Sacrifice

Dean woke the next morning with a strange feeling in his gut. He never slept properly, but this night was even worse. He sat in front of the small TV, eating cereal. Why did he have this weird feeling? Was someone trying to warn him? If that was the case, it worked. He would be ready for an army of ghosts storming through the door at that moment.

'Morning,' Sam said while yawning.

'What is wrong, Sammy?' Dean asked, his eyes never leaving the TV.

Sam pulled an eyebrow up. 'What do you mean?'

Dean finally looked up at his brother. Sam looked as bad as he did himself. They were tired. This Metatron problem had been haunting them for too long. Dean could handle the shapeshifter they were currently trying to kill, but that constant pressure from heaven was too much for them. Dean felt like the sky could literally crash down on them any second.

'I have a feeling something bad is gonna happen,' Dean replied.

Sam chuckled as he sat down and poured himself an own bowl. 'Yeah, something bad happens all the time in our lives, Dean.'

Dean stared at the movements Sam made with his hands. 'This is different. We should be ready.'

'For what?'

'Not a clue,' Dean replied nonchalantly.

Sam shook his head and stuck the spoon with cereal and milk in his mouth.

'Did you hear anything from Aliza or Cas?' Sam asked.

Dean slowly shook his head. 'What could she want to tell Cas, but not us?'

'Aliza hasn't been herself these days,' Sam replied.

Dean finally looked him in the eye again. 'What do you mean?'

Sam put the spoon down and looked away, searching his memory. 'We don't know Aliza for that long, so it is kind of hard to tell, but she seems different. Yesterday for example, coming in after disappearing for six days and not explaining a thing. But actually, this all happened since she realized Cas was going to be the leader of an angel army. She can't stand it, and I think she is still trying to find a way around it. She doesn't know how to handle the feeling of being alone. Again.'

Dean stared his brother in the eye. 'I don't believe she would put herself in front of the world. She knows better. She is a hunter after all.'

Sam sighed. 'I'm not saying that. I just think…she wants to help him.'

Dean looked confused. 'She knows she can't. She is a Nephilim. She shouldn't be involved with heaven. Or angels.' Dean diverted his eyes.

Sam looked good and hard at his brother. 'Why are you so against Cas and Aliza?'

Dean wouldn't look back or reply for a long time. Anyone would think he wasn't going to reply, but Sam knew better.

'It feels weird,' he finally said.

'What does?' Sam asked him patiently.

Finally, Dean decided to face his brother. He had a rare expression on his face. He was showing his soft side. Sam knew not to say one word wrong, or he would put all the walls back up.

'Don't you feel like Aliza is like a sister? Maybe you don't because you can't remember her as a kid, but I do. She feels like a little sister, and Cas…Cas is like a brother to me. That is why it is weird.'

Sam did not see that coming. He blinked a couple of times, trying to find a reply. Anything. But honestly, he saw what Dean mend. He wasn't going to feel the same way about it, but at least he understood Dean now.

Before things got too awkward between the two, there was a distraction. Castiel announced his arrival with the flapping of wings.

'Cas!' Dean gladly said when he saw the angel again. 'Good timing.'

Castiel scrunched his face up in confusion, but found it unimportant enough to ask.

'Hello Dean. I can't stay long, I just wanted to give something back to Aliza. Is she here?'

Sam walked to the little kitchen to wash the bowls. 'No, haven't seen her since you two left. What do you want to give back?'

Cas put his hand in the pocket of his trench coat and pulled out a small metal coin on a string. He caressed it like it was fragile. 'Aliza left her necklace behind on the nightstand yesterday night and I wanted to take a look at it. After that I completely forgot I had it.' He smiled down at the necklace, fond memories forming in his head.

Dean looked awkwardly away. 'So instead of talking about important business, you two decided to fool around tonight.'

Castiel looked up at Dean. 'We did discuss something important. She might have a way of helping me.'

Sam walked back in the room. 'Really? And how is that?'

Cas looked from the one Winchester to the other, deciding whether to tell them. In the end he decided to go for it.

'Metatron used a spell to shut the gates of heaven. Aliza has a warlock friend who wants to see if there is a way of reversing it.'

