Balthazar's hands shake the closer he gets to Castiel. He can lie, he's damn good at it but that doesn't mean that he wants to. But this is the only way, the only way he can save his brother and the world.
He's just waiting for everything to go to crap because let's be honest when has anything ever been easy for them?
Sometimes he wonders if it would have been a smarter decision to continue the illusion that he had died in battle, maybe then he wouldn't have been dragged into this situation, where he's risking his life for a world he's reluctantly come to treasure and for a brother who tries too damn hard to do the right thing.
He walks past several angels barely passing them a glance. He has to get Castiel to the east side of the mansion where it's mostly empty and not as many angels are patrolling, it's the only way they can all talk to Castiel without interruption.
He knocks on the door and opens it without waiting for a reply from inside.
Castiel's back is turned to him when he enters but Balthazar sees the slight twitch of his shoulders beneath his trench coat.
"I thought you'd be across the planet by now." Cas states and Balthazar doesn't blame him for coming to that conclusion. When he'd found out that Castiel had broken the deal himself and Crowley had made Balthazar himself was quick to flee to alert the Winchesters of that information that he had completely ignored what his quick exit would have looked like.
"What and miss all the action?" Balthazar jokes before smiling and even he knows that it looks small and pathetic.
"Is something bothering you?" Castiel asks with a frown and Balthazar shifts, scratches at the skin below his ear before tilting his head towards the door.
"Take a walk with me." He says and Cas spares a glance at the jars and herbs he had laid out on the table before he turns to Balthazar and nods.
They get up and silently walk down the hall but there's a tension between them a thickness of unease that is so obvious it feels physical. Balthazar wonders if Castiel can feel it to. Though he trusts his brother after witnessing some of the ruthless ways he's dealt with things lately it's made Balthazar weary of him.
"How are you feeling?" Balthazar asks and Castiel draws his attention away from their surroundings to look at his brother.
"Fine."
"Is that all? No anxiousness about the ritual. You know there's still time to pull out of this. Enough time for us to find another way to defeat Raphael." Balthazar knows his tones wavering and that he shouldn't have brought this up until he had gotten Castiel safely into the room he agreed to meet the Winchester's and Bobby Singer in but he couldn't help it.
Cas stops and turns to him. "Is there something you want to say?"
Balthazar also stops and swallows before shaking his head.
"Nothing, I just don't want you to get hurt." Balthazar admits and Castiel gives a slight inclination of the head.
"I won't." Is all he says before walking past Balthazar and continuing down the hall.
/
"You okay Sam?" Bobby asks quietly as he watches Sam do a once over on his shotgun.
Sam blinks his eyes a few times, a small furrow building between his brows. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine, great."
Bobby raises an eyebrow and scoffs lightly. "You're still a crappy liar."
They share a small huff of laughter before Sam's smile drops.
"I'm just worried. What if this doesn't go as we planned?" Sam says and Bobby tsks before readjusting his cap.
"Since when has anything ever gone to plan for us? We make it up as we go and it seems to have worked pretty damn well so far."
Sam smiles. "Don't I know it?" He replies before he looks away, swallows thickly. "I just don't want to lose him."
Bobby tenses at Sam's tone, the sincerity and desperation in it. He's only ever had that tone with those he cares about, those he loves and considers family. Bobby places a hand on Sam's shoulder.
"Then don't." Is all he says before walking across the room. He has no objective here but he thinks Sam needs a few moments to himself to think.
A few minutes later they hear the dull shuffling of footsteps and muffled voices. All three hunters freeze and Dean breathes in unsteadily, mouth slightly open before he turns to the others.
"This is it." He says.
The opening of the double doors leading to the room their hiding in is anything but dramatic. It takes Cas a moment to realise their all there, he stares at each of them in turn before turning around to face Balthazar who with a quick flick of his hand eases the door shut.
"What's going on?" Cas cautiously asks as he takes a step back.
"Cas buddy, we just want to talk." Dean says holding out a placating hand.
Cas turns to him and sets his jaw. "I thought everything had been said." He replies bitterly if not a little childishly and Dean pulls back for a minute before a look of determination crosses his features. He clicks his tongue.
"Yeah well I think we can agree we were both a little hot headed before." Dean says and Cas is still before he turns to walk away, stopping when Balthazar obstructs him.
"Move." Cas demands and his brother shakes his head.
"Not until we talk."
Castiel looks a mixture of betrayed and confused before he bows his head, looking up at Balthazar with a slither of a threat in his eyes.
"Move." He commands and Balthazar's eyes flicker to Sam, who shakes his head. They haven't even talked yet but when he sees Castiel go to move around Balthazar the other angel roughly grasps Cas's shoulders holding him in place and Sam realises it might be the only chance they have to stop the ritual from taking place.
Sam rushes forwards and pulls the handcuffs out of his pocket. He catches Cas's eye when the angel looks over his shoulder at Sam and the hunter opens his mouth – to apologise – or to ask for forgiveness he's not sure - before he clicks the cuffs around Cas's wrists. Cas's back goes ram rod straight before he pulls at the cuffs, they clink together and Sam swallows, holds a hand out hesitantly and is not surprised when Cas turns around and kicks at him. The cuffs make Cas weak, he's as strong as the rest of them now and Sam easily catches his leg and pushes it back down.
