When Charlie looks out the window on D-Day, there isn't a cloud in the sky.
"Well, at least we've got nice weather for saving the world," she murmurs to herself.
She isn't the first one awake. She comes out to Dean talking to Tamara and Isaac, Anna and Cas chatting to Caleb, and Ellen pouring herself cereal.
Charlie's wearing her no-nonsense clothes – leather jacket, combat boots, belt with sheathes for everything she's going to need. She already has her gun, and there's holy water and salt stashed about her person. Her knives are around, and her extra gun is loaded with silver bullets.
She's as ready as she's going to get.
Dean is talking to Bobby, and it looks like they've been there for a while, standing in one of the less busy parts of the main room. Charlie waits until Bobby leaves, which is another ten minutes, before she walks up behind Dean. He's rubbing his hands together, and is looking around from the corner where he's standing, obviously worried.
"You look nervous," Charlie murmurs. Dean jumps slightly.
"Yeah, a bit," he admits, rubbing the back of his head. "I mean, we're going to have back up. The SPN team, and I called in Madison her help, so she should be there as well. But even so…"
"We're still likely to mostly die?"
"Hmm," Dean responds lowly.
"Look," Charlie starts. "Whatever happens today, we're all consenting adults. We don't have to be here, but we are. We all know the risks, and we think that the risk of not going is bigger than the risk of going. Yeah, some of us aren't coming off that island alive. But we all have faith in you, Dean. We have faith that our sacrifice won't be in vain, and that you are going to succeed."
Dean looks at her for a long time. Charlie doesn't say anything, but she doesn't move away either.
Dean finally sighs. "I think I get what you're saying, Charlie. Thank you."
Charlie nods. In attempt to lighten the mood, she jostles Dean's shoulder with her own. "So… Enjoy yourself last night?"
Dean blushes and ducks his head. "Yeah," he finally mutters. Charlie smiles at him.
"That's good."
"How many people know?" Dean asks, clearly embarrassed.
Charlie shrugs. "I know because of your horrible seduction line that you put up right in front of me. As for everyone else, they might have noticed you both leaving early. Or the very loud and obvious sounds coming from your room."
"No," Dean says, and to her delight, Charlie can see blood turning his cheeks darker.
"Unfortunately, yes," she replies cheerily. "I went to bed early though, so the others might have missed them."
There's an awkward pause. "Sorry," Dean mutters.
"It's okay. I'm glad you and Cas are happy."
Dean rubs the back of his neck and shifts his weight between his legs. "We should get going soon."
"Probably," Charlie says.
There's a last minute rush as everyone gathers the last few things that they want, and then they all go to get in the cars outside. Bobby has Isaac, Caleb and Tamara in his old truck, and everyone else is sorting themselves out among the other vehicles.
Charlie's the last one inside beside Ellen, who is going over the locks on everything and making sure that no one is going to try and break in while they're gone because she left something that looks expensive out. She can see everyone getting into the cars, Dean, Sam and Castiel piling into the Impala while Jo and Bill climb into their large van.
Charlie pulls her phone out of her pocket. There's no missed calls, no texts, nothing to suggest that she knows anyone outside of the people who are here, now. She had ditched her work phone already, but her personal one hasn't received any calls either.
She unlocks it and scrolls down her list of contacts until she's staring at Lara's number. She'd hardly gotten to explain anything to her, and she'd been far too busy to try and catch her either at work or at home. When she'd haltingly asked Rufus about it, he'd looked it up in that computer of his, and he'd told her that Lara had taken her annual leave, and wouldn't be back for another week and a half. She would be back now, but they still hadn't talked, and Charlie is fairly sure that she's going to her death today, and she wants some sort of closure for both of them if that happens.
She presses the call button and brings the phone up to her ear, not really knowing if she wants Lara to pick up or not. The phone calls and calls, and goes to voice mail.
Charlie sighs but waits for the beep, but even then she doesn't know what to say.
"Lara… I just wanted you to know, that I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I didn't want you to think that I was lying or something, and I didn't want you to be scared. But I left, ah, Phoenix. There's some serious stuff going down, and I just wanted to tell you that I hope that we can get together some time and talk. If I make it through today, but you know. Anyway, yeah." She pauses and then adds on the end, just before the phone beeps again to signal the end of the message. "I love you, and I'm sorry."
She closes the phone and turns around to see Ellen standing there.
"Left someone behind, I'm guessing?"
"Yeah," Charlie says. "Someone important."
Ellen nods but doesn't pry, which is something that Charlie likes about her.
"You ready to go?"
Charlie nods and waits just outside the door as Ellen puts the 'Sorry, we're closed,' sign up in the front window and then locks the door of the Roadhouse.
Ellen is driving her own car, but Charlie gets into the back of the Impala with Cas. Dean is the first out on the road, and when Charlie looks over her shoulder, the other cars are all behind them.
The drive takes a few hours, but it doesn't feel that long. An hour out, Dean pulls over at a non-descript diner and gets out.
"We need to discuss a few things before we get there," Dean says. Sam shrugs and heads inside, probably to find a table for all of them, and Castiel falls in step with Dean, which Charlie thinks is cute. She follows behind them and watches as their hands brush against each other while they walk, and tries not to think of one or neither of them coming off the island alive.
There is a big enough table inside, so the gathered hunters sit down at it. Charlie looks around the table when they're all there. It isn't as rowdy as you would have thought for the amount of people, but their destination sums up why everyone is pensive.
Anna is sitting next to Jo, who is sitting next to Ellen, who is next to Bill. Then it's Tamara and Isaac, followed by Caleb and Bobby. Charlie is sitting next to Bobby, and Dean is sitting next to her, with Cas on his other side, the former angel next to Anna.
A bored looking waiter comes over and mostly everyone orders something. As soon as the food arrives, they all start eating and the silence around the table grows.
"I just wanted to go over a few last things," Dean says, and everyone gives varying degrees of acknowledgement, from Bobby's grunt to Caleb's nodding.
