Edge of Darkness
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
Let the bodies hit the floor
One - Nothing wrong with me
Two - Nothing wrong with me
Three - Nothing wrong with me
Four - Nothing wrong with me
One - Something's got to give
Two - Something's got to give
Three - Something's got to give
Now
Bodies, Drowning Pool
Gabriel approached the cave entrance. There stood Beez and regardless of any water under the bridge, Gabriel couldn't help but go to him and throw his arms around the old devil.
"Beez, I missed you." Gabe said. Beez embraced him back and then pushed his brother away to get a good look.
"And you are a sight for these sore eyes." Beez returned.
"I'll never figure out how it ended like this."
"Who says it's the end?" Beez offered with a sly smile. The dark fallen angel stepped back. He was dressed in a suit, but there was soot on it from the pit. It always rained a fine mist of ash here. His brown eyes were as clear as Gabriel remembered, and his features deep and weathered, yup same old Beez. But the smile, there was a sadness in it these days that there had never been before. "I hear your Winchesters are keeping all the old man's plots in check."
Gabriel smiled. "Mostly them if I'm honest. I do miss you, brother. I've come to check on… You know, it."
"Back from the dead and still doing your duty. Since when are you an ass kisser?"
"I will blow off everything but this. I've been checking since the day I locked it up here. And I will continue until I find a way to destroy it."
"He has a name, you know." Beez reminded with an inquisitive glare.
"You know that thing is..."
"Yeah, but I guess everything needs at least one person to care about it."
"Not Crocell." Gabriel said. "And don't go thinking it has anything, feelings, morals. It's a monster. The worst thing every created. My sister died for..."
Sandiel, our sister, asked me to watch out for her son. Whatever Cro is, he's Sandiel's son..."
"You really were in love with her?" Gabriel asked.
"Still am. After all these centuries."
"She didn't love you back. You gave up everything for her, Beez, Heaven, your Grace… and what did it get you? Did she ever say a kind word to you?"
"Not the point of love. I loved her and that was all that mattered..."
"Of all the creatures in hell, you deserve it here the least. I'll be back in a minute." Gabriel said and touched his Brother's shoulder. He passed into the cavern of abhorrence and braced himself.
Dean grabbed a shammy and began to dry Baby. He could see his face in the clear coat and that made him feel really good.
He could tell Castiel was just outside by the sound of the music he was listening to. Dean had given him a mix tape to teach him all the finer points of Rock and Roll.
He was listening to Journey, Cass liked the softer stuff and then, suddenly, in the middle of a Steve Perry long note, Motorhead began to rip through the air. Dean looked up, alarmed, confused. No way would he put Motorhead on a Cass tape. Lemmy and Cass were best kept apart.
The next sound set Dean's teeth on edge and his heart racing.
Castiel screamed. Not a deep baritone, not the usually voice of and angel of the lord Scream Dean had heard before, but something piercing, a shriek of despair, or agony.
Before his mind had engaged his body was lurching in that direction, his gun had appeared in his hand through sheer muscle memory and he sprinted through the door into the broad sunlight of the Kansas day.
Castiel was on the ground, screaming and thrashing, fighting with some invisible monster.
Dean was unsure what to do. He pointed the gun but could find no target. He decided, or rather the animal part of his brain did, to join the fray. He leaped on Castiel and tried to feel for some vaporous creature, but there was nothing but the flailing Castiel.
Dean grabbed his friend and tried to hold him still, hard because Cass was much stronger then he looked.
And then it stopped, Castiel fell still and lay there under Dean's hands.
Terror filled him, he shook Cass but got no response.
"Cass? Cass, are you with me?"
"No, please, no. NOOOO!" Castiel yelled and fell to weeping but didn't seem to regain consciousness.
Sammy appeared beside Dean with his own gun out. "Dean what?"
"I don't know. Let's get him inside." Dean said and lifted Castiel up. The angel was lighter then he looked and Sammy got the door, covering them both and keeping an eye on the dark fields beyond the bunker. He closed the door and locked it tight as Dean disappeared with Cass in his arms.
The demon Malphus, in his guise as a crow, cawed once, twice as the Winchester's and Castiel vanished into the Bunker. He spread his wings and with a strong beat rose into the wind to go and tell Crocell that he had kept his part of the bargain.
There had been pain. It was blinding but it had vanished as quickly as it had begun. Castiel stood and looked around. He knew this place. It was an old place. Meggido. The plain of war.
He became conscious of the world, his own form. He felt the heavy sweaty heft of the armor and the blade in his hand, felt the warm blood of innocents sticky and pungent covering him from head to toe and tasted the breath of slaughtered, unborn infants in his lip. All around him on the plain were strew the bodies of the dead and each one he recognized as having died by his own hand.
He felt someone move beside him and turned. Dean. Dean dressed as a soldier, in bronze armor and sandals.
"How..."
"Impressive. I thought I had a body count." Dean offered and smiled.
"I was following orders..." Castiel offered weakly.
"Now, now, that didn't work at Nuremberg. Kids, Cass, There must be a million kids out there. A lot of the babies… Dude, you are brutal."
"This isn't real." Castiel offered, confused but trying to find his bearings.
"See, that's the beauty of this. We don't need lies here. The truth is bad enough. You know you're programmed, right? And periodically they give you an overhaul? Ever wonder why? Hum?" Dean motioned to all the corpses littering the field. "All you, Castiel. Following orders."
"God's orders… I'm... I'm an angel of the Lord."
"The Lord? The Lord if a guy named Chuck who hangs out in a bar and needs me for family counseling. But tell me this, Cass. Did you like it, just a little bit? Didn't it make you feel… Important? I mean he chose YOU to kill all these people. Special, Cass."
"No!" Cass whimpered and fell to his knees in the dust as it overwhelmed him. "Please, No! NOOOO!"
"Yes, Castiel. And yes, you can't hide it from me. You did like it more then just a bit..."
Castiel broke then and his tears mingled with the dust and the blood of the dead.
"Hello, Uncle. It's been a while. I heard you died." Crocell offered. His voice was like silk and his smile that of a beautiful snake.