"Castiel you need to calm down." Balthazar advises and Cas grinds his teeth together.
"Let me go, if I don't complete the ritual Raphael will kill us all."
"We'll find another way." Sam assures and Cas shakes his head before retaliating.
"What would you do? We are all far inferior in strength compared to Raphael. The only one strong enough to stop him doesn't care enough to try. I am the only one who can do this."
"Not like this Cas." Dean says before he steps into the angel's line of vision. "Come on man there is another way to stop that stupid ninja turtle we just haven't found it yet. Everyone kept telling us the only way to stop Lucifer was to say yes to Michael and guess what - we stopped that S.O.B without Michael because we worked together. Raphael's small time – we can take him down easy." Dean says and smiles, warm and easy, that alluring tilt of his lips that makes you want to believe everything coming out of his mouth.
Just as Castiel looks willing to listen to them the lights above them flicker and Balthazar curses.
"Please tell me that was you." Bobby slowly says and when Balthazar says 'no' Bobby cocks his gun.
"The ritual." Castiel says and he thinks it would be fitting for them to have a grandfather clock around so they could hear the chimes because he knows it's midnight. Someone must be performing the ritual to open the doors to Purgatory and he would guess it to be Crowley but the person's presence feels purer and much more powerful which only means one thing.
"Raphael." Balthazar identifies with dread.
"We'll check it out." Dean says and Sam turns to him.
"What, are you freakin crazy." Sam screeches at him.
Dean raises an eyebrow lazily and smirks. "You only just figured that out." He replies shrugging when Sam frowns. "Besides Pinky and the Brain here are coming with."
Sam inhales sharply through his nose but Dean just waves him off.
A large explosion sounds throughout the mansion followed by crashes and the overbearing light that is only produced when an angel dies.
Before Sam has another chance to protest Dean, Bobby and Balthazar rush out through the door, closing it behind them.
They jog through the halls efficiently and quietly, weapons poised and ready if they need to attack. The further away they move from the east wing of the mansion the thinner the air feels.
"Be alert." Balthazar urges and Dean rolls his eyes.
"Yeah you think." He replies and Bobby scowls. "Not really the time for sarcasm Dean." The older hunter berates before they all stop, staring in shock at the body before them. One either side of the person's form are shadows of wings and Dean swallows.
"So I'm gonna take this as a sign that we should get the hell out of here." He says and they all jump when a voice speaks up.
"My my, what do we have here?" Dean recognises the person – Raphael –who is now in a chick's body and yeah that's never going to stop being weird.
"No transgender jokes?" Raphael asks and her voice sounds different, smoother and crueller.
Dean laughs shakily, eyes flickering to Bobby and Balthazar. "I'm working on something." He replies before reaching behind him, aiming his shotgun and shooting. Bobby follows and Dean is suddenly reminded of the first time he met Castiel when himself and Bobby emptied over a dozen rounds into him, it hadn't affected Castiel at all and Dean knows without a doubt that it mustn't be doing anything to Raphael but hopefully it'll slow her down.
Dean opens his clip, let's the empty shells fall to the floor before his hands scramble for some more bullets. He looks up to where Bobby's still shooting away and Raphael just stands there taking it all, her body giving involuntary jerks when the bullets connect with her body but apart from that she doesn't seem fazed at all.
"Come on." Dean shouts over the sounds of their guns and they begin running back the way they came only turning around enough to shoot at Raphael who follows them relentlessly her steps long and purposeful.
/
Castiel pulls against his binds and it hurts, the metals digging into his skin and he can feel his pallid flesh chaffing.
"Cas?" Sam quietly asks and when he places a hand on Cas's shoulder the angel shakes him off.
"You can't ignore me forever." Sam states heatedly because he doesn't understand how Castiel can be angry at Sam when all the hunters tried to do is keep him safe.
The sounds from outside become louder, muffled screams, the shuffle of feet and the loud echoing bang of bullets. It doesn't take a genius to know something is happening – something bad.
"I can't protect you like this." Castiel explains.
Sam bites his lip and flinches when he hears a loud crash from down the hall.
"Sam. We don't have time for this. Let me go." Sam's sure Castiel's voice drops several octaves, with numb hands Sam takes the keys from his pocket and leaning behind Cas undoes the handcuffs. Castiel exhales a sigh of relief his hands immediately curving out of the handcuffs. The chaffing red cuts around Castiel's wrists don't fade and Sam's heart lurches into his throat. How long will it take for him to heal? They can't exactly play a waiting game.
The door to the room implodes, pieces of thick wood spiralling in every which direction. Sam's head bows away from the door on instinct as Castiel turns to the door. Not even a second later the bodies of Balthazar, Bobby and Dean are forcefully thrown through the doorway their bodies crashing into the wall opposite the room's entrance.
"Dean!" Castiel doesn't hear Sam's worried shout over the blood rushing through his ears and the fear catapulting inside of him.
The angel swallows heavily as Raphael walks through the doorway except it isn't the archangel he knows - she's so much more now. Powerful. Immortal. God like. Unbeatable. She's taken the souls of purgatory for herself Castiel can feel it, can sense the unfathomable amount of power she has coursing through her and its fucking terrifying. Raphael is no longer subjected to limitations or rules, she's a god she can do as she pleases. Castiel stutters a shaky breath. He's not going to die. Raphael is too cruel to allow him such a mercy. She's going to torture him in ways that Castiel cannot even begin to describe.
