First Born Part 2

Castiel walked back into the medical room, opting to put Grace down for a nap. Sam was lying on the gurney and Castiel started to prepare the large needle. He punctured the needle into the side of Sam's neck, causing the hunter to gasp in pain. Castiel's brows furrowed in concern.

"Now comes the part that will actually hurt," he warned. "I'm gonna begin the extraction."

Castiel slowly pulled back the plunger and the bottom of the syringe barrel filled with a tiny bit of angel grace. Sam struggled not to cry out from the pain.

"Is it working?" Sam gasped.

"Yeah." Castiel sighed heavily.

"But?" Sam raised his brows.

"I—I need to push the needle in deeper. We need more grace in order to cast the spell." Castiel explained.

"Okay." Sam nodded weakly. "Do it."

"Sam, if I get too close to—

"Dammit, Cas!" Sam snapped. "Just do it."

Castiel slowly and reluctantly pushed the needle deeper and started pulling back on the plunger again. Suddenly, Sam's body lurched, and he started having flashbacks to when Gadreel possessed him. Castiel pulled out the needle.

"What the hell was that?" Sam asked in shock.

"Your body is regressing to the state it was in before Gadreel," Castiel explained.

"Do we have enough grace for the summoning spell?" Sam asked curiously.

"Sam." Castiel sighed.

"Do we or not, Cas?" Sam repeated firmly.

"No," Castiel admitted.

"Then keep going," Sam commanded.

~/~\~

"Nothing." Crowley sighed, walking back into the main room. "Not even porn."

"Think we figured out why he went off the reservation so many years ago," Angela said, handing the picture of Colette to Crowley.

"Lovely. Little plain." The demon shrugged. "Who is she?"

"Cain had a similar ring on," Dean replied. "Father of murder got hitched."

Suddenly, the three of them looked up as they heard all the doors in the house lock.

"He's back," Dean muttered. "Come on."

They tried the front door, but it was solidly locked.

"Go!" Dean yelled.

Suddenly, Cain appeared behind them. He motioned to the picture that Crowley still held in his hands.

"That belongs to me."

"Sorry," Crowley handed over the photo. "Gorgeous, by the way."

Out of nowhere, headlights flashed from the driveway and Angela walked to a window and drew back the curtain.

"I don't suppose they're with you." She sighed.

"No," Cain replied.

"I guess we can't wait any longer!" the demon yelled from his truck. "Your friend Tara was very helpful! Got downright chatty… After I peeled all her skin off. We don't want any trouble, Cain. Just want the so-called King and the Winchesters. I got a new master to impress, and I'm betting bagging those three will do just that."

"Master?" Dean asked Crowley.

"Abaddon." Crowley huffed. "This lot all need to die. I count—

"Too many," Angela muttered, turning to Cain. "The whammy you put on the doors that keep us in. Will it keep them out?"

"For now," Cain answered.

"Dean and I are gonna barricade the entrances." She replied. "Get ready for a fight."

"Well, good luck with that." Cain scoffed slightly.

"What?" Angela's brows furrowed.

"You exposed my home," Cain retorted. "You exposed me."

"Well, boo-hoo." Angela sassed.

"Brave, but impulsive," Cain commented. "You truly have lived up to your reputation."

"I can't say you've lived up to yours." Angela scoffed.

"What can I say? I'm retired." Cain replied. "If you survive, you're welcome to join me for the last meal I will eat in this house before I disappear again. It's the least I can do."

~/~\~

Castiel was still extracting angel grace and Sam was almost unconscious due to the pain.

"Sam?" Castiel frowned. "Sam?!"

"Keep going," Sam muttered weakly.

"Why?" Castiel questioned.

"We—we—we have to find Gadreel," Sam mumbled.

"No." Castiel started to remove the needle. "Why must the Winchesters run towards death?"

Sam grasped the syringe and stopped him from removing it. "No, don't. Don't. Don't stop."

"Sam, when I was human, I died, and that showed me that life is precious," Castiel started. "And it must be protected at all costs, even a life as… pig-headed as a Winchester's."

Sam looked up at Castiel, tears in his eyes. "My life's not worth any more than anyone else's—not yours or Angie's or Dean's… or Kevin's. Please. Please, help me do one thing right. Keep going."