"Okay, so how are we going to get to the island?" Charlie asks.
There's a pause as everyone thinks over the question.
"We could get boats," Jo suggests, although by her expression, she knows it's not a great idea.
"And have them know we're coming because of the noise?" Dean replies.
"Well how else are we going to get across? Swim?"
"Of course not –"
There's a chime as the door opens and everyone turns in their seats to look at the person who had just walked through the doors. Charlie doesn't recognise him, but when she looks at Dean, his eyes are wide.
"Dean?" Charlie mutters, looking at him for an explanation.
"Brother," Anna greets the short man as he stops at their table. Everyone is immediately on guard, and Charlie resists the urge to either grab her gun and shoot him or dive under the table. Any angels that aren't Castiel or Anna are bad news.
"Gabriel," Cas says quietly.
"The one and only," the short angel says. He's sucking on a lollypop, and he leans on the back of Dean's chair with one arm while his other hand takes it out of his mouth so he can speak. "What, not excited to see me, Dean-o?"
"Not entirely," Dean replies, looking annoyed. "Why are you here?"
"Why do you think I'm here?" Gabriel asks. He pushes apart Charlie and Dean's seats easily, as if they weigh nothing, and then Charlie's eyes widen as he sits down on a seat that hadn't been there two seconds ago. He leans over and mock whispers to her, loud enough so that everyone at the table can hear him. "Don't want to cock-block, do I? I'm a nice brother."
Charlie feels her mouth falling open slowly. Her every experience with angels had not prepared her for something like this. She looks at Dean, who is blushing (which is completely adorable) for an explanation.
"Uh, guys, this is Gabriel. He's on the run from Heaven, so he's not going to tell them where we are."
Gabriel rolls his eyes. "Well, duh. I heard you talking about how you're going to get to the island. The announcement for it was so noisy; I was surprised that they didn't deafen some of the cherubim. No wonder our now featherless brother heard it, right Castiel? Or is it just Cas now?"
Cas has a small crease between his eyebrows, and is staring Gabriel down. Gabriel puts the lollypop back in his mouth and leans back in his seat nonchalantly.
"Don't, Gabe," Dean snaps.
"What, mock my brother for his poor choice in bed partners?" Gabriel asks, and Charlie can see him restraining another eye roll. "I never want any of my siblings to Fall, Dean. Just because I saw this one coming from a mile away doesn't mean that I like it any better than usual. But I suppose what's done is done." He sighs softly and something sad flashes in his eyes, but then Charlie wonders if she had imagined it, because the next moment he's back to haughtily staring at Dean and there's no trace of it in him anymore.
"So you're going to help us?" Dean asks warily.
"Well, I want to be neutral," Gabriel says, waving his hand around airily. "So I'm siding with you. Neither Heaven nor Hell. Seems pretty neutral to me."
"I suppose," Dean mutters.
"So do you have any ideas on how we're going to get to the island?" Ellen asks.
"Course," Gabriel scoffs. "The solution's simple. Anael takes Dean, Castiel and Sam to one side of the island, acting as the small team to find Raziel's legacy. And I fly the rest of them to the other side of the island to act as a distraction."
"I thought angels can't transport just anyone," Charlie butts in.
"Sure, for the lower class of angels," Gabriel says. "But I'm an archangel. So, I've got the juice, don't worry about that. As for Anael, transporting the others, it's simple. Castiel doesn't have a soul, just the faded remains of his Grace, so Anael could transport him anywhere. Dean is still linked to Castiel's Grace… in fact…" Gabriel narrows his eyes at Dean and Dean leans back slightly. "There's probably as much Grace inside you Dean, as there is inside Castiel. Anyway, just have Castiel hang onto him, and Dean will think that it's him flying around, so you won't have any problems. And Sam trusts Dean and Castiel with his life, down to his very soul, so have him hold onto them, and he'll just be dragged along for the ride. Simple."
Charlie blinks and she's pretty sure that everyone else does as well.
"Umm," Dean says. "Okay. Anna, Cas, will that work?"
"It should," Anna says. Cas just shrugs.
"I do not know," he answers.
"It'll work," Gabriel says confidently. "So what's the rest of the plan?"
Dean hesitates and then begins to lay it out for him. Gabriel listens without interrupting until Dean starts talking about the shield around the Sword that apparently only he can get through since he's the 'Righteous Soul' or man or whatever.
"The shield around the Sword doesn't just shield it from beings who want to get in who aren't allowed, but it also dims the supernatural abilities of angels and demons," Gabriel says. "They will be very limited in the abilities that they will be able to use – superior speed and strength should be the most of what you're dealing with. Angels are going to have trouble smiting the demons the closer that they are to the shield, but the demons shouldn't be able to move anything around with their minds either. I should keep most of my mojo, but it's going to be watered down, so don't expect too much firepower. If Michael or Lucifer were there, then they wouldn't be affected since Raziel was below them on the celestial chain of command, but I don't think that either of them are going to show up. Luci's trapped downstairs and Michael can't come out of Heaven without a vessel, and our hot potato here isn't going to be letting him in anytime soon, right Dean?" Gabriel takes a bite out of the chocolate bar in his hand as Dean shakes his head.
"No way. He's not getting in here, ever." Castiel leans towards Dean slightly, as if reassuring himself of that fact, and Charlie ducks her head to hide her smile. She's glad that both of them sorted their problems out.
"Good," Gabriel says, obviously approving of the venom in Dean's voice. "You're going to need that determination. My older brother was as stubborn as you, Dean. He's not going to have made this easy."
Charlie sees Dean swallow out of the corner of her eye.
"Dean will be able to do it," Bobby says gruffly. "Don't worry about that."
Gabriel looks sceptical but there are low murmurs of assent from around the table. Everyone's basically finished their food, so Dean pays for it on a credit card that probably isn't completely legitimate. Gabriel starts humming to himself then starts talking to Bobby, who obviously doesn't know how to deal with the archangel, but is determined to not take any of his shit.
