[First Born]
Dean was sitting in a bar watching a pretty waitress hustle by. He smiled briefly at her as Crowley appeared. "So... is that boudoir smile for me?"
Dean, startled, drew the demon knife from his jacket as Crowley said again, "At least buy me a drink first."
"I said the next time I see you-"
"Dead. Yes, rings a bell, but let's not dwell on the past, shall we? This bar is a bust. That waitress is trouble with a capital VD, and your prey, Gadreel, has left the building. So, it's time to move on to more pressing matters, like destroying Abaddon."
"Yeah, good luck with that. The Knights of Hell aren't exactly the dying kind."
"But there is something that can kill a knight. The weapon the archangels used to execute them -- the First Blade."
"Never heard of it. Can I kill you now?"
"I've been chasing that blade for decades. The closest I got to it was when one of my droogs -- Smitty -- got wind of a protégé demon of Abaddon's who's claimed knowledge of the blade. Sadly, before Smitty could nab the guy, a hunter by the name of John Winchester nabbed the protégé. I'm here to see if there's anything in the John Winchester memorial library that might lead us to the First Blade -- to killing Abaddon."
"You want to hunt? With me?"
"I do love a good buddy comedy."
Dean rolled his eyes and reluctantly pulled out John's journal from his jacket and laid it on the table. He rummaged through the pages until he found what he was looking for. "Oh, yeah. Here it is. Yeah, he picked up a protégé who had bones with Abaddon, but that's about all it says in here."
"What do those numbers in the margins mean?"
"None of your business."
"You're gonna play hard to get? We have time for a montage?"
"It's a code -- on of my dad's storage lockers. He may have put something about the case there."
"And what does the "T" next to the numbers mean?"
"Not a clue."
"Fine. Let's go find a dead man's cave, then, shall we?"
"And how do we know this isn't a trap?"
"You... don't. That's what makes it fun."
Crowley shot Dean a wily grin and headed out the door. Dean slowly followed. Neither of them saw the man sitting next to them, with black eyes. He followed them out the door.
BUNKER
Castiel was sitting down and went to take a bite of a PB&J sandwich. The door opened above him. Francesca walked in from the hallway, letting out a deep sigh.
"Mm," Castiel hummed, not enjoying the sandwich.
Sam walked downstairs and said, "Hey."
"Tastes like... molecules."
Francesca frowned. "Huh? What are you talking about?"
"When I was human, you know, I had to eat constantly. It was kind of annoying."
"Yeah, a lot of human things are pretty annoying," Sam told him.
"But... I enjoyed the taste of food -- particularly peanut butter with grape jelly, not jam. Jam I found unsettling."
Sam and Kennedy sat on the table on either side of Castiel as Sam asked, "So, what? Now you can't taste PB&J?"
"No, I-I taste every molecule."
"Not the sum of its parts, huh?"
"It's overwhelming. It's disgusting." He looked longingly at the sandwich. "I miss you, PB&J."
Castiel stood. "We need to continue your healing. We're almost done." He laid two fingers on Sam's forehead and started healing Sam. A slight look of concern crossed his face.
"What?" Sam and Francescaasked.
"Nothing," Castiel lied, trying to cover it up.
Sam slapped Castiel's hand away. "You're a terrible liar."
"That is not true. I once deceived and betrayed you two and your brother/husband."
"Okay, that's not the point. Cas, what's wrong?"
"I noticed something. It's, uh... It's resonating inside you."
"What?"
"Something angelic."
Francesca frowned. "Okay, uh, what the hell does that mean?"
"Maybe we should call Dean."
Sam moved away and sat on a chair. "No. He wanted to go, and he's gone. We'll handle this."
STORAGE LOCKER
Dean and Crowley walked into the storage locker. Dean removed the hood over Crowley's head. "Is this all really necessary? I mean, I've been inside your brother. We're practically family."
Dean's eyes flashed and he grabbed Crowley and swung him into a shelf. "Listen to me. We are the furthest thing from family. You got that, dickbag?"
"Oh, yeah."
"Now, you want to hunt? Let's hunt." He opened a small gate and walked through.
