Warnings: Torture/beating up and angst?
I'm VERY sorry for how much it took me to upload this chapter. But I have an excuse. EXAMS. Big horrible exams. But here it is.
And here's the meaning behind the chapter title: "angelsarewatchingoveryou . tumblr post/68796944986/a-broken-hallelujah-if-summer-had-no-fall"

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Chapter 5

The Devil's Game

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It had started. There was no particular reason for it being tonight other than it was as good as any other. They had waited till it was dinner time, when one of the hunters always came to tell them that dinner was ready. They hid at the sides of their beds with the lights off. The hunter named Harry was the one that came for them this time, when he couldn't see them or hear them, he walked to the middle of the room instead of just a few steps in as he always did.

At Elisheva's signal, Jehoel charged forward and stabbed the hunter with his blade. As if they had been waiting for the sound of Harry's body hitting the floor, all the fallen angels came out of their hiding places.

Immanuel smiled. It had started.

In the dining room, none of the hunters were expecting the fallen angels that they had helped and given a place to stay to attack them. It was cold blooded murder, but none of the angels cared. Humans had never been nothing more than tools to most of them, and even now that they were humans themselves that hadn't changed.

As fate would have it, Immanuel had to face Gregory, the hunter that had found him in the first place.

"What's happening, pal?" asked him confused the hunter.

The answer was obvious, but Gregory was an old hunter with a good heart. And even if it was a lie, for the last moments he had left to live, he wanted to believe different than what was actually happening.

"I'm not your pal," said Immanuel stabbing the hunter in the heart.

Gregory's mouth got filled with his blood, he throbbed for air one last time and died.

Immanuel looked around him, his brothers and sisters were all covered in blood from the hunters whose bodies were now laying on the floor. The vengeance upon Castiel had started.

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"It's useless," said Sam after being directed to the voice mail for the fifth time, "I can't communicate with them."

"Do you think that they changed their phone number?" asked Dean who was sitting next to his brother.

As always between cases they were at the Bunker.

"All of them at the same time?" I doubt it," said Sam stretching his arms.

"It's been a week since anyone knew anything of them," stated Dean, "You have any ideas of someone who may be after your brothers and sisters?" he asked to Cas.

"Not that I know of particularly," answered Cas who was on the chair in front of Dean, "though some demons may want to take advantage of the fact that they're humans to extract information from them about Heaven. But I don't see the point for it considering that there are no more angels."

"We should go and check them out," argued Sam, "it's not usual of Gregory or Harry to not answer their phones."

"I don't think that would be a good idea," disagreed Dean leaning back with his chair.

"Why?" wondered Cas with a serious expression, after all they were talking about his brothers and sisters.

Dean had not told them about his conversation with Garth. He had not mentioned how the fallen angels were angry at Cas and how they may try to do some unpleasant things if they found him.

"Hmm..." doubted Dean, unable to find a good excuse in time.

"What Dean?" asked Cas again, this time fully knowing that there was something that the eldest hunter was specifically not telling him.

"Well, look, when I talked with Garth, he told me..." Dean was stalling because he knew that the fallen angels, despite being huge dicks, were still Cas' family, and he didn't want to hurt him. Because 'Oh, by the way, your family wants to hurt you and/or kill you' is not something that you drop off just like that.

"Dean..." warned him Cas.

"It's... they blame you, and I know it's not your fault, but they think so... and they're not happy, okay, Cas?"

"I see," was all that Cas said.

"I told you, it was not your fault," insisted Dean, "but try to make them understand. You and me, both know that they're some stubborn dickheads when they want to."

The fallen angel remained in silence for a while.

"I still think we should go and see what happened," said Cas.

"We don't have to do it ourselves," argued Dean, "we could tell Garth or some other hunter to check it out."

"Dean, I have caused the death of many of my brothers and sisters already. Many of them had been in self-defense, but others..." Cas gulped and when he raised his eyes to lock them with Dean's they were imploring for an absolution that was not in the power of the man in front of him to give him, "I cannot carry on my conscience more of their deaths. I need to know that they're fine."

"Alright, Cas," intervened Sam, "we'll go with you and check it out."

Dean wanted to protest, but a look from Sam was enough to put him in his place.

