Episode 13 – Tipping the Scale
Summary: It is time for Kevin to put together the spell and re-open heaven. Meanwhile, Dean explains the approaching apocalypse to his boss.
Author's Notes: May the length of this chapter and its content make up for the wait!
xXx
Don't get too close
It's dark inside
It's where my demons hide
It's where my demons hide
- Demons, Imagine Dragons
xXx
Gabriel shakes out his wings, ruffling his feathers. The water of the San Francisco Bay may not have reached his celestial plane of existence, but that doesn't mean he can't suffer from phantom wetness.
Stupid angel. That Metatron is gonna get what's coming to him, and nothing will be able to stop Gabriel now.
He doesn't expect to find the object of his fury towering over Castiel, poised to deliver the killing blow. Gabriel flexes his wings even though he knows he'll never make it in time… which is when the blade in Metatron's hand starts to glow, a bright light erupting from it on a ethereal level and blinding Gabriel for a second before it recedes.
The tables have turned – now it is Cassie who has Metatron pinned to the ground.
What the -?
"Game over, douchebag."
"You've definitely spent too much time with the Winchesters if you've taken on their habit of cheesy one-liners in high-tension moments," Gabriel teases, hiding his astonishment and relishing the fact that Metatron has gone pale as a ghost.
Castiel's mouth twitches and he gives Gabriel a rare smile. Oh boy, he even took that as a compliment. That angel is so gone.
Shaking his head Gabriel grips both Castiel's and Metatron's shoulder and teleports them back upstairs where they book their wayward prisoner into a new cell. Gabriel is certain to secure the door as many times as he can and makes a note to handpick future guards.
"Sit tight there, Metatron; we'll be back to get your grace in a bit."
"You can't do that! You have no right to take away the essence of my celestial being!" the man shouts, hands wrapped around the bars so tight his knuckles have gone white.
"Watch me," Gabriel snaps back, in absolutely no mood to deal with Metatron's rambling. He has bigger things on his mind. "Cassie," he starts slowly, taking in his brother's appearance. He hasn't changed outwardly, yet on an ethereal plane, Gabriel sees the difference.
"I know, Gabriel. I will be taking my leave soon. I have no place amongst my brethren, now that I am human."
"Woah, hang on a minute! That's not what I'm talking about."
"No?"
"I meant the thing, back there."
"The thing?"
"Yeah, you know." He throws in an eyebrow wriggle for good measure. Surely Cassie will catch on soon enough.
Or not. Well. The other man tilts his head and narrows his eyes. "I do not know what you are referring to."
"Come on, Cassie, you can't tell me you don't know what just happened!"
Understanding dawns – finally! "Oh, yes, I'm sorry… Thank you for saving my life. I don't know how I can sufficiently express my gratitude, dear brother."
"Woah, woah, wait – thank me? I had nothing to do with it." Damn, has Castiel really fucked away all his brain cells?
His brother's blue eyes widen. "But if it wasn't you – who saved me?"
"Huh, good question," Gabriel drawls. "Maybe the same guy who resurrected you once already?"
Castiel swallows as shock takes over his features. Gabriel scoffs mentally. Seriously, how can this angel be their Father's favorite? 'cause him being His favorite is the only explanation Gabriel can come up with for their absent Dad to take action despite his hiatus.
"Are you saying… that God saved my life?"
"Duh. Who else has this kind of juice?"
"But – why?"
"Dude, I got no clue why he's keeping your annoying ass around. Ask Him the next time you get the chance."
Castiel doesn't reply. Maybe Gabriel broke his brain for good. Ah, well… Hopefully demon boy won't mind.
"Come on, Cassie, hold on tight, we gotta get ourselves a prophet and then we'll reopen Heaven for good."
"You want me to come?"
"Of course, Cassie. The angels listen to you. And hey, the deal was we're talking about this whole leader thing after we reversed the stunt Metatron pulled and I'm gonna hold you to that, grace or not."
Castiel blinks at him in surprise. Gabriel sighs. Honestly, he has no idea why the rest of their Bible Club are willing to follow Cassie anywhere…
xXx
His head is swimming, thoughts flowing into one another but without any coherence to it. Dean blinks, once, twice, tries to shake his head to chase away the mushy feeling.
He's in the bunker. In the bathroom. How the hell did he get there? What just happened?
Loosing time ain't never good, that's something Dean has learnt in the past decades. That it happens now can't mean anything good, especially seeing as he's covered in blood; it's painting his skin crimson and makes his shirt cling to his chest uncomfortably.
Dean stares at his reflection in the mirror, the green of his irises darker than usual.
"Dean, hurry up!" Sam calls from the hallway outside.
It spurs him into action, opening the faucet and taking his clothes off. He uses his powers to clean away the blood while he wrecks his brain to remember what he did before he got here.
Demons. Screams. Gold in the Euphrates. Blood on sandy ground.
It comes back slowly as he splays ice cold water into his face. Not everything, not details, but the general gist. It freaks him out less than it probably should that he's loosing time when he's in full on Knight-of-Hell mode. And that should tell him something, shouldn't it?
But he can't be bothered. He knows he should, but he ain't got it in him to care. It's the apocalypse, so a small case of amnesia? Pretty much child's play.