Crowley started following and realized the entrance was guarded by a Devil's Trap. He rolled his eyes. "I'll be right here." He looked around at the strange items on shelves and in boxes as Dean rummaged through case files. "So, what do you call this decor, anyway? Rustic obsessive? Paranoid deco?"
"Here we go," Dean said, pulling out a file and began to read. "Looks like my dad was working with another hunter when he nabbed Abaddon's pet." He held up a picture of a woman.
"I guess the "T" didn't stand for terrible father. It stood for-"
"Tara. Doesn't ring a bell." Dean continued reading the file. "All right, looks like they interrogated the demon. Then they exorcised him. But not before he mentioned the First Blade."
Crowley said smugly, "I love it when I'm right."
"Yeah, well, the rest of the file's empty, genius."
"What? Didn't they teach you notetaking at Hunter's Hogwarts?"
"Let's go see if Tara's still kicking."
BUNKER
Sam, Francesca and Castiel were at the table doing research.
"I've found, well, something," Castiel informed. "It's a detail about when angels leave their vessels... I think. It's, uh, Enochian, which can be a bit flowery. "And the departed shall remain, and the remains shall be the departed"."
"Okay, so, when an angel leaves a vessel, they leave behind a piece of themselves," Sam said. "Like, uh... like an angelic fingerprint."
"Whatever you want to call it, this piece of the departed contains grace."
"Wait, you're saying there's angelic grace inside of me?"
"Yes. But it's fading each time I heal you."
Francesca glanced up. "All right. Is that good or bad?"
"Well, it's harmless. But the grace itself... might be helpful." Castiel set the book down and picked up a file titled 'On the Inner Workings of Angels'. "According to this, we may be able to use the grace that remains inside your brother to track Gadreel... if we can extract it."
"How would we do that?" Sam wondered.
"Well... painfully." He held up a picture of a huge syringe with a 4-inch long needle. "The Men of Letters believed that you could perform a tracking spell with extracted grace, but they were never able to test the theory."
"Well, they didn't have a guinea pig, but we do."
Castiel looked up, confused. "You have a guinea pig? Where?"
"Me, Cas. I'm the guinea pig."
"Oooh." Sam looked closer at the picture of the needle. "Any idea where that is?"
PAWN SHOP
Dean and Crowley walked into a pawn shop called Tara's. A middle-aged woman was leaning on the counter reading a comic book. She looked up.
"Tara?" Dean called.
"That's what the sign says. Can I help you?"
"Yeah. Hope so. John Winchester ring a bell? I'm his son."
"You Sam or Dean?"
"Dean."
Tara, from behind the counter, winced and grabbed her right knee. "Well, didn't you grow up pretty. Still in the family business?"
"Yeah, born and raised. Listen, bunch of years back, you worked a job with my dad. Well, me and my, uh, associate h-"
Tara raised a shotgun and aimed it at Dean and Crowley. "Ever since '92, I get a painful little tickle in what's left of my knee whenever a demon is around."
"Hunters," Crowley said. "So trusting. I'll go grab a latte while you get this sorted." He snapped his fingers to disappear, but nothing happened.
"Devil's Trap underneath the knock-off Persian, jackass."
Dean moved the rug with his boot to reveal a red Devil's Trap. "Tara, listen, my, uh, associate-"
"Friends -- besties, actually," Crowley corrected.
"Not helping."
"Not caring," Tara retorted.
"Look, I'm the King of Hell," Crowley informed. "He's a Winchester. There's a reason why we're working together."
"Yeah. It's called possession." She grabbed a bottle of holy water and splashed it in Dean's face.
Dean gave her an annoyed look. "See? I'm good. Okay? Yes, you're right. He is a jackass, but he's helping me on this."
"Helping you with what?"
"You and my old man found a demon who knew something about the First Blade. We need to find that Blade."
"Well, hell. You are as handsome as John. And as dumb, too, if you're looking for that old relic."
"We're hunting a Knight of Hell."
"Why? They're all dead."
"One came back -- Abaddon."