"Rumors of my demise..."
"Are accurate. Bad Cami! Stealing Raphael's property. Poor Raph, killed just when he was becoming interesting. So what brings you here. Miss me?" The chains rattled as Crocell shifted slightly.
He was chained to the ground by chains of pure silver light. They were small, like necklace chains and hundreds of miles of them wrapped around and around him. As he moved, they made a shivery sound, like a million tiny bells. He stood thus bound on a rock that was suspended in the center of an abyss. All around him was a sheer drop into infinity, into the void. No return from the void and Gabriel wanted nothing more then to dump Crocell into it. The creature made his stomach turn.
He was a beautiful and androgynous golden creature with silver blue eyes and the perfect form. A molten cascade of hair flowed down his broad shoulders and his skin glowed pale as snow and cream. His lips, a perfect bow whispered profanities when he wasn't engaged in polite conversation.
"There isn't enough space in creation or enough time for me to be far enough from you and believe me, had Father not stopped me, you would be an unpleasant memory. I'm just here to make sure you haven't had any flashes of genius." Gabriel offered.
"Aw, you know you want me." Crocell grinned. He looked away then, and it was as if Gabriel's presence had been forgotten. A whisper of blasphemies emerged from Crocell's lips, disgusting words in a gorgeous voice, like the song of creation in reverse.
"Stop that!" Gabe demanded and picked up a rock and threw it at Crocell. Slowly Crocell stopped and turned back to his Uncle.
"How's Kali. The things I could do with her. She's wasted on you, you know that, right? I could make her a real Goddess and we could drink the very blood of creation..."
Gabriel looked at the beautiful devil in horror. The grin was perfect, bright white teeth and the gentle slope of a kissable lip. and yet, it made his black wings shudder. This horror. this...abomination made his stomach sick and he vomited there on the floor of the pit.
"Aw, poor uncle. Unbind me and I'll run get you a glass of water." Crocell cooed.
"You should have been killed in your mother's womb." Gabriel hissed.
"And you would have been the one to do it? Or would you have had your sister send her lapdog, Castiel like always. Heaven's clean up man. And speaking of him, I have sent him a gift. Oh, I see the wonder in your eyes, Uncle. Would that I could be there to see him receive it!" A golden tinkle of laughter pealed from the dark creature. "But, I'm sure Sam and Dean will relate the whole thing when they come to me. I made a special deal you know, with a reaper. Two pretty playthings. I'll do the job Lucifer is too sweet to finish. I will make them eat one another's flesh. You know, eventually. When they are broken and beaten into proper shape..."
Gabriel shuddered again. "I will come back and end you."
"With luck I'll be here waiting for you, Uncle." Gabriel turned and stalked away, but didn't really turn his back fully to the thing in the cave.
Crocell waited until Gabriel was gone. He slide his foot out from under the chains and grabbed the rock Gabriel had thrown at him. A rock is a tool and this one had been touched by and angel. This one had a tiny bit of grace, perhaps just enough…
Cass was quiet now. He was laying on the bed in a fetal position, his eyes huge and vacant. Occasionally he would weep or groan. Once he vomited. Dean was perched on the edge of the bed next to him, had been since he laid him their and covered him with the soft blanket.
Sam touched his shoulder. "We'll figure it out." He said softly.
"Yeah? What do you do when the one you pray to is the one in trouble?" Dean asked and brushed Castiel's hair back. Cass moaned again and Dean rubbed his face. "What the hell is it? Is he sick, a spell?"
The bell at the front of the bunker sounded. The boys looked at one another and shrugged. "I'll..." Sam said and walked out of the room as Dean nodded and returned to his vigil over Castiel.
"Cass, what the hell is the problem?" Dean whispered and used a cloth to dry the sweat on Cass' forehead.
The plain was bigger then Castiel remembered. As he looked at each face, he remembered. The names, the faces, the way they had died… He remembered from the point of view of a murderer.
Begging, most of them were begging, on the ground, unarmed, alone. Their sin was just that God wanted them out of the way. Canaanites, Philistines. And as he moved along, it got worse, closer in time, Monguls, Romans'. English and Germans and Chinese… a million wars, a river of blood and all of it washing his feet.
Dean walked beside him, mostly silent. Occasionally he would grunt or guffaw but for the most part, Castiel was alone with his sin.
"Angel of the Lord." Dean said finally and with some irony. "Angel of Chuck." He laughed out loud. "You are a joke, aren't you..."
"You aren't Dean." Castiel hissed and pulled away from the Dean illusion.
"And thank your lucky stars I'm not. I mean, what do you think your little buddy would think of the real Castiel? Do you imagine there is enough forgiveness in any human for this?"
Castiel stopped and looked over the sun bleached valley. It spread as far as the eye could see, piled with bodies, barely any earth showing between them.
"Oh, Cass remember this one? Her name was… hum, It's on the tip of my tongue..."
"Artacana." Cass offered with no emotion. He acknowledged the numbness that was in him now, wrapped his essences in it like a protective blanket.
"Right. Artacana. What was her sin again? She was a… come on, say it..."
"She was a Persian priestess."
"As I recall, she was committing some vast heresy when you snuck up behind her and shoved a blade through her..." The Dean phantom whispered.
"She was feeding some lepers. There had been a drought..." Castiel offered and looked at her as if he might will her back to life, give her back what he took from her.
"All you had to do was say no."
"I did, I did say no..."Cass offered never looking away from the body.
"To little, too late. And why did you say no, Castiel? Did you fall in love or something?"
"I saw something in Dean's eyes. Something that reminded me why I had been created. Some… courage, conviction. He is something remarkable. Something I forgot how to be in all this blood."
Castiel put out his foot and pushed Artacana's body off the top of a pile of three others. He knew all those names, too."
"How many times you figure you been reset?" Dean asked.
"Some of these creatures aren't human. Some of them predate Earth. Early planets Amara destroyed, I suppose."
"Not before you got there, buddy, old friend… You Scourge, you..." The Dean monster grinned. Castiel turned and punched him right in the face and he vanished leaving Castiel alone in the field of death.