Once he's clean, he zaps into his room for a change of clothes, then into the main area where Sam's in discussion with Kevin, who's carrying a stack of notes.
"It came to me!" he exclaims as soon as he sees Dean. "I have the spell. That means that they caught Metatron, right?"
"Maybe."
Speak of the devil – or in this case archangel – Sammy's phone starts ringing before anyone can say anything else.
"Gabriel?" Sam listens to whatever the guy on the other end is telling him, then his face splits into a blinding smile. "Yeah, Kevin's got the spell, he's ready, just come on down, we'll let you in."
"They got the douchebag?" Dean guesses as soon as Sam hit the end call button.
"Yeah, seems like we finally catch a break."
"What's the deal with this Metatron?" Alex interrupts and it takes Dean a second to remember why the girl's here, but by then his brother is already explaining about how Metatron made the angels fall.
Cas. Gabe will bring Cas along, Dean realizes, and damn, it's been a while. Well, not that long, but the thought of the angel alone speeds up Dean's pulse and makes his mouth go dry.
So he's the one who zaps to the door when he hears Sam's phone ding with a text alert, he's the one to let them inside and zap them down, and only then does he take a closer look at Cas.
"Fuck, dude!" Dean's staring. Where he used to see Cas' real form, no mater how much it was shrinking and loosing its intensity, it's nothing compared to the soul he sees now when he turns his gaze inward. It's still Cas, still beautiful and shining white light, but he's human, smaller and more delicate. Dean could break him with a thought.
"What?" Sam asks immediately, his tone alarmed.
"My grace was depleted during my fight with Metatron. I have become human."
"But you're going to reverse the spell, right?" Sam wonders, pushing on before anyone has the chance to talk over him. "You said it could restore his grace?"
All eyes turn to Kevin, whose expression turns apologetic. "I'm not sure. Maybe. We'll have to see."
"Then let's get cracking!" Gabriel announces, moving to grip the prophet's shoulder.
"Nope, we gotta tell you something first," Dean stops him, grinning at his brother. "You guys tell him, I'll talk to Cas."
With that he grabs his now very human angel and zaps them to his room.
xXx
Sam stares after his brother. "You've got to be kidding me!" he hollers after them, but he's under no illusion that they'll hear him all the way back in Dean's room where they undoubtedly are. And yeah, Sam doesn't need that mental picture.
"Did your brother just hit pause on saving Heaven for a quickie with lover boy?"
Sam watches as Alex' eyebrows draw up at Gabriel's words. "I'll explain later," he promises with a sigh.
"Wait, who's this lovely young lady?"
Well, at least Gabriel noticed her now. Alex extends her hand, which Gabriel kisses, winking at her. Alex looks deeply unimpressed, making Sam chuckle.
"That's Alexander Kahr, and we've got a slight problem."
"A slight problem?" Kevin's eyes dart from him to the other two. "You're actually calling the apocalypse a 'slight problem'?!"
"Woah, woah, woah, back up, rewind, stop moving – what?!"
So Sam gives Gabriel the cliff notes of what Alex told him, and sums up their half-success of stopping one seal from being broken, yet their failure at gathering any evidence as to who might be behind it.
"Holy crap on a cracker, we never catch a break, do we?" Gabriel curses as he starts to pace. "How many seals did you say were already broken?"
"47. Maybe 48 since yesterday; I doubt that team we took out was the only one," Alex answers, seeming a little bewildered by the angel's demeanor.
"So less than twenty to go… but they need Lilith, right? Damn. Of course this'd happen when we've lost track of practically half the Reapers, and there's no freackin' way we'll get them all back before they'll blow through the last few seals…"
Gabriel runs a hand across his face and through his hair, groaning in frustration.
"Alright, listen up, battle plan. We're gonna fly the prophet upstairs and open those damn doors again while you," he points at Alex, "are gonna make a list of the seals they're most likely gonna hit. Then we're gonna split up in teams, and as much as it pains me to say this, but maybe Dean-o can get his mouth off Cassie's dick and rally some forces from Crowley in the pit, 'cause I'm sure the man ain't gonna be happy too happy that someone's trying to release good old Luci. We're gonna stop this, alright?"
They all nod and Alex grabs her backpack from where she left it before they went to the river while Gabriel stalks down the room.
"Cassie! Time to go!"
xXx
Being teleported is a strange sensation now that he is human, Castiel discovers. Before he can comment on it, however, Dean's body is pressing him up against the door to his room, their hips perfectly aligned and hot lips on Castiel's mouth.
Dean swallows the surprised moan that escapes him, licking his way past his lips while a hand is already unzipping Castiel's fly.
"Dean, we don't have time," he tries feebly, even though his cock is already twitching in anticipation.
"We'll just have to be quick, then," Dean purrs against his throat as he wrestles Castiel's pants down. They pool around his ankles, just like Dean's jeans do when he gets them free. Underwear follows and before Castiel has time to process any of this, Dean wraps a calloused hand around both their half-hard cocks, stroking them to full hardness.
It still feels as good now that he is human, Castiel realizes as a wave of pleasure courses through his body when Dean's thumb rubs across the slit of his cock. Dean's tugs are fast and hard and all Castiel can do it hold onto his shoulders and thrust his hips up, rubbing against Dean's erection.