Tara laid a file on the counter. "The demon said the archangels used weapon that could kill the Knights of Hell. We'd never heard of anything like the Knights of Hell or a First Blade. Your dad thought he was lying, trying to save himself. We took him out, and we had a lovely weekend together. Then we went our separate ways. But I could never let the Blade go. Something like that could really give a hunter an edge, you know? I looked all over the world -- destroyed my knee and my life. And all I found?" She unlocked a wall safe and took out a tray full of spell ingredients. "A location spell for the Blade that I could never finish. Couldn't find one ingredient -- essence of Kraken."
"Kraken?" Crowley repeated. "I got a warehouse full of Kraken essence in Belize. Break the trap, I can be there and back before you say, presto."
"Presto."
"I can help. Dean?"
"He wants Abaddon as dead as I do," Dean said.
"If your daddy could see you now," Tara told Dean, walking around the counter and pushed back the rug with her foot. She took out her shotgun and shot the Devil's Trap, breaking the outer ring. Crowley disappeared. "You know, even if that Blade is real, it ain't worth being bosom buddies with the King of Hell."
"Abaddon? Way worse," Dean warned. "I'll deal with Crowley after. Trust me."
"You sound just like your dad... when he said he'd call me."
Dean was at a loss for words and Crowley reappeared, saving him. He held a small jar in his hand. "Shall we?"
Dean and Tara mixed the spell while Crowley looked on curiously. They laid put a map of the United States on the counter and Tara poured the liquid spell over it. Dean lit a match and it flamed up. The flames spread to the outside corners of the map and Tara poured the liquid spell over it. Dean lit a match and it flamed up. The flames spread to the outside corners of the map and quickly burned the map except for the state of Missouri. A spark landed in the middle of the state just northeast of Springfield and Tara pointed to it.
"Missouri," Tara said. "Figures."
"Would you care to join us?"
"Him? Anytime. You? Never."
"Thank you," Dean replied.
"Good luck, Dean. You're gonna need it."
Dean nodded and he and Crowley left the pawn shop.
---
They drove to the farmhouse in Missouri and got out.
Crowley paused as they walked towards the house. "Wait."
"What?" Dean asked.
"I'm feeling something."
"What, cramps?"
"I feel something dark."
"What, darker than you?"
Crowley was about to retort, but noticed a man in a beekeeper suit tending to bee hives by the house. A worried expression overtook his face. "Oh, no. We need to leave now."
"What, are you allergic to bees?"
"That's not a beekeeper. That's the father of murder."
"Sorry. Who?"
"It's Cain."
"As in Cain and Abel?"
"Dean. We need to be a world away from here -- from him." Crowley turned to leave, and almost ran into Cain, who appeared behind him.
"You're not going anywhere," Cain said.
---
Dean and Crowley sat inside Cain's house on a couch. Dean looked around, assessing their options, while Crowley stared at the floor, looking like he was about to panic.
"Why don't you just zap us out of here?" Dean asked.
"I'd never leave my domestic partner in crime," Crowley replied.
Dean snorted. "Yeah, like your heart grew three sizes. You can't zap out of here, can you?"
"Cain's doing something to me."
"Well, it's not your day for getaways, is it? All right, so, tell us about this Cain."
"Well, after Cain killed Abel, he became a demon."
"What do you mean "became a demon"?"
"I mean, he became the deadliest demon to walk the face of the earth. Killed thousands. The best at being the worst. And then he just... Disappeared. Everyone thought he was dead or, at least, hoped he was."
Cain entered with a tea tray and Crowley cowered. "Do you keep bees? It's very relaxing. They're such noble creatures. And the honey? Well, I keep it right here on the comb." He set the tray down on the coffee table and handed Crowley a cup. Crowley took it, with shaking hands and the tea cup rattled. "There you are." Cain handed Dean a cup of tea. "They're dying, you know. Without bees, mankind will cease to exist. So, what are the King of Hell and a Winchester doing at my house?"
"You know who we are?" Dean inquired.
"I'm retired. I'm not dead. What I don't know is why you're looking for me -- more importantly, how you found me."
Crowley was nervous as he said, "Ah, that's, uh, a funny story, really. Bit of a misunderstanding. We really should-"
Cain motioned with his hand and Crowley was rendered speechless. "Shh."
Dean was impressed and said, "Oh, you gotta teach me how to do that."
"Why are you here, Dean?"
