Chapter 12
I do not own Supernatural in any way.
A/N - I'm am so sorry it took me this long to finish this, but this is the final chapter of Angel with a Shotgun. The next one may or may not be up tomorrow, but the sequel will be called, "Everyone Deserves the Chance to Fly".
Celeste was at home one moment and the next she stood in Crowley's lab, invisible.
Balthazar and Castiel were talking. "You rang, Cass?" Balthazar asked.
"Yeah. We have a problem. Dean Winchester is on his way here", Castiel said.
"Really? Oh. How'd he even know where we were?" Balthazar asked.
Castiel put the jar of blood down. "Apparently we have a Judas in our midst", Castiel said.
"Ah", Balthazar said chuckling, "Holy hell. Who is it? I bet it's that bloody little Cherub, isn't it?"
"I don't know. But I - I need you to find out", Castiel said.
"Of course. Um, right away. Right away. Uh, but what do you want me to do about Dean?" Balthazar asked.
"Nothing. I'll handle him myself", Castiel said.
"Castiel? Are you alright?" Balthazar asked.
"First Sam and Dean…Celeste, and now this. I'm doing my best in impossible circumstances. My friends, they abandon me, plot against me. It's difficult to understand", Castiel said.
"Well you've - you've always got little old me", Balthazar said.
Castiel disappeared and reappeared behind Balthazar.
"No!" Celeste yelled appearing, but it was too late.
Castiel stabbed Balthazar. "Yes, I'll always have you", Castiel said.
Celeste shot forward and shoved Castiel back. "I've got you", she said to Balthazar said. She placed her hands on the stab wound.
"No", Balthazar said.
"I'm holding it off", she told him, "Please don't leave me".
Tears filled her eyes as Balthazar started to ramble in French.
Castiel appeared beside her.
She looked at him with tear filled eyes.
Balthazar had gone still.
She took her hands off the stab wound. She closed Balthazar's vessel's eyes. "Where do angels go when they die?" Celeste asked, her voice cracking.
A small sob escaped her lips and she lost it.
She cried in Castiel's arms.
As much as she wanted to be mad at him, she couldn't.
"Why did you do that?" she asked him.
"I had to. I couldn't trust him anymore", Castiel told her.
"Would you ever do that to me?" Celeste asked him.
"Never", he said kissing her head.
Celeste pulled away from Castiel and said, "I'll be back later". Celeste waved her hand over Balthazar's body and it disappeared. She snapped her fingers and she was looking down at her mother's gravestone. She waved her hand and the gravestone grew to twice its size to include Balthazar's name.
The inscription read: Balthazar Ange de lumière (Angel of Light), the man who loved her in life and death.
She looked to the sky and hoped that the two were finally together. "You know. I've never seen you here before", she heard. She looked and saw Gabriel holding a bouquet of white roses. "Mom's favorite", she said.
Gabriel walked forward to stand next to her.
"Cass killed Balthazar", Celeste said.
"I heard", he said, "Angel radio".
"I figured he'd like to be buried next to her", she told him.
"I always knew about him", Gabriel told her.
Celeste looked at him.
His golden eyes met hers.
"She of course didn't remember him, but he was always there. Watching at a distance. He respected the fact that you were mine", Gabriel said, "But yes, I would like to think that she would've liked that".
"What ever happened to mom's grace?" she asked him.
"I dunno", Gabriel said, "I never went looking for it".
Celeste returned to the lab to find Castiel stood looking at a spell in Enochian.
The two angels suddenly heard screaming coming from inside the building.
Crowley suddenly appeared in the room. "Never underestimate the king of Hell, darling. I know a lot of swell tricks. Now, I think it's time to re-renegotiate our terms", he said.
Castiel disappeared and reappeared behind Crowley.
Crowley turned around and Castiel placed his hand on Crowley's head, but nothing happened.
"Sweaty hands, mate", Crowley said.
Castiel removed his hand and said, "I don't understand".
"You can palm me all you want. I'm safe and sound under the wing of my new partner", Crowley said.
Raphael appeared beside him in the female vessel Celeste had seen before. "Hello, Castiel. Celeste", Raphael said.
"Raphael", Castiel said, a hint of fear in his voice.
Celeste tried to summon her angel blades but nothing happened.
"Sorry, love. She's got you blocked", Crowley said, "And there's no way for daddy to get to you now".
Celeste's heart rate sped up. Her and Cass were so screwed.
"Consorting with demons. I thought that was beneath you", Castiel said.
"Heard you were doing it. Sounded like fun", Raphael replied.
"You know, Castiel y-you've said all sorts of shameful, appalling, scatological things about Raphael. I-I've found him, her, to be really quite reasonable", Crowley said.