Castiel hesitated before pushing the needle in further, causing Sam to scream in pain.

~/~\~

Dean and Angela were pushing various pieces of furniture in front of all the doors. Angela looked between Crowley and Dean.

"Alright, I got this." She said. "You two take the front."

Dean's brows furrowed. "No way, Angie, you—

"I've got this." She stressed.

Dean hesitated for a few moments before following Crowley into the living room, closing the glass doors behind him. Cain sat down at the kitchen table and started to pull corn out of his grocery bag.

"So, this is your play?" Angela questioned. "Corn? What am I not getting here? I mean, it's not like you're a coward."

"Since when does the great Angela Winchester ask for help?" Cain quirked a brow. "Well, that doesn't sound like the woman I've read about on demon bathroom walls. Maybe you've lost a step. Let's find out."

Cain snapped his finger and the door flew open, and multiple demons rushed in. Cain snapped his fingers again and the door slammed shut.

"Oh, don't mind me." He told the demons. "Enjoy yourself."

Angela squared her shoulders and pulled out her angel blade as another demon crashed through the glass doors. Angela flinched as glass sprayed her back. She turned to face the third demon, swung the blade at him, but was punched in the stomach. The demons sent her flying across the table and onto the other side. Cain just watched the scene unfold as he shucked his corn.

One of the demons swung at Angela, but she grabbed his hand and pulled it over his shoulder before stabbing him. One demon grabbed Angela from one side while another demon kicked the back of her left knee, making her legs buckle. The two demons grabbed her arms and flipped her up onto the table on her back. One of the demons stole the angel blade out of Angela's hand. As she struggled to get the other hand, Cain calmly leaned over.

"Doing great." He commented sarcastically.

Angela just glared at him and finally pulled her right leg back far enough to kick one of the demons into the far wall. She exchanged a few punches with the other demon and kicked him into the counter. She turned to face the female demon, who brandished the angel blade. Angela quickly picked up a yellow dish towel to protect herself. As the demon lunged at her, she swung out of her way and wrapped the towel around her neck. Angela whipped her into the fridge and then into the china cabinet. The other demon finally picked himself off the floor as Angela turned around and threw a pot at him and kicked him back into the counter. As the demon got up again, he grabbed a kitchen knife. When he turned around, Angela had the female demon in a tight hold. Angela grabbed the angel blade from the demon's hand and stabbed her in the stomach.

~/~\~

Crowley and Dean were still guarding the living room. One demon flew through the door and faced them.

"Really?" Crowley scoffed, annoyed. "Isn't it past your bedtime?"

The demon snapped, sending Dean flying into the wall, then punched Crowley to the ground.

"You're good," Crowley muttered, pulling out his angel blade, stabbing the demon in the side. "But I'm Crowley."

Dean immediately stood up and started to head for the kitchen to help Angela. However, Crowley stopped him.

"What the hell are you doing?" Dean glared. "Angie needs help."

"She's got this covered," Crowley assured as he watched the fight.

~/~\~

The demon threw Angela into the china cabinet as Cain got up to get a beer. The demon grabbed Angela and sent her flying across the floor and into the cabinets on the other side of the kitchen. Angela and the demon exchanged violent punches and Angela finally got enough leverage to slam him onto the table. In one quick move, Angela swung back and stabbed him in the neck with the angel blade. She looked triumphantly at Cain and pulled the knife out and pushed the body off the table.

"What?" Angela narrowed her eyes. "Was that some kind of test?"

"I felt connected to you right from the beginning." Cain sipped his beer. "I could smell the demon blood pulsing through your veins from a mile away."

Angela clenched her jaw. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing here, and I don't really care. Just give me the damn blade."

"Sorry, Angela." Cain sighed. "I have nothing to hand over."

"What?" she questioned angrily.

"I no longer have the blade. It's gone."

~/~\~

Sam was fading in and out of consciousness with blood dripping from his nose and eye as Castiel continued to extract the angel grace. Castiel looked up to see his PB&J sandwich still sitting on the table. He made up his mind and started pulling the needle out of Sam's neck.

"Hold on," he muttered. "This may pinch."

"Cas, what the hell?" Sam asked.