"Cassie! Time to go!" sounds Gabriel's voice from outside the door and Castiel is about to withdraw with a whine, yet Dean's grip on his hip only tightens in response, keeping him right where he is.
"Come one, little bro!"
Dean growls and suddenly, the palm against Castiel's hip is gone. A whelp from Gabriel is the only hint he can gather as to what is happening before Dean falls to his knees in front of him, having released their throbbing erections, and swallows him down without preamble.
"Dean," Castiel moans, winding his hands into Dean's hair. His partner sets a fast pace, has pleasure curling in the pit of Castiel's stomach within mere minutes and when their eyes meet, Castiel falls into the pitch black abyss and spills his release into Dean's mouth.
He watches, dazed, as the muscles in Dean's throat contract while the rhythm of the hand he has on his own cock becomes erratic until he coats the floor with streaks of white fluid.
Dean is on his feet with remarkable speed, pressing Castiel back into the door with a searing kiss.
"We need to go," Dean whispers as he draws back enough to meet Castiel's eyes with his own, once again a vibrant green. "There's sorta an apocalypse going on."
"Sort of?"
"Well, someone's breaking seals and –"
"What?!"
"We're working on it; you guys just get that damn gate to Heaven open again before you worry about this mess, alright?"
Castiel's body has frozen up, along with his mind – or the latter might just be a delayed effect from his orgasm. They are equally intense now that he is human, as it turns out.
"Let's face the music, c'mon."
Dean grabs his hand and pulls him off the door, leading him back to the main hall, yet a furious looking Gabriel intercepts them in the hallway. Before Castiel knows it, his brother has shoved Dean up against the wall, one arm across his chest.
"You use your demon mojo on me one more time, amigo, and you're gonna know what smiting means, capiche?" Gabriel growls.
Dean grins down at him, which only serves to enrage Gabriel even more. Whatever he does to retaliate, it makes Dean twitch and grunt in pain, his eyes turning black again.
Castiel steps forward without consciously choosing to do so.
"Not one word out of you, brother," Gabriel snaps, releasing his grip on Dean as he moves to face him. "I've condoned this long enough, but when it's getting in the way of our mission, then my patience's gone. Get your ass back to the main room; we'll grab Kevin and do this damn spell and then we'll rally the forces to stop those freakin' seals before some dickhead undoes all our hard work!"
Castiel glances at Dean, who looks unharmed despite his bruised ego, and tries to convey what he wants to say through a look. Dean's lips curl into a smile in response, so maybe it worked.
xXx
"What the hell, Dean?"
"Sammy, don't get your tits in a twist, don't you got a job to do?"
"Yeah, and so do you, if you could stop humping your boyfriend while we're dealing with the apocalypse! Again!"
"What's my job, then? The archdick didn't take the time to fill me in."
"Guys!"
They both spin around to where Alex is sitting at the map table, scribbling furiously on a sheet of paper she got from who knows where.
"I'm trying to concentrate here, so Sam, go to the library and see what you can find, and Dean, Gabriel wants you to inform Crowley of what's going on and gather some forces. We're going to split up once Heaven is re-opened and I've completed the list of seals that are yet to be hit."
Dean grumbles, but he hates to admit it, it's actually a decent plan. Sammy's giving him bitchface number twelve, so Dean better hightail outta here.
He finds Crowley in his office.
"Please, come in, knocking is for primates, am I right?" Crowley sneers as Dean simply shoulders into the room.
"I got news."
"You mean that the Bible Club took down Enemy of the State Number One and have hauled him to Heaven, where they are now going to reopen the gates and reestablish our much beloved status quo?"
"Nope."
As expected, Crowley narrows his eyes at him. "Well, what is it? I've got plans for Christmas, you know."
Dean squares his shoulders – his boss is gonna be pissed and truth be told, Dean's not in the best of moods either, despite his short reprieve with Cas.
"Someone's been opening seals. There's maybe twenty left of 'em, but we got a girl who's gonna make a list of those that are gonna be hit next. Gabe thought I should tell you, since you ain't gonna want them to reach 66 anytime soon."
Dean watches on as various shades of emotion flicker across Crowley's face – disbelief, surprise, finally ending in anger. Nope, not just anger – the King of Hell looks furious.
"WHAT?!" he bellows and Dean finds his back against a wall for the second time in under thirty minutes. "Tell me you're lying," Crowley growls, his face mere inches from Dean's.
"Sorry. Some demon stole the Book of Seals and they're working their way through it. We stopped them from digging up gold in the Euphrates but none of the guys there'd sing."
"Then you didn't try hard enough!"
"I tried every trick in the book," Dean snaps back, 'cause damned if someone doubts his torture skills. That shit ain't flying. "They wouldn't talk! They're hella loyal and got their minds set on bringing Lucifer back, so you better get with the program."
With one – decidedly painful, even though Dean doesn't allow himself to wince – shove, Crowley releases his hold on him and starts pacing in front of his desk.
"Alright. Here's what we're going to do: You'll keep this quiet, you hear me? We'll keep this on a need-to-know basis. Once that girl of yours got a list, you call me and we'll set you and your Knights to work. But not a word to them, you hear me? This is an inside job and we aren't gonna trust anyone."
Crowley nods, so Dean turns to leave.