"We're looking for the weapon the archangels used to kill the Knights of Hell. The First Blade. We need them to kill a Knight of Hell -- Abaddon," Dean explained as Cain moved a ring on his left ring finger. Dean subtly noticed. "Look, I get it. You're retired. We're not here to get between you and the demonic AARP, but it's bad out there, and I'm just looking to even the odds."
"One last time -- how did you find me?"
"We didn't. The location spell was for the Blade. One-time deal."
"Anybody else know you're here?"
"No."
"Well, it's been a pleasure having company, but once a century is enough for me. You can let yourselves out."
TARA'S PAWN SHOP
The stalker demon from the bar entered and Tara's knee hitched painfully.
"Excuse me, ma'am," the stalker demon said. "Wonder if you might have seen some of my friends pass through here. Big guy, kind of funny ears."
Tara glanced at the floor and the busted Devil's Trap. She made a dive for her shotgun and shot stalker demon point blank in the face.
CAIN'S HOUSE
Dean followed after him. "Hey, listen, pal. We're not leaving here without the Blade."
"You have quite the reputation, Dean. I see the part about you being brave rings true."
"Well, what can I say? I'm an all-in kind of guy. Abaddon is the last Knight of Hell, and if you're out of the game, what the hell do you care if she dies?"
"If your friend here could talk, he would tell you that I trained the Knights of Hell. I built that entire demonic order with my hands -- Abaddon included."
Dean turned indignantly on Crowley. "Well, that is information I could have used five minutes ago!"
Crowley gasped in explanation, still unable to talk and Cain continued. "Well, here's something your friend doesn't know, that no one knows, in fact -- outside of Abaddon. It wasn't the archangels that slaughtered the Knights. It was me."
"Why did you turn on your own?"
"Once again, I admire your bravery. But if you'll both excuse me, I have errands to run in town." He turned his back to leave. "Goodbye, Dean Winchester. Never return."
Crowley and Dean exited the house and Crowley said, "Well, that was lovely. Can we leave the country now?"
Dean frowned. "But you said the First Blade was our only shot at killing Abaddon. This is the closest you've been to it. We're not leaving."
"Will you listen to reason for once?"
"Hey. He said he was going into town. Awesome. We wait til he's gone, come back, bust in, take what's ours. Got it?"
BUNKER
Sam, Francesca and Castiel walked down the stairs in the main room.
"Sam, may I ask you a question?" Castiel asked.
"You just did."
"Can I ask you another question?"
"Well, technically, you -- yeah, go ahead. What's up?"
They stopped in the doorway in the hall and faced each other.
"Sam, the trials. You chose not to go through with the for a reason, didn't you? You chose to live rather than to sacrifice yourself. You and Dean... You chose each other."
Sam pursed his lips, not wanting to talk about it. "Yeah, I did. We did. And then... Dean made a choice for me. He made a choice for Frankie." Sam stalked to the medical room and Castiel and Francesca followed.
"What Dean did-" Castiel began.
"It doesn't matter what Dean did. Look, I could have put a stop to all this, Cas. I could have closed the Gates of Hell."
"Oh, Sam," Castiel said.
"Dean's gone, okay? This is on me now, and if I can find Gadreel... I can fix this."
Francesca looked at her brother-in-law. "It's on us, Sam."
"You're right, Frankie," Sam replied, setting a box down on a table next to a gurney. He took off his plaid button-up shirt, leaving him in a thin T-shirt. "Now... being a human means settling your debts." He handed the box to Castiel and sat down on the gurney as Kennedy pulled up a chair. "Let's start balancing the books."
Castiel opened the box to see the huge needle pictured in the file.
CAIN'S PROPERTY
Dean and Crowley sneakily entered Cain's house.
Crowley whispered, "This is by far the dumbest idea you've ever had."
"Yeah, well, it's early," Dean replied.
Crowley peeked in the front room and backed away. "Oh, there's nothing here. Shame. Let's go."
"Hey!" Dean called. "Sack up and start looking, okay? We don't have that much time."
Dean looked around the living room and noticed a picture on the mantel. He picked it up to get a closer look. It was an old picture of a woman and it said Colette at the bottom. Dean looked closer and noticed she was wearing a ring very similar to the ring on Cain's hand.