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It was right already when Dean parked the Impala in front of the old storage that Gregory and co. where using as headquarters. On the inside, there were no lights on. Bad sign already.

"Have your guns ready," instructed Dean.

Sam gave his brother a bitchface for the obvious instruction, some things didn't change and his brother was still bossy. Once they had got off the car, neither of them uttered another word, they communicated just by signals and looks. At the beginning, it had been a bit hard for Cas, as now he didn't have the ability to look at the Winchesters' souls and read their emotions. However, thanks to the deep connection he had with both of them, specially with Dean, he got the hand of it fast.

The door of the building was open, as it gave in with just a soft push from Sam. The first thing that welcomed them was a strong putrid smell. Having to fight the urge to puke, the youngest hunter struggled until he found the light switch.

"This is a slaughter house," exclaimed Dean, covering his nose and mouth with his shirt.

"They're all dead," said Sam, his face twitching in disgust when his shoes got stick in the half-dry layer of blood.

"I cannot recognize any of them," informed Cas, if any of them was a fallen angel they were not on a vessel that he knew.

"No," said Sam, "they're all hunters."

"What the hell happened here?" asked Dean angrily, tired of the death of more of the people he knew.

"We need to continue looking," suggested Cas, "we have to find out if... the fallen angels are dead too," he finished, scared of the possibility of them being dead, as he saw it, it was his responsibility if they had been killed too.

"I swear that if this was their work, I-" threatened Dean.

Cas said nothing in response, but Dean's words cut deep into him. If this slaughter had been committed by his brothers and sisters, then he feared that once again he would have to chose between his family and humanity, between his kind and Sam and Dean. And he was tired of choosing. He had learned that with every choice there was always guilt to come by too. Besides, he knew that at the end, no matter if it was the right choice or not, his decision was already taken, as always.

Dean was the first to enter into the next room, the one that served as the fallen angels bedroom. Cas and Sam followed him a few moments later. But Dean was gone.

"Dean!" called both, Cas and Sam.

Silence was the only answer.

"Dean!" they both called again much more desperate this time.

A metal noise came from what it seem to be a side room. Both men rushed towards the direction of the noise, guns ready in their hands.

"Hello, Castiel," greeted him Elisheva.

The female angel stood holding a shotgun and guarding Dean, who had been chained to a wall. His head was bloody, probably from a blow to the head of when they captured him. His look was dangerous, he was sick and tired of angels. Cas felt relief when he looked into the eyes of the other man. Yes, they had captured him, but they had not broken him. Yet...

Five other angels were also guarding Dean, in their hands, they all held the guns that they had stolen from the dead hunters. Their blades were also being firmly grabbed. In a corner of the room, Cas recognized Naomi. She was sitting with his back against one of the walls, clutching her knees next to her chest, her eyes lost looking at something that was not there.

"I think we need to talk," said Elisheva, "But first, your weapons..." she finished pointing at Cas and Sam.

Both men slowly lowered their guns and once they were on the floor, they kicked him them forward.

"Castiel..." called him Elisheva, "your blade."

With a frown, Cas took out the blade from his jacket and lowered it to the floor too. He knew that it had been a very off chance of his little depiction to work, but still.

"Do you know who we are, dear Castiel? Do you recognize us?" Cas shook his head, "Allow me. My name is Elisheva, and there you have Laoel, Jehoel, Gzrel, Nuriel and Sophia. Do you remember your family, Castiel?"

Cas nodded slowly.

Elisheva smiled.

"Take him," she ordered.

Two other fallen angels that had been on the opposite side of the room, came from behind and grabbed Sam by his arms. The hunter knew that he could fight them, but considering that his brother was tied in chains and that the angels had all their current weapons, he didn't deemed it a wise idea. They took him next to Dean and tied him with a rope, apparently they were out of chains.

"Oh, and I forgot to introduce you, Uzziel and Immanuel," the woman paused, "Now, Castiel, I hope you know why we have gathered here,"

"I guess this is not a merry family reunion," answered the angel turned hunter.

"You're right," replied Elisheva, "Want a clue?"

With a signal of her hand, Jehoel hit Dean in the stomach with the butt of his shotgun. When Cas tried to run to his hunter's side, Immanuel and Uzziel held him back. Dean panted, trying to put back the much needed oxygen in his lungs.