"Oh, and Dean?"
Crowley is smirking when Dean meets his eyes again.
"You should show a bit more initiative there. Just 'cause you like a little mayhem and chaos now doesn't erase that you played a huge part in taking down the old boss. He's gonna torture you even more than he'll torture me. Get that in your noggin' before you use anything less than your full energy on this."
xXx
Kevin likes Heaven. True, he has only seen the administrative rooms so far (and isn't it strange to think of Heaven as something that needs to be managed like any other institution?) but he enjoys the feeling of the place.
All angels are friendly, ready to help him and get him anything he needs. Thanks to their efficiency he has set up the spell in no time at all.
"Alright, kiddo, what do I gotta do?" Gabriel asks, his tone surprisingly patient given the situation.
"I'll walk you through it, but you need to complete the ritual in one go and on your own. Interruptions might mess with it, I'm not sure."
"Better safe than sorry, then. Hit me."
Kevin explains everything he has been able to gather, the exact sequence of adding which ingredient and how. As it turns out, they need the entire snake. Kevin knows it is a dumb thought, but he sort of feels for the animal. After all, the snake itself has never done anything wrong – it just was at the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong fallen angel in its vicinity.
Gabriel completes the spell without problems. The snake erupts in flames and a white light breaks from beneath its scales, so bright that Kevin has to shield his eyes.
When all is done, the only thing left in the ritual bowl is Death's ring.
"Did it work?" Kevin dares.
He receives his answer when a deafening cheer fills every corner of Heaven, angels celebrating and – are they flying?
"We did it, kiddo!" Gabriel shouts above the noise. "We gave them their wings back! Heaven is open for business again!"
Gabriel pulls him into a hug before he flies off, shaking hands here and there. Kevin's lips almost hurt from how broad his grin is. Yet when he glances around and his eyes fall on Castiel, his expression falters at the sight of slumped shoulders.
"Cas?"
"Apparently I am to remain human."
"Oh, I'm sorry –"
"It's not your fault, Kevin. You did a marvelous job. Look around. My brothers and sisters have their wings back and we can rebuild Heaven."
"What are you gonna do?"
Castiel shrugs, forcing a smile despite the hurt in his eyes. "You forget that there is an apocalypse. I might not be the strongest warrior in my human form, but I am an extra pair of hands."
"Cassie, there you are!" Gabriel cuts in. "Let's go, we need to tell the others about what's going on, assign tasks, then get back down to collect that list."
"But Gabriel, I'm not one of you anymore –"
"Nonsense, we still need you; can't organize the troops on my own, now come on. And you," Gabriel adds, pointing at Kevin. "You better start thinking about what you wanna do now."
Before Kevin has time to react, the two men have gone, leaving him alone with his thoughts.
However, he made up his mind long ago. He said he would be done for good after Heaven had been reopened. All that is left to do is bid goodbye to Sam and Dean and hopefully his mother, and then he will hand over the torch to another prophet.
He has given all that he is able to give.
xXx
He bids his final farewell to Sam and Dean first. While Castiel is overseeing the progress in Heaven, Gabriel takes Kevin down to earth one last time, Death's ring in his pockets to hand over to the hunters.
Dean pulls him into a brief hug, too brief to give Kevin any peace of mind. He can't help but worry about the older Winchester.
"Thank you for everything," Sam murmurs when it is his turn to embrace Kevin. It's a crushing hug, full of desperation as if Sam has to assure himself that this time it's not his fault that Kevin dies.
"It's okay now. My work is done."
"You did good."
"Thank you."
They look at each other for a moment longer before Gabriel, ever so tactful, clears his throat. "Alright, kiddo, off we pop. I'll see you clowns in a bit."
Before he knows it, he is standing in his living room. The noise coming from the kitchen tells him where to find his mother. They take one look at each other and both their eyes are immediately filling with tears.
They knew this moment would come, but still. Kevin holds on tighter, breathing in the familiar smell of floral perfume and home. Gabriel gives them their space, but Kevin knows the archangel has more pressing things to do. With a heavy heart, he withdraws.
"I'll see you in another life."
"Oh, Kevin," she sighs, caressing his cheek one last time. "Take care." She nods at Gabriel, who steps forward wearing a grim expression.
The last thing Kevin remembers are his mother's pride-filled eyes, her cheeks still slightly wet, before the world becomes dark.
xXx
Three weeks later
Castiel is rubbing a hand across his face in a vain attempt to wake himself up a little more. The need for sleep is counterproductive during the apocalypse; that much has become evident in the past weeks.
Finally, his cell phone rings, Sam's name appearing on screen.
"Hello?"
"We did it!" Sam practically shouts into the other end. "We stopped them!"
"That's wonderful, Sam."
"How're the others faring?"
Castiel glances at the map in front of him. Different colors signify different groups of people hunting down seals. Dean's black figurine, a knight (Gabriel's idea), is still standing in the North of Great Britain. Five garrisons are scattered across the globe and Sam and Alex' stand-in (a moose, something Castiel hopes Sam will never know about) currently resides in Idaho.
"I have yet to hear back from Stonehenge, but Hannah and her garrison have averted civil war in Hungary. The others are scouting and have not found another seal."
"Well, that's… good, right?"