EXT. CAIN'S HOUSE
Stalker demon drove up in a huge truck. He was on the phone. "You'll never believe what the Winchester and Crowley found. Send back-up. Send... Everybody."
He hissed painfully as he pulled the phone away from his ear and his ear was missing and most of the skin on the side of his face was blown away from Tara's shotgun. Stalker demon looked at his face in the mirror.
BUNKER
Sam was lying on the gurney in the medical room at the bunker. Castiel had the huge syringe needle ready to extract angel grace. Francesca winced lightly as Castiel punctured the needle into the side of Sam's neck, right below his left ear. Sam gasped in pain.
Castiel looked concerned. "Now comes the part that will actually hurt. I'm gonna begin the extraction. Francesca, now would be the time to leave."
Francesca shook her head. "No. I'm not going anywhere."
Castiel slowly pulled back the plunger and the syringe barrel slowly filled with a tiny bit of angel grace. Sam was trying incredibly hard not to cry out from the pain. Francesca placed a comforting hand on Sam's shoulder.
Sam gasped. "Is it working?"
"Yeah," Castiel said.
"But?"
"I-I need to push the needle in deeper. We need more grace in order to cast the spell."
"Okay. Do it."
Francesca frowned. "Sam-"
"Sam, if I get too close to-" Castiel's warning was cut off.
"Sorry, man."
"Damnit Cas! Just do it, " Sam said.
Castiel slowly pushed the needle deeper and started pulling back on the plunger again. Sam's body lurched forward and he had flashbacks of when Gadreel was possessing him and to some of the moments he was performing the trials. Castiel pulled out the needle.
Francesca looked at Sam worriedly as she and Sam asked, "What the hell was that?"
Castiel looked between them before focusing on Sam. "Your body is regressing to the state it was in before Gadreel."
"Do we have enough grace for the summoning spell?" Sam questioned.
"Sam."
"Do we or not, Cas?"
"No."
"Then keep going."
"Sam, are you sure?" Francesca inquired.
He nodded. "I'm sure."
Castiel and Francesca exchanged a concerned look and Castiel looked reluctant.
CAIN'S HOUSE
Dean and Crowley were still searching Cain's house.
"Nothing," Crowley commented. "Not even porn."
"Think I figured out why he went off the reservation so many years ago," Dean said, handing the picture of Colette to Crowley.
"Lovely. Little plain. Who is she?"
"Cain had a similar ring on. Father of murder got hitched."
They looked up, hearing all the doors in the house lock. "He's back," Dean informed. "Come on." They tried the front door to find it solidly locked. "Go!"
Cain appeared behind them and motioned to the picture Crowley was holding. "That belongs to me."
"Sorry," Crowley apologized. "Gorgeous, by the way."
Headlights flashed from the driveway and Dean walked to a window and drew back the curtain. He saw the demon who had been stalking them and five more demons in tow.
"I don't suppose they're with you," Dean said to Cain.
"No."
The stalker demon called to Dean from the truck. "I guess we can't wait any longer. Your friend Tara was very helpful! Got downright chatty... After I peeled all her skin off. We don't want any trouble, Cain. Just want the so-called King and the Winchester. I got a new master to impress, and I'm betting bagging those two will do just that."
""Master"?" Dean repeated, turning to Crowley.
"Abaddon," Crowley told him. "This lot all need to die. I count-"
"Too many," Dean interrupted, turning to Cain. "The whammy you put on the doors that keeps us in. Will it keep them out?"
"For now," Cain answered.
"I'm gonna barricade the entrances. Get ready for a fight."
"Well, good luck with that."
"What?"
"You exposed my home. You exposed me."
"Well, boo-hoo."
"Brave, but impulsive. You truly have lived up to your reputation."
"I can't say you've lived up to yours."
"What can I say? If you survive, you're welcome to join me for the last meal I will eat in this house before I disappear again. It's the least I can do." Cain set his groceries on the table and Dean and Crowley exchanged looks.
BUNKER
Castiel was still extracting angel grace from Sam, who was nearly unconscious.
"Sam? Sam?!" Castiel and Francesca called.
