"Father decided that direct intervention may be necessary." Castiel said as he popped into the kitchen behind Dean's chair.
"Jesus Cas!" Dean swore. "Will you stop doing that before you give me a heart attack!"
"My apologies Dean but as I said, Father has decided on direct intervention." Castiel repeated. "Dagon has obviously changed decisions that he has made in this timeline causing a...setback."
"Setback? What kind of setback?" Dean asked. "I'm still trying to figure out what I'm supposed to do here and you're telling me there's a setback?"
"Oh my god no." Delores suddenly gasped turning up the volume on the television.
A news reporter was standing in front of a yellow ribbon bearing the words 'Police Line Do Not Cross'. The reporter was speaking to Chief Barnes who was giving a statement about the discovery of the body of a three year old that had apparently been killed as part of a satanic ritual.
"Cas, is this the setback you're talking about?" Sam asked.
"It is evidence of the different choices that Dagon is making." Castiel said. "The child is the first victim, but there will be more victims if he is not stopped."
"There was no ritual performed." Delores said. "The child was killed for no supernatural reason. The wards would have reacted to the power of a human sacrifice."
"I do not believe that the death was meant to harness supernatural energy but to create the impression that a Satanic cult is operating in the area." Castiel said.
"Wouldn't that cause a lot of unwanted attention?" Garth asked.
"Not if Dagon plans for the attention to fall somewhere else." Sam said. "Delores has a lot of sigils around the property. Most of them people wouldn't notice but a pentagram is pretty commonly associated with Devil worship, even if it's not really a satanic symbol until it's turned upside down."
"I also have a lot of runes around." Delores said. "The uneducated would probably think that they are also Satanic."
"Well One thing's for sure. We need to figure out how to stop him before he does anymore fake sacrifices." Dean said.
"Gabriel stop. Think about what you're planning to do. Father had good reason for putting you in here!" Michael sat on the couch next to Gabriel his side pressed against his brother so they could communicate grace to grace without Lucifer overhearing the conversation.
"Dad dammit Michael! He's killing babies!" Gabriel said. "Innocents. You can't be okay with that!"
"I'm not. But you go out there and we'll have two very big problems. Dagon will be able to get his hands on you and no matter how much you want to believe that he's the brother we all loved, he's not" Michael said. "And two, Lucifer there won't need anyone to release him because he will know how to get out on his own. Do you think I couldn't have gotten out of here the moment Sam Winchester pulled me in? Father let it happen and until Father decides to release me I stay."
"You know," Lucifer said conversationally "It's really rude to talk about someone behind their back."
"We're not talking about you." Michael bent the truth. "I'm trying to talk our immature little brother out of offering himself up on a platter to Dagon."
Lucifer sprawled out on the couch he was occupying. "It's because he killed that little mud monkey right? Come on little brother, I would think that you of all people should be wise to how he always played you." Lucifer sipped from the bottle of beer he opened. "Dagon's been out of the cage long enough to know to use the Kitsune against the Winchesters, he's been out long enough to find out that you have a soft spot for the humans."
"It was a child Lucifer, a small innocent child." Gabriel said.
"Like I said, you have a soft spot. It's why Dad made you the messenger." Lucifer said. "He pegged you for the weak link a long time ago. He knew you weren't strong enough to lead anybody."
"Lucifer lay off." Michael ordered.
"Why I'm just doing what I normally do, tell the truth." Lucifer said. "Kemuel would be a long dead memory if it wasn't for Gabriel's weakness. He's the reason the old man stayed your hand right before you were about to deliver the coup d' grace on Kemuel."
"Don't listen to him, Gabriel. You're not weak. You're stronger than the rest of us. It's why Father trusted you with the horn." Michael said. "It takes a lot more strength to stay your hand than just destroy what you don't like. If anyone in this cage is weak, it's Lucifer." Michael turned toward his other brother. "How long have you been trying to destroy humanity now? Maybe I should add stupid in there too since most beings would have had a clue by now."
Lucifer snorted and flipped Michael the bird. "Doesn't change the fact that the mud monkeys are Gabriel's weak spot and Dagon knows it. Dagon being Dagon will use it. You're just going to have to accept that there's going to be collateral damage little brother. The Winchesters know what we all want right? You put a lot of faith in those two to stop the Apocalypse and they did it, at least for the moment. So have a little faith in your pet humans now."
Dan Weaver sat up and blinked in confusion. It took him a few moments to get his bearings. He wasn't too far from home He got to his feet and began the walk to the house thinking furiously of what he was going to tell Delores this time.
Damned if he knew since he couldn't remember anything from the time he stepped outside of the Oasis with that young girl until now. And that girl wasn't anywhere around so this blackout was a doozy. With all the bodies showing up over at the Preston farm, Delores was probably worried sick.
The fifteen minute walk took him by Groves Gas station so Dan went inside to grab a newspaper. A week had gone by?! Never at his drunkest had he been gone more than a day or two at most. Delores was going to kick his ass this time.
Leaving the gas station, he made his way around the back of the building to the foot path through the woods that would bring him to house and cut off quite a distance from his walk. While he walked, he racked his brain trying to figure out how to keep Delores from blowing up at him.
Dan suddenly stopped at the sight of two strange cars parked in front of his house. The cars were strange, but that didn't explain the feeling of unease he felt at the sight of the black Impala. Cars shouldn't strike fear into a person.
Dan made his way up the stairs to the porch and grabbed the doorknob. He pushed the door open and was pushed forcefully against the wall by a blue-eyed man wearing a trench coat. Like things could possibly get anymore weird.
"This man is tainted." Trench coat said in a gravelly voice.
"He's my husband!" Delores said as she came forward.
"So this is the missing Dan?" Sam asked as Delores glared.
Dagon sat in the rocking chair in front of the gas station. Patience was his strong suit after all, learned through necessity. When Gabriel cast him into Purgatory he had learned to bide his time and eventually that stupid Seraph came along and opened the gate. Dagon had learned quite a bit from young Castiel, enough to know the situation in Heaven and Hell. And then before the seraph even knew that Dagon had been inside him, Dagon had left him. It was inevitable that Some cosmic entity would force the Seraph to return the souls or simply cast the angel into Purgatory. Dagon had no plans of going back.
And now he must be patient again. He had released the vessel he had been wearing, knowing the vessel would return to his dwelling and cross the wards that kept Dagon out. He would discover what was happening in the house. In time Dagon would call that vessel back and and he would know what the vessel knew. But until then Dagon would be patient.