Castiel pressed his fingers to Sam's forehead, healing him.

Sam's brows furrowed. "Cas. What the hell was that?!"

"I've healed your wounds completely," Castiel replied.

"And the grace?" Sam frowned.

"Well, whatever grace was inside you is gone now," Castiel explained. "What's left of Gadreel is in here. We'll just have to try the spell with what we have."

Sam closed his eyes and sighed heavily. "Dammit."

"Sam, I want Gadreel to pay as much as you do. But nothing is worth losing you." Castiel replied sincerely. "You know, being human, it didn't just change my view of food. It changed my view of you. I mean, I can relate now to how you feel."

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked curiously.

"The only person who has screwed things up more consistently than you… is me." Castiel sighed. "And now I know what that guilt feels like. And I know what it… I know what it means to feel sorry, Sam. I am sorry."

"I know." Sam nodded.

"You know, the old me—I would've just kept going," Castiel admitted. "I would've jammed that needle in deeper until you died because the ends always justified the means. But what I went through—Well, that PB and J taught me that angels can change, so… who knows? Maybe Winchesters can, too."

~/~\~

"Gone? What do you mean, 'gone'?" Crowley asked Cain. "How? The spell brought us here to you, so it has to be here."

"Your spell brought you to the source of the Blade's power. Me." Cain corrected.

He pulled up his right sleeve to reveal a mark burned into his forearm. Crowley shrunk back and made the sign of the cross over his heart.

"Really? Now?" Dean scoffed.

"It's the bloody Mark of Cain." Crowley defended.

"From Lucifer himself. The Mark and the Blade work together," Cain explained. "Without the Mark, the Blade is useless. It's just an old bone."

"A bone?" Crowley raised his brows.

"The jawbone of an animal," Angela noted. "The jawbone you used to kill Abel because he was God's favorite."

"Abel wasn't talking to God. He was talking to Lucifer." Cain corrected. "Lucifer was gonna make my brother into his pet. I couldn't bear to watch him be corrupted, so I offered a deal—Abel's soul in Heaven for my soul in Hell. Lucifer accepted… As long as I was the one who sent Abel to Heaven." He explained. "So, I killed him. Became a soldier of Hell—a knight."

"And Lucifer ordered you to make more," Dean replied.

Cain just nodded. "My knights and I, we did horrible things—for centuries. Bringers of chaos and darkness."

"Then you met Colette," Angela whispered.

"She knew who I was… and what I was. She loved me unconditionally." Cain murmured. "She forgave me. She only asked for one thing."

"To stop," Crowley replied.

"When the knights found out, they took retribution." Cain nodded. "They took Colette, so I picked the First Blade back up, and it felt so good to have it in my hands again, and I slaughtered the Knights of Hell."

"Not all of them," Dean replied.

"No," Cain muttered angrily. "So, I buried Colette, and I walked away."

"Well, I'm sorry—truly," Angela replied. "But we have to stop Abaddon. So, where is the Blade?"

"No." Cain walked away.

"Hey!" Angela chased after him. "Listen, you son of a bitch. You may be done killing, but I'm not."

Cain turned and grasped the angel blade in Angela's hand and plunged it into his own chest. "You never give up on anything, do you?"

"Never," Angela replied firmly.

"Well, I do." Cain pulled the knife out of his chest and disappeared.

"Cain? Cain?!" Angela called out.

Dean, Angela, and Crowley pulled back the curtain to see dozens of demons preparing an attack.

"Well, I'll stay as long as I can," Crowley commented.

"Aren't you a peach?" Dean sassed.

Suddenly, Cain reappeared in the house with Dean, Angela, and Crowley.

"What the hell?" Angela snapped. "You in or out? I'm getting head spins."

"I can give you the Mark, Angela, if it's what you truly want." Cain offered.

Angela's brows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"

"The Mark can be transferred to someone who's worthy," Cain explained.

"You mean a killer like you?" Angela asked.

"Yes." Cain nodded.

"Angie, hold on, wait," Dean cut in. "You gotta think about this."

"There's no time, Dean." She retorted. "Can I use it to kill that bitch?"

"Yes," Cain confirmed. "But you have to know with the Mark comes a great burden. Some would call it a great cost."