"Keep going," Sam said weakly.
"Why?"
"We -- we -- we have to find Gadreel."
Castiel started to remove the needle from Sam's neck. "No. Why must the Winchesters run toward death?"
Sam grasped the syringe in Castiel's hand and stopped him from removing it.
Francesca frowned at her brother-in-law as Castiel said, "Sam, when I was human, I died, and that showed me that life is precious, and it must be protected at all costs, even as pig-headed as a Winchester's."
Sam's voice was heartbreakingly soft. "My life's not worth any more than anyone else's -- not yours, Frankie's, or the twins', or Dean's... or Kevin's. Please. Please, help me do one thing right. Keep going."
Castiel hesitated and pushed the needle in further. Sam screamed in pain.
Francesca let out a sigh and ran a hand down her face.
CAIN'S HOUSE
Dean was pushing furniture in front of all the doors. He looked at Crowley and said, "All right, I got this. You take the front."
Crowley moved to the living room, closing the glass doors behind him. Cain sat down at the table and starting pulling corn from his grocery bag.
Dean frowned. "So, this is your play? Corn? What am I not getting here? I mean, it's not like you're a coward."
"Since when does the great Dean Winchester ask for help? Well, that doesn't sound like the man I've read about on demon bathroom walls. Maybe you've lost a step. Let's find out." He snapped his fingers and the door, and fridge in front of it, flew open and stalker demon and a girl demon rushed in. Cain snapped his fingers again and the door slammed shut in front of the others outside.
Cain said to the demons, "Oh, don't mind me." He motioned to Dean. "Enjoy yourself."
Dean pulled the demon knife from his jacket as a third demon crashed through the glass doors behind him. Dean flinched as glass sprayed his back. He turned to face the window demon, swung their knife and blade, but the window demon ducked and punched Dean in the stomach. Dean managed to get in a kick, but the window demon sent him flying across the table and onto the other side with stalker demon and girl demon. Cain was watching while sitting at the table shucking corn. Stalker demon swung at Dean, but Dean grabbed his hand and pulled it over his shoulder. He stabbed the knife into the demon, making him glow yellow and die. As stalker demon fell to the floor, girl demon grabbed Dean from one side and window demon kicked the back of Dean's left knee, making his legs buckle. The two demons grabbed Dean's arm and flipped him up onto the table on his back. The girl demon stole the knife from Dean's hand. Dean struggled to get the upper hand and Cain calmly leaned over.
"Doing great," Cain encouraged.
Dean glared at Cain and pulled his right leg back far enough to kick girl demon into the far wall. Window demon and Dean exchanged a few punches before kicking the demon into the counter. He turned to face girl demon, who brandished the knife. Dean quickly picked up a yellow dish towel to protect himself. As she lunged at him, he swung out of her way and wrapped the towel around her neck. He whipped her into the fridge, then into the china cabinet. Window demon picked himself off the floor. Dean turned around and threw a pot at him and kicked him back into the counter. As window demon got up, he grabbed a kitchen knife from a holder on the counter. When he turned around, Dean was holding girl demon in a hold. Dean grabbed the demon knife from her hand and stabbed her in the stomach.
Crowley was still guarding the living room. A demon flew the door and faced Crowley.
Crowley frowned, annoyed. "Really? Isn't it past your bedtime?" The demon rushed him and punched him to the ground. "You're good." As the demon went for the kill, Crowley pulled out his angel blade and stabbed him in the side, killing the demon. "But I'm Crowley."
Window demon threw Dean into the china cabinet as Cain got up to get a beer. Window demon grabbed Dean and sent him flying across the floor and into the cabinets on the other side of the kitchen. Crowley watched from the door and Cain sat back down with his beer. Dean and window demon exchanged violent punches and Dean gained enough leverage to slam him onto the table. In one quick move, Dean stung back and stabbed him in the neck with the demon knife.
Dean looked at Cain triumphantly, pulled the knife and blade out, and pushed the body off the table.
"What? Was that some kind of a test?" Dean asked.
Cain sipped his beer. "I felt connected to you right from the beginning. Kindred spirits, if you will. You and I are very much alike."