Sam opened the door and looked out. There were two men in business suits with dark glasses.
"We gave at the office," He said, as he started to close the door.
They stepped forward and Angel blades dropped out of their sleeves. Behind them a voice sounded.
"Hold. Please Sam, hear us out." A woman said. The two angels parted and a woman stepped through., She looked like a kindergarten teachers, with jeans and a tee shirt and a smudge of Finger paint on her cheek.
"I want nothing from you..." He spat.
"Castiel is in danger. It's only a matter of time before what is happening to him burns him away."
"What is happening to him?" He asked.
"Can we come in?" She asked. Sam didn't move, he glared at her and crossed his arms. "His mind has been… opened. He is… remembering,"
Sam thought for a second. "Remembering what?" He asked.
She sighed. "Everything. If I can get him back to heaven, we can stop it and close those flood gates..." She said.
"Yeah, factory reset. Tell him the rest, Serena." came a voice from behind him. Sam turned and saw Gabriel standing there, his sword drawn.
"He'll be as God made him." She said, and looked away in deference to the Archangel.
"He'll forget everything. Dean, you...He'll be at their mercy. If they order him to kill you, or steal Suri… Don't think for a second they are here to save their dear brother. Castiel has like five friends in Heaven and I'm two of them. Cam is probably the other three."
"Dean needs to know." Sam offered. He looked at the angels. "Stay outside." He said and Serena sighed and nodded.
"Like vampires, they can't come in unless you invite them." Gabriel smiled.
"Vampires can come in if you don't..."
"Don't you read? Its in the books." Gabriel frowned. "And you're the smart one, sheesh!"
"So, what's wrong with Cass?" Sam asked as they moved toward the room where Dean had put him.
"Dunno. I'll have to take a look… But I know who sent the gift."
"Who?"
"Crocell." Gabriel said and Sam pushed open's Castiel's door. Gabriel pushed passed him and leaned down beside his brother. Dean leaned over on the other side of the bed and shoved him.
"Off!" Dean said.
"OK. look, you want Castiel to live, I want him to live. Can we agree to disagree..."
"You killed..."
"Yes, a million times. Let it go, Dean. This is the rest of the world, moving on..."
"Asshat!" Dean sighed and got up to let Gabriel have a look.
"Did you see anything with him?" Gabriel asked. The word "thing" was not lost on the boys.
"No, he was alone." Dena offered.
"Where was he?" Gabriel asked and leaned closer. He put his hand under Castiel's nose and seemed to be looking for something.
"Outside. He was listening to music..."
"You mean that crap you call music?" Gabriel asked.
"OK, that's it..." Dean took an aggressive step toward Gabriel.
"Dean. He can help." Sam said pensively. He moved between Gabriel and Dean.
"Who was at the door?" Dean asked.
"Missionaries..." Gabriel said.
"Angels." Sam corrected. "They want… Castiel."
"No freakin' way." Dean charged.
"Ding! Ding! Ding! And we have a winner. Tell Dean what he's won. His best friend!" Gabriel said in his best Emcee voice.
"They want to reset his brain. They said his mind has been opening and he's remembering everything." Sam said, catching Dean up.
"What the hell is everything?"
Gabe looked up at Dean. "Castiel wasn't always the fuzzy teddy bear you know today. He was a killing machine. He was one of the shock troops Chuck used to send in to make a point. Cass has done a lot of things and unlike the others he, suffered damage from it. You know, psychological. So, they would periodically reboot him."
"The hell?" Dean asked.
"There were a few others like him. Angels don't have free will, Dean. They were made to be tools, not children."
"Even you?" Sam asked.
"Especially me. That's why I ditched. I didn't want to be reset."
"So, what happens if we reset him?"
"The damage will stop. But..." Sam started.
"He'll be as God made him. A blank slate. He won't remember you or anything else. He will belong to them. And he will still be the guardian of the Grail, only taking orders from Heaven."
"So, we'll have to protect Suri from Castiel?" Sam asked, his face dark with concern. Gabriel nodded.
Sam looked at his watch. "It's time for me to pick her up at school. I'm going to take her away for a few days." Sam offered. He looked a little spooked.
"Castiel would never hurt her, Sam." Dean said defensively.
"While he Cass." Sam offered and Gabriel nodded.
"Complete reset, Dean. If they tell him too, he'd kill you..." Gabriel offered.
Dean thought for a long minute and then nodded to Sam. "I'll keep you in the loop." Dean offered.
Sam nodded and left the room silently.
"So?" Dean asked.
"I need time to think." Gabriel offered and gently covered Castiel back up with the blanket.
Malphus dropped to the floor of hell and turned into himself. His skin was burned and he had no hair, a walking corpse. He walked to the Cave.
Beez was there, though and he stood and intercepted Malphus.
"I thought I told you to fuck off?" Beez said.
"Probably, I don't listen to you, old man."
"Another step and I'll show you how old I am. "
"Look, I'm not going to get close to him and I'm sure as hell not going to let him get free. I'm just owed something and I want it."
"Owed what?"
"Well, Cro offered to give me a Nunya. Like a Nunya business, old man."
"I'm not letting you in there..." Beez said and shoved Malphus back.
"Just cos you got a woody for some dead bitch..." Mal started.
Beez pulled out his dagger and with a flick, cur off one of Malphus wings. It fell, black and leathery, to the ground.
"You bastard!" Malphus shrieked. He reached down and grabbed the wing. "I'll be back for you, old man..." He said and turned and ran off into perdition.
Suri got in the car and looked at her father. He had a bright smile, but she could tell and he knew it.
"What's wrong?" She asked and dropped her book bag in the back seat.
"What makes you..."
"How did you ever get to be a hunter by being such a horrible liar." She asked.
"I can lie very well, thank you, just not to you, apparently." He frowned.
"What's wrong? Dean?" She looked on the verge of hysteria.
"No, he's… um he's fine. Look. You and I are going to go away for a few days..."
"Stop protecting me. I'm going to find out sooner or later..."
"I'm protecting me…. I don't like it when you're upset." He confessed. He put his hands on the steering wheel of the Lexus and sighed. "OK, something has happened to Castiel." He said.