"Angie—

"Yeah, well, spare me the warning label." She told Cain, ignoring Dean. "You had me at 'kill the bitch'."

"Good luck, Angela. You're gonna need it." Cain replied sincerely.

"Yeah, I get that a lot. Let's dance."

Cain grasped Angela's right forearm with his and a line of red veins spread from Cain's mark to burn an identical mark on Angela's forearm. Angela gasped in pain as the mark disappeared from Cain's arm.

"Angie?" Dean asked concernedly.

"I'm fine." She assured. "Alright, where the hell did you stash the damn Blade?"

"Nothing can destroy the Blade, so I threw it to the bottom of the deepest ocean," Cain replied. "It's the only way I could keep my promise to Colette. You find the blade, kill Abaddon, but make me a promise first. When I call you—and I will call—you come find me and use the Blade on me."

"Why?" Angela's brows furrowed.

"For what I'm about to do."

Cain snapped, sending Dean, Angela, and Crowley outside of the house. All the demons rushed into the house and Cain locked them inside with him. Suddenly, a red-hot light lit up the windows.

"They're all trapped in there," Crowley muttered.

"With him," Dean added.

~/~\~

Sam and Castiel were mixing the spell to track Gadreel. They added all of the ingredients and then finally added the angel grace. The mixture boiled and then faded away. Castiel looked away, disappointed.

Sam frowned. "Was that, uh… was that it?"

"I'm afraid there wasn't enough grace." Castiel sighed. "We'll have to find Gadreel another way. I'm sorry, Sam."

"It's alright, Cas. You, uh… You were right." Sam replied. "You were right about anything."

Sam suddenly leaned over and hugged Castiel tightly. The angel stood awkwardly without moving.

"Now's the part where you hug back," Sam noted.

"Oh. Right." Castiel hugged him back. "Uh, sorry."

"Ah, there you go." Sam chuckled, patting Castiel's back before pulling away.

"As far as I'm concerned, Metatron is the key to fixing everything that's wrong. I'm gonna find him." Castiel replied. "You know, Sam, we could use all the help we could get to find Gadreel and Metatron."

"We got this," Sam replied solidly.

~/~\~

Dean, Angela, and Crowley sat in the parked Impala.

"He was right, you know." Crowley leaned forward to look at Angela. "You are worthy."

"Oh, great." She scoffed. "Now you're gonna get all touchy-feely, too?"

"Your problem, Bambi," Crowley muttered. "Is that nobody hates you more than you do. Believe me, I've tried."

Angela just rolled her eyes. "So, how do we find this Blade?"

"You can't search the bottom of the ocean," Crowley started as he got out of the Impala. "But I can. So, I'll find it and bring it to its new owner."

Angela and Dean got out of the car after Crowley.

"I saw you, Crowley. Back at Cain's. You dusted that undercard demon, and then you stopped Dean from helping me out. You just sat back and watched the main event." She glared. "You knew. You knew about the Mark. You knew about Abaddon and Cain. You knew all of it. And you played me. Why?"

"He would never have given me the Blade," Crowley replied. "Who can say no to you, Bambi? I needed you to play along."

"You knew we were being followed, and you didn't say anything." Dean accused.

"Well, Cain would want to see his prizefighter up close. Bambi plus demons equals fight night." Crowley smirked.

"Tara died. Thanks to you." Dean growled.

"Omelets. Broken eggs. Et cetera."

Angela angrily punched Crowley. "After I kill Abaddon, you're next!"

"You don't mean that. We're having too much fun." Crowley replied. "Listen up. Even with the Blade, we're gonna need all the help we can get against Abaddon."

"Go find the Blade," Angela demanded.

"It's always something with you three, isn't it?" Crowley muttered before disappearing.

Angela hissed in pain and pulled up her right sleeve. The mark was burned deep in her skin. Dean frowned concernedly, wishing he had been able to stop her from accepting the Mark.

A/N: Hey, guys! I really hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I absolutely loved writing it. We're going to see a really different side of Angie during this installment and I am so, so excited! Also, I will be taking a few days off from posting, that way I can catch up on my writing before school starts in a few weeks. As always, thank you for the recent reviews! I love getting your feedback :) Love you guys, xoxo.

~Emily