"We are currently at 58 opened seals, Sam. I would not define that as 'good'."
"Yeah, thanks for that downer, Cas."
"Keeping you happy is not my responsibility," Castiel snaps before he can stop himself. He immediately regrets his outbursts. He is fine. Perfectly fine.
There is silence on the other line for a moment before Castiel can hear Sam drawing a deep breath.
"Any word from Dean lately?"
"He seems to be rather busy. So am I, frankly."
"I know, just… Have you seen him? Do you know how he's…. faring?"
"I'm afraid I cannot provide you with the answer you are looking for, Sam. I last saw Dean one and a half weeks ago. He was," Castiel pauses, trying to find a descriptor that does not send Sam into a spiral of worry and sorrow. "He is the most efficient man we have in this fight, Sam."
The ensuing silence is the loudest Castiel has ever witnessed.
"We're heading south, alright? Alex's sure there'll be at least one seal in Las Vegas and we haven't recorded any suspicious activity there yet. They're bound to strike there sooner or later, might as well check it out while we're in the vicinity."
"I'll make note of it. Good luck, Sam."
The hunter hangs up without saying goodbye, leaving Castiel staring at the knight standing over Stonehenge. Castiel had spend two days talking Gabriel into taking him down to earth so he could meet Dean and when he did, he barely recognized the man in front of him.
Dean's jaw was set, the Mark a continuous glowing presence on his forearm. They hadn't talked, not really. Kissing Dean felt like coming home, but it was rougher than usually, more forceful. Castiel tried to tell himself it is because he is human now. He's not as strong anymore, so of course Dean's touches will have more pressure behind them.
That was not it, though. Almost two weeks in the constant presence of his fellow knights, days spent torturing and hunting demons for information on who is opening seals… it changed Dean, but Castiel is at a loss at what to do. He tried talking to Dean but was silenced with a kiss and frankly, after so long without his lover, it hadn't taken much to persuade him to drop the issue. Afterwards Castiel tried again, only to be placated with "I'm great, Cas, really," and then interrupted by another knight with news about a potential informant before he could inquire further.
And now there are only eight seals between them and the apocalypse and Castiel has no idea how they are supposed to win this.
xXx
Sam hangs up with a sigh that draws Alex' attention. She is cleaning her weapons on one of the twin beds, wiping off the blood and dirt.
"No word from your brother?"
Sam shakes his head. The euphoric mood from just moments ago has long since dissipated. 58 seals down.
Alex rises, setting down the long knife behind her. "We're loosing, aren't we?"
"Sure sounds like it."
"Damn."
"Yeah."
"Well, no need to wallow in pity then. If we pack up now we'll hit the 93 before midnight. We can be in Vegas before lunch tomorrow if we take turns driving."
She has a point. Alex always has a point, Sam has already noticed that. She's a good hunter – intuitive, well trained, fast. Under different circumstances, Sam would have asked her out on a real date, wined and dined her, kissed her underneath the clear black sky…
As it is, he kissed her in the aftermath of a particularly violent encounter with five demons that were opening a seal in North Dakota. Sam's knife got stuck between the ribs of a demon the exact moment another one was approaching him from behind. Alex threw one of her holy water bombs at it, buying Sam enough time to wrench free Ruby's knife and end the attacker's life.
They stared at each other, breathing hard, before Alex began to pile up the bodies like they always did. Alex, as a pastor's daughter, said a few words before Sam set fire to them.
It was afterwards, back at the motel, when Alex was tending to a wound tearing through Sam's side, that her hands strayed after she had bandaged him. Soft strokes across his naked skin were something Sam had not felt in a long time and only when one of Alex' hands had cupped his face did he realize that he had closed his eyes to the sensation. It was Sam who leaned in but Alex who closed the distance.
They took it easy that night, both still sore from the fight and exhausted but too lost in touches to care.
It happened a few times since then. Nothing has changed, except maybe that they make an even better team now, Sam's strength and bulk combined with Alex' swiftness and aim.
A by now familiar hand on his arm startles him out of his thoughts.
"Let me drive first; you look done in."
With a heavy nod, Sam fishes the keys to the Impala (which Dean handed over with much too little fuzz for Sam's liking) and places them in Alex' open palm, joining her in packing up their meager belongings.
Another seal awaits.
xXx
It is a joy to watch. Merrick has to hold back his smug laughter, his victorious grins, whenever he sees Dean return to report back to Crowley. His news is hardly ever good.
Admittedly the Knights of Hell stop more seals than either the angels or that second Winchester and the pastor's daughter, but Merrick calculates that as collateral damage for the much greater profit he will reap once Dean Winchester surely but truly takes that last step over the edge.
It is fortunate that Merrick's followers are loyal to a fault – the former hunter can carve them up and dismember them all he likes; they will never sing. With a few of them, Merrick has special deals in place and will repay them once victory is near. He is known to be a demon of his word, a quality Crowley himself values in his underlings, ironically, so most lackeys believe it when he tells them he will deliver them from Purgatory.
He cannot wait to hear Crowley scream himself hoarse, just like he is shouting now, only now it is because Dean has no information. The Stonehenge seal remains unbroken (a pity, but Merrick has more seals than men to handle them), yet all demons involved ran off as soon as Dean and his merry band of soldiers arrived.