"Take me home." She turned in the seat with adult determination and more then a little Winchester stubborn.
"Look..." Sam tried to begin but she cut him off.
"I can help, I know it. Take me home, dad."
"Gabriel is with him." Sam told her.
"Gabriel is a warrior, not a healer."
"And you're a teen age girl..."
"I'm the Grail, Dad. If anyone can help him, has a chance, it's me."
"And you aren't at full power, probably never will be. Besides, he isn't sick or injured, his mind has been opened up to remember his entire past."
"Daddy, Please. I… have to be with him. Where is Chamuel?"
"I don't know. OK, fine, but no healing until we know exactly what is going on and how much to apply, deal?"
She smiled gratefully, her mother's smile and he threw his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. A moment later they were headed home.
Cami looked up at the Cage. It was huge and she shook her head.
"Son of a bitch!" She said and reached into her pocket to pull out a lock pick set. Not just any, mind you, one she borrowed from Hermes. If this didn't open the door…
Just then she felt ill. He knees buckled and she shuddered.
"Castiel." She murmured. She reached for him with her mind but didn't feel him. Not strongly like usual. He was… unconscious. She could feel Dean leaning over him protectively.
So close. She would never be this close to Michael again in a hundred years. And yet, how could she not fly to Castiel?
She reached for Gabriel. Her brother was distracted but reached back.
"Angel radio is dangerous." He offered.
"Tell me."
"Castiel is...fine for now. Something happened..."
"I got that. I'm coming back."
"Are you close to Michael? I can feel him, Cam."
"Gabriel..."
"Castiel would want you to save Michael. He isn't in any danger of dying and I am here, so is Dean. We got this."
She was silent for a long moment then sighed. "I'll igve it one try. If I can't get the cage open, I'm coming back..."
"If anything changes, I'll come get you myself. You save that brother, I'll watch over this one. I swear it, Cami."
"If he dies..."
"The stone won't help you. He's in a fugue."
"What the hell?"
"I'll let you know when I do. Go get Mikey!" He shut her down and she was alone with the cage again.
"Oh, this is a good one. You almost lost your wings over this one." The Dean Ghola said with a sadistic smile. "Remember her?"
Castiel looked down at the young woman. So beautiful. So…
"Miranda." She sighed and fell beside her, fell to weeping. "Miranda."
"Do you even remember bringing the sword down, even now?"
Castiel shook his head and pulled the body close, kissed the moldering forehead.
"And you thought you hadn't had sex before. Your Nephilim got her killed."
"Stop, just stop..."
"And even then there was pity for you. Chamuel and Gabriel calling in favors for you. Let him forget her. Spoiled favored child..."
"Stop!" Castiel screamed and stood swung the sword and caught the Dean illusion and gutted it. "Just stop..."
"There's the Cass we all know and love." The Dean whispered as it fell to the ground and vanished in a puddle of ichor.
"Just… stop." He whispered and sank down beside his forgotten love.
Castiel became agitated. He yelled and struggled. Dean leaned over to hold him down and got punched in the mouth for his troubles.
"Son of a bitch, Cass." Dean barked and held his jaw.
Gabriel came back in and sat down.
"This place is awesome and there is an incredible porn collection on one of the computers..." Gabe offered and flipped the book open.
"Thanks." Dean said. "What you got?"
"Just a stiffy, really..."
"TMI." Dean said.
"Dean, you know how I feel about the angels and the reset." Gabriel started and closed the book.
"Yeah."
"He's not doing very well. His life force. His Grace, they're… dimming."
"Dimming..." Dean said, half question, half denial.
"We might not have a choice. I mean, maybe we can make them let us be there when they do it, you know, to make sure..."
"You trust them?" Dean asked in earnest.
"Not as far as I could spit you." Gabriel added. "So you're back to the eternal Winchester question. Life or death."
"Whatever they do we can fix it. Cass will still be in there."
"They could destroy this vessel and give him another, you might never find him again..."
I won't let him die, damn it. He's my brother, just like Sammy, he's family and that means we do whatever it takes..."
Gabriel seemed to get the answer he'd been looking for. He nodded and leaned over to Dean conspiratorially. "There might be another way..."
"OK, Spill."
"It's dangerous and might take you places you wish you didn't know exist."
"Dude, I saw your junk, that's pretty much the bottom for me." Dean offered.
Gabriel grinned. "I know some people who might help. See, Castiel isn't dead or sick. He's more like… dreaming. I mean, not really, but in the same neighborhood."
"So I go in and wake him up?"
Gabriel shook his head. "You go in and find out who did this too him and I go kill them."
"I thought you said you knew..."
"I know who sent the message, not who did the deed. It has to be the blood of the spell caster. And the bastard who thought this up won't tell me who he sent.
"How can you be sure a little torture."
"You can't torture a masochist. Believe me I've tried."
"Who sent this..."
Gabriel looked at Dean intensely. Again, Dean got the distinct impression that everything he knew about Gabriel was wrong.
"You have to promise not to go haring off..."
"What the hell?" Dean said.
Gabriel shrugged. "Crocell. I think he's up to something..."
"So, we go get the Codpiece of Noah or whatever and we kill the bastard."
"I love your spirit, Dean, You have no freaking idea what you are talking about, but damn, you're enthusiastic."
"Hell, yeah. I wanted to kill this freak since the first time I heard his name."
"I'll go get the Oneiroi." Gabriel said.
"They who what?"
"The dream spirits."
"Just then you think you killed all the cool shit." Dean said and sat down next to Castiel.
At that moment Suri charged into the room and fell to the other side of the bed. She moved her hand over Castiel and frowned. She looked at Gabriel.
He was looking at her with a goofy grin. "So, you're her." he said.
"Yeah," She said.
"I'm Gabriel. I'll just go and get the stuff to save Castiel." He turned and left the room.
"Is he always that weird?" She asked.
"No," Dean offered. "You caught him on a good day."
She looked at Dean and rolled her eyes and put her hand on Castiel's cheek.
The door of the cage finally swung open and there, in the corner was the one she had been looking for. Michael.
