobby pointed out now. "And I hate to tell ya this, but he meant it."
Gail smiled grimly. "Yes, but HE can't kill me. Remember? I used the revival spell on him. Isn't that right?" she asked Rowena.
The witch sighed. So, they'd figured it out. "Yes," she confirmed. "Yes, that is true. The spell is reciprocal. Neither party on either side of the transaction is able to kill the other, once the ultimate spell is performed."
"So, THAT'S why you and your son both still exist," Cas said slowly, nodding. The others looked at him, and then Gail and Bobby started to nod, too. Rowena had revived her son with that same spell, years ago. Now, it all made sense. Mother and son kept on wishing the other dead, trying to exhort others to kill the object of their hatred. They had all wondered why, if they really hated each other as much as they claimed, either the King of Hell or his mother hadn't acted on it.
"See? So if Dean can't kill me, I can go and talk to them," Gail argued. "Dean CAN'T kill me, and Sam WON'T."
"Oh, yeah. Like those two could ever kill ME," Gabriel scoffed.
"Maybe not, but Damien might be able to kill any one of us, if not all," Cas pointed out. "Even you, Bobby. Until we can discover the true extent of his powers, I suggest we all stay away. We will go to New Orleans and get the sword to break the Aging spell, and then we will figure out where we go from there." He looked down at Josiah's body, frowning deeply. "If you'll transport Joe and Becky's bodies away from here, Bobby, we will let the appropriate people know about their demise."
"Who would those people be, Cas?" Gabriel asked his Brother curiously.
"Kevin will probably want to know about Becky, and Ethan and Karen will want to know about Joe," Cas replied in a somber tone. "Perhaps Ethan can advise what he thinks we should do, with regard to Joe's mother, Rosalie."
"What are you talking about, Cas?" Bobby asked, confused.
"Joe's mother was pregnant with him when she was abducted and held at gunpoint by his abusive father years ago, in Philadelphia," Cas explained sadly. "Ethan was the police officer who responded to the call. Unfortunately, because he was a brash, inexperienced rookie, Ethan rushed the man. In his eagerness to protect Rosalie, he didn't wait for his partner to get into position. Ethan was shot and killed by the perpetrator, but because the man had been temporarily distracted, Ethan's partner was subsequently able to shoot him, before he was able to harm Rosalie, or her unborn baby." Cas let out a shaky breath. "I can't help but wonder at the senselessness of it all. I felt sure that there was a divine reason for Ethan's sacrifice. When we found out that Joe was supposedly the Chosen One, I was sure that it had been God's plan to exchange Ethan's life for his, so that Joe could remove the Beast from the Earth. But, now? Now I have no idea what to do, or where we go from here."
They were all silent for a moment, and then Bobby said, "I'll tell ya where we go from here. We give these two a decent burial, and then we go back up to Heaven and decide on our next move, together. Agreed?"
The Angels nodded, and Bobby touched Rowena lightly on the arm. "Thanks for your help, dear. We'll be in touch. And, if you come up with anything that'll help before Mardi Gras, you know how to get a hold of us. If I'm in the Garden, you can leave a message. Or, if it's really urgent, you can call Cas. Right?" he added, looking calmly at Gail's husband.
Cas was frowning, but he nodded briefly in acknowledgement. "Right," he confirmed tersely. He wasn't particularly happy about it, but Cas had to admit that she had done her utmost to help them here today, and she hadn't asked for anything in return. Yet.
Rowena was also frowning, but she had to tell herself to remain calm. Castiel might look as if he would like to run his Angel blade right through her, but she had to admit that he had shown admirable restraint. He hadn't even uttered a single death threat. For her son-in-law, that was real progress. She'd better quit while she was ahead. "Aye," she agreed softly. "I'll be in touch." Then she began to walk away. A puff of smoke obscured her from the Angels' view, and then she was gone.
With one last look at the bunker, the Angels followed suit.