"Castiel." Castiel barely manages to not flinch at the mention of his own name especially as it falls from her lips.
"You can sense them cant you? All of them inside of me." Castiel nods – words fail him.
"You have no idea what this feels like. I'm indestructible, I'm perfect. And now brother, now you are going to pay for your disobedience and for your rebellion against me – you're new god."
Raphael appears before Castiel, a colossal of strength. She uppercuts Castiel and the angels head snaps upwards, the sounds of cracking bones follow. Jaw shattered and mouth bleeding Castiel falls to the ground, his knees bashing onto the concrete floor. Cas gasps around mouthfuls of his own blood as Raphael delivers blow after blow to his face, his head snapping left and right with every punch.
Castiel's skin blossoms in bruises, his pale skin pulsing marks of purple and red. A blood vessel bursts inside his eye and his vision blurs. Castiel hears Sam's terrified shouts, the hunter's voice shaking with suppressed tears. He can sense the fear emanating from all of them; can feel Dean and Bobby holding Sam back away from Raphael with every ounce of strength they can muster. He can feel Balthazar's indecision and apprehension followed by Balthazar's wings vibrating in preparation for flight. Castiel cannot blame him. Balthazar cares for Castiel but he cares for his own life more. The fact that he's tried to help Castiel for this long is a small miracle, many would have given up on Cas a long time ago. Castiel only wishes that Sam, Dean and Bobby would follow by Balthazar's example and flee whiles they can.
Raphael grabs Castiel by the fabric of his trench coat and throws him through a wall.
Castiel can feel nothing but pain.
/
Balthazar whispers ingredients out loud, trying to remember them and thinking of where he could obtain them. He gives himself enough time to collect them and scrawl instructions on a piece of paper before he's shoving everything into a duffel. With that done he goes to do his next task.
Wings humming like a butterflies Balthazar lands in Minnesota of all the places. Over two thousand years of existence and this is the place they chose to settle down in?
His flustered appearance as well as his less then graceful landing immediately attract the attention of the angels around him - Castiel's old comrades.
Tabbris turns to Balthazar his frame rigid. "How did you find us?" The olive coloured angel asks.
Balthazar feigns boredom and indifference as he crosses one leg behind the other. "In Heaven you were appointed as scroll writer and yet you can't even get a couple of cloaking sigils right."
The angels behind Tabbirs stand stiff and on guard, ready to strike at any moment.
"You have no place being here." Tabbris informs though what he really wants to say is leave.
Balthazar magic's a glass of Pernod-Ricard Perrier-Joet into his hand before taking a leisurely sip.
"Oh I must be mistaken you see I thought that you wanted Cas's location but you know what never mind." Balthazar goes to turn away and hates how long it takes for Tabbris to reply, in reality its only seconds but the thought of Castiel's broken body laying bleeding on the mansion's floor is enough to make those seconds feel like hours.
"You know where Castiel is?" Tabbris slowly asks.
"What the whole cryptic message not make it obvious enough."
Tabbris frowns in confusion as Balthazar rolls his eyes. Sometimes he thinks some of his brothers and sisters will never understand sarcasm.
"Yes I know where he is." Balthazar attests.
The rest of the angels stalk forward their grace's bleeding anger and thoughts of revenge for Rachel's death.
"Why should we trust you? You helped Castiel get away from us before." Tabbris informs.
"That was before I knew he was working with Crowley." Balthazar says a hot flare of nerves running through him. Tabbris looks thoughtful for a moment before he nods.
"Lead the way." The angel says and Balthazar's mouth pulls down to one side in nervousness. This plan had better well work or they were screwed. He swallows down the remaining champagne in his glass before his wings spread wide open, ready for flight.
"Try to keep up."
/
"Son of a bitch." Dean breaths even before he see's Balthazar disappear - the sound of angel wings give it away, they've become such a reoccurring thing in his life it's almost as familiar as Sam's insistent need for morning runs and Bobby's ability to love and berate them. Balthazar is such a coward, Dean cannot believe they trusted him enough to bring them this far. The fact that he left his own brother to die is detestable Dean would never even dream of leaving Sam behind.
Dean's scared and he's not ashamed to admit it – to himself anyway. When himself and Castiel faced Raphael before it was nothing like this, she was much weaker then and the two of them had the comfort of knowing the arch angel was trapped in a ring of holy fire. But now she was a cyclone of power and incessant fury. Dean's not sure how much more of this Cas can take, the hunter flinches when Raphael's fist connects with Cas's eye and the eye socket pops hollowly.
Sam's screaming now and Dean barely misses the lengthy arm that's trying to knock him away. He can't let Sam near Raphael one blow possibly one look and she would destroy Sam. It's a miracle Cas isn't dead by now, Dean's sure Cas's grace is the only thing holding his vessel together, the rest of it is broken, brutally being pulled apart by Raphael with every hit she sends the angel's way.
Raphael throws Cas through a wall and that's the moment Bobby and Dean lose their hold on Sam. Sam runs straight after them a solid six foot of furiousness. He's not even ten feet away from Raphael before she turns around and sharply raises a hand, Sam goes flying through the air, his legs flailing before he smashes into a table and falls to the floor.