Chamuel entered the cage and went to her brother, leaned down next to him. He looked horrible, his hair was matted and filthy, his face caked in dirt and drool.
"Michael?" She whispered and put her arms around him. She didn't recognize the vessel, but saw the Winchester in his eyes. "Michael, I'm going to get you out of here. It's going to take some doing, but we're going to get you back to normal..."
Michael looked up at his sister and for a moment, she thought she saw her brother there, the clear, true spirit and then, he opened his mouth and screamed like a madman and tried to dig out his eyes with his fingernails…
"Two caves in one day!" Gabriel muttered and moved in front of the cave entrance. He leaned on a horn column and called in.
"Hello?"
There was the screeching of bats and then a young man appeared. He worn the traditional toga of a Greek youth and a laurel on his head but from his back grew a pair or black wings. He spread them in a threatening movement toward Gabriel.
Gabe pushed his own wings out and, eclipsing the youth, shrugged.
"Mine are bigger." Gabriel grinned.
"And so you are an angel?" The boy asked.
"Gabriel, and you are?"
"Andros. What does the son of Heaven want here?"
"I need help. A friend is trapped in the place of sleep..."
"And you need a guide. Who is this friend?"
Gabriel licked his lips and tried to think of a good lie, but really, the truth amused him more.
"Castiel." He said.
"The Winchester angel?" Andros asked. Gabriel nodded. Andros sighed and turned to go back in.
"Come on..."
"They killed Morpheus." The boy said.
"And you should be grateful. Morpheus was a douche. I mean, technically, they killed me too, but no hard feelings, right?"
"Why should I trust them, or you. There are only a few thousand of us left as it is."
"I'll owe you a favor."
Andros looked at him with interest. "What kind of favor?"
"A medium favor. Like saving your life or something."
Andros considered for a minute. "Done." He said and spread his wings to follow Gabriel.
Suri had lain down beside Castiel and wrapped her arms around him. Dean almost objected, but Castiel settled and fell into what seemed a normal sleep as soon as she did. A moment later, she was sleeping, too, snoring just a little.
Sam came in with a cup of coffee from Dean and himself. He handed it to his brother.
"She's not bothering him?" Sam asked.
"No, seems to help." Dean offered. "I mean, she is the Grail. I had concerned he might deck her like he did me but..."
Sam nodded and took a chair himself.
"It's late, you should sleep, too." Dean offered.
"I'm good. Besides, I know how these death bed vigils are. Boring right up to that twelfth hour resurrection." He smiled. Dean nodded.
The door opened and Gabriel came in followed by a tall, brooding, dark haired boy of maybe seventeen.
"I don't know what you got planned here, Gabriel, but Cass, he don't swing..."
Gabe blew Dean a kiss. "This is Andros. He's a Oneiroi. You killed his boss, Morpheus."
"Hi, and, um, sorry." Dean offered.
"Yeah, Sorry." Sam echoed.
"No one liked Morpheus. He was a dick." Gabe offered. "Andros here just wants assurances you won't kill him."
"You help me save Cass and I'll kick someone's ass for you." Dean offered.
"I'll hold you to that." Andros smiled and moved beside the sleeping angel and his protector. He brushed a hair out of Suri's face and then blew on her cheek. She sighed and rolled over.
"Take her," Andros said and lifted her from the bed. She was limp in his arms.
"What the hell did you do?" Sam demanded.
"Sam, Andros is a sand man." Gabriel said.
"A...what?" Sam said, trying to understand.
"You know. Mr. Sand Man, bring me a dream boom boom boom boom..." Gabe sang in a lovely voice. Sam nodded.
"She will wake rested and refreshed in the morning and have lovely dreams." Andros offered, his face blank and serious. "The angel, though, not so much. Who is going in?"
Sam carried Suri back to her room and Dean stood held up his hand.
"Lie down beside him." Andros offered and Dean did without hesitation. He made himself as comfortable as he could without disturbing Cass.
"Put your hand on him." Dean put his hand on Castiel's shoulder.
"Now what?" Dean asked.
"Good night," Andros said and Dean fell into a deep sleep.
Dean didn't believe it. As far as he could see were the dead bloody, cut into pieces. Heaps of bodies and this fine white dust that blew in his eyes. It was hot here, too.
He scanned the horizon and saw no Castiel.
"Cass!" He yelled. "Castiel!"
There was no movement and he looked around again.
"Damn it, Cass!" He yelled and saw Cass in the distance, shambling and moving like a corpse toward the horizon. He ran to catch up. It wasn't hard, Castiel moved like a zombie.
"Cass, it's me." Dean said and moved beside him, grabbed the angel's shoulder.
"I killed you once." Cass muttered.
Dean thought for a minute. "No, I don't think so. A lot of people have, mind you, but I think you are on the didn't list. Mostly sure. Almost got me killed, yeah, sure. But killed me. Nope."
"I mean the illusion of you. The you that you are now. Not the real you."
"You been drinking or doing meth or something?" Dean asked. Cass looked at him seriously.
"Look around you, Dean. I killed all these people." Castiel offered.
"Well, haven't you been busy." Dean replied.
"No not today, in history. I don't think Dean, the real Dean would forgive me. I'm a monster."
"You did what you had to do." Dean offered.
"I did what I was told to do, that is completely different. I did all this because Chuck said so."
"Yeah, well, I like the guy but not for nothing, he's a douche sometimes. That isn't your bad, Cass."
"Miranda." Castiel said. He looked over at where he body lay looking up at him with accusatory eyes.
"Whose she?"
"Someone I loved. I was remembering. I'm kind of...you know. Not right..." Castiel offered casually.
"Yeah. We got it, you're a broken angel."
Castiel nodded and looked down and then into the distance. "I loved her. I don't think I fell in love, you know, but I was lost and she was kind and one thing lead to another..."
"You dog." Dean smiled.
"No, Dean. I got her pregnant. Abomination. As punishment I was driven mad and killed her. If I'd just..."
Castiel pushed his hands into his face really hard trying to stop the tears. They fell not sadly, just water on his face, no sobbing, just the water of pain. He was out of sobs, out of self loathing and nothing was left but dead realization.