Gabriel squeezes into the backseat with her and Cas, and Charlie isn't sure if she welcomes him or not. Sure, the running commentary distracts her slightly from the enormousness of what they plan to try and accomplish today, and Dean's annoyance is fond (although Charlie is sure that he'd never admit it) which makes her and Castiel smile at each other.
She swallows and looks out the window before checking her phone. Nothing's come up, and she hadn't really been expecting it to, but she still sighs softly.
It's going to be a long day, and Charlie has no idea what's going to come out at the other end of it. All she can do is resolve to fight, with every inch of her, resolve to try to end this in a way that might benefit humans instead of supernatural causes.
She doesn't know if they can win, but she knows that they're going to try.
Madison takes a deep breath in. Then exhale. Rinse. Repeat.
Going into a fight isn't something that's she's unfamiliar with. It's something that none of her wolves are unfamiliar with. Their lifestyle isn't exactly calm, and she needs to know that everyone in her pack can depend on everyone else. Everyone learns to fight.
But today would be different than most fights, she knows that. She hadn't known that angels had existed before Dean had called, and she tried to avoid demons as best she could. Going into a fight deliberately with both seems insane to her, but after Dean had laid out the consequences of losing this fight… She takes another breath in. World changing events don't happen every day, but she's smart enough to see that this would be one of them. What would happen here today would shape the rest of the world from now on, and she wants it to be for the better rather than for the worst. She definitely doesn't want Hell to gain some sort of weapon that would allow them to invade Heaven, and she doesn't think that Heaven should have an easy win every time they clash, either. What she's learnt from Dean over the year that she's known him tells her that he's going to be a more than adequate protector of the Sword.
Her wolves are nervous, she can tell. Garth is trying to quiet them, and she's speaking quietly to Elspeth about what medical capabilities there are on the battlefield. They're all equipped with what the Winchesters could give them, but Madison has the feeling that it's not enough. As soon as she sees one of the silver blades Dean had shown her, she's going to grab it and stat doing some real damage. At least, if there are more werewolves, they know how to deal with them. It's going to be their job to stop them from taking out the Winchesters, and the Winchesters would go through the angels and demons for them. They are more than able to take care of a few werewolves, even if they're from the Alpha's pack.
Elspeth goes to organise the last of her supplies, and Madison looks over to where Garth is. She had been impressed by the way that he'd stepped up after Thomas had been killed in that disastrous raid that had claimed the lives of the majority of her pack mates. She had appointed him as her second, and he had stepped up to that role, despite his strange way of going about the job.
Anna and Gabriel are muttering to each other, probably about how they're going to transport so many people onto the island at one time. Dean and Castiel are talking with each other, and the rest of the hunters are gathered around, and are all speaking with each other quietly. She could pick up their words if she wanted to, but she leaves them be, not wanting to intrude on what could be some of their last moments of peace. She isn't in denial – she knows that it is highly likely that most of the people here are not going to be leaving the island alive. Her wolves understand the consequences of failing, and all of them are determined to make a difference. It doesn't help that both Madison and Garth are both set in their determination to fight. The pack senses that, and it helps them in turn to decide to fight as well.
She runs a hand through her hair, sighing silently. While she's sure that this is the right thing to do, she's still not so sure that she should be bringing her pack into this. They wouldn't leave if she told them to now, but still, she wonders if she and Garth had influenced them too much.
"Hey! Everyone!"
Madison turns her head as Dean waves at the gathered group of people. "Can I have the group leaders over here please?"
Madison casts a smile at her group as she starts walking over to Dean. Garth follows her, and a few of the other humans come over as well. Madison stays close to Garth, and Garth stands right next to Dean, who nods at him.
Madison looks over at the other people in the circle. Castiel is standing on the other side of Dean, with Gabriel and Anna beside him. Tamara and Isaac are next, and Annie is standing next to Madison.
"Okay, so we've finalised what's going to be happening," Dean starts. "Anna, can you tell them how you're going to get everyone to the island?"
Anna nods. "Gabriel will be taking the majority of the people needed on the island, and will then be acting as a solo agent from when he arrives. You all will be working in your teams to cause as much chaos as you possibly can on the battlefield. We only suspect that werewolves form the Alpha's pack have been called in, and we do not know how the demons convinced the Alpha to agree to fight on their side. Werewolves are usually neutral when it comes to the war between Heaven and Hell, as are most supernatural creatures." She takes a breath in. "I will take the smaller group to the north west side of the island, which is closer to the Sword. The others will go with Gabriel to the eastern side of the island, so it looks like we came in from the land. They will cause havoc, or so we hope, and let the smaller group pass by with less attention so that Dean can make it to the Sword with less demons and angels aware of his presence. As soon as you can, you need to find a silver sword, like this one." Anna holds out her silver dagger, and Madison resists the urge to snarl at it. "So you can kill both angels and demons. When Dean has retrieved the Sword, he will kill the remaining demons and angels on the island, and Gabriel or I will transport you back to the safe point that we established. Does anyone have any questions?"
No one says anything, their faces sombre. Anna nods sharply and turns back to Dean.
"Well, that's it," Dean says. "Go talk to your people, and get ready to leave. As soon as it hits eleven, we're going."
The others all turn, and Madison turns to Garth. He's twisting his hands together and Madison flashes a smile at him.
"We can take the weres," she says. "We'll leave the others to the guys with knives."
Garth nods and they make their way over to their pack. Madison steadily explains everything to the pack, but they still shift their weight between each leg uneasily. She tries to calm them down, going to each pack member and talking to them quietly. Gabriel makes their way over towards them, and Madison takes a deep breath to steady herself, then she gestures for her pack to gather around her, which they do silently.