Raphael watches disinterested before she turns back to Castiel. Both Dean and Bobby rush to Sam's side.
"Sam...Sammy hey c'mon man get up." Dean coaxes his voice holding tremors of urgency to it.
Bobby curls an arm around Sam's back and helps him up. Sam sways for a moment before he turns himself in the direction of the two fighting angels.
"Sam, hey hold up." Dean says as he moves to stand before his brother. They're both crazy and reckless Dean knows this but trying to go up against Raphael isn't being reckless its being suicidal.
"Dean. Get out of my way." Sam orders as he goes to step around his brother only to have Dean shove him backwards.
"No. Look you need to calm the hell down and take a second to realise what's going on around here. You don't stand a chance against Raphael. We gotta regroup and get outta here."
Sam doesn't attempt to push past Dean neither does he move towards the exit.
"No." Sam shouts, a vein pulsing in his head as his face flushes red with anger. "I am not leaving him." And then there it is, Dean sees it even before his brother does. He may not have been sure about it before but now he is. Sam loves Cas. It hits Dean like a punch to the chest because for Sam to just realise it now is like a cruel twist of coincidence. He finally has someone he wants someone that makes him happy and that someone is about to be destroyed.
Dean stares at Sam's pleading eyes for a moment and thinks maybe he is suicidal because he's going to let Sam jump in there all guns blazing and god help him he's going to go with his brother.
The lights above them flicker and Bobby freezes.
"Uh...boys. We got company." The older hunter says breaking Dean and Sam out of their trance.
All three simultaneously turn and come face to face with a small group of angels they don't recognise and Balthazar. Balthazar strides towards them. "You called in the cavalry?" Bobby asks. Balthazar sucks in a breath. "Not quite... they're more of a distraction."
"Where is Castiel?" Tabbris demands.
Dean eyes him clearly annoyed and unimpressed before he asks. "Who the hell are you?"
Tabbirs glares. "That is none of your business Dean Winchester." Dean inches back slightly, he'll never get used to people knowing his name when he hasn't told them it and he'll never get used to that holier than thou tone.
"Actually I think it is. If people are going to come and crash the party I'd like to know who they are especially if their dicks with wings."
Bobby eyes Dean like he's crazy and hell he probably is because the hunter never knows when to shut the hell up.
Tabbris steps towards Dean, his shoulders squared. Before he can reach the hunter Sam shimmies in front of his brother.
"You want Castiel? You gotta go through me."
Balthazar's eyes shift between Tabbris and Sam, when that self assured benevolent smirk goes over Tabbris's face Balthazar gets between him and Sam.
"Castiel's through there." Balthazar comments feeling a strange sense of melancholy when the hunters look at him as if he's betrayed them. Are they honestly that obtuse as to think that Balthazar would flee just to reappear with more angels who want Castiel dead?
The angels make to move around them and Sam reaches an arm out in order to stop them. Balthazar's arm grabs his wrist adding a crushing pressure and Sam's eyes move to his. Balthazar tightens his jaw, tries to communicate unverbally that this is part of the plan. Sam seems to get it after a moment because his arm relaxes beneath the angels hold and Tabbris scoffs.
"Humans- so easily swayed." Tabbris comments and Sam sneers but watches as they walk past them and towards where Raphael and Castiel are.
The feel of grace startles Raphael, she knew her brothers and sisters were stupid but were they really that stupid? They rebelled against her and for that they're going to pay, their appearance has guaranteed that.
She unscrews the hand she has buried in Cas's coat and watches him collapse pitifully to the floor. His head lolls and his eyes roll back slightly; she kicks him in the side, pointed edges of her shoes causing a small whine to break through from Castiel's mouth.
"Don't pass out on me now brother, we've only just begun." Raphael says, pressing her foot down and smiling when Castiel moans painfully.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Dean says and he manages to say it quietly while sounding infinitely angry.
"There's no time to explain." Balthazar replies before he's hoisting the duffel he brought over to Dean.
"You just sent a small army of angel-bots after Cas, I think now is as good a time as any." Dean says and Balthazar turns to him sharply.
"Can you shut up for one moment? Your inability to listen is going to get us killed, now if you'll let me explain you'll see how this is all going to work out." Balthazar hisses and Dean opens his mouth before turning his widened eyes to Bobby and Sam like he's half impressed and half chastised by the angel's words.
Dean cradles the duffel in one hand and uses the other to unzip it and part the folds of the bag to look inside. It looks like a bunch of junk, herbs crystals and odd trinkets.
Balthazar removes two folded pieces of paper out of the front pocket of his jacket, moving faster when he hears crashes and screams from the next room over.
"Looks like the knight found your pawns." Bobby says, trying for light hearted but it sounds dread filled and his hand tightens on his gun.
Balthazar spares a quick look over his shoulder before facing them again. "We still have time, here take these." He hands the pieces of paper to Bobby who inspects them quickly. Ones instructions written in a small black scrawl and the others a symbol, a circle that has a cross in it and situated around the cross are a mixture of numbers and Enochian letters.
"What is this?" Bobby asks.
"Warding, it will hide your location, but you have to write it in human blood." The angel explains and then a loud screaming pierces their hearing. Balthazar winces.
"No matter how much it pains me to say it; you three are our only hope. I need you to take Raphael down."