"You know, Naomi has been very helpful," Elisheva told Cas, Naomi flinched when the other said her name, as if she was afraid that the woman would hurt her, "She told us many things, things like how much you care for those two," and when she pointed at them, Jehoel and Laoel, both hit Sam and Dean in their stomachs, "Specially, for him."

Jehoel firmly grabbed his shotgun and started beating Dean all over. The hunter was used to having his ass kicked, so he didn't scream in pain. Soon he was bloody and one of his eyes had swelled up.

The beating continued.

"Please, stop!" shouted Cas, while he tried to get free from the two angels holding him, "I beg you!"

"No, Castiel," said Elisheva, "You chose those two humans over your own family, now enjoy the consequences."

"Beat me instead, please!" shouted Cas when he saw that Dean was unresponsive to the hits. At the barely conscious hunter's side, Sam struggled to get free too.

"Oh, we'll get to that," exclaimed Elisheva.

"Please, let him go!" cried Cas falling to his knees, a couple of tears had already fallen from his eyes.

Slowly, Dean raised his head, and how poorly he could, he looked at Jehoel's face.

"What are you waiting for, dickhead?" he bluffed, "Do it!"

"No! Dean, no!" shouted both Sam and Cas.

Jehoel threw away his shotgun, that had the butt all bloody, and took out his blade. In the seconds that it took for the fallen angel to give the killing stab, a fast succession of things happened.

First, Naomi moved from her place in the corner and got in the middle. Then Jehoel shouted a "No!" and there was a struggle. At last, a woman's scream was heard. When Jehoel moved away with his blade covered in blood, Naomi was laying on the floor, a red spot spreading through her clothes on her chest.

In a final act of redemption, Naomi had saved Dean. The woman looked at Cas, who understood everything, and in her final breath, she found forgiveness.

Elisheva was livid.

"Look at what you have done!" she shouted, "Dean Winchester may corrupt everything he touches, but you destroy absolutely everything," she accused him, "How many more of your family will have to die because of you?" asked him Elisheva, "Take him," she ordered.

They locked Cas in a small toilet room. It was adjacent to where they were keeping Sam and Dean so he could hear the random muffles of when they hit either of them. He focused in order to not give in into despair after all he had been a soldier of God, he had conquered in Hell and rescued the Righteous Man. So he formulated a plan. It wasn't a masterpiece and it had many uncounted variables, but it was the best he'd got.

He waited till another fallen angel came for him. He had to be fast and precise. Once the other man had taken a few steps into the toilet room, he jumped on him. Cas took the gun from him and hit him in the head with it. The blow hadn't been enough to knock him out, it had just left him stupid for a while on the floor, but that was enough for Castiel. He opened the angel's jacket and took out his blade. Cas was a soldier trained in war so he knew that you didn't leave behind uncounted variables, so with a swift movement he slashed his brother's neck.

Next, he went to the one guarding the door. Before the angel knew what had hit him, Cas had stabbed her in the back. To not alert anyone, Cas accompanied the movement of the body to the floor. He prayed silently for forgiveness to a Father that he knew wasn't listening, before heading to the room where Sam and Dean were.

His next step, was to get in and somehow free Sam before they all fell on him. But the Winchester had beat him to it. He had managed to get free of his ties and was waiting for the right moment. Cas' entrance was it. Sam jumped on the angel next to him and disarmed him. Luckily for him, it was his own gun, and he was fast into shooting Elisheva. Not so luckily, he was a bit dizzy for the blows he had received in his head so he only hurt her in the arm. Even though she was only half-dealt with, the angel next to him was the biggest threat once more. Sam stopped with his arm the other's arm that was drawing his blade, and shot him in the head.

Meanwhile, Cas was dealing with one of his brothers and another one of his sisters. He was better at fighting than them, after all he had wore his vessel longer than them and had received training but they hadn't. So it had been relatively easy to slash her throat and to stab his brother in the heart. The sound of their bodies hitting the ground was another stone in Cas' bag of guilt.

Immanuel watched his brother and sister die, and thought if their revenge at Castiel was truly worth it. After all, they had this one chance, and after everything they've done, he doubted that they were going to return to Heaven. However, his time for regrets was over when Sam stabbed him.

"Who are you?" he asked scared.