"Alrighty then, can everyone in my group please make your way over here," Gabriel drawls. He's chomping away on a chocolate bar, and Madison raises an eyebrow at it. All of the hunters come over, and Madison nods at Bobby and Ellen, who are standing next to Ellen's husband and Isaac and Tamara. The people who had been Madison's first experience with friendly hunters come over as well, even though she doesn't recognise one of the older men, but she thinks that he's their leader by the way that they defer to him when Dean isn't around. As soon as everyone is there, in a sort of circle around Gabriel, Gabriel nods to them all.
"Okay guys. We all know the plan. Distract everyone, let Dean-o slip past the defences, and then skedaddle out as fast as we can. Get angel blades if you can, as they're the only things that will work against angels and demons. Our furry friends here will take care of any other werewolves that appear," Gabriel gestures towards Madison and her pack, and Madison fights the urge to growl at him. She still doesn't like the short archangel.
"We're going to go in first, and hopefully the others won't be as noticed with us causing a commotion. Everyone ready?"
He pauses for a second. No one speaks, but some people nod.
"Then let's go," Gabriel says. "If everyone could join hands… sort of like a prayer circle, I know, but it's efficient."
Madison grabs Elspeth and Garth, and the rest of her pack quickly follow suit. Cullen is on the end, and he takes Tamara's hand, who is linked to all of the other hunters coming with them. Ellen is on the other end, and Madison shuffles towards her slightly so that they're closer together. Gabriel takes a step towards her and puts a hand on her shoulder, and one hand on Ellen's shoulder. Before Madison can take another breath, the world is twisting around her sickeningly, twirling and squashing her down into a space smaller than she is. She lands heavily, but is left thinking that she took it easier than some of the humans did. Perhaps because the feeling that Gabriel had just put them through was very similar to what happens when she shifts into her wolf form.
Gabriel is standing with them, looking at them all with a critical eye. Everyone takes a minute to recover while Madison tries to see any demons or angels or other wolves through the trees. The only thing she can hear is metal clashing against metal, screams that are louder now than they had been before, and the heavy scent of blood in the air.
A deep shadow comes out of the trees, and Madison readies herself, slipping down into a fighting posture. Her pack follows her lead as more demons appear in front of them.
Not all of the humans are looking good yet, so Madison snarls at the demons, hearing her pack echo her. She steps up beside Gabriel, noting the silver dagger that he has in his hand.
"I'll take care of these. Two have angel blades, so I'll give them to you," Gabriel mutters to her. "Protect the humans while they get over their air sickness."
Madison nods, and Gabriel disappears from next to her. He reappears behind a demon, dispatching it easily. Within a minute, all of the demons are dead, and Gabriel is standing beside her, blood across his pants, offering a dagger.
"It's silver, isn't it?" Madison asks, not touching it.
"No," Gabriel replies. "It's holy metal, not silver. You can touch it."
Madison gingerly reaches out, but when she brushes her finger over the cool metal, it doesn't burn her. She takes it then, and holds it out, ready to defend her pack. Gabriel goes and gives the other blade to Ellen, who takes it gravely.
"We'll go one way, you all go the other," Madison says. The humans nod, and Madison howls, throwing her head back and letting the sound come out of her human throat. Her pack echoes her, and then Madison bounds off into the forest, silver death in her hand, ready to kill anything that she comes across to give their daggers to her pack, in order to increase their chances of survival.
It's quiet at first. Madison signals for the two wolves of the blood to transform in a small clearing that they find. Just as they're ready to keep going, a growl that doesn't come from her pack comes from the opposite side of the clearing.
Madison immediately looks to where it had come from, as well as the rest of her pack. She can't smell anything besides the heavy greenery, so she signals for her pack to get ready to fight. They huff and shuffle, several getting out their favoured knives while others stick with their teeth and nails, even though they're not in wolf form. Garth is the only one who pulls a gun.
One wolf emerges from the trees opposite them. Madison recognises him as being from the Alpha's pack. Madison glances around one more time at her pack. They're all determined, with their weapons of choice held up, and she grins, proud of them all. Even if all of them die here, they're going to deal some serious damage.
More werewolves, both in human form and wolf form emerge from the trees. Madison crouches down slightly, clearing her head and getting ready to fight.
"Alright," she mutters to herself. "Let's do this."
Castiel feels the twisting sensation of being moved through space as Anna puts her hand on his shoulder. He grips onto Dean's hand, and braces himself for landing on the island.
Light hits his closed eyes, and he opens them to a different surrounding than three seconds ago. Dean, Sam and Anna are standing with him, although Anna looks like she's in pain.
"Are you alright?" Sam asks her, worry pinching his brow.
"The force of the field is stronger than I thought it would be. I won't be able to fly from here again. We must find the Sword, because there is no other way out."
Castiel nods and turns to Dean. "Are you ready?" He asks quietly.
Dean flashes a cocky smile at him. "Ready to kill some sons of bitches? Hell yes."
Sam grins as well, and draws the demon blade. Dean already has Sariel's sword in his hand, and Anna and Castiel draw theirs simultaneously.
"Let's go," Castiel says, and begins moving through the heavy forest. Dean comes behind him, Sam behind his brother, with Anna bringing up the rear. Anything that tries to attack from behind them will get an angel to deal with, even if Anna isn't at her full power because of the spell over the island.
There's screams and metal clashing coming from up ahead, and Castiel follows the sounds. He can feel the concurrent feelings of the Sword both pushing him away and pulling him towards it, and it's making him slightly dizzy – he can't imagine what the fully powered angels are feeling. The pull is coming from where the heavy fighting is, and Castiel assumes that the angels and demons are trying to cement a force around the shield so they control who goes in and who goes out. He heads towards it, even though it would most likely be the place with the heaviest fighting on the island.
A demon in smoke form spirals through the trees and Castiel halts, not wanting to deal with the insubstantial fiend. An angel streaks past after it, and Castiel winces at the bright light. An angel in a vessel crashes through the trees in front of them, and quickly kills the demon that comes after her. She looks up, sees the four of them, and her eyes widen.