"You fool. Raphael will deceive and destroy you at the speed of thought", Castiel told him.
"Right, right, 'cause you're such a straight shooter. She, he, has offered me protection against all comers", Crowley said.
"In exchange for what, exactly?" Celeste asked.
"Hold your tongue, Nephilim", Raphael snapped.
"But I'm not…!" Celeste yelled. Suddenly, Celeste's voice was taken from her.
"The Purgatory blood", Crowley answered.
Raphael clicked her tongue and said, "Castiel, you really think I would let you open that door? Take in that much power? If anyone is going to be the new God, it's me".
GOD?! Celeste thought. Castiel had lost his ever loving mind!
"He's gonna bring the Apocalypse, and worse", Castiel said.
"Hey, this is your doing, mate. I'm merely grabbing the best offer on the table. Now, you have two options: flee, or die", Crowley said, impersonating Castiel.
Castiel picked up the jar of blood and threw it Crowley. Castiel disappeared and left Celeste.
"Not so big and bad now are you?" Crowley asked.
Celeste was tied up and she watched as they drew the sigils on the wall with the blood.
Crowley and Raphael stood in front in the wall as Crowley recited the words.
Dean and Bobby appeared at the top of the stairs.
Dean threw an angel blade at Raphael, who caught it.
The two turned to look at Dean and Bobby.
Crowley gestured and the two were thrown down the stairs.
Dean landed on the metal table.
It crumpled under the weight.
Dean rolled off it and groaned.
"Bit busy, gentlemen. Be with you in a moment", Crowley said. He finished reciting the words as Dean untied Celeste.
Nothing happened.
"Mm-hmmm. Maybe I said it wrong", Crowley said.
Castiel appeared in the room, holding an empty jar of blood. "You said it perfectly. All you needed was this", Castiel said putting the jar down.
Something wasn't right.
This wasn't Celeste's Castiel standing in front of them.
"I see", Crowley said. He walked over to the wall and touched the blood. "And we've been working with...Dog blood. Naturally", Crowley said tasting it.
"Enough of these games, Castiel. Give us the blood", Raphael said.
"You- Game's over. His jar's empty", Crowley told her, "So, Castiel, how'd your ritual go? Better than ours, I'll bet".
Castiel closed his eyes and a bright light started shining out of him.
Everyone in the room shielded their eyes.
The light faded.
"You can't imagine what it's like. They're all inside me. Millions upon millions of souls", Castiel said.
"Sounds sexy. Exit stage Crowley", Crowley said and disappeared.
Raphael looked at Castiel, clearly frightened.
"Now, what's the matter, Raphael? Somebody clip your wings?" Castiel asked.
"Castiel, please. You let the demon go, but not your own brother?" Raphael asked.
"The demon I have plans for. You on the other hand..." Castiel said. He snapped his fingers and Raphael exploded. Castiel turned to Dean, Bobby, and Celeste. "So, you see, I saved you", Castiel said.
"You sure did, Cass. Thank you", Dean said.
"You doubted me, fought against me, but I was right all along", Castiel said.
"Okay, Cass, you were. We're sorry. Now let's just defuse you, okay?" Dean suggested.
"What do you mean?" Castiel asked.
"You're full of nuke. It's not safe. So, before the eclipse ends, let's get them souls back to where they belong", Dean explained.
"Oh no, they belong with me", Castiel said.
"No, Cass, it's it-it's scrambling your brain", Dean said.
Celeste wanted to say something, now that Raphael was dead, but she kept her mouth shut.
"No, I'm not finished yet. Raphael had many followers, and I must punish them all severely", Castiel said.
"Listen to me. Listen, I know there's a lot of bad water under the bridge, but we were family once. I'd have died for you. I almost did a few times. So if that means anything to you... Please. I've lost Lisa, I've lost Ben, and now I've lost Sam. Don't make me lose you too. You don't need this kind of juice anymore, Cass. Get rid of it before it kills us all", Dean said.
"You're just saying that because I won. Because you're afraid. You're not my family, Dean. I have no family", Castiel said. He didn't even look at Celeste.
Sam, who had been sneaking up behind Cass, stabbed him in the back with an angel blade.
Celeste gasped, but nothing happened.
Castiel pulled the blade out, but there was no blood on it. He placed it on the table and said, "I'm glad you made it, Sam. But the angel blade won't work, because I'm not an angel anymore. I'm your new God. A better one. So you will bow down and profess your love unto me, your Lord. Or I shall destroy you".
Celeste couldn't hold it in anymore. "Cass, I love you, but you have lost your damn mind".