Both brothers looked at the angel for a painful long time. Cas was all cheered up, happy to see another way out. Clearly, the boys thought differently about it.

'Cas,' Sam said slowly, 'Magnus, her friend, died a month ago.'

Cas his features slowly sank back to a unhappy look. 'Are you sure?'

Sam and Dean shared a look. Aliza had told them about her warlock friend from New York. A little while ago there seemed to be some problems, and the mighty warlock had died.

'Why would she lie to me?' Cas asked rhetorically. His eyes dropped as he continued to stare at the floor.

Dean took the charm Cas was holding. 'Because she is doing something stupid. Something she thinks is right.'

Cas looked up at Dean through his eyelashes. 'Why do you think so?'

Dean inspected the coin. 'This is enchanted. She had it to keep demons at a distance. It was a present from Magnus. Wherever she is, it includes demons.'

Cas stared at the necklace. 'I took it. She didn't give it to me or leave it behind.'

'Something this important you don't put away on a drawer. And you most of all don't forget about it.'

'Okay,' Sam broke the conversation, 'but what would she be doing? It has to do with Metatron, right? That is what got her so worked up, Cas being the leader.'

Castiel looked at the ground as he found the answer. His eyes grew big in fear.

'She is going to shut the gates of heaven.'

Both brothers looked at the angel. 'What?'

Cas looked up. 'She asked me for the spell. The spell to shut the gates. She was never going to reverse it, she is going to do it again. But this time, she will lock the angels inside.'

Dean and Sam shared a look. 'But that means you could never be together again,' Sam said.

Cas grabbed the necklace back from Dean and started walking around, packing their bags for them. 'You are forgetting she needs to die for that to work,' Cas said coldly. This wasn't going to happen. He needed to stop her. He retrieved in his mind and called out for Aliza, hoping she would show her location or give any response. 'We need to find her.'

Dean pulled his coat on when he responded. 'I know which demon she is with.'

'My Enochian is a bit rusty, but I will manage. You just stand there and look pretty,' Crowley spoke to Aliza. They were back in his throne room, the place was as awful as ever. On the middle of the floor Crowley had drawn symbols with blood – probably not his own, but Aliza didn't want to think about that now – and on the symbols were the Cupid's bow and the angel grace. The only thing missing was her heart.

Crowley started reciting the spell Castiel had given her. Her entire day she had felt beyond terrible. She had walked towards this place, and by every bridge, every car that sped by, she wondered whether it was better to kill herself in a non-ritual way. It was more honorable than betraying your friends and loved one. Yet she managed to drag herself in this hell-hole once more. Crowley's weird flirting didn't help to lighten the mood. There was an enormous pressure on her, the feeling something immensely important was about to happen.

CRACK! An invisible force slammed down on the Cupid's bow and blew it to smithereens. The blood symbols started to swirl and vibrate with power.

One down.

'Sam stop questioning me! What other demon could she possibly go to? They would all kill her instantly. No, Crowley is the only one that would make a deal with her!' Dean yelled to his brother. His eyes were locked on the road in front of him. The impala sped up to the max, trying to reach the dungeon in time. Castiel had found a way to track down the king of Hell.

Castiel was in the back of the car, concentrating on the demon they tried to find. He could get glimpses of what was going on around Crowley. Earlier he saw a dark room with a throne. So far it was hard to find anything else.

'Why are you so sure she is with a demon? I get the thing about the necklace, but she could have forgotten it,' Sam tried. He simply tried to come up with other options in the case they were going down the wrong road. Sam worried for Aliza's life as much as Dean and Castiel did, and that is why he tried to keep an open mind. He wasn't as blinded by emotions as the other two clearly were.

Images wouldn't get to him, but Castiel could clearly feel great power vibrating in his mind. Crowley was doing something significant. He was about to share it, when another image flashed in. There were Enochian symbols on the ground, drawn in blood. At the other side of the symbols, stood Aliza. She looked up at Castiel with sad eyes.

'She is with Crowley,' he panted. The mind-trick was quite exhausting.

Dean looked at him in the rearview mirror. 'Good, now tell me where she is.'