"Sister, we mean you no harm," Castiel tries to say, even though he knows that there's nearly no point to arguing with her. She's seen Dean, and she is marching towards them, obviously intent on capturing him.
Castiel steps forward to deal with her. He hears another crash at his back, so he can only assume that another angel or demon has come through the trees to attack the others. He focuses his attention on the angel in front of him, using every advantage that he can get to stay alive. She's stronger than him, but they are matched in speed, and she can't fly. It only takes a few minutes for him to thrust the blade deep into her chest, using the distraction of a howl in the distance to do it. He closes his eyes to the flash of white light that flares out from her as she chokes her life out. Her wings are left spread across the ground, and Castiel takes a second to look at them before picking up her angel blade and turning to the others.
Anna is duelling another angel, who is more powerful than the one Castiel had been facing. He's as fast as Anna is, and Castiel takes that the mean that he is a garrison leader, just like Anna. Dean and Sam are circling around three demons, with two bodies at their feet already. As Castiel watches, they cut the rest of them down, and Anna stabs her opponent, sending out another flash of white light in as many minutes. She retrieves the blade as well, and then they're walking quietly through the trees again, blood splatter across their clothing the only thing different from five minutes ago.
The shield must be further away than Castiel had thought, because they had been walking for longer than he would have imagined. There's a crash, and he looks up, trying to see where the sound had come from.
An angel bursts out of the foliage and slams into him, knocking him to the ground. She straddles him and pins his hands above his head as more angels come through the trees to attack Sam, Dean and Anna. Castiel tries to buck the angel off but she doesn't let herself move, keeping him on the ground. At the very least, she can't use one of her hands to pin both of his, so she can't harm him while they're pinned. He keeps trying to throw her off, trying to knee her in the back with his legs, tilting his head to the side so he can watch the others fight off the angels while he struggles.
Dean is fighting two at the same time, ducking and swirling around them before landing a deadly blow, thrusting his angel blade deep into the side of one of them. Anna is fighting one, and one is lying at her feet. Sam is only facing off against one, but he is unused to the dynamics of fighting with the angel blade that he had picked up. Anna stabs her opponent and then jumps over to help Sam, knifing his opponent in the back. Dean stabs his, and then turns to get the angel off Castiel.
He sees movement in the trees behind Sam and Anna, and his cry of warning is the only thing that they have to go off. Anna whips around, but the last angel is going for Sam, not her.
Sam is slower to turn. Castiel watches it all, his own helpless struggles meaning that he can do nothing. Dean is too far away to help, nearly right by Castiel, and as he turns it's too late for him to do anything as well. It seems like it all happens in slow motion, Anna jumping in front of Sam, the blade meant for him stabbing her instead.
"Anna!" He yells, the concentration of the angel above him wavering for a second. He uses that to push her off him and grab his blade, sinking it into her side and then scrambling to his feet and running over to his sister.
Sam thrusts his angel blade into the angel into Anna's attacker and he starts to glow. Castiel ignores him in favour of kneeling beside her and looking down in despair.
"Castiel," Anna says softly. "Don't make this in vain… take Dean… the Sword…"
"I will," Castiel promises. "Anna, we will win this."
Her eyes crinkle up as a smile touches her lips, and then Castiel has to look away as her Grace explodes, leaving nothing but charred vegetation behind.
Castiel hangs his head, and there's silence from the Winchesters. Dean comes to kneel beside him and Sam puts a hand on his shoulder. Castiel lets his grief choke him for a minute, and then he takes the angel blade from Anna's hand and presents it to Sam.
"She would want you to have this," he tells him. Sam takes it reverently, and Castiel stands up. Dean does as well, and they stare down at her body together.
"We have to keep moving," Dean says eventually.
"I know," Castiel says softly. "I know."
It's another few seconds before he turns, leaving his siblings but only mourning for one.
Castiel leads them again, and it isn't long before they encounter more demons. They quickly put down the first wave, but more keep coming, hampering their progress through the forest.
Castiel slices through another demon, feeling the dark blood splatter across him. One with a snarl twisting its face comes for him. It is more skilled than its fellows and it makes him have to concentrate on it in particular. It has an angel blade, and swipes forward with it, making Castiel dance back quickly. He loses track of Dean and Sam while focusing on the demon, but he trusts them not to disappear in the middle of a fight. The demon growls and launches itself at him, and Castiel tries to jump out of its way, but finds himself being launched through the trees, the demon forcing him backwards. Castiel lets out a grunt as he hits the ground, the demon pinning him down. Castiel tries to angle a stab up to kill it, but the demon grabs his arm and pins it to the ground, trapping his arm there. Castiel grits his teeth and yanks himself out from under where it is pinning him, rolling over to the side. The demon tries to launch itself at him again, but Castiel brings the arm holding his blade up, and the demon impales itself on it with a meaty crunch.
Castiel shoves the body off him, yanking the silver sword out of the body and taking the sword that the demon had and tucking it away safely. He tries to look around for Dean or Sam, but the demon must have thrown them further than Castiel realised. He's surrounded by trees, and there aren't any more angels or demons near him, so he must be in one of the small pockets away from the fighting.
Howls start spiralling from the other side of the island, and Castiel looks towards it. So he had been right in thinking that werewolves are on the battlefield as well, and he takes a second to thank his Father for the fact that Madison and her pack are also on the island, supporting them. It isn't like they don't have enough to deal with, with the demons and angels hounding Dean out for his soul.
He turns around and starts heading back to where he had lost Sam and Dean, but when he sees the next person in front of him, he freezes.
"Castiel," Abiel says quietly. She flicks her dark hair out of her face, and Castiel takes a look at her, her once pristine white button down shit now stained with bright red arterial blood, and the dark red of sluggish demon gore.
