Cowboys and Angels

10. Stairway to Heaven

Castiel nodded. "Was a good soldier. This attack... I knew he wanted a war, but this... This is abhorrent, even for him."

---

Metatron was standing in front of a mirror in his office trying on a trench coat. Someone knocked at the door. Metatron tried hurriedly to take the coat off as he said, "Uh... just a second!"

A second later, Gadreel entered. Metatron glared at him.

"I gave you a second," Gadreel told him.

"You are such an... angel sometimes. What do you want?"

"To talk about tonight."

"We'll be fine."

"No, we -- we're losing, Metatron. Castiel's followers outnumber us. And while they haven't gone on offense, they have proven capable. They stopped you from killing her, and me, for example."

"I told you, we had our shot with operation Lee Harvey, and we took it. I gave the orders. You weren't to be harmed."

"You had me followed."

"Yeah, and you met with the enemy... In secret. What is that old line about sins and stones?"

"He spoke. He lied. And I listened. That's it. But I serve heaven. I serve you."

"Good. Don't forget it. I mean, I-I don't get this whole Cas lovefest, either. I'm offering our people a way home, and still -- still, they're choosing her over me. I mean, sure, she's cute. And Castiel has this simple... charm. She's like a mentally deficient puppy. But I'm lovable. And funny. I made God laugh -- twice!"

"You're the one who asked her to lead an army."

"Well, I didn't think she'd be good at it."

"Your meeting tonight -- Tyrus -- he controls the largest independent faction of angels left, and-"

"And I have to make a good impression. I know. I've got a plan."

Gadreel motioned to the trench coat. "It's not that, is it?"

"Shut up!"

---

Castiel, Sam and Dean entered Castiel's command center. The place was bustling with angels. Harvey rose to greet them. "Commander."

"Oh, it's just creepy," Dean muttered.

"Sam, Dean, this is Harvey," Castiel introduced.

"The Winchesters -- I've heard so much about you," Harvey said.

"What can I say? Cas is a fan," Dean commented.

An angel in a red shirt took a box of evidence that Castiel was holding. "I'll start to examine this evidence."

"Y -- oh, um..."

Harvey turned to Castiel. "Ma'am, this morning, Josiah wasn't at roll call."

Sam frowned. "Uh, roll call? You hold, uh, roll call?"

"They like to hear me say their names," Castiel explained.

"I know a couple of women like that," Dean noted.

"No one's seen Josiah since Ezra was murdered," Harvey informed. "We think that-"

"You think Josiah's the killer, that he is the mole?" Sam interrupted.

"Well, who else? We searched the grounds, but he's vanished."

"Not without wings," Dean said. "He's an angel, but he's still got to travel like he's a human, which mean walk, drive -- means he's gonna leave a trail."