The pressure in the room started to rise. Aliza rubbed at her sensitive ears. Crowley was studying the paper he had in his hand and spoke the words slowly and carefully. With every second that ticked by Aliza wanted to stop him more and more.

I'm saving the world.

I'm saving heaven.

I'm saving the world.

I'm saving heaven.

A big explosion suddenly erupted from the angel grace in the middle of the symbols. A cloud of blue and black swirled up and the pressure rose once more.

Finally they found the mausoleum where Crowley was hiding. Cas strolled through the hallways as quickly as he could. The place was keeping him from using his wings, but not his grace. Demons rushed at him, ten at a time. Castiel held his hand up and a blinding white light erupted from his palm. A second later the light subsided and the demons were all dead on the floor.

Dean and Sam followed the angel through the halls. They were able to protect themselves, but Castiel didn't even give them a chance to. He was so angry, that all his powers welled up and made him even more bad-ass. So the brothers decided to follow him through the halls.

Suddenly Cas stopped.

'What is it?' Dean asked, panic in his voice.

Cas had a blank look on his face. 'The second item has been sacrificed. Aliza is next.'

'Are you ready sweetie?' Crowley asked as he held his hand out. Aliza stepped on top of the blood symbols, careful not to wipe them out.

In her last moment she let her walls down. All the emotions flowed back into her. The guilt, the sadness, the discomfort…but also the love. The love she felt for Castiel. The love she was going to sacrifice.

But that was also her reminder to keep going. Castiel deserved better. She had to save him.

Crowley showed her an angel blade, the weapon he intended to kill her with.

'No,' she spoke clearly, 'not an angel blade. I am human enough to kill me with a normal blade. I do not deserve an angel death,' she said, her voice breaking near the end.

Crowley put the blade away. 'Whatever you want,' he said, a tat annoyed. He picked up a regular blade. The thing was quite beautiful, an antique.

'Shall I do the favour?' Crowley asked.

Aliza nodded.

Crowley started reciting the last words that were necessary for the spell. His volume raised as he grew more enthusiastic. He nearly yelled the last words, and drew his arm with the blade back, ready to strike.

I love you, Castiel.

I love you, Castiel.

It were the most beautiful and terrifying words he had ever heard. He knew it was now or never. He just hoped they were in time…

Aliza took a deep breath to brace herself for the blow.

The blow came. A loud sound echoed through the room. Aliza opened her eyes when she realized it wasn't the blade that made the sound. It were the doors.

In the next second Crowley flew backwards into his throne. His back hit the seating, and he crumpled down uncomfortable. Aliza swung her head around to face the intruders.

Who else could it be but team free will.

'Aliza!' Dean and Sam shouted in unison.

Aliza looked back at Crowley, searching for the blade. It had shoved across the floor, away from the dazzled demon. Aliza looked back at the boys. She looked at Cas. He looked enraged and scared at the same time. But there was no time for that now. She threw herself at the blade.

'Stop!' Dean yelled.

Aliza took the blade and returned to the symbols. Once she was back, something threw her across the floor. She shoved in between two pillars, away from the action. She looked up to see Castiel walking in her direction.

'I don't want to fight you. Aliza, please. You need to see this is wrong,' he said, his voice and face all pain.

'And you need to see there is no other way!' She yelled. Then, against her instincts, she threw her leg up and kicked Castiel hard against his shin. He doubled over, taken aback by the attack. Aliza walked past him to search for the blade, but she couldn't find it. That was when she looked up at Crowley, and saw him back on his feet, blade in hand. But before she could reach him Dean and Sam threw themselves at Crowley. They struggled to get the blade from his hand. Crowley tried to choke them with 'the force', but it wasn't effective enough. Both brothers kept coming for him.

While Aliza stared, Cas grabbed her by the back of her collar and yanked her into his arms. His arms locked across her upper arms and chest, immobilizing her. It was the first time she was highly dissatisfied with his arms around her.

'Aliza, please stop this. I can't lose you,' he pleaded in her ear.