"How." Dean urges but then Balthazar's hand is on his forehead and the hunter's eyes snap shut on instinct. When he blinks them open again he's at Bobby's.
"Where did you just send him?" Sam shouts.
"Somewhere where he'll be safe." Balthazar says before he does the same to Bobby.
He moves towards Sam and the hunter backs away.
"I'm not leaving without Castiel."
"I know." Balthazar says and Sam seems shocked for a moment before he nods resolutely.
"So what's the plan?"
/
"Bobby." Dean shouts when the older hunter comes into view. "Where the hell is Sam?"
Bobby looks around. "The mansion, he must still be there." Bobby announces and Dean pales.
"We need to put these wards up." Bobby says, shucking his shotgun down before reaching for the knife he keeps in the waistband of his jeans.
He runs the knife across his forearm, creating a slick cut before easing his fingers through the blood.
"Bobby we have to help them." Dean says eyes darting towards Bobby as the older hunter removes the piece of paper with the warding sigil on it.
Bobby turns to him.
"No Dean, you have to trust your brother. He'll be fine, you hear me. We've got a job to do, now get to work." Dean takes the paper, grasps at it with numb hands before he draws out his own dagger.
He goes to the next room and looks up at the ceiling.
"Cas buddy if you can hear me, you gotta look after my brother. Look after yourself; I need both of you alive you hear me. Just...just get out of there."
He doesn't hear anything, not the wisp of angel wings or a reply.
He takes a look at the sigil and gets to work.
/
"Don't get killed." Sam repeats disbelievingly and Balthazar shrugs.
"That's your plan?" The hunter searches for confirmation.
"Isn't that the one you and your brother have been following for years?" Balthazar asks and Sam purses his lips then makes a little 'huh' sound because yeah that pretty much has been their philosophy.
Sam's fingers grasp his gun tighter and out of the corner of his eye he sees the glint of Balthazar's angel blade, which he's not entirely sure will even work on Raphael.
They charge through to the next room and Sam doesn't realise how infinitely unprepared he is for the situation he walks into.
The angels Balthazar lured here are splayed across the floor, vessels shattered and imprints of their wings burned into the ground. They were dicks sure but they didn't deserve that, didn't deserve to die at the hands of their sibling.
Sam realises soon after though that they got off easily when he looks down to see Castiel blood soaked and broken on the floor as Raphael's fist rushes down and connects with his face, snapping his head back.
"Hey!" Sam shouts and out of instinct to protect Castiel and eliminate the threat he shoots, the bang of the shotgun ringing loud and clear through the air.
The bullet connects with the centre of Raphael's back and Sam knows that with anyone human, anyone who wasn't supercharged on souls, it would shatter their spin. Raphael barely flinches, her back curves but then she's releasing her grip on Castiel and letting him fall to the floor.
She turns to them sharply, exhaling heavily through her nostrils.
"I was almost willing to let you live, after all what are you and your brother to me now except little ant's waiting for your inevitable deaths but you're just both so insistent. It's time to die Sam Winchester."
Sam shoots again and panics when the gun makes an empty sound, he scrambles for a new clip and each clack of Raphael's heels against the ground are daunting.
By the time Sam has the gun reloaded she's reached him however Balthazar stands between them before she can take a swing.
"Sweetie why so stressed, is it your time of the month?" Balthazar snarks around a smirk but his lips are trembling and Sam gapes as Balthazar shoves at Raphael with what looks like a great deal of effort. She goes flying through the air and crashing through a wall and Sam winces at the sounds of bricks and plaster being demolished beneath her weight.
"We don't have much time hurry." Balthazar advises then they're both rushing towards Castiel whose still on the floor unconscious.
"Is he alive?" Sam asks tone daunting, fingers close to but not touching Castiel's face.
"Barely, he'll need to heal." Balthazar says before he's helping Sam to lift Castiel until the comatose angel is leant heavily onto Sam's left side.
A thundering crash sounds from where Balthazar threw Raphael and both the hunter and angel turn towards the sound.
"Time to get the two of you out of here." Balthazar says and Sam frowns, pulls away from Balthazar's open palm.
"What do you mean the two of us?" Sam questions, quietly and suspiciously but Balthazar pays no heed.
"I took the liberty of putting warding sigils onto your brother's car, I can teleport you there and you can drive. Raphael won't be able to follow you." The angel explains and Sam shakes his head.
"Balthazar what are you planning?" Sam says and Balthazar smiles, this time there's no facade or sarcasm beneath it, it's open and honest.
The angel looks at Castiel with misted eyes before shaking his head and turning towards Sam.
"You know I've known him for over a thousand years and I've never seen him love anything more than he does the three of you, damn hunters for god's sake. I suppose everyone has to go through a phase." Balthazar says around a wet sounding laugh.
"Balthazar..." Sam starts but doesn't know where to go with it, he knows that look on the angel's face, nothing is going to change his mind.
"Take care of him." Balthazar says and his eyes turn hard for a minute, a determination burning bright in them.
Raphael approaches, charging through the holes in the wall her body made and Balthazar turns so fast Sam barely has time to protest before he's standing in front of the impala. He hears a jingle and when he reaches into his coat pocket the car keys are there.
He rushes to put Castiel into the passenger seat before he's jumping into the front and starting the car.
Halfway down the street he feels the air around him vibrate followed by the sharp blinding light of an angel's essence he sees in the rear view mirror.