"Right. Yeah, except I didn't kill my brother."
"You saved yours. Why?"
"Because you never give up on family -- ever."
"Where's your brother now, then?"
"I don't know what kind of game you're playing here, and I don't really care. Just give me the damn Blade."
"Sorry, Dean. I have nothing to hand over."
"What?"
"I no longer have the Blade. It's gone."
BUNKER
Sam, Francesca and Castiel were still in the bunker. Sam was slowly fading with blood dripping from his nose and eye as Castiel continued extracting angel grace. Castiel looked at his PB&J sandwich still sitting on the table.
Castiel quickly made up his mind and started pulling the needle from Sam's neck. "Hold on. This may pinch."
"Cas, what the hell?" Sam asked as Castiel pressed his fingers to Sam's forehead. "Cas. What the hell was that?!"
"I've healed your wounds completely."
"And the grace?"
"Well, whatever grace was inside you is gone now. What's left of Gadreel is in here. We'll just have to try the spell with what we have."
"Damnit."
"Sam, Francesca and I want Gadreel to pay as much as you do. But nothing is worth losing you. You know, being human, it didn't just change my view of food. It changed my view of you two. I mean, I can relate to how you feel."
Francesca frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Castiel glanced to her and met Sam's eyes. "The only person who has screwed up more consistently than you... is me. And now I know what that guilt feels like. And I know what it... I know what it means to feel sorry, Sam. I am sorry."
"I know," Sam replied.
"You know, old me -- I would've just kept going. I would've jammed that needle in deeper until you died because the ends always justified the means. But what I went through -- Well, that PB&J taught me that angels can change, so... who knows? Maybe Winchesters can, too."
CAIN'S HOUSE
Crowley asked, ""Gone"? What do you mean, "gone"? How? The spell brought us here to you, so it has to be here."
"Your spell brought you to the source of the Blade's power," Cain explained. "Me."
Cain pulled up his right sleeve, revealing a mark burned into his forearm. Crowley shrank back and made the sign of the cross over his heart.
Dean turned to Crowley. "Really? Now?"
"It's the bloody Mark of Cain."
Cain nodded. "From Lucifer himself. The Mark and the Blade work together. Without the Mark, the Blade is useless. It's just old bones."
"Bones?"
"The jawbone of an animal," Dean said. "The jawbone you used to kill Abel because he was God's favorite."
"Abel wasn't talking to God. He was talking to Lucifer," Cain corrected. "Lucifer was gonna make my brother into his pet. I couldn't bear to watch him be corrupted, so I offered a deal -- Abel's soul in Heaven for my soul in Hell. Lucifer accepted... As long as I was the one who sent Abel to Heaven. So, I killed him. Became a soldier of Hell -- a Knight."
"And Lucifer ordered you to make more."
"My Knights and I, we did horrible things -- for centuries. Bringers of chaos and darkness."
"Then you met Colette."
"She knew who I was... and what I was. She loved me unconditionally. She forgave me. She only asked for one thing."
"To stop," Crowley realized.
"When the Knights found out, they took retribution. They took Colette, so I picked the First Blade back up, and it felt so good to have it in my hands again, and I slaughtered the Knights of Hell."
"Not all of them," Dean stated.
"No."
Cain told them of Colette's death. "So I buried her, and I walked away."
"Well, I'm sorry -- truly. But I have to stop Abaddon. So, where is the Blade?" Dean asked, not able to imagine the thought of his wife's death. He'd seen her die before they got together and the thought of losing her again was unbearable.
Cain started walking off. "No."
Dean chased after him. "Hey! Listen, you son of a bitch. You may be done killing, but I'm not."
Cain turned and grasped the demon knife in Dean's hand and plunged it into his own chest. "You never give up on anything, do you?"
"Never."
"Well, I do," Cain said, pulling out the knife and disappearing.
"Cain? Cain?!"
There were sounds outside the window and Dean and Crowley pulled back the curtains to see dozens of demons preparing an attack.
"Well, I'll stay as long as I can," Crowley said.
"Aren't you a peach?"
