Chapter 16 – Storming the Castle

As they made the final preparations, Sam, Gabriel, and Castiel exchanged some final nods.

It was time.

Within the chapel, Michael went to stand next to Dean at the altar, both to make sure that the hunter didn't try to escape and because he was the best man. However, a familiar voice stopped him.

"You know, I thought the first person in your family to marry would be you." It paused. "Then again, your sister's always been more decisive."

The prince turned to see his most hated enemy. "I thought your father was coming, Lucifer." He said nicely enough, trying to veil his anger.

"He got busy. After all, unlike some deadbeats, he sticks around to get the job done." Lucifer leered. He gestured to the blonde at his side. "I'm sure you remember my wife, Lilith." She curtsied at his glance.

"Of course." He glanced at the front of the church as a familiar tune began to play on the organ. "I must be going."

"Naturally. I'm sure this wedding shall be… interesting." Lucifer smirked as he went to take his seat.

Michael seethed as he finally ended up next to Dean. He couldn't wait to blame Lucifer and his ilk, and then take advantage of the situation to kill the abomination.

"Wow, who put a bee in your bonnet?" Dean snickered, even as Anna was walking up the aisle.

The hunter would be another person he would gladly be rid of.

The officiator of the wedding, a rabbi from near-by, came up to the altar and frowned.

"Where the hell is my canopy?" Rabbi Rufus demanded. "You can't have a wedding without a canopy."

Michael forced a smile on his face. "Well, it's too late. You'll have to do without."

Rufus grumbled as he took out his book. By that time, Anna stood before him and with a nudge, Dean stood next to her. The hunter looked about as happy as the rabbi did.

Michael's smile dropped though as shouts from outside trickled through. "Stand your ground, men! Stand your ground!"

Guests looked around curiously, wondering what could be going on.

Outside, Raphael barked orders at his men. "Stand your ground!" However, fear was evident in his own voice.

Approaching the castle gate was a large, cloaked figure. It was shrouded in darkness and seemed to float over the ground. Just the sight was terrifying enough to make all of the men skittish.

Little did they know that it was just Sam in his holocaust cloak being pushed on a wheelbarrow by Gabriel. Castiel leaned on the swordsman, trying the best he could to help, but after half an hour, he still hadn't recovered much strength.

Still, it did look fairly scary, especially as Castiel provided the voice for their specter.

"I am the Avenging Angel." His deep, gravelly voice added to the otherworldliness of the situation. "There will be no survivors."

The guards drew back further and further as they got closer and closer.

"Now?" Gabriel grunted, as it wasn't easy pushing the moose of a man, even with the advantage of a wheelbarrow.

"Not yet." Cas muttered back, before raising his voice. "My men are here, and I am here. But soon," he waited to see that Sam had raised his hand to point at the terrified men, "you will not be here."

"Now?" Gabriel asked again.

"Light him." Castiel ordered.

Gabriel stopped the forward motion and lifted the candle from their small lantern. With a simple tipping motion, he used the candle to light the cloak on fire.

Sam threw his arms wide as the flames licked up the cloak. Luckily, he wasn't hurt, as he had doused himself in water to prevent burning and taken some other precautions. The image it projected though was like something straight from the pits of Tartarus. One of the men even gave an incredibly girly shriek of fright.

"The Avenging Angel takes no prisoners." Cas announced. "All your worst nightmares are about to come true."

The soldiers continued to step back, but at this point, their backs were against the wall.

Back inside, Michael sent a glare at the rabbi to get things moving.

The rabbi sighed and began. "Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today for marriage. Marriage is what brings us here, and it is what keeps us together. Marriage, which is based upon the most powerful thing in the world: true love." Rufus continued to talk, really getting into his speech.

As he droned on, Michael turned to signal Metatron to check out what the trouble is. The count scowled but did so, taking Gadreel and several soldiers with him. The prince turned back to the wedding, trying to ignore Lucifer's grin at the obvious trouble brewing.

Meanwhile, several guards were beginning to abandon ship so to speak.

"The Avenging Angel is here for your souls." Even Gabriel had to shiver as Cas said it. There was just something about the way he spoke those words that made him think it was actually possible.

The guards thought so too, as almost all of them ran away. They ran around the burning effigy, screaming all the while.