Dean sighed and put his hand on Castiel's shoulder. "OK. That's a tough one." Dean looked at Castiel, a mess of dirt and tears and pain. He rubbed his own face. "Cass, you know you're my best friend right?"
"After seeing this? Well, you're the imaginary Dean."
"No, I'm the real Dean. Gabriel got a sand man to bring me here to bring you back."
Cass looked at him in horror. "What?"
"Cass, no, don't freak on me. Look, you and me, we have done some serious shit. We're monsters. I mean, you and I will drown in a river of blood some day. You know what I see when I look at you right now?"
"A murderer? A despot?"
"A kindred spirit. The only thing in the universe I know that is exactly like me. I mean, you seem to be forgetting where you found me."
Castiel looked up and saw it in memory, the darkness of hell, the brightness of Dean's soul shining there in the room that smelled of blood and death and…
Castiel nodded and hugged Dean. Dean hugged him back and held him like a piece of driftwood. He clung because in a minute he was going to let go forever. He pushed Castiel back and looked him in the eye. He wanted to remember his friend's eyes. Maybe, if they destroyed this vessel, he'd be able to see something there, something familiar if he could just commit it to memory.
He put his hands on Castiel's shoulders
"Cass, the angels are here. They said they can make you forget. Reset you. You can go home. Leave all this behind."
Cass pushed Dean away. "What?"
"Yeah. So, I'll go and tell them to take you. You won't hurt like this anymore, Cass. You'll be back with your family..."
"Dean. No. Don't let them take me. Don't let them reset me." Cass said with real desperation.
"Dude, I mean, look around."
"How do you do it, Dean? How do you remember?"
Dean shrugged. "I guess I'm just an asshole."
"No Dean, you want to remember."
Dean thought for a second and nodded. "Yeah, Maybe there's something to learn her,e but the least I can do is remember them. Someone should, you know?"
Castiel nodded. "Yes. I do. I don't want to forget you. I don't want to forget any of them..."
"I'm not a great loss, hundreds of women who've forgotten me can attest..."
Cass walked over to the memory of himself reaching down and grabbing Dean. His hand rested on the bloody shoulder and the eyes of the two creatures, Dean and Castiel were locked in some yin and yang.
"This moment. Of all the moments on this field, this is the most important."
"Why?" Dean asked.
"Because it's the moment aspired to be something more then a killing machine. It's the moment I woke up."
"I don't..." Dean started.
"I looked in your eyes and I saw myself. A creature used to torment the world against your will. But there was so much more there, Dean. There was freedom and love and courage and all the things I wanted to be. And I realized right here that I had been made to be all those things.
It was the reset. They didn't reset me because I needed to forget. They reset me because I remembered that I was more then what they wanted me to be. Every time they reset me, it was because I rebelled. I hated them for so long. That's why I killed so many. Because I hated them. I want to remember, Dean. No reset."
"So, then. Gabriel says we need to figure out who did this to you and kill them."
Castiel nodded. "Let's find that memory."
Everything shifted. There was an ease of control in the angel.
"You done this before?" Dean asked.
"Hell if I know, I'm still remembering stuff." Cass offered benignly.
Ahead was the field outside the bunker. Castiel was sitting on the hood of his car listening to the music coming out the speakers. He had that vaguely alien look on his face that he wore when he was trying to figure out human behavior.
Dean heard it first.
"What is that?" Castiel asked.
"Motorhead." Dean growled and looked around. A dark man was walking up the road behind Castiel. He was listening to Motorhead with an IPOD speaker rig hanging around his neck. He was dressed like a homeless person, and grinned as he came up behind Castiel's
Cass turned and saw him, there was a moment of recognition and then the man threw something at Cass, a long, black feather.
Castiel screamed. Dean looked at his Cass, the one who had brought him here and saw discernment on his face.
At them moment, the man turned into a crow and flew away.
"Malphus" Castiel said.
Dean woke up.
"He says it's Malphus." Dean sputtered as he came out of his sleep.
Gabriel looked at him. "You're sure."
"Ugly, turns into a crow."
"That is brother Malphus, alright." Gabriel offered.
"So, we go get him?" Dean demanded, stood and wobbled a little as sleep was still holding his brain hostage.
"If by we you mean me..."
"Look..."
"Malphus is in hell, you want to got to Hell, Dean? I mean, I keep telling you to, but it's rhetorical."
"Ha ha. It's not like I never been there. I got friends. They can put us up..."
Sam entered the room. He looked at the two of them. "Where's the Sand man?" He asked.
"I guess he split. Keep an eye on things." Dean said and went to his room to grab his kit. Sam and Gabriel followed.
"Where are you going?" Sam asked.
"No where." Gabriel told him.
"To Hell, Sammy. I'm going to hell, but this time on a day pass."
"No." Sam offered.
"You don't get a vote and someone has to stay here to watch Cass and Suri, so, no arguments."
"Dean..." Sam began.
"Sam. This dude screwed with Cass hard. It's family business and I'm going to represent."
Sam looked at Dean and then as Castiel. Cass rolled over and groaned heavily.
"What about plan 'B'?" Sam asked.
"Cass said it himself, no reset."
Sam sighed and nodded. "Twenty four hours and I call Crowley to save your ass." Sam threatened. Dean nodded.
"OK, twenty four hours. But it won't be that long. In, kill a guy, out..."
"Fine, you ready?" Gabriel groused.
Dean grabbed his bag and threw a few things into it. He nodded.
Gabriel grabbed him and wiggled his nose ala "Bewitched". They vanished.
Cam drove up to the door of the bunker. Michael was staring out the window, vacant. He'd finally stopped screaming and now looked blankly at the passing fields.
"Hold on, little brother." She said and grabbed his hand.
She stopped the car and got out, went around and helped him out. He went with her compliantly.
A moment later she has pushed him into the library and into a chair. "For the love of Father, stay here." She said to him and went in search of the others.
Sam heard the door and went into the front room, gun drawn. He looked around and didn't see John, but he had realized in the passed few weeks that John was as frequently gone now as he had been when alive.