"Abiel," Castiel replies softly. "What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same question," Abiel says coldly. "You abandoned our garrison, Castiel. When we needed us most, when there was only seven of left!"
Castiel stares at her. Abiel is one of the angels that he trusts most in his garrison, and he had been glad that she was one of the ones who had been left alive. Abiel is in charge of healing, and she is very good at what she does. She can analyse Grace unlike any other angel Castiel has ever met, and he counts himself lucky to have had her under his command.
"Abiel, I took the path which I thought was right. Anael was the one to make me look deeper into myself to choose this. She escaped re-education, and she's here now, fighting with me. Is the rest of the garrison here?"
Abiel looks at him for a few seconds before she answers. "Yes. Rachel is leading now, with Hester as her second. Castiel, Desiel has already fallen on this battlefield. Why did you leave this to us?"
In the next silence, an angelic scream rings out, and both Castiel and Abiel flinch, neither wanting to look at the vibrant wash of white light that goes across the whole island, signalling the end of an angelic life. Castiel tries not to think of his garrison, abandoned by both Anna and himself, lost and alone and fighting to their deaths. Anna and Desiel had already fallen, and he is afraid that by the end of the day, there would be little of their garrison left.
"What do you want me to say, Abiel?" Castiel asks her. "That I regret leaving you all? That I wish I had behaved differently? Because I do not regret what happened. I feel remorse for what the rest of the garrison went through, after Anna and I disappeared. But we were being deceived, we wereall being deceived."
"What do you mean?" Abiel asks, tilting her head slightly. Castiel sees something of himself in the gesture.
"The demons have angel blades, Abiel," Castiel says lowly. "They are being supplied to demons by a faction of angels inside Heaven." He tries to make his voice convincing, trying to convince her that he's telling the truth. She narrows her eyes slightly as Castiel continues. "How else could the demons have gained such a large amount of angel blades? Angel blades that they are killing our brethren with?"
Abiel is looking at him openly now, and Castiel takes advantage of it, takes advantage of the fact that she is still used to looking to him as a leader, as her leader.
"Abiel, you have to admit, this is suspicious. Help me to protect Dean while he makes it to the Sword. You've seen the balance between Heaven and Hell in the last hundred years. It would be better if it remains in neutral hands. Dean will be good for that. If anyone can control the Sword, then Dean will be the one. Please, trust me on this. I haven't made a terribly wrong decision in the past before, have I? I've always had the garrison's interests at heart, have always wanted peace. Abiel, this is the only way. The Sword has to stay out of Heaven and Hell's clutches."
Castiel stops talking and simply watches his garrison member. Abiel looks at her feet, and then through the trees at where Castiel assumes the nearest conflict is raging.
"I will not oppose you in your venture, Castiel," Abiel says eventually. "But I cannot bring myself to think that you are completely correct. I still have faith in our superiors and our Father, even if you do not."
Castiel nods sharply. "Very well. Take care."
Abiel nods back, and then she turns to slip off into the trees, heading away from Castiel.
He watches her disappear into the trees and then hurries back to where he had last seen the Winchesters. The only things remaining from the battle that had taken place here is smoking corpses and blood seeping into the ground. Castiel thinks that the memory of this battle will remain in this earth, blood and gore staining the energy of the island for a long time to come.
He doesn't know which way Sam and Dean had gone, so he starts making his own way through the heavy trees towards where the Sword had fallen to earth. More howls come to his right, and he follows them, wanting to make sure that all of the enemy werewolves had been taken care of.
It takes about ten minutes to crash his way through the trees, and when he does, he doesn't expect what he finds.
There's an open clearing, probably the most open most on the island in front of him. It's about a hundred metres long on each side, maybe a bit smaller, and every inch of it seems to have people in it, some fighting with silver swords and some fighting with their nails and teeth.
He sees Madison and Garth fighting side by side, trying to take down a werewolf in its wolf form. There are only a few of them across the entire clearing, but those that are there are wreaking havoc on the battlefield.
Taking a deep breath, he walks out into the chaos, fighting the werewolves that he doesn't recognise. He makes his way over to Madison and Garth eventually, who both look exhausted. They have a small breather in the middle of the fighting, and Madison and Garth ask him if Dean had gotten to the Sword.
"I don't know," Castiel replies. "I was separated from them. They were making their way towards it, however. They should be arriving there about now."
As if Castiel's words had foretold it, a ripple of energy goes over the entire island, so strong that even the humans can feel it. Garth and Madison sway on their feet slightly and Castiel grits his teeth as the energy passes through him. Around them, the sound of fighting abruptly ceases as everyone waits through the power surge.
"Dean's through the shield," Castiel says, triumphant. "He's made it. I need to go and find them, since Sam is alone and about to fight every angel and demon who try to go after them. Keep fighting here – we should make it back soon."
Madison and Garth nod. Castiel quickly gives them the angel blades that he had picked up before turning and fighting his way back the way he had come, jumping and dancing around demons and angels who had just become desperate. They know what the wave of energy means, and already Castiel can see some demons fleeing, disappearing into the thick cloud cover above them, the black smoke blending in with the black clouds. The fighting has spilled out into the woods around the clearing, the clearing itself having become the centre of the battle. Castiel finds far too many lifeless bodies as he works his way through the trees, trying not to study any features of the bodies, not caring if they are demon, angel or human. Not only does he not want to see anyone that he knows, he doesn't want the memories of the numerous bodies to be imprinted in his head, if he emerges from this island alive.
But when he sees two bodies close together, one with vibrant red hair, and one with dark skin, he can't stop himself from walking over to them. He swallows as he looks down on them.
Victor's throat is torn out, blood covering him. His eyes are staring at nothing, not yet clouded over. Castiel looks at the knife in his chest and makes no motion to move it.
Annie looks like she had died taking down the demon next to her. Castiel assumes that it had killed Victor, and then Annie had killed the demon as the demon killed her. She's covered in wounds, her hands clutching at her stomach. She had dragged herself over to Victor's side, and her blood is matting her hair together as it leaks from her head.