"We're the Winchesters," replied Sam, consciously including Cas as one of them.

Sam turned around and saw Elisheva coming at him, but the fallen angel didn't reach him because Cas stabbed her in her stomach.

"See you in Hell, Castiel," she said and even dying as she was, she gave him a bloody smile when she saw the way that Cas' features crisped at her words.

With hate as her last emotion, she died. Not Sam, nor Cas noticed how Jehoel escaped and ran away.

"Dean..." exclaimed Cas rushing to the hunter's side, who was barely conscious.

"Nice way of kicking ass," he said with a very faint voice, "I could have helped," he laughed.

"Don't speak," shushed him Cas while he desperately turn around to look at Sam retrieving the keys from Elisheva's clothes.

"Here, Dean," said Sam while he struggled to free his brother, "Just a moment and we'll get you to some help," he comforted him.

"I don't need help," complained Dean stubborn as ever.

"It's alright," calmed him Sam, while he took his brother by the legs.

He and Cas dragged Dean to the backseat of the Impala.

"If I stain the car with blood, Dad's gonna come and hunt down my ass," joked Dean, his laugh stained with blood.

"What are you doing?" asked Cas to Sam, who was grabbing something from the trunk of the car.

"They deserve a hunter's funeral," explained Sam pointing at the store house, "and we don't want the others returning as ghosts."

"Good point," admitted Cas.

"I'll be back in a sec, hand on," said Sam while he left carrying fuel and salt.

Cas waited for Sam in the backseat, holding Dean's head over his lap. He caressed the hunter's head while silent tears came down his cheeks. His Dean was hurt and there was nothing he could do to heal him. Guilt and pain washed over him while he he prayed for his human to not die. At the end, he had gotten Dean hurt, on what could be the edge of death. He would not leave Dean's side till they went to the hospital, until he knew that the hunter was out of danger and then... then he would stay. He had made a promise, and that promise bid him. He made his decision hugged to the fainting body of Dean.

His blue eyes were shining with tears and coldness.

A crack had appeared inside of Cas.

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Sam carried in his arms the unconscious body of his big brother into the hospital's ER.

"Help! We've been mugged! Help!" he shouted as short explanation.

Several nurses and a doctor came in pushing a stretcher. They helped him to put Dean on it and they left, hurriedly instructing them to stay in the waiting room. As soon as the hunter was out of sight, Cas fell to the floor grabbing his head in his hands.

"Hey, hey, Cas!" called him Sam kneeling on the floor next to his friend.

Silent sobs wrecked through Cas' body.

"This is all my fault," said Cas, his voice slick with guilt.

"No, Cas, no. Please don't go there," asked him Sam, "I know that everything you learned about being human was from us, but... don't feel guilty about what you don't have to, okay? It's not the first time we got ourselves in a situation like this and it probably won't be the last, okay?"

"You heard them, Sam. They almost killed him just because I- I-" was unable to continue Cas, but Sam heard his unspoken confession.

"I know, but even so..." said the hunter and sighed, "Cas... if you keep adding guilt on you, it's going to fill you up and it's going to consume you and..." the fallen angel raised his eyes, and Sam saw the deep pain on then, "Come, let's sit properly," he said getting up and raising Cas with him.

They sat on the chairs that were there and waited. It was the first time, that being in a situation like this, Sam had to be the strong one. Before, when his brother had been like this, he had his father or Bobby to rely on, he had been able to cry. When it had been Bobby the lying one in a hospital bed, he had been able to be the little brother and rest on Dean fulfilling his role of big brother. Now, however, he had to hide his sadness and be strong. He was the one that was holding Cas up, so he couldn't come crushing down. He couldn't do it because of his friend, but also because of his brother. He knew how much Cas meant to Dean, and he couldn't let down his brother again.

"Here," said Sam offering a cup of coffee from a machine to the fallen angel.

The angel too it and drank in small sips. Sam looked at his friend and remembered how powerful he had been the first time he had met him, and now he seemed so small, so weak, so human... Despite he was now taking care of him, at least in a way, Sam didn't fool himself, he didn't thing that he was being like a big brother to Cas. He would never be able to fill in what Dean had taught him that a big brother was. He was just doing a very bad attempt of comforting a friend. But he sucked at it. He couldn't do this on his own.