OUTSIDE
Cain was in a small grove of trees. He knelt down next to a lone grave marker and said miserably, "I've tried... I've tried, Colette, to see myself as you did... But I know who I am -- What I am... I know you watch over me still... But I need you to look away now..." He leaned over to kiss the ground.
CAIN'S HOUSE
Cain reappeared in the house with Dean and Crowley and stared at the picture of Colette.
Dean immediately protested, "What the hell, man? You in or out? I'm getting head spins."
"I can give you the Mark, Dean, if it's what you truly want," Cain told him.
"What are you talking about?"
"The Mark can be transferred to someone who's worthy."
"You mean a killer like you?"
"Yes."
"Can I use it to kill that bitch?"
"Yes. But you have to know to know, with the Mark comes a great burden. Some would call it a great cost."
"Yeah, well, spare me the warning label. You had me at "kill the bitch"."
"Good luck, Dean. You're gonna need it."
"Yeah, I get that a lot. Let's dance."
Cain grasped Dean's right forearm with his and a line of red veins spread from Cain's Mark and burned an identical mark on Dean's forearm. Dean gasped in pain and the Mark disappeared from Cain's arm.
"Dean?" Crowley called.
"I'm fine," Dean said. "All right, where the hell did you stash the damn Blade?"
"Nothing can destroy the Blade, so I threw it to the bottom of the deepest ocean," Cain informed. "It's the only way I could keep my promise to Colette. You find the Blade, kill Abaddon, but make me a promise first. When I call you -- and I will call -- you come find me and use the Blade on me."
"Why?"
"For what I'm about to do."
Cain grasped Dean and Crowley's shoulders and they were flashed to the outside of the house. The demons rushed the house and Cain locked them inside with him. A red hot light lit up the windows from inside.
"They're all trapped in there," Crowley said.
"With him," Dean added.
BUNKER
Sam, Castiel and Francesca were mixing the spell to track Gadreel. They added all the ingredients and added the angel grace last. The mixture boiled and faded.
Castiel looked away, disappointed and Sam frowned. "Was that, uh... Was that it?"
"I'm afraid there wasn't enough grace. We'll have to find Gadreel another way. I'm sorry, Sam."
"It's all right, Cas. You, uh... You were right. You were right about everything." Sam leaned over and hugged Castiel tightly. Castiel stood awkwardly without moving. "Now's the part where you hug back."
Castiel moved to hug Sam back. "Oh. Right. Uh, sorry."
Sam chuckled before hugging Francesca. "Ah, there you go."
"As far as I'm concerned, Metatron is the key to fixing everything that's wrong. I'm gonna find him. You know, Sam, Francesca, we could use all the help we could get to find Gadreel and Metatron."
"We got this," Sam and Francesca said solidly.
IMPALA
Dean and Crowley sat in the parked Impala and Crowley said, "He was right, you know. You are worthy."
"Oh, great," Dean replied sarcastically.
Dean continued. "Now you're gonna get all touchy-feely, too?"
"Your problem, mate, is that nobody hates you more than you do. Believe me, I've tried."
Dean brushed him off. "So, how do we find this Blade?"
Crowley got out of the Impala. "You can't search the bottom of the ocean, but I can. So, I'll find them and bring them to their new owners."
Dean climbed out of the Impala. "I saw you, Crowley. Back at Cain's. You dusted that undercard demon, and then you just sat back and watched the main event. You knew. You knew about the Mark. You knew about Abaddon and Cain. You knew all of it. And you played me. Why?"
"He would never have given me the Blade. Who can say no to you? I needed you to play along."
"You knew we were being followed, and you didn't say anything."
"Well, Cain would want want to see his prize fighter up close. You plus demons equals fight night."
"Tara died. Thanks to you."
"Omelets. Broken eggs. Et cetera."
Dean angrily punched Crowley. "After I kill Abaddon, you're next!"
"You don't mean that. We're having too much fun. Listen up. Even with the Blade, we're gonna need all the help we can get against Abaddon."
Dean frowned, not wanting to talk about Sam. "Go find the Blade."
"It's always something with you and your brother, isn't it?"
"Sam, Frankie and I have a problem, but we'll push past it eventually."
Crowley disappeared and Dean hissed in pain, pulling up his right sleeve. The Mark was burned deep into the his skin.