Castiel closes his eyes for a few seconds and offers up a prayer to his Father, hoping that He will guide their souls to where they belong in Heaven. Victor and Annie had been good people. They deserve whatever rest they can find.
The peace around the bodies does not last as long as he would have liked to stand there. He dispatches a demon that comes too close to them before he leaves them, regret clogging his throat until he feels like he cannot breathe.
He shakes his head and refuses to let his eyes tear up. He changes the guilt and grief to anger and rage, and he lets it carry him towards Dean. He won't lose him as well as Anna and the humans that had undoubtedly fallen in the last hour.
As he rounds a tree, a small clearing comes into view. Castiel blinks, and then throws his arm up just in time to cover his eyes from a blast of white light exploding from a dying angel. When he looks, Hael's vessel is bleeding sluggishly on the ground, but there's no light behind her now sightless eyes.
Castiel bares his teeth and looks up to see the demon who had done this. He readjusts his grip on his blade, ready to leap into battle and avenge his sister, one of the last few who had been remaining from his garrison, when he sees who it is.
Alastair is smirking at him. Castiel feels his mouth twist up into a scowl as he approaches, feeling the chaos of the battle around him fading into the background. Only Alastair matters.
"You've come back, even though your wings have been clipped," Alastair drawls. He steps over Hael's body casually while lifting up his own angel blade to lick the blood off it. The rest of the red liquid drips slowly down over his hand, coving it in trickles of crimson.
"I will kill you," Castiel vows quietly. They start to circle each other, and Castiel knows that his first move will have to be decisive. The demon is far more powerful than he is. "For what you did to Dean – for all of your sins."
Alastair throws his head back and laughs. It clashes against the sounds of death that otherwise fill the island. "Oh angel, how I'd like to see you try. Tell me, is Dean stupid enough to be here? What is he trying to do? Kill himself? That's the only option that will happen when he touches the Sword, you know. There's too much power in one artefact for one puny human to control."
"Dean will be able to do it," Castiel asserts. "He will win over the Sword, and then he will win over you, Alastair. You are not leaving this island alive."
Alastair snarls silently, mouth opening to expose yellow teeth smeared with blood. "If I'm not leaving this island alive, then neither are you, flightless bird. Tell me, is that why you did it? You wanted to assure your safety if you picked the winning team? You wanted to gain Dean Winchester's loyalty? Is that why you whored yourself out to him?"
Castiel feels his own mouth contorting. "You know nothing about Dean and I," he snarls, and leaps forward to slice down at Alastair. The demon blocks it and they return to circling each other after a few strokes against one another, Castiel's skill the only thing keeping him alive.
"I know that no angel in their right mind would do what you did with him," Alastair carries on. Castiel tries not to let anger cloud his judgement – instead, clear focus fills him. This is all part of Alastair's strategy. Torture is a part of him, intrinsically, whether it be physical or mental. And the demon still remembers Castiel beating him the last time they met; Castiel can see it in his eyes.
"Is that what you've Fallen to, Cas?" Alastair sneers, putting as much condescension into the name as he can. "Running to humans for help? You can't even protect him, now that he's here. He's going to die, Cas, and you're not even going to be there to see it. You're not even going to be alive for it. I'm going to kill you here, and you'll never know what happens next." Alastair jumps forward and Castiel only just manages to duck out of the way. He doesn't let himself get trapped into fighting head on with the powerful demon, knowing that that would never work. Instead he looks around for anything that could help him defeat Alastair.
"But I'll tell you," the demon purrs. His eyes turn white, and Castiel can see a glimpse of the twisted demon beneath the human skin. He shudders at the sight of the demented Grace, not understanding how an angel could Fall so far.
"I'll tell you what happens next, Cas. I'll find Dean. And after I take the Sword from him, I'm going to kill him slowly. I'm going to take his intestines out and burn them in his lap, I'm going to cut him open in every way I know, I'm going to split him open from behind, just like the good days," Alastair growls. "And he's going to know that you're dead. Your decapitated head is going to watch me do all of that to him, and more. He's going to beg me for death, and I'm going to take pleasure in denying him that release."
They clash again, and Castiel feels himself losing ground. He tries to escape out from where Alastair is herding him, but it's too late. The demon thrusts his hand out and pins Castiel against the tree behind him by his neck. He knocks his angel blade out of his hand as Castiel struggles to breathe, and the demon continues talking.
Alastair's sulphuric breath washes over him, and Castiel can't help but retch. Alastair laughs and Castiel shudders as he runs a hand over his body. "So pretty," he murmurs in his ear, tongue sneaking out to rasp at Castiel's cheek. "Too bad I have to kill you." Castiel tries to fight, thrashing in the demon's grip, but he can't escape, and this was inevitable from when they had first seen each other.
There's a crunch, and Castiel's last thought is Dean, before everything goes black.
As soon as they're separated from Cas, Dean knows that something is going to go wrong. Sam is still at his side, and Anna's angel blade is glinting in his hand as he cuts down angels and demons alike with it. They work as a team, not letting any creature get past their defences as they work their way across the island. Dean can feel the shield humming, but when he asks Sam about it, all he gets is a confused head tilt.
"It's like I can hear a mosquito or something flying around right by my ear, except the sound never changes. Just a steady hum. It's kind of annoying, actually."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sam replies.