Aliza sighed while she struggled. 'Don't you see Cas? You are never going to defeat Metatron! I don't care about the angels backing you, they aren't strong enough now. I will lock the angels back in heaven, where they belong. Once there, you guys can form a strong front and defeat Metatron. This will save the world and heaven!'

Cas was quiet for a moment. 'You can't die because of that,' he said.

Aliza pushed her elbow back in his ribcage. His grip loosened for a second but it was enough time for her. All the fighting techniques came back to her. Only this time, she didn't have to go easy. It wasn't that easy to break Cas. She turned in his arms, grabbed his face and knocked her forehead into his nose. She hears a cracking sound. Then she quickly pulled herself out of his arms. Cas held his hand up to his nose, catching the blood that leaked.

'And that is why you are not going to win this war, Cas. You care more about me than heaven,' Aliza told him. Castiel looked at her. He knew she was right, but he wasn't going to let her die. No more would die for him. Not this special person.

'If you truly see it that way, then I'll fight you,' Cas said, healing his nose and getting ready for an attack.

Aliza smirked. 'Wondered when you were going to begin.'

Castiel rushed at her. He wasn't wielding any weapon, because he didn't accidentally wanted to kill her. Aliza anticipated his steps and stopped his fist mid-air. She grabbed onto his fist and twisted his wrist. Then she hit him in the low abdomen three times over. She released him while there was still movement in him, so he took a couple of steps past her. He coughed up some blood and looked back at her.

Despite the seriousness of the moment, Aliza enjoyed seeing herself besting an angel. A part of her forgot who Cas was, and just saw him as the endless rush of crap that tried to fight her in her life. The vampire that chased her down to Bobby's car yard. The demon that possessed her mother and killed her parents. John Winchester that hit her and told her she was a monster. The kids that left her out of the group. The college students that despised her for sleeping with a teacher. The monsters she hunted. The noisy reviewers from her books. The endless tidal wave of demons. And finally the angels.

And now, it was Castiel.

Castiel placed his hand against a pillar and made a shock go through the funding of the building. The ground shook for a moment, and a big piece of concrete crashed down from the ceiling. Aliza held her hands up, but the crash was still effective. She had a major headache as she climbed from the rubble. Cas was back on her in a second. He took her hair and crashed her into a table. She went right through the furniture. Once on the ground she was disorientated. Cas took advantage. He stood over her, looking down at her with a disappointed look.

'Can we stop now?' He pleaded.

Aliza smiled, her teeth were red with blood. 'Honey, we are just getting started.'

A lose table leg was to her left. She picked the sharp piece up and threw it at his face. He took the thing before it hit him, but Aliza only used it as distraction. She jumped back on her legs and locked herself around Castiel's waist. She rammed him backwards into a closet. He smashed through the wooden doors and laid uncomfortable between the rubble.

Why was she having so much fun? Was this her kind of relationship therapy? Or was it just the thrill of nearly dying and not giving a fuck?

Castiel gathered himself. He dusted off his trench coat in a state of rage. He rushed back at Aliza and surprised her by taking her elbow and twisting her arm around her back. He lifted it up painfully high, and it almost broke. Aliza screamed out in pain. The joy, or rush she was feeling disappeared. She was angry again. Angry and annoyed. She kicked back, trying to hit Cas in the nuts, but he took her leg with his other hand and squeezed hard on her kneecap. She was stuck in an incredible painful and impossible position.

She had a moment to look back to Crowley and the Winchester brothers. They seemed to have some distance between them. Crowley stood in front of his throne, blood dripping from him, suit ruined. Sam and Dean were at the other side of the blood symbols, looking equally torn up. Aliza saw that Castiel was going to win this sooner or later. She needed to get Crowley at her side, maybe the tables would turn that way.

She twisted her head around and bit Castiel in his neck. It was mean and harsh, but she didn't see another way out. He released her limbs and she quickly ran to the king of hell.

Dean and Sam looked up at her. Castiel joined them, hand covering his bleeding neck.

'Aliza, why do you need to do this? There is another-,' Sam tried.

'There isn't,' she snapped back. 'You guys simply care more about me than heaven and earth.'