The doctor came in some time later and told them that Dean was out of danger. They could see him now, but he was resting and he shouldn't be disturbed. When Cas tried to enter the room, he was stopped by the doctor.

"Only family," he said.

"He's his husband," lied Sam to the doctor in a beat.

"Okay," agreed the other and let them both in.

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Seeing Dean in a hospital bed without him being able to do anything to change it had hit hard on Cas. Even with Sam's support, the fallen angel was spiraling down into a pit of depression, self-hate and guilt. Not only he had put Dean in a hospital because he had sinned and fallen in love with a human that he had been supposed to just take care of. But even as a human, he kept killing more of his brothers and sisters. He didn't understand why his Father had brought him back after Raphael had killed him. He was a disgrace and he didn't deserve to continue living.

He looked at Dean sleeping in the bed, still swelled up and sighed again, hiding his face between his hands. Elisheva had been right. He destroyed everything he touched.

"Hey, I thought I had been the one beaten up to death," said Dean waking up, "You look like shit."

"Dean," exclaimed Cas sitting up in the chair where he had been sulking, next to the hunter's bed.

"Hey," greeted him Dean.

"You're awake," said Cas grabbing Dean's hand and gently touching the side of the hunter's head, letting his hair slip through his fingers.

They stared at each other for a long time, until Dean checked out his best friend and spoke.

"Have you decided that you are a hippie now?" he said looking at Cas' new clothes, a light blue loose shirt and an old jean.

The fallen angel chuckled.

"Dean, I have been a genderless angel for several millenia. Your human labels hardly apply to me, even now when I'm one."

"Still... here I am, in what could have been my dying bed, and you go shopping," joked the hunter.

However, all traces of humor disappeared from Cas' features.

"The other clothes- I couldn't use them anymore," confessed the angel.

"Why?"

"They had your blood on them," said Cas, and the hunter didn't need to know anything else.

"Hey, Cas, it's okay, you know?" told him Dean, "I know why they did what they did, and it's okay..." even after all this time he had trouble voicing his feelings, "They're dicks and I don't blame you for what they did, okay?"

Cas sighed, his eyes were filled with tears, he nodded once to let him know that he had heard what the hunter said. But it was clear that he wasn't buying it.

"Cas, I mean it," said Dean, "You- you- it's okay. I- I-" but his confession was interrupted by his brother entering the room.

"Dean, you're awake," he said approaching to his brother in long strides.

"Hey, Sammy!" said Dean, missing already the comforting warmth of Cas' hands on him.

"How are you feeling?" asked him Sam.

"Better than ever," answered Dean with sarcasm, "like I'm in a spa."

Dean knew that Sam was talking to him, but he couldn't pay attention to his brother's words. Instead, he looked at Cas. The fallen angels had beaten him up because they had known that he was special to Cas, that Cas was in love with him... Even if the circumstances hadn't been the best, he felt relief. Now, he knew for sure.

The realization would have felt warmer inside him, if he hadn't noticed how internally broken Cas was.

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Okay, so I do hate myself.
I mean, this chapter was never supossed to be happy. The main idea was "Cas has to kill more of his brothers and sister, he feels guilty". But it was meant to add A BIT more of guilt not this. But somehow along the way it transformed into this and I hate myself. I think it's time for me to grab my bags and go to Vancouver and be a writer of the show because fuck.
I hope that you liked Naomi's ending. I hadn't truly forgotten her even after her scene in Sacrifice because to me she regretted that her ways didn't work but not her ways. So I have her a chance for redemption.
Immanuel was supossed to be more of a bigger character, but somehow Jehoel came in and stole the spotlight (he's going to appear again), and then the scenes were almost done and Immanuel hadn't got that much participation, not as I would have liked.
I also hope that you think I'm handling Sam's character well, altough the main idea of this fic is Destiel and that's why there's always is at least one Destiel scene per chapter, I also want to explore the plot and other character. And I love Sam, so sadly for him, that means that there not many happy moments for him.
And... Hippy!Castiel. You know what that means. Because yes, it's going that way.
Once more, I'm sorry for the delay, but I had exams and I had a lot to study. Now, chapters will be again be posted at one per week, at least until I have exams agains.
Thank you for bearing with me, and I hope you like it enough as to leave a review or a comment. :)