Sam presses down harder onto the gas pedal and sends a silent thank you to Balthazar hoping that wherever the angel is, he can hear Sam.
Sam doesn't stop driving, not even when the fuel light flashes. Castiel remains passed out in the passenger seat and halfway back to Bobby's Sam gets out his phone and one handily texts Dean, letting him know that their safe and on their way home.
When he arrives at Bobby's the front door is practically pulled off of its hinges and Dean's running out to meet them. He pulls Sam into a crushing hug and Sam breathes out, hugs him back. When he pulls away Bobby's standing there and Sam feels a rush of relief like no other. He hugs the older hunter before pulling away, hands still on Bobby's shoulders.
"Cas is in the car, he's pretty banged up." Sam explains before helping the angel out. He's twitching a little the slightest of movements but his eyes are still closed, his breathing still a little too slow.
"What about Balthazar?" Dean asks and Sam gives a mournful shake of his head.
They make their way into the house and Sam lays Cas down onto the living room coach where he drags a chair over and sits by Castiel's head watching as each injury on Cas slowly but surely heals.
Cas wakes up about an hour later and even then not all of his wounds have healed. The first thing he feels is the loss of Balthazar, his brother's death a gaping hole in the many internal wounds he has. Then he feels guilt unrelenting as it crashes down upon him, he doesn't get much time to reflect however because he sees Sam and Dean gathered around a table with things strewn out across it.
"What the hell is all this stuff?" Dean asks, precariously fingering at a crystal, his face tight and drawn in as if he thinks the crystal will implode from his touch.
Dean turns to look at Cas who's slowly healing, the angels eyes stray no further than the floor.
Bobby walks through with a bottle of whiskey and four tumblers clasped tightly between his fingers. The glasses clank lightly as he places them down onto his desk. Bobby pours the drinks and hands them out, faltering slightly as he places one into Cas's bloodied hands.
Castiel stands shakily and walks towards the table better allowing him to get a look at the items on the table. He recognises the ingredients immediately.
"It's a spell for binding Death – the same one Lucifer used." Cas retorts to Dean's earlier questioning.
There's a collective silence before Sam speaks up.
"Are you telling me we have the recipe for Death's shackles, that we could control him?"
Castiel nods. "To a certain degree, I believe it was Balthazar's intention to use this spell."
"Yeah but why? Make death his bitch then what?" Bobby asks taking a seat on his desk chair.
"In order to kill me." Cas says and Sam stiffens.
Castiel noticing the change in Sam's demeanour is quick to reiterate.
"Or whoever swallowed the souls of purgatory. The only people in the entire world powerful enough to stop Raphael at the moment are Death or God." Castiel's voice wavers at the end, he almost whispers out God's name as if he thinks he shouldn't say it.
It all clicks into place in Sam's head and he nods briefly, tongue clicking at his own slowness in coming to the conclusion before he turns to face Dean and Bobby.
"The spell was a safety net. Balthazar knew that if we couldn't have stopped Cas, Death would have- not without some persuasion of course." Sam says eyeing the ritual ingredients wearily.
"So what we just summon Death? Yeah I'm not really on board with that." Dean says, arms flailing lightly, tumbler held in his right hand.
"I don't see the problem." Sam says and Dean's body seems to deflate and he rolls his eyes at Sam.
"Are you freakin kidding me – its Death."
"It's the only thing that seems to be going in our favour. We could shackle Death to us, force him to get rid of Raphael. Could save a hell of a lot of innocent people whiles were at it." Bobby reasons.
"Can we just remind ourselves about what happened to the last muke that put Death on a dog leash? Death made it his friggin goal to take Lucifer down and he was an angel. You don't wanna know what he could do to us." Dean intones, eyes fluctuating between all the people in the room.
"Yeah but we would be controlling him, he couldn't hurt us if we didn't want him to." Sam reasons and Cas clears his throat lightly.
"Dean's right. It's too dangerous. Even if we did do the spell, the moment we unbound Death he would kill us just for the simple fact that we used the spell against him. He's too powerful a being for anyone to control. "Castiel says and they all notice the self deprecating tone.
"Well then what are we gonna do because sitting around here on our asses isn't helping anybody." Bobby says.
Castiel places his tumbler, whiskey untouched, onto a pile of books beside him. "We summon Death and we ask for his help." Castiel supplies and doesn't miss how his companions eye him as if he's certifiable.
Dean blinks rapidly, holds up a placating hand but before he can loudly protest Cas interjects.
"We're in this mess because of me, let me make it right. Please."
The hunters exchange looks before Dean exhales through his nose.
"Fine, but if this thing goes south we get the hell out of dodge alright?"
Castiel nods before walking over to the ritual ingredients.
"Oh hold up, hold up." Dean interrupts.
"What?" Sam asks as he turns to Dean who's fishing around in his pockets for his wallet.
"We gotta go Denny's." Dean says and Sam looks surprised before he rolls his eyes.
"Dean are you honestly thinking about food? Now?"
"Trust me were gonna need it."
Dean and Bobby take the Impala and head out soon after.
The house is quiet once they leave and Castiel refuses to make eye contact with Sam for more than a few seconds.
Castiel's rolling the tumbler between his hands, spidery fingers running over the glass. Sam sighs before kneeling before him.
