The three sat in the Impala after sundown and waited for the cue to move in after Barachiel contacted Cas to meet. It was eerily dark out but he still looked for any sign that Barachiel had arrived. It wasn't hard to miss really, even if he couldn't see anything beyond the window. All he had to do wait for a thunderstorm. They were getting impatient as hour after hour passed with nothing. No rain, no thunder, no lightning. Sam and Dean had resorted to go fish in the front seat, even attempting to teach Cas the art of card games with little luck. Dean stared blankly at the angel who cocked his head and scrunched his nose. "But you aren't searching for a fish that lives in the water. Why go fishing when there are no fish involved?" Dean pressed his fingers into his forehead and breathed deeply before being able to compose himself to answer his excessively literal analysis. "Because it's a term you use when you're after something. You know, like uh, fishing for compliments." Cas furrowed his brow. "But why? What does 'fishing for compliments' have to with someone telling you to draw a card?" Sam rolled his eyes and sighed, waiting for Dean to interject. He wanted the twenty questions to be over just as badly as Sam. "I don't know, Cas. It just is. Ask the person who made it up." Cas slumped back in the seat knowing fully that he wasn't well enough to do that. He was getting the feeling that Dean wasn't going to answer any more of his questions, so he fiddled with his trench coat instead, still trying to figure out what 'go fish' meant. Every so often Dean would glance up at him before directing his attention back to their silly card game. Cas lazily shifted his line of vision out the window, wondering if this was a big waste of time when a crack of thunder jolted through the night sky. He frowned. Before Sam and Dean could look up, Cas was gone.
He had planned to meet Barachiel in a place of his choosing which happened to be a small town in Missouri. He walked silently along the road until he found a suitable location, soaking from the torrential rain pouring down. He made out a cloaked figure emerging from behind a building and shifted his direction. "Is this necessary?" Cas motioned to the sky above him. Barry shrugged, the rain instantly stopping from the gesture. "Humans have made you soft, Castiel." He gave Barachiel a depreciating sneer, his teeth barring through his lips. Barachiel mockingly threw his hands up in surrender. "Well I know you didn't come to chit chat, so how did your little meeting go?"
As Cas was finishing explaining everything, he heard wings flap behind him and spun around, cringing. That's what Naomi meant when she said she knew someone. He suddenly felt exceedingly dumb for not catching on sooner. Chances were this was going to come out horribly wrong and every part of him was screaming to run. He gripped to the sword hidden in his sleeve, trying to comfort his nerves. He watched Naomi circle out to the side of him in the corner of his eye and nervously looked back to Barachiel who was tensing up, preparing to either flee or fight. He glanced back to Castiel and glowered, who could only return a confused glance.
Naomi interjected Barachiel's silent tantrum by stepping forward with her hands out and visible as peace offering. "It's been so long, Barachiel. I never thought I'd say this, but it's nice to see you alive." Barachiel narrowed his glare and retorted, "I'd say the same if you hadn't tried to kill me so many times." A smile slithered across her lips. "Oh come now, Barachiel. You know it was just good business. Times have changed. I've moved on, you've moved on–I'd like to think." He rolled his eyes and looked back at Cas who was now fluttering his attention between the two of them, wearing his anxiety on his sleeve. "Castiel here has told me what you've been up to and I have to say, I'm quite impressed. But considering the circumstances, I needed more than just your word." Barachiel crossed his arms. "And?" She paused momentarily before taking another step. "And. You're right about Metatron. He is up to something. I asked Seraphiel and–" A crack of thunder startled them as Barachiel snarled, "you did what?" His face turned red as he paced, looking just seconds from breaking someone's neck.'
Barachiel promptly scanned the surrounding area, his body following the train of his eyes when a venomous growl came from behind them. Cas spun around to see a muscular red haired man with a set jaw stiffly striding towards them. Cas regretted not listening to his instincts to run earlier, he wanted to more than ever now. He couldn't recall the last time he had laid eyes on Seraphiel but he was certain he would have been just fine without it. This was almost like watching Michael and Lucifer duke it out all over again, except worse. Much, much worse.
"You're a hard man to find, Barachiel." He seethed, his jaw ticking more the closer he got. Barachiel stayed silent much to Cas' surprise. Naomi yanked him to the side by his coat sleeve, slowly trying to back away from the imminent confrontation. She projected into his mind, it's best you get out of here, Castiel, as far away as you can. He swallowed hard and was about to materialize but before he could, a whoosh of fire blocked their chance of escaping. "Sorry, can't have you doing that. I'll deal with you two next." Seraphiel growled, the two angels gawking at each other anxiously. The burly angel had jets of fire ignited from both fists, ready to fight. Barachiel still stood motionless as Seraphiel pushed forward, preparing himself for the moment he'd been running from for so long. "Brother, it doesn't have to be this way." Cas could have sworn it sounded like Barachiel was almost taunting Seraphiel. Maybe he really was certifiably insane. A bolt of lightning snapped Cas from his thoughts, refocusing on the powerful seraphs. He realized Barachiel summoned Holy Lightning as the blue static consumed his vessel.
The radiation from the lightning was unbearable to look at even for Seraphiel, who counteracted the light with a flare of flames, firing them towards Barachiel, slamming him into the brick building behind. He unsteadily jumped to his feet just in time to brace himself for another flare, breaking it apart with a bolt of electricity that struck Seraphiel like a cracking whip before he could evade it. He shrieked, doubling over from the agonizing pain searing through his shoulder, spitting a flame thrower from his mouth and scorching everything in front of him.
Through the blaze darted Barachiel, skin charring and boiling with flames that engulfed his body. He let out a feral howl, the ground caving in to his every move, the surrounding buildings crumbling under his quake. Rain began to fall and the fire that peeled away Barachiel's vessel was relieved. He whipped his hands together pointing them at Seraphiel, cracks of lightning shooting from his aim. Seraphiel leaped in the air in a spinning back flip, landing into a tucking roll only to duck as another bolt seared over his head. He pressed his hands to the ground twisting his body out from under him, kicking out flares from his toes. Barachiel spun off his heel, countering with another bolt that shot through Seraphiel's abdomen dropping him to the ground, electricity contorting and jerking at his limbs. Barachiel raised his hand again and paused, giving his fierce warrior brother a fair chance. "Stop this madness, Seraphiel! You and I both know how this is going to end!" He shouted over the crack of lightning he directed to the sky away from the battered archangel.
He gave a pained glance back to Cas and Naomi, drowning out the Holy Fire Seraphiel ignited, giving them the cue to clear out. The rain stopped as Seraphiel staggered back to his feet. Cas grabbed Naomi's arm and nodded at her, looking back only momentarily to see a clash of fire and lightning that glowed blindingly against the backdrop of the night sky.
The angels were back in the Impala before the deserted alleyway blew out in an explosion of flames, setting off car alarms and barking dogs nearby. "Drive!" Naomi and Cas yelped in unison. Sam and Dean jumped from their stupor at the sudden disturbance of them appearing in the car with no warning. Dean shoved the transmission in drive and squealed away from the town that was lit up like a Christmas tree. Looking out the back window, Cas could see the dulling glow were the explosion went off, the black smoke ascending high above the buildings, disappearing into the night sky. He sighed, wondering if either of them survived the explosion, turning back to observe the dark silhouette in the driver's seat before closing his heavy eyes. The last thing he remembered was Naomi explaining what happened before his vessel succumbed to unconsciousness.