'Aliza is the only one here to see reason!' Crowley spat at the boys. Somehow the blade had ended up right next to him. He picked it up and looked at Aliza, who looked between the boys and the blade. She never wanted them to be here, to see this.

'Leave now, and let us finish this,' she hissed.

'But why? Aliza, why are you the one to sacrifice yourself?!' Dean yelled in desperation.

'Because hell, I fell in love with an angel and now I am paying the price!' she yelled back.

Instead of looking at Dean, she looked Castiel in his blue eyes. Even in this weird moment, they were filled with love. Her heart clenched as she saw how much she was hurting him. But she couldn't do the same as the boys.

'Do it!' she said to Crowley. She spread her arms to give him space to her heart.

Crowley moved quick, but not quick enough. Castiel used his powers to shove Aliza across the floor. She landed in his arms, where he held her firmly against his chest.

'I can't lose you. I love you,' he said, his voice nearly breaking.

Aliza pushed herself up carefully, so she could look in his eyes. Tears welled up in her eyes. What was she doing? Why was she hurting the man she loved?

'Castiel, I-,'

Her eyes sprung wide open. Her mouth gave a small gasp when it opened wide. Cas looked down at her, searching her for the reason she had stopped talking. Dean yelled next to them, as he stared at Aliza in horror.

Crowley had taken his chance. While the rest was distracted, he had thrown the blade. And now the hilt stuck out of her back, the blade piercing through her spine.

A line of blood streamed from her mouth. Her eyes were big and full of terror. Castiel swore he could see her blue eye fade to the same shade as her other, green-grey eye.

'No,' Castiel said, at the brim of panic. 'No, no, no!'

Aliza's eyes rolled into her sockets and she collapsed in his arms. He placed her on the floor, her head resting on his knee.

'Aliza! No! Not like this! Please, please don't. Stay with me,' he pleaded.

'Stay with me, stay with me.'

'STAY WITH ME!'

'You are too late, Cassie boy. It is over, the spell will work,' Crowley said, pleased with himself.

'Cas, that means you will get sucked back in heaven!' Dean yelled.

But he didn't give attention to Crowley or Dean. It was like he was going deaf. The only thing he still heard, was Aliza's fading heartbeat. She had her eyes open again and looked up at him.

'I've got you, I've got you,' he hushed to her. If this was her last moment, he was going to sooth her the best he could.

'I love you. And I know you love me too, I know. Just…please don't leave me,' he whispered in her ear.

He was faintly aware of Dean and Crowley's fight. Dean fired an entire ammo of rock salt into the demon, while also shooting with a normal gun. Even if it didn't kill him, Dean needed the satisfaction of using Crowley as a practice dummy.

Someone was tugging on Castiel's shoulder. At first friendly, but then roughly. Cas tried to ignore it. He didn't listen to what the person was yelling in his ear. He could only look at the woman he loved.

The woman that was dying in his arms.

Fresh tears fell down on her face. She tried with all her might to keep her eyes open, but it wouldn't take long.

The person that yanked on him, pulled something out of Castiel's trenchcoat pocket. He held it right in front of his face, trying to get Cas to look at the object.

And then he did.

Heavenly fire.

Castiel finally looked up at Sam, who held on to Cas' shoulder. His voice faded back into his world.

'Cas! Use the grace! You were sure it could help her! Do it, it is her only chance!' Sam told him firmly.

He should have thought it over. He should have considered the consequences.

But none of that mattered.

He undid the top of the vial and let the Heavenly fire swirl free into the air. He brought the vial down to Aliza's mouth. She still looked at Cas, but her eyes were nearly closed. She didn't move. He suddenly realized her breathing had stopped.

'Aliza, hold on!'

The illuminating substance entered her mouth, going all the way down to her soul. The light died and nothing happened. Aliza laid still.

'Aliza!' Cas yelled again.

Crowley had left. Dean was done shooting and knelt down by the others. Aliza was surrounded by her friends. Her family.

Dean placed an hand on Castiel's shoulder. 'Cas, it's too late.'

BAM!

A deafening sound rang through the room, together with a blinding light. Both came from Aliza's body. All three fell back on the floor by the sudden explosion of power. Aliza's body was jerked up in the air. She was floating mid-air.