"Remember when I said you couldn't ignore me forever?" Sam asks light heartedly but Castiel just moves the glass more erratically, eyes snapping shut when Sam's hands cover his, stilling his motions.
"This is all my fault." Castiel explains before swallowing. "I'm so sorry Sam."
"Hey, look at me." Sam eases gently, taking the glass out of Cas's hands before placing it on the floor beside him.
"You're alive, that's all I care about." Sam admits. "The rest of the stuff's just set backs, we can work it all out."
Castiel looks at Sam, eyes blue and watery before he leans forwards and kisses Sam slowly, hands coming up to cradle and rub at the hairs at the nape of Sam's neck. Sam kisses him back just as gently angling his head up and running his thumbs across Cas's jaw line.
They break the kiss but stay close enough that when Sam speaks his lips catch on Cas's. "Thought I was gonna lose you." He admits in a whisper, eyes closed arms going round to wrap around Cas's torso. Cas leans forward, let's Sam press his face against Cas's chest as the angels fingers brush through Sam's hair.
They stay there embraced, shifting enough to trade warm desperate kisses. They reluctantly pull away from one another when they hear the rumble of Dean's car sound outside and Sam gets up with a wince, his knees aching and stiff from having knelt for so long.
The smell of oil and salt emanating from the take out bag makes Sam realise how hungry he is, luckily for him he has the best kind of big brother because Dean throws him a bag with a chicken salad inside. He eats messily, doesn't care about the few bits of cos lettuce that fall into his lap he just scoots them up after, sucks them into his mouth.
The television is background noise and they shut it off when the news channels discuss extreme weird weather conditions.
Castiel draws the summoning symbol in white chalk on top of Bobby's desk and chants the incantation. The lights flicker and a harsh breeze follows throughout the study and an array of papers shutter off of the bookshelves and fly onto the floor.
"You summoned me but you haven't bound me." Death says as a greeting and everyone jumps in surprise except for Castiel. "I can see you have everything here that you'd need which raises the question of why you haven't used it."
Dean swallows. "Death." Is all he manages to say before Castiel takes a tentative step forward.
"Were not going to bind you, we called you here for an exchange. We give you the spell instructions and the ingredients and in return you kill Raphael."
Death turns to Castiel, thin lips turning downward before he clucks his tongue one hand swinging his walking staff.
"What makes you think I'm willing to make a deal with the likes of you four? I gave you a warning about this a long time ago Dean, the dangers of the souls and purgatory and yet here we are."
"We could have just binded you and forced you to kill him but we didn't. That has to count for something." Sam cuts in voice raised by the slightest increment, hands spread out on either side of him.
Death doesn't look contemplative or angry just neutral, there's nothing readable upon his features and as he slowly raises his hand all three hunters inch back slowly, eyes blinking rapidly when Death clicks his fingers. Once he does the ritual ingredients as well as the binding spell written on the paper disappear.
"It is not my place to fix everything that you imbeciles manage to break, you all made this mess you can clean it up."
"How? If you haven't noticed Raphael's turbo charged." Dean informs, mouth falling shut a moment later when Death turns to him with a sharp look.
"Interrupt me again and you'll regret it." Death threatens. "Your only hope in stopping Raphael is having him return all the souls to purgatory – quickly."
Sam frowns. "We need a door." He says and Cas interjects.
"Everything we need is at the mansion, all the ingredients in which are needed to open the door to Purgatory."
"But that door only opens in the eclipse, and that's over." Bobby points out and Death looks at them all with an air of exhaustion, fingers curling around his staff.
"And that is where I help you, I'll create another one. 3:59, Sunday morning just before dawn. Be punctual. "He turns to Cas and raises a finger. "Don't thank me, clean up your mess." He advises before he turns, his long black coat shuffling around his ankles and then he's gone out the door.
"Well I think that went pretty well." Dean comments before looking over to the takeout bag he forgot to offer Death. With a grin he picks it up and noisily opens it taking a pickle chip from inside and eating it. When he turns to see the other three staring at him he raises an eyebrow before swallowing. "What – oh did you want some?" He asks and all he gets in reply are exasperated groans.
They spend the next few hours doing weapon checks and spare enough time to make a quick dinner before they gather in the study to strategise.
Bobby runs a hand over his tired eyes, adjusts his cap before adding a bit of whiskey to his coffee.
"So we got an arsenal, enough to slow Raphael down all we need to do is figure out a way in which we can lure him back to the mansion and get him in front of the door to Purgatory." Bobby explains around a sigh because it's a hell of a lot harder than it sounds. They have to find Raphael and keep her in front of the door to purgatory long enough to recite the incantation to open the doors. And even if they do manage that and return the souls to purgatory she'll still be strong enough to kill them.
"Me." Castiel says and all the hunters turn to him with inquisitive frowns.
"I'll be the bait." Cas says and Sam sucks in a breath before turning to him.
"No way." Sam says and Cas locks eyes with Sam.
"This is the only way; we know that Raphael will do whatever it takes to find me. She wishes to make an example of me and show the other angels that if they dare disobey her she'll punish them. It's the only solid leverage we have." Castiel shoots back and Sam's jaw tightens. Dean looks awkwardly between them before clearing his throat.