Dean shrugs, looking around to see if anything's approaching them, either an angel or demon, or Cas, wherever he is. A large part of Dean wants to scrap the quest for the Sword, as important as that is. Cas is more important to him, but he knows that he can't leave. He can't forsake everyone else on this island, whose only hope of getting out is him defeating everything else (how that is even going to happen, Dean has no idea. He's only human, but the way that Cas and Anna had talked about the powers of the Sword had sometimes freaked him out). He can't just give up on it, no matter how much the worry he's feeling with every second that Cas is gone mounts. Cas can take care of himself, Dean knows that. He fought for years and years and years without Dean being there, but there's a nagging voice in the back of his head that says that yes, Cas did all that, but he did it while he was an angel. He isn't now, and it scares Dean more than he'd like to admit. He'd thought that they had gotten over this when Cas had confronted him a few weeks ago, but there's still a part of him that is screaming out, ordering Dean to go and find him and keep him safe. Dean is trying to fight it down, but it's making him worried. Sam can see it, he's sure. He keeps looking at Dean softly, when Dean is looking around through the trees, trying to see anything. He has no idea how Cas got lost in the first place, but he is going to find whatever is keeping them apart, and he is going to rip it to shreds.
For now, he keeps repeating Cas is okay, Cas is okay, Cas is okay, over and over in his head. It helps him keep a level head, and focus on everything else that's going on around, like the numerous creatures that are trying to capture him and kill Sam.
"The hum, I'm pretty sure that it's the shield. When Cas was leading us earlier, he said he was leading us towards where he could feel where the shield is. And the hum just kept getting louder and louder as we kept on walking. And now, when I go one way, it gets sort of louder, and when I go the other way, it starts to get quieter."
"So what are you waiting for?" Sam asks. "Follow it, and eventually we'll get to the shield, and inside of that is the Sword, which is what we're here for."
Dean nods. "Okay. I'll keep heading towards it, then."
Dean keeps heading towards the buzz, taking slow steps when he feels like he needs to turn one way or another. Sam doesn't ask questions, just keeps on following him whichever way that Dean chooses. When they duck into the bushes for cover whenever an angel or demon flash past them, too busy in fighting each other to notice them there, Dean has to recalibrate. It takes a shorter amount of time as they get closer to the shield, but it still frustrates Dean, since he thinks that it takes longer than if Cas or Anna were here. He grits his teeth as he thinks of Anna. He doesn't want to think of the angel's death, but he just uses his grief to fuel his anger and violence every time that they meet an enemy.
"We getting close?" Sam whispers.
"I think so," Dean replies quietly. They walk for another minute through the thick underbrush before Dean hears a scream from up ahead. He angles away from it, and keeps on walking, only stopping when Sam lets out a grunt behind him.
"Sam?" Dean asks, turning back. His brother had stopped a few paces back, and is rubbing his head.
"I can't go on," Sam says. He puts a hand up and feels forward until it stabilises in the middle of the air against nothing. Dean walks back to stand next to him.
"I can't feel anything," he says.
"Well, I can't go any further," Sam replies. "Look, you go on. I'll wait here until you come back, okay? Keep the way secure."
Dean frowns. "You should go back a bit. Hide in the trees, make sure that no one can find you."
Sam frowns back at him. "I'm going to stay here, Dean. Just go."
Before Dean can see anything else, there's a rustle and several men come out of the trees. Sam grabs Anna's sword and settles into his fighting stance.
"I'll stay and help you fight these off," Dean says, touching his blade in his jacket.
"No, Dean. You have to hurry. We're already short on time as it is, and we're not gaining any. Go. Now."
"Dean Winchester," one of the demons says. "Step out of the perimeter of the shield and come with us, and we will not hurt either you or your brother."
"Yeah, I'd rather not," Dean replies. "How about you fuck off, and Sam and I won't kill you all?"
That earns him some scowls, but the lead demon waves the rest of them back when they try to take a step forward.
"I don't think so," the lead demon says. His eyes flash black and he slowly starts walking towards them.
Sam looks at him. "You should go now, Dean."
"Not until you're safe," Dean replies, stubbornly not moving. Sam Looks at him and then shoves him backwards until he can't go any further.
"Dean, go," Sam tells him as he turns to face the demons. Dean stands, frozen, as his brother starts to chop at the enemies. "Go!" He shouts, and Dean wrenches himself away from it. He spins and starts running into the deepest, darkest part of the forest, hearing the sounds from the battle fade as he gets further away from them.
It isn't long before he comes across a dome made up entirely of plants. There's a small entrance, and Dean takes a breath to steel himself before he brushes past the plants to enter the dome. The buzzing in his ears is near unbearable now, but as soon as Dean steps into the dome, it stops abruptly.
It's dark inside. Dean blinks, and waits for his eyes to adjust. As they do, he makes out a soft, small glow coming from what he supposes is the middle of the dome. He takes a step forward and the glow brightens considerably. He takes another, and another, the shine growing with each step.
By the time he's one step away from the centre, he's having trouble looking at it, it's that bright. Dean takes a moment to drink in the sight before him before he starts the ritual.
There's no mistaking it for anything but what it is. Raziel's Sword is the source of the light, the silver of the blade shining luminously. Dean swallows as he takes in the intricate etchings and swooping patterns that cover every part of the Sword that he can see. They taper off to a simple handle, with an Enochian rune carved into the hilt. It's tilted towards him slightly, as if offering itself to be pulled out of the rock which it is imbedded into. It's about half buried, and it doesn't look as if the two objects have ever been separated.
"Alright. Raziel, let's see what you've got," Dean mutters. He takes in a deep breath and starts the spell, the ancient incantation falling off his lips easily. He scrutinises every syllable before it exits his mouth, and when he passes the point in which he had had trouble with without faltering, the tight knot of fear inside him eases slightly. When he's done, and all he needs to do is reach out and take the Sword, Dean hesitates. He thinks of Cas and his fearful worries of Dean not being able to hold the power inside the Sword, of Anna and her quiet sentences about how it may not work. Then he closes his eyes and steadies himself before reaching out with his right hand.
It wavers slightly, but Dean bares his teeth and wraps his fingers around the hilt. A buzz immediately goes up his arm, but nothing else happens. Dean licks his lips and adjusts his grip. He pulls, and the Sword edges out of the rock slowly. Dean grits his teeth and pulls harder.
The Sword emerges from the rock, and everything explodes in a rush of white.