Sam entered the library room and saw someone in a chair.
"Hello?" He called softly. There was no reply. He inched closer, the gun leveled and ready. "I said, Hello."
The guy in the chair turned at the second intoning of his voice.
It was ADAM! "Jesus! Little brother!"
Sam put the gun down and ran to Adam and threw his arms around him. He pulled him close, lifted him gently and carried him into the sleeping quarters.
Adam was in rough shape, dirty, bruised and cut, his clothes vaguely more then rags.
"Cami?" He called as he went. She had to be the one who brought him. She appeared, that impish smile on her face.
"I see you found our guest."
"Is Michael… Is Adam?" He asked.
"Both present and accounted for. Michael is a wreck, I haven't even seen more then a flicker Adam yet. I suspect Michael shoved him way far down to protect him from Lucifer. If that's the case, your little brother might be in much better shape then mine.
Sam laid Adam on a bed and grabbed a blanket. He pulled off what was left of the shoes and socks.
"I'll run him a bath." Sam offered.
"Sure, where is everyone?" She asked. He stopped and turned to her. She got that long suffering look on her face and sighed. "What did they do?" She asked.
He related the story, her face grew darker with each word and at the end she turned and stalked out of the room. Sam followed.
"Take care of our brothers." She ordered as he moved beside her.
"You need to help me with Michael. If that Archangel goes berserk and I'm here alone with him, half of Kansas might not be here when you get back."
"I'm willing to risk the loss..." She said, coolly. Sam stepped back.
"OK. Cass is in there." He pointed to the room with Cass in it. "I'll keep and eye on him for you.
She turned and pulled Sammy down and kissed his cheek.
"You're the good one, when I get back, I'm baking your favorite cookies." She offered.
He smiled and secretly in the back of his head uttered a little 'yes!'.
She leaned down next to Castiel and felt his forehead. She placed a sweet kiss on his cheek and then went to the drawers and pulled out some spell components. She felt Suri at the doorway and turned.
"Oh my Beloved, everywhere I look I see your face. How could I ever look away from anything." She sighed into his ear.
"Where are you going?" Suri asked from the hall and came in and sat on the edge of Castiel's bed.
"To hell to kill a guy." Cami offered.
"I'm going." Suri stated. Cami looked at her for a long moment, regarding her.
"No you aren't" Cam said, and Suri frowned but before she could speak Cam handed her something. Suri looked down. It was a dagger with deep ruins etched in it. "You are going to stay here and protect our Castiel. And of course, your dad. Something isn't right here. This whole scenerio is a feint. Do you know what that is."
"A fake attack to cover for the real attack." Suri said. Cami nodded.
"Smart girl. Someone is going to come in here and try to kill both of them. Maybe you. I don't know when but I do know you need to get this place ready. And stay near Cass. If anything happens to him, I am holding you personally responsible. You get me?"
Suri nodded and looked very serious. "Now. go tell your dad to lock this place down. I got a demon to slay." She smiled and Suri smiled back.
Cam threw together the spell to transport herself to the pit as Suri dashed off to do as she was told.
Malphus stood in front of his master and nodded. The elder devil looked at Malphus with disgust.
"You had one job and you failed."
"It was Beez! No one gets passed him."
The elder demon nodded. "Doesn't matter. All I need is the Archangel's blood and step two is set in motion."
"Yeah, I been meaning to ask you. What's the plan on putting him back in the bottle?" Malphus asked.
"No plan. Crocell has his uses, you just have to know how to keep him pointed in the right direction. There is only one thing Crocell gives a crap about and I'm about to grab that, too."
"So what about me, I still get to go free, right?"
The older demon nodded. "You are free to go. Happy life."
Malphus turned and left the dark throne room. The elder demon smiled and began to count.
"One. Two, three. Four. Five. Six..." There was a scream from the hallway outside.
"Hum, they were early. I'll have to work on that." The elder demon pout himself two fingers of bourbon and sat down to have a long drink.
Gabriel had some kind of stone, like a divining stone. He held it up periodically and they followed it like a compass.
"Are we close? I hate it here." Dean groused.
"I offered to come alone."
"No, I'm good. I just need to kill something real bad." Dean offered.
"You sound like one of them..." Gabe motioned to the hell surrounded them. The black craggy rock jutted and jagged made the path like a wall of knifes and beneath their feet cinders crunched.
"No one messes with my family. This was always my least favorite hell."
"You have a favorite?" Gabriel asked.
"Well, I mean, I did. The sea of glass. If you stand there long enough, the screams of the sinners sound like waves and you can imagine it really is water and not broken glass..."
"I'll remember that. Mostly as FYI about you." Gabe offered.
"Dude, I wasn't a tourist last time."
Gabriel nodded. His dousing stone moved to the left.
"Here, he's close." They ran off in that direction.
A moment later that came upon Malphus as he wandered the halls of Hell.
"You son of a bitch!" Dean screamed and leaped at the demon, catching it completely off guard. Malphus was no fighter, but he was cunning and magical.
He screamed as Dean brought down the dagger and caught him in the chest and he turned into a crow and launched himself into the air to escape.
Gabe and Dean chased him. He flew for a long time and, tired and hot, they entered the corner of hell where Beez took his lonely vigil.
"I thought I told you…!" Beez yelled at Malphus, but the crow demon flew passed him too fast for Beez to react and into Crocell's lair.
"Gabriel!" Beez called. "And is that a Winchester? The boss is going to freak!" Beez yelled.
"Malphus? Where is he?" Gabriel asked as he shook Beez hand.
"He went in there. I told him..."
"He's trafficking with Crocell, running errands. He cursed Castiel. I got to..."
"Way ahead." Beez said and pulled a wicked looking blade out of his sleeve.
"Wait, aren't you one of them?" Dean asked.
"No, I'm Beelzabub, party of one." He offered and shook Dean's hand. "Nice work in Branson, BTW." Beez grinned as they both entered the cave.
Gabriel had gone ahead and Beez took a minute to brief Dean.
"Do me a favor. Do not look him in the eyes, don't turn your back on him and never, ever get within fifty foot of the edge of a chasm. And try not to talk to him. In fact, you should wait outside."