"He's right Sammy. It's the only way we can lure Raphael to the warehouse and get those souls back to where they belong – but." Dean stresses the word when Sam looks like he's about to protest. "But you're only there to draw him to the mansion the moment things get ugly you get the hell of there you hear me?" Dean says eyes going from Sam to Cas.
"I understand." Castiel replies.
"So it's settled, all we gotta do is find him." Bobby says and Cas nods.
"I can take care of that, I doubt he'll be hiding his location. He has no need to; right now he's one of the most powerful creatures in the universe."
They all nod in agreement and Castiel exits the room, so he can go and perform a location spell. Sam goes to follow him and only stops when Dean calls him over. Sam looks reluctant, watches Cas walk for a moment before he turns to Dean.
"What's up?" He asks and Dean just hands him a beer, inclining his head to the chair opposite him.
"Crazy twenty four hours huh?" Dean says and Sam huffs humourlessly.
"That's an understatement." The younger hunter provides and Dean raises his beer bottle in a small toast before mumbling a 'hey I hear that'.
Their silent for a few moments before Dean leans forwards in his chair placing his beer bottle onto the table between them.
"How are you feeling anyway?" Dean pensively asks and Sam looks up, blinks at his brother.
"Fine." He replies confused before it clicks and he realises what Dean is trying to get at.
"I haven't seen anything else. Of hell I mean. Nothing, no flashes."
Dean releases a slow shaky breath.
"Good, that's good." He says fingers picking at the label on his beer bottle. "But that doesn't mean that you won't get them again, you know that right? You gotta stop scratching at the wall."
Sam sighs lightly and Dean eyes Sam seriously.
"I mean it Sammy, I need you. We all need you and that wall is the only thing keeping you together. Promise me you'll look after yourself." Dean says and Sam nods resolutely.
"I promise." Dean nods, gratitude showing in his features before he goes back to drinking his beer. The two of them sit there companionably greeting Bobby with inclinations of their heads when the older hunter joins them.
Bobby points out that they still don't know what happened to Crowley but it's most likely that he's alive.
"God he's like a cockroach, a limey cockroach." Dean intones, face pulled into a grimace.
"Well I guess were just gonna have to squash him too then." The older hunter says.
Bobby pulls out the whiskey and they silently drink letting the alcohol and their exhaustion sink in. Dean takes the playing cards out of the kitchen drawer and they're on their second game when Cas walks in.
"I found him." Castiel informs them. "He's in Illinois."
"So that's it then. We rest up and first thing tomorrow we go after Raphael." Dean says and there's a tension filled anxious silence before Bobby speaks up. "You in Cas?" The hunter asks collecting the cards splayed around the table until he's holding the entire pack up.
"I've never played poker before." The angel admits and Dean smiles before clapping him on the shoulder.
"Well the first thing you gotta know is that with poker you're not just playing the game you're playing you're opponent." Sam groans but grins through it, watches as Cas takes a seat between him and Dean and if his knee is pressed against Cas's beneath the table well nobody has to know.
About an hour later they all turn in for the night having decided they'll go after Raphael in the morning, they still have a good few hours before the eclipse.
Castiel follows Sam up to the guest room and once the door eases shut behind Cas, Sam's on him mouth soft and warm against Castiel's own, hands desperate and wanting as they push at the folds of Cas's trench coat. They fall onto the bed and the mattress releases a squeaking groan beneath the brute of their combined weights.
Their clothes fall way, slipping off of their clammy skin. Sam lies back, pulls Cas into the V of his spread legs and the first brush of skin on skin contact has them gasping into each other's mouths eventually pushing their lips together in the hopes to muffle the sounds their making. Their movements turn frantic, pushes and pulls of limbs as they burrow beneath the bed covers treating it as some type of security blanket.
Cas prepares Sam with lube slick slightly trembling fingers and when he pushes his way inside, Sam bites at the angels shoulder, his hands stretched up above his head, palms pressed flat against the headboard. Cas heavily breaths against Sam's face as he undulates his hips, the mattress squeaking with each one of his rocking movements. Sam feels his face flushing as the sounds become louder and he moves one hand away from the headboard to slap it over his mouth as he comes hot and slick between them coating his and Cas's chests. Cas's mouth falls open in a long gasp, hand digging into Sam's sweat slick thigh as he fucks into him once, twice, them he's coming.
Sam pushes his hips up slightly, shudders at the feeling of Cas still inside him where Sam's soft and sensitive. He runs his hands through Castiel's hair, kisses him steadily before Cas leans down to rest his head on Sam's chest.
"Sam-." Cas starts his voice wavering and Sam sighs not unkindly before he continues running his fingers through Cas's hair.
"It's okay Cas." He tells him even though that's not entirely true, it's not okay because even though Sam hasn't had any hallucinations he's still chipped at a piece of the wall and it there's no promises that things will go the way they want them to tomorrow.
Cas raises his head enough for him to look into Sam's eyes.
"Tonight could be our last night on Earth and you're saying it's okay. Are you honestly telling me you'd be okay with dying tomorrow?"
Sam shifts slightly and Cas feels the hunters foot brush over his ankle.
"Yeah, I would be." There's not one iota of a lie in Sam's voice and when the hunter's arms curl around Cas, pulling the angel into him until there's not one bit of their bodies that isn't connected Castiel forgets about everything else. Everything except the secure band of Sam's arms in which he realises that yes he'd be okay with it too.
/
The End.