Castiel recovered from the shock and looked back at her.

'Close your eyes! Cover your ears!' he yelled at Sam and Dean.

The power that was erupting from her soul and body were overwhelming. It seemed to increase every tense second that passed by in the with light filled room. Together with the high screeching sound, there was the sound of a voice. Aliza's voice. At first it was unnoticeable, but she started to scream louder and louder. She screamed in pain.

Then all the light and sound imploded on her, to explode a second later. All the pressure went out to shatter the windows and rumble the walls.

Then it was quiet.

Dean and Sam dared to look again. But what they saw, they couldn't believe. Cas stood with them, staring in great wonder.

Aliza stood in the middle of the room. All her wounds were healed. Her skin looked perfect: no birthmark or scar left. Her clothing was restored as well. She still wore her shirt with a bunny in glasses and tie and flannel blouse, but even that seemed so magnificent like she was wearing a ball gown. Her normally unruly curls were perfectly styled, no hair out of place.

But none of that was the real eye-catcher. All of her newfound perfection fell into the shadows, compared to the enormous, majestic dark brown objects protruding from her back.

Aliza had wings.

After staring at her for what felt like hours, she opened her eyes and gasped. Her gaze was fixed on the ground, but after a moment she looked up at the three men. They all gasped when they saw two perfectly blue eyes instead of one.

'Aliza,' Cas breathed.

She fixed her gaze on him. 'Castiel.'

She tried to take a step forward but almost fell down. Cas reached forward to grab her elbows.

'What the-,'

Aliza looked over her shoulder. Had she seriously just felt that extra weight on her back? Her eyes grew in shock when she noticed the wings she was carrying.

'I…have wings?' she asked.

'They are beautiful,' Cas told her softly.

She tore her eyes away from the feathered wonders to look at Cas.

He smiled kindly as he said: 'Aliza, you are an angel.'

She just looked at him for a long moment, trying to process his words.

'I am sorry, can you repeat that?'

Cas smiled his most honest smile. 'You are an angel.'

Aliza let go of Cas his support and stood on her own legs. She looked over at Sam. He gave a nervous laugh, with an expression that said 'not bad'. Dean still seemed petrified, but he seemed just as impressed. Without thinking it over, she tried to find her new muscles.

With a loud flap the wings folded out to spread out far and wide. The gesture moved so much air that Sam and Dean were pushed back a step.

'Oops, sorry,' she apologized.

But she wasn't done. She jumped up into the air and ordered her wings to carry her. And they did. Aliza surprised herself by not falling on her face. Her wings flapped, making a little storm inside. The sound was almost like a dragon flying over. Damn this was awesome.

Then she landed carefully back on her feet.

'You are a natural talent,' Cas complimented her. He kept staring at her new body parts.

At first she smiled, secretly liking the compliment. But soon her smile faded. She found Cas's gaze back and looked him hard in the eyes.

'You stopped me,' she told him. She didn't think she had ever sounded that intimidating before.

'I couldn't let you die,' Castiel pleaded. He took a step in her direction, but she stopped him. Not by a gesture, but she physically stopped him with an invisible force. Cas looked down at his chest.

'You learn quickly.'

'Don't change the subject, Castiel! You stopped the spell. You made the last Nephilim an angel. The spell can't be redone. The angels can't return to heaven now,' she said stern.

'Of course they can,' Sam said.

Aliza perked her head up to look at Sam. 'And how is that?'

Sam smiled at her. 'We stop Metatron.'

Aliza sighed and rolled her eyes. 'You stubborn, thick-headed people! I am getting sick of your arguments! Cas is still no leader and-,'

'No, Cas is no leader, you were right about that,' Sam interrupted her.

They stared for a long intense moment before Aliza dropped her arms to her sides.

'And then who is going to lead the angels against Metatron? Who is strong enough to do that?'

Sam and Dean exchanged a look. Cas seemed to be in on the plan.

'You are.'

BAM! just like that, big moment!

How did you guys like this part? This was one of my favorite chapters to write.

Hang in there for the grand finale in heaven! We are nearing the end of this story!