Holy Terror Part 1

The Impala sped down the dark road. Angela sat in between the brothers, having just got off the phone with Kevin, who was babysitting Grace.

"So, he's better?" Dean questioned.

"Yes." Ezekiel nodded. "Sam is much improved. It shouldn't be much longer now."

"Okay, you know you said the same thing to us last week, right?" Dean reminded.

"As I told you when we met—this will take time." Ezekiel countered.

Dean exhaled in frustration. "Okay, well, go then. Heal. We'd just like Sam back, please."

"I must say," Ezekiel sighed. "I'm very uncomfortable with this whole trip. Investigating crimes involving angels—or anything involving angels—puts me, and therefore Sam, at risk."

"Look," Angela started. "If we ignore this, Sam's gonna think that something's up."

"Then I trust you will be discreet," Ezekiel replied after a pause.

"Wait," Angela frowned. "If you know where we're going, that means you've been listening in. Do you… hear everything between me and Sam?"

Dean chuckled. "Angie, are you asking—

"Shut up, Dean." She interrupted. "Just answer the question."

"No. Just a word here and there," Ezekiel replied. "I have better things to do with my time than eavesdrop, like heal Sam."

"Okay—

Suddenly, Sam's eyes flashed blue, Ezekiel giving up control.

"You know, I was gonna say," Sam sighed. "It seems like it's really getting quiet out there, you know? Not a peep from the angels, even Buddy Boyle goes off the air and stops recruiting for them."

Dean sighed heavily. "Obviously calm before the storm."

"Yeah, maybe," Sam replied, unconvinced.

Sam frowned when he noticed something outside and frowned.

"What?" Dean muttered.

"That sign said, 'Fort Collins, 50 miles.'" Sam replied.

"So?" Dean raised a brow.

"So, last time I looked, like, 12 seconds ago, uh Fort Collins was a hundred miles."

Dean and Angela shared a brief look.

"Well, hey, man," Dean started. "Ever since that goddess got her hooks into you—

"No, it's more than Vesta!" Sam snapped, clearly agitated. "I mean, this kind of thing's been happening to me. Like, like there are chunks of time just… missing. Like there are times when I'm… not here."

"Well, like we've said—

"Yes, the trials." Sam rolled his eyes. "I know. I heard you guys. I heard you when you said it the last weeks and the week before that and the week before that."

"Yeah, because… damn straight the trials." Dean shrugged. "They whacked you, man. You're not up to warp speed, yet, okay? But you will be."

"Would we lie, babe?" Angela added.

~/~\~

Caribou, Wyoming

Sam, Dean, and Angela pulled up to the roadhouse in the Impala. They walked over to the police officer, dressed in their FBI apparel.

"Ah, one of your guys is here already." The cop noted when they flashed their badges.

The three hunters gave each other confused looks as they put their badges away and walked into the roadhouse.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, and Angela looked around before finally spotting Castiel.

"Ah, my colleagues," Castiel commented, excusing himself.

Dean looked pointedly at Castiel while Sam and Angela smiled slightly. Angela nudged Castiel with her shoulder.

"Agent." She smiled.

"Agent." Castiel smiled back.

"Cas." Dean cut in. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Um," Castiel muttered. "I still have that badge you gave me."

"Yeah. Uh, what the hell are you doing?" Dean repeated.

"The murders were all over the news. I, I thought I might be of help." Castiel explained obviously.

"Yeah, but Cas, you know that this is an angel situation, right?" Sam reminded. "I mean, you left that night because angels were on your ass."

"Yeah, and you were living the life, you know?" Dean interjected. "Early retirement, working your way up the Gas-n-Sip ladder."

"If angels are slaughtering one another, I have to do what I can to help," Castiel argued. "It is a risk we should be willing to take, don't you think?" he added, earning nods in agreement from Sam and Angela. "Hey. Cas is back in town."

"Seriously, did you…" Dean deadpanned, turning to Sam and Angela. "Did he just say that?"

"These angels," Castiel showed them a few photos. "Uh, they were butchered. Much more violence than was required."

"Definitely took more than one or two killers to pull this off." Angela nodded.

"Hit squad? Bartholomew's people?" Dean suggested.

"Well, Bartholomew has a faction we know about, but this could be somebody else entirely we don't know," Sam explained.

"Well, whoever it is… We'll find them." Castiel assured before walking off.

"We'll find them. That's great." Dean muttered.

Ezekiel suddenly took over and gave both Dean and Angela a disapproving look.

~/~\~

Sam, Dean, Angela, and Castiel sat in a bar at one of the high-tops.

"It is so good being together again," Castiel said sincerely. "You know, this is my first beer as a human. I hope it's okay, me joining you?"

"Why wouldn't it be okay?" Sam shrugged.

"You know, Cas," Dean interjected. "Are you sure you're ready to jump back into all this? I mean, it seemed to me and Angie like you'd actually found some peace."

"Hey, you once told me that you don't choose what you do. It chooses you." Castiel replied.