Once Crowley is done flinging profanities at his most powerful employee, Dean emerges from the office and immediately crosses the rooms, his eyes set on Merrick.
He would be worried, if it weren't such a common occurrence. It was Merrick himself who suggested a little time at the rack to help Dean relax, for surely this mission he is on is stressing him out, isn't it?
The Winchester took him up gladly and now all Merrick has to do is step back, let Dean through, and relish the way Dean's true form grows darker and darker, drowning out the light that once dominated it.
xXx
Beth thought giving Gavin powers of his own would make him more mature.
By Satan, was she wrong.
Granted, not having to watch the idiot's back most of the time has its perks, namely that Beth can go off and do her own thing, saving all of them time and herself a headache, but watching Gavin play fetch with that stupid hellhound of his using the bone of a recently skinned adulterer while giggling – giggling! - definitely brings the headache on just as well.
"Gavin!" she snaps. "We're on a schedule."
"You know how he gets when I don't play with him," the Prophet complains and Bouncer barks in apparent agreement.
Beth sighs. Thank Satan it's almost over. She cannot wait to take her place in Hell's army while Gavin goes off on his own.
Well, only a few seals are missing, including the Big One – which is why they are currently in London, by night, at Trafalgar Square. Or rather, in one of the side streets. An endless stream of people pass them by, not in the slightest paying any heed to Gavin who is playing with a – for them – invisible dog. Some are clearly tourists, some seem to be heading to the theatre Beth caught a glimpse of, given their formal attire.
It takes another ten minutes of watching the street before Beth sees it – a cab, and it's in service.
"We have it," she tells Gavin, who picks up the bone from where Bouncer dropped it, and follows her to the side of the road. "Taxi!"
The car stops at the curb and Beth slides into the backseat, followed by Gavin and the dog. The way the cabbie's eyes widen when he sees them in the rearview mirror (well, not them, but their true forms) is proof enough that they have found the one they are looking for.
It is a man with dark skin and short hair. The vessel is probably from Ghana or Nigeria, Beth supposes, chosen for his occupation as a cabbie.
"Drive," Beth commands, hoping against hope that Gavin looks like the menacing False Prophet that he is. "We have much to discuss."
"Who are you?" he asks once they are moving through the slow city traffic.
"I think ya know who we are, mate," Gavin speaks up, narrowing his eyes. "You're a reaper, aren't ya?"
"I'm Ekiwe, a simple cabbie."
Beth snorts. "Yeah. Sure. We know what you do. We know you freelance. For a price."
A pause as Ekiwe signals and switches lanes, swallowing around the lump that's probably closing up his throat. "What are you offering and what is it you seek?"
"We need you to transport a friend of ours out of Purgatory."
Ekiwe's eyes widen but he neither gasps nor twitches. "That is among my skills. However, the price would be high."
"Oh, you will be rewarded like no other, believe me," Beth promises. "For now I can offer you money, if that's alright with you?"
He is curious, Beth can tell. Well, he'll know soon enough.
"Who is your friend?"
"Her name is Lilith. And you will need to take my colleague here with you."
Beth sees the moment Ekiwe pieces it all together – what Gavin is, who they want, why they want her and most importantly, who will reward him when the time comes.
The driver releases a long breath, biting his lip, yet a moment later, Beth sees the resolve in his eyes. Good. Even reapers know not to screw with Lucifer and his agents.
"I'll do it," Ekiwe says, sealing humanity's fate once and for all.
xXx
They check into the "Sin City Hostel", a cheap place with parking spaces located conveniently between the north and south strip. Sam carries both their luggage up the stairs to their room (with two bunk beds; they had to pay for four to be able to get it to themselves) and with every other man, Alex would have complained but she knows Sam is doing it because he thinks he ought to, not because he doubts Alex is able to carry the bags full of weapons and ammo.
"So, what's the plan?" she asks, digging through her bag for something that won't make her roast in the heat of the Nevada desert.
"Check out the town with the EMF meter, see if anything turns up?"
"I get the south strip, I wanna see the pirate ship," Alex declares and Sam merely smiles indulgently.
They part ways, keep in contact through text messages and brief phone calls, but nothing suspicious turns up.
"The Luxor is having a party tonight; some exhibition of old Egyptian treasures… Might be a seal, if one of the artifacts carries an ancient curse or a plague?" Alex suggests and Sam grins.
"You just want to dress up and go to a party," he teases but Alex can tell that after all the bloodshed of the past weeks, he is by no means averse to the idea.
"Like you don't want to see me in a dress."
"You got a dress in there?" Sam raises an eyebrow at Alex' duffle bag.
"No. Point."
"Your FBI suit will do. We'll probably need the badges to get in anyway."
"Then let's get ready; it starts in an hour and I doubt the feds are late to this kind of thing."
xXx
As it turns out, their badges do get them in and within minutes, the manager is with them, answering all of their questions without apprehension.
"This is Vegas, agents. Our security is tight. No one has broken in or taken anything. All the exhibits are still there and in one piece, I assure you."
"We still need to inspect the storage and staff areas, sir," Alex argues. "The gang we are dealing with here is incredibly smart. You wouldn't know what counts as suspicious unless you know what to look for."
"Alright, but I have to return to the exhibition. I'll leave you with my chief of security."