"Stay where you are! Fight!" Raphael scrambled to remain some semblance of control, but within moments, he was the final one standing there. He looked up in horror.

Within the chapel, Anna was looking back nervously too.

"Just skip to the end!" She turned and barked at the rabbi, interrupting him mid-rant.

Rufus grunted a bit. "No respect for the elderly." He rolled his eyes. "Have you got the rings?"

Michael held them out, and the redhead practically shoved the rings onto her and Dean's fingers.

The hunter was smirking though. "Why do I have a feeling that Cas is coming?"

Anna looked up, her eyes smoldering with hate for the pirate. "Your precious Castiel is dead. I killed him myself." She hissed so that way the guests wouldn't be able to hear them.

Dean's smirk didn't waver. He leaned in. "So then why is there fear in your eyes? Your brother's too?"

And it really was there, behind everything else.

Outside, Cas looked up in alarm and pointed at the gate with his sword. He had noticed Raphael backing up into the door and giving a signal to those just on the other side of the wall. "Sam, the portcullis!"

Sam threw off the last remnants of the cloak, and dashed forward. He caught the crashing portcullis just as it came close to the ground. With a swipe of his hand, it rose right back up and stayed there.

Gabriel made his way over while supporting Cas. Raphael was pressed against the door, and his eyes darted nervously between the three. He knew he couldn't take them all on.

"Give us the gate key." Castiel ordered. His tone brooked no argument, but still Raphael shifted and put on a confident face.

"I have no gate key." He tried to bluff.

Gabriel sighed. When were these idiots going to learn? "Sam," he turned slightly to the giant, "rip his arms off."

Sam moved forward, cracking his knuckles.

"Oh, you mean this gate key." The head guard quickly ripped the key from the chain around his neck and held it up. Sam grinned and took it from him, and then he used a single punch to take him out.

He tossed the key to Gabriel as he moved the guard out of the way. With a flick of the wrist, the swordsman opened the gate. He smirked. "We're in."

The ceremony was getting to its climax though.

"Do you, Prince Dean," Rufus turned to the hunter, "take Princess – "

"Man and wife!" Anna growled, practically vibrating with her pent-up anger. "Just say, 'Man and wife!'"

"Uh." Rufus blinked at her, obviously surprised at her attitude. "Man and wife."

"Thank you." She grabbed Dean's arm, catching him off guard, and began to drag him away. "We'll be in the honeymoon suite." The princess told her brother as they passed.

The prince gestured for two guards to follow them in case Dean still tried to escape. "I'll be there shortly." He replied.

Dean's hands curled into fists. "Damn it." He muttered. After all, Cas was so close, and now he had gotten himself married.

"Wait!" Rufus called after them. He held up a small shot glass. "You need to break the glass."

"Who freaking cares?!" Anna called back as they finished exiting.

The rabbi and the other guests just stayed where they were, shocked. Rufus frowned at the traditional glass. "This is the last time I do a wedding for a royal." He vowed. "They're just too plain weird."

The guest seemed to agree as they realized that they were supposed to leave.

"What a strange wedding." Lilith muttered.

"Strange indeed." Lucifer chuckled.

Rufus held up the paper that would truly wed the two as he left. He narrowed his eyes at it. "I'm not signing this." He ripped it up, making it so Dean and Anna's marriage was null and void.

It really begged the question of what all the effort had been for.

AN: I will admit that all my knowledge of Jewish wedding ceremonies comes from Fiddler on the Roof. So this is probably wildly inaccurate, and I apologize for that. Originally, I thought of making Bobby the priest, but when I made him Miracle Max, I thought Rufus would be a decent replacement. However, in the show, Bobby mentioned he was Jewish, so ta-da! Also, Lucifer is just here to antagonize Michael and make him more determined to follow through on his plan.

Does anyone here watch Gravity Falls? OMG, I saw Monday's episode online yesterday, and Jimeny Christmas! I can't wait for the next episode. Despite being busy with school and work, this is a good week for TV. I also can't wait for "Baby" tonight, if only to see how they do the camera work, and tomorrow is the Sleepy Hollow and Bones crossover, though I have a meeting so I'll have to find it online.

Happy National Chocolate Day! Eat some for the feels!