"Huh?" Dean's brows furrowed.

"I'm part of this." Castiel clinked beer bottles with Dean. "Like it or not."

"Alright, well, then, in that case, we have to figure out who we're up against, what do they want, and how do we stop them," Angela explained.

"Well, Bartholomew wants to reverse Metatron's spell," Castiel replied. "Presumably to—to retake Heaven once his following is large enough. That's according to April."

"The reaper you banged," Dean replied.

"Yeah, and you stabbed."

"Yeah," Dean muttered. "She was hot."

"So hot." Castiel agreed. "And very nice."

"Mm." Dean hummed appreciatively.

"Up to the point she started torturing me," Castiel added.

"Yeah. Well, not every hookup's perfect." Dean patted Castiel's arm.

Sam smiled at the exchange. "Alright. I'm gonna get us another round."

"Nah. I'll get it." Castiel hopped off his bar stool. "Mm. You know, I've never done this before."

Dean sighed as Castiel left. "One beer, he's hammered."

Suddenly, blue light flashed in Sam's eyes.

"Oh, boy," Angela muttered.

"Well?" Ezekiel raised a brow. "What are you going to do about this?"

"About Cas?" Angela raised her brows. "He's our friend."

"He is a beacon, Angela," Ezekiel stressed. "Pulling every angel for miles down on our heads."

"Alright, you know what, Zeke?" Dean cut in. "Level with us. What is it that you're so afraid of?"

"I told you. When I chose to answer your prayers and heal Sam, I chose sides." Ezekiel reminded. "That means I'm not in good standing with certain angels."

"Okay, well, you know what? Cas isn't in good standing with any angel." Angela retorted. "But here he is, ass on the line, fighting the fight. So, tell us, Ezekiel, what makes you so special?"

"Here we go." Castiel grinned as he returned. "Four brewskies."

"I'm going to get something out of the car." Ezekiel stood up.

~/~\~

Castiel cleared his throat and looked between Dean and Angela. "I, um, noticed you look… kind of uncomfortable whenever Sam mentions my leaving. Doesn't he know that you told me to leave?"

"Here's the deal," Angela sighed. "When Sammy was doing the trials to seal up Hell, it messed him up. Okay? The third one nearly killed him. If we'd let him finish, it would have. He's still messed up, bad."

"But Ezekiel… he helped heal him, correct?" Castiel raised his brows.

"Look, we got to do anything we can to get him back." Dean sighed heavily. "Now, if that means that we keep our distance from you for a little while, then… Then we don't have a choice. I don't feel good about it, but Angie and I don't have a choice. It's great to have your help, Cas. Okay, but we just can't work together."

~/~\~

Lebanon, Kansas

Sam and Angela sat at the map table, looking at his laptop. Angela held Grace in her lap.

"Bababa." Grace babbled as she shook her rattle.

Dean came jogging into the room, sighing slightly.

"Any word from Cas?" Sam questioned.

"Nothing yet," Dean replied.

"And we're not… worried about him, that he just took off like that again?" Sam raised his brows. "I mean, it's not like he does this kind of stuff alone."

"It's the way he wanted it, honestly." Dean shrugged. "Hey, look, man, he's been all over the map since he got his wings clipped. What do you guys got?" he added, rolling his chair over to look at the laptop. "Obituaries. That one of the bikers?"

"Yeah," Angela nodded. "His name was Red Dawg."

"Heh." Dean chuckled. "Of course it was."

"It's not what you think," Sam assured. "Look, he's a family guy. Big in the PTA, he played Santa at Christmas parties."

"So, what?" Dean asked. "Just one day, he up and joined a biker gang?"

"No, he did that years ago," Sam replied. "Get this. This is weird. These are all the victims, right? They were all baptized together."

"Baptized?" Dean raised his brows.

"Yeah." Angela nodded. "They were a born-again biker gang."

"Well, that is not something you hear every day," Dean muttered.

"No, it's not," Angela muttered.

"Wait, make that bigger." Dean pointed to the photo. "Boyle's Boys? Boyle, as in reverend Buddy Boyle?"

"Listen to this," Sam replied as he typed. "Red Dawg's window said he was always religious, but a week before he died, he came home from a prayer meeting and was a changed man filled with divine glory."

"So, Boyle's at it again." Dean sighed. "Selling folks on being meat suits for angels."

"Just what—talking to smaller groups now?" Angela sighed.

"I don't know." Dean shook his head. "Maybe, uh, softening up thousands at a time, he wasn't able to control what angels got let in. This way, Bartholomew's followers can jump in as soon as Boyle does his thing."

"So, Red Dawg and his guys were Bartholomew people?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, and they got slaughtered," Dean muttered. "Which means that this new group is even worse. Haven't I always said that angels are dicks?"

A/N: Hey, guys! I hope you all had a fun and safe NYE :) I can't believe it's 2019, tbh... Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! The next one is gonna be really angsty ;) And thank you for any recent reviews. Love y'all, xoxo.

~Emily