Said man is neither as tall nor as broad as Sam and about ten years older for which Alex is somehow grateful. She watches Theodore Danely closely as he leads them through a labyrinth of hallways and doors, set on spotting any sign that might hint at possession.
"What's through that door?" Sam asks, pointing ahead, past empty boxes.
"Just the breaker box."
"We'll need to see that as well."
"Really? It's just the fuse box." Danely tries to wave their concerns off, but that only makes Alex more suspicious. Sam, as a quick glance at him shows, feels the same.
"I'm sorry, sir, but we need to cover all the bases."
Danely huffs but starts moving. Shortly before they reach the door, Alex catches a glimpse of the wall down the room to their right. In a corner, hidden from view by the large boxes up until this point, is a fuse box.
Alex clears her throat, watches the muscles in Sam's back tense and his hand dart to the knife hidden underneath his jacket. She wasn't one second too early – the next thing she knows, Danely is whirling around, eyes black.
However, he clearly didn't count on them being poised for his attack.
Moments later, Sam has the demon pressed against the wall with the demon-killing knife, gesturing for Alex to help herself to the key. She is ready for a lot of things when she opens the alleged breaker box door, yet not for what she finds.
The room is maybe three by three meters, two meters high and covered in sigils she identifies as ancient Hebrew. The entire floor is covered by a kind of pentagram Alex has only ever seen in the Book of Seals. Shattered all across the floor, visible between bowls of blood, pearls, feathers and other items are pieces of brilliant blue stone.
She bends down, covers her fingers with her jacket sleeve and picks one of the larger pieces up to inspect it.
They're too late.
"What is it?" Sam asks when she emerges.
"One of the seals I'd never thought they'd break. 'Like Moses thou shall shatter the word of God'. It requires the original tablets along with the blood of sinners or stolen artifacts… It's complicated and dangerous and…"
"What?"
"Only the False Prophet can complete it."
"Who?!"
"The False Prophet. We need to find the second tablet. There has to be a second room just like this because the remains aren't enough for two stone tablets."
"Talk!" Sam barks at Danely, who merely laughs derisively.
"You'll never stop us!" he declares and Alex is getting sick of the demons they encounter always throwing this exact sentence in their faces.
"Tell me where the room is," Sam all but growls.
"I won't talk."
"Alright."
With the knife still pressed against the demon's throat, Sam begins the exorcism. Danely thrashes and struggles, yet in the end he is forced to leave his host. The thick black smoke escapes through a ventilation shaft, leaving the human spluttering and gagging on the ground.
"Where can we find the room?" Sam urges the man who is looking at them with wide eyes but a glint of recognition.
"One floor below," he coughs.
Sam is already on his feet before Alex holds him back at the sleeve of his jacket. "We should collect the pieces. There's bound to be another prophet who'll be able to put it back together."
"Do we-"
"Yes," Alex insists. "It's the Decalogue."
Which is how Sam and she end up on their knees, scraping together all the pieces they can find, trying to ignore the smell emanating from some of the bowls.
They seal it in evidence bags, repeating the action when they find the second room, ritual already completed and pieces scattered.
It is only when they are back in their hostel room that Alex kicks the bunk bed with all the might she can muster, crying out in frustration.
"Three seals! Three seals, Sam! We missed the False Prophet and do you even know how many other seals they could be hitting right now with such an asset? That's 61 seals down! How are we ever gonna win?!"
Sam lets her rage, lets her shout. She hits his chest when he embraces her, squirms in his arms until the fight leaves her and her breathing is evening out to the sound of Sam's heart.
"We should tell Castiel," she mumbles into Sam's shirt.
"Yeah," he sighs, but instead of letting go to get his phone, he rests his chin on her head, tightening his grip, which does nothing to reduce the sense of doom that is enveloping them.
xXx
Dean blinks his eyes open and immediately raises a hand to shield them from the bright light burning overhead. It takes a few more tries before he has adjusted to the brightness of the room, which turns out to be a motel bathroom.
A drop hits his face and he makes to wipe it away, but his hand is wet. Confused, he steps in front of the mirror and flinches at what he sees.
His arms are covered in blood, no patch of untainted skin left. The red fluid is dripping down from his elbows onto the pristine floor and suddenly, his chest starts itching where his shirt is plastered against his skin, also soaked in blood.
What the hell happened?
He washes his hands as well as he can, wrecking his brain for the last thing he remembers.
Cas. Cas, naked, writhing in pleasure. Cas, kissing his hair. Cas' blue eyes before sleep overtook him.
Then… nothing.
Dean tells himself not to panic as he strips off the outer layer of his clothing. His white shirt is also soaked, but not as bad as the flannel, which he discards into a corner, running a hand through his hair afterwards.
He remembers glancing at his phone when he left Cas, recalls the time and the date – 19th June 2014. Alright, so all he needs is his phone then he'll know what the fucking date is, 'cause Dean can't for the life of him say if it's Sunday of freaking Monday or fuck knows what.
He spies his leather jacket on the bed and goes through the pockets until his fingers close around the phone.
He almost drops it when the screen lights up.
8th July 2014.
Fuck.
xXx
Bouncer barks at her, wagging his tail excitedly. As Beth glances down, she sees he dropped the bone at her feet.