"Beelzbub?"
"Call me Beez."
"Yeah, Beez, this ain't my first rodeo." Dean offered.
"Yes it is, Dean. You just don't know it yet. Try not to open a portal and let him out, OK?"
Dean was struck by the beauty of the angel. Crocell's eyes fell on him and he could feel the demon looking at him, it was violating and exciting all at the same time.
The silver blue eyes fluttered open and it was like looking at live action hentai. This creature was so magnificent it had to be animated in Japan.
Dean shuddered and looked at Beez. "Something, ain't he?" Beez asked and Dean just nodded. He felt dirty, really filthy in his soul just being near this thing.
"Are you him?" Crocell asked and shifted making the chains sing.
"Don't answer." Gabriel yelled from the other side of the room. He had Malphus cornered.
"Crocell. Please. Yes it's Dean Winchester and no you can't have him." Beez said in the tone you would save for a clever, beloved child.
"Oh, you never let me have any fun. Come closer, Dean. I want to have a look at you. It's so very boring here…. My, you are a tall cool drink of water, aren't you?"
"If that's supposed to turn me on, it's having the opposite effect. My balls are curling into my adenoids." Dean offered. Crocell laughed.
"Liar. I can see them from here..."
"OK, I'm waiting outside." Dean offered and turned to leave.
"Good plan," Beez said and he was cut off by the sound of a shout and a yell. Dean looked over and saw Malphus fall, but he could tell Gabriel was injured. Without thinking he ran to Gabriel and fell beside him.
"Dude?" Dean felt Beez beside him.
"Son of a bitch!" Beez yelled. He lifted Gabriel. And turned to Dean with great urgency. "Run." He said and Dean didn't need to be told twice.
Malphus was a poor fighter but a dirty one. Gabriel had him cornered, it was just a matter of time before the younger angel fell.
Gabriel swung, Malphus parried but the blow staggered him. He shouldn't be fighting in here. It felt wrong, but fury overtook sense and he swung again.
Dean entered and he could feel Crocell's interest. The Winchester boys were rather an obsession with Crocell. He should never have let Dean come.
Another blow, another parry but this was almost over. Malphus couldn't possibly survive one more attack. Gabriel lifted his blade and out of no where Malphus pulled a switch blade. He cut Gabriel's arm, deep and painful and in a rage Gabriel ended Malphus with one well placed blow.
Three drops of the Archangel's blood. That was all it took. There was the sound of rending Earth and the low rumble of impending destruction. Crocell laughed and it rang like unholy carillon.
"AH!" Gabriel yelled and a moment later Dean appeared beside him. Charming bastards, they were getting under his skin, too. They were good kids.
Beez appeared. He looked over Gabriel's shoulder and swore. Gabe followed his eyes.
"Aw, shit." He moaned. "Where the hell did they get that?" He leaned over and grabbed the blade. He felt Beez lift him up and when they were standing, he grabbed Dean and flapped his wings and got them the hell out of there.
"Delicious!" Crocell squealed as the light began to fill his cave. He felt the chains beginning to grow warmer already. It might take a few days but he was getting out of this joint. And the world would be his oyster, literally.
The transit out of hell was difficult with Beez in tow. Hell didn't want to surrender her favorite son and as he left, the gravity seemed to get heavier and heavier.
Finally Gabriel grabbed Beez and with a mighty flap of his wings, broke free of the restraint enchantment on Beez. They flew into the sunlight and Beez covered his eyes.
"Get it off me, yuck light!" He grumbled playfully.
"Where too now?" Dean asked.
"The bunker. We got a problem." Gabriel growled.
"Problem?" Dean asked.
Gabriel motioned to his hand with his eyes. His hand was clenched around the switchblade.
"What, are they missing a prop for the next rehearsal of West Side story?" Dean asked.
"Good reference," Gabriel said. "No, dumbass. That is the key to Crocell's lock. And angel blood activates it."
"So, this time it's not my fault the world is ending?" Dean said.
Beez nodded and pointed to his nose.
"Stupid!" Gabriel said.
"Well, let's go get the stuff to kill him." Dean said.
"You can't kill him or I would have already." Gabriel said.
"Of course not. So? I say we all go have a beer and figure it out later."
"Here, here!" Beez said. "I like you. Is the other one this cool?" He asked.
"The other one is the smart one." Gabriel offered and then went off into his own little world of thought.
The rest of the trip was Dean explaining sports scores to Beez.
"So the cubs won? Well that explains everything." Beez offered.
Chamuel appeared in Crocell's cave. She looked at the bindings.
"Auntie Cami!" Crocell grinned.
"You didn't do this all on your own. Whose helping you?" She asked.
The older demon appeared behind her. "I am."
She turned and for a moment her face froze in shock.
"Belial? What? I thought..."
"Don't think, sister, it's not your long suit. And no, I don't want to be in charge. Power behind the throne suits me fine. Doesn't it, boss." He said to Crocell who smiled.
She flipped her wrist and her angel blade appeared. Belial countered with a small length of chain which he flipped over her. She froze in place.
"You weren't supposed to see me but it doesn't matter. It makes things easier. Corruption will probably be easier if people forget Father's love. And dear sister, they forget quickly."
He shoved her hard and she fell into the abyss.
"Nothing comes back from the void." He said and looked at Crocell. "Soon, boss.."
Crocell stared at Belial for a long time. His eyes were haunted and terrifying. Belial shuddered. Finally Crocell's face fell back into the easy smile it always wore, a completely fake approximation of human mirth.
"Yes, of course. You may go." Crocell said. Belial nodded and left the room. Crocell stood perfectly still and began to hum.
So there's problems in your life
That's fucked up, and I'm not blind
I'm just see through faded, super jaded
And out of my mind
Do what you wanna do
Go out and seek your truth
When I'm down and blue
Rather be me than you
Like the coldest winter chill
Heaven beside you... Hell within
Like the coldest winter chill
Heaven beside you... Hell within
Like the coldest winter will
Heaven beside you... Hell within
And you wish you had it still, heaven inside you
Heaven beside you, Alice in Chains