"You want me to play with you while we wait?"
Another 'woof'. Apparently, that is a yes.
"I'm not a dog person."
Bouncer paddles forward, nudging the makeshift toy with his black snout before looking up at her with big, red eyes. She never thought a hellhound could look cute, but Bouncer sort of manages right now.
Heaving a sigh, Beth jumps down from where she was sitting (some ledge of some old building where no one goes after dark and she can wait for Gavin and Ekiwe to return) and picks up the bone. She has no idea how throwing a bone and bringing it back can be entertaining for longer than five seconds, though she won't complain if Bouncer is so easily distracted from the absence of his master.
It has already been an hour and might take another one or several, depending on how quickly they find Lilith and how often Gavin screws up the incantation and the ritual. Too bad his new powers don't extend to his mental capacities as well.
Huffing once more, Beth picks up the bone again and prepares for a boring wait.
xXx
By the time Dean calms down enough to think, it's gone dark outside the motel room. He finds a brochure and learns he's in Detroit – but what the fuck is in Detroit?, Dean wonders when he resumes his pacing. A seal? Did they prevent it? Did they fail?
The other knights are probably back in hell, waiting for their next orders. And Dean's here because… because he probably wanted to call Sammy? Or Cas? Or check in with Crowley that way?
Damned if Dean knew.
He takes stock of his situation, forcing himself to ignore the sound of blood rushing in his ears.
It's been almost two weeks since his last memory. He could've done anything in the meantime – who's to say the blood on his shirt's from bad guys who deserved what they got? Who's to say Dean didn't kill anyone else? Two weeks is a hell of a long time and who's he kidding, he's been loosing time for a while now, always when he's in demon mode.
Dean shudders at what horrors he might've rained down on people.
It hits him like a jet of holy water – he's not in control anymore. He's losing his mind to his demon self. He's not a hunter anymore, he's a monster.
Monster.
You're gonna die. And this? This is what you're gonna become.
The memory flashes before his eyes and leaves him shaking in its wake. He hasn't thought of that day in years, way too good at denial for it to resurface too often. He hates that it's coming back right now, making him tremble pathetically.
Back then, it was just a dream, a nightmare, a dream potion… He's aware that it's not the same, it wasn't an omen, back then it was about him going to hell and he got out…
But that memory. Damn it, wasn't it once his greatest fear to become a monster? There once was a time he'd rather have died than walk the earth like he's doing right now.
Who were they trying to kid, huh? Did Sammy really think Dean would be able to control this 'til the end of days?
Cas knew. Cas was suspicious, that day when they first met after Dean's transformation.
"I'm not a monster," Dean remembers blurting. Remembers how much more present his emotions were with Cas there, even though they were still hidden behind a veil of darkness.
"You have the potential."
"Cain said I could hold onto my human side."
"Do you want to?"
"What kinda question's that? Course I want to, Cas!"
"You might not have a choice! I can see your true form and you have become a demon, no one can deny that."
Dean's breathing hard as he recalls the agreement they came to.
"Damn it, Cas! Like I don't know what's gonna happen when I lose control?"
Dean was sincere, just like Cas was when he said, "Then we have an understanding."
Nothing's changed. Their little affair won't stop Cas from doing the right thing, the thing he knew he'd have to do should Dean ever loose it.
The Mark pulses, almost as if it knows what's going on. He's gotta act quickly.
With shaking hands, Dean rummages through his jacket pockets until he finds the permanent marker stored there for impromptu pentagram drawing sessions. It's hard, incredibly hard to keep his thoughts focused on the task ahead. He can't make a mistake, needs to get it right.
When it's finished, Dean places the first blade on the twin bed to his left, the one closer to the bathroom. Then he takes his phone, draws a breath that's not at all steadying and steps into the devil's trap.
Once he's made sure that he can't get out he pulls up Cas' contact details on his phone and hits the call button.
xXx
A flash of red and blue light startles both Beth and Bouncer, who takes a defensive stance and growls at the rift in time and space that has opened. It closes quickly after it appeared, yet only after three people step out.
Ekiwe seems thoroughly awed, Gavin is grinning like the lunatic he is and Lilith – Lilith looks as powerful as Beth imagined her to. They had to find her another vessel since her previous one was destroyed when the cage opened and Beth hopes she was satisfied with the brunette girl they selected. Not many bodies can hold such an ancient demon and the ten-year-old from Rhode Island was one of the few suitable ones they could find.
"Now this," Lilith speaks, the cold tone sending a shiver down Beth's spine, "is going to be interesting."
xXx
They say it's what you make
I say it's up to fate
It's woven in my soul
I need to let you go
Your eyes, they shine so bright
I wanna save that light
I can't escape this now
Unless you show me how
- Demons, Imagine Dragons
xXx
End Notes: I think why this chapter took so long is because I was really, really nervous as to how it will be received. You still there, guys? Still excited? Not too much Beth&Gavin plot? *pathetically-fishes-for-feedback*
In other news, project "Getting Sam Laid" was finally successful! I hope no one minds me pairing them off. I know, men and women can hunt together and not end up in bed, but… I want Sam to have something that's good. Especially considering what's ahead… *mysterious-and-evil-laughter-in-the-distance*
Next update will follow tomorrow, I promise!