Sam and Larissa are sitting at the map table and Sam is on his laptop with Athena sitting in his lap.
"Any word from Cas?" Sam asks when Dean walks in.
"Nothing yet." Dean says.
"And we're not worried about him? That he just took off like that again? I mean, it's not like he does this kind of stuff alone." Sam says.
"It's the way he wanted it, honestly." Dean says, sitting down. "Hey, look, man, he's been all over the map since he got his wings clipped. What do you got?" He rolls his chair over to Sam. "Obituaries. That one of the bikers?"
Athena watches the chair wheel with wide eyes and a smile.
"Yeah. His name was Red Dawg." Sam says.
"Of course it was." Dean says.
Athena makes a noise, holding her arms out to Dean. He grabs her from Sam, putting her on his lap. Athena puts her hand on the arm of the chair, pushing on it, but it doesn't move.
"It's not what you think. Look, he's a family guy. Big in the PTA, he played Santa at Christmas parties." Sam says.
"So, what? Just one day, he up and joined a biker gang?" Dean asks.
"No, he did that years ago. Get this. This is weird. Look." Sam pulls up newspaper clipping and photos. "These are all the victims, right? They were all baptized together."
"Baptized?"
"Yeah. They were a born again biker gang."
"Well, that is not something you hear every day."
"No, it not."
"Wait, make that bigger." Dean says and Sam zooms in on the photo. ""Boyle's Boys"? Boyle, as in Reverend Buddy Boyle?"
Sam types quickly for a bit.
Athena starts whining, starting to cry at the unmoving chair and she looks up at her uncle.
"What? What'd I do?" Dean asks.
"She wants the chair to move, doofus." Larissa says.
"Wh-- oh, come on." Dean groans. He sighs, but starts to slowly spin in circles. Athena giggles as the room goes around and around.
"Listen to this." Sam says. Dean continues to spin as he listens. "Red Dawg's widow said he was always religious, but a week before he died, he came home from a prayer meeting and was a changed man filled with divine glory."
"So, Boyle's at it again. Selling folks on being meat suits for angels." Dean says.
"Just what-- talking to smaller groups now?" Sam asks.
"I don't know. Maybe, uh, softening up thousands at a time, he wasn't able to control what angels got let in. This way, Bartholomew's followers can jump in just as soon as Boyle does his thing."
"So, Red Dawg and his guys were Bartholomew people?"
"Yeah, and they got slaughtered. Which means that this new group is even worse. Haven't I always said that angels are dicks?"
+++
Kevin, Dean, and Larissa are in the library and researching. Larissa has the baby monitor next to her, having put Athena down for a nap.
"Dean, there may be nothing in here. Crowley said the spell that cast down the angels was irreversible." Kevin says.
"Yeah, well, screw Crowley. Why would you think that anything he says is true?" Dean asks.
"This part is nearly indecipherable. Almost like, when Metatron wrote it down, he wanted to keep the words hidden, even from prophets." Kevin says.
"Hey." Sam walks in.
"Hey. Check this out. Another angel attack." Dean says.
"What? Where?" Sam asks.
"Utah. A, uh, college, uh, Bible study group and their guest speaker. Some top shelf church lady. Insides scorched, kids' eyes were missing, but, not the church lady's." Dean explains.
"So, she was an angel, too?" Sam asks.
"Sounds like. Uh, and she sang soprano for the, uh, Melody Ministry Glee Club."
"Okay?"
"The club goes to its gigs on a bus, so when I checked with the Wyoming cops, they said that a witness saw the same bus leaving the biker bar not long before the bodies were found."
"So, church lady angel was at both killings?"
"I'm guessing that she and whoever she's running with killed Bartholomew's bikers at the bar and then Bart's boys hit her back."
"When she was recruiting those students to be vessels. Wow. It's a bunch of kids." Sam says.
"Kevin. Clock's ticking." Dean says.
+++
Larissa walks into the kitchen as Kevin walks out and Dean's phone rings. Dean answers his phone.
"Yeah." He puts it on speaker when he hears Cas' voice.
"The leader of the opposition is an angel named Malachi." Cas informs.
"How do you know that?" Dean asks.
"He had me. I, uh, I was tortured. But I got away." Cas says.
"How?" Dean asks.
"I... I did what I had to. I became what they've become. A barbarian." Cas says.
"What are you-- Cas, where are you?" Dean asks.
"It's better I stay away. They're gonna want me even more now. But I'm gonna be all right. I... I got my grace back. Well, not mine per se, but it'll do."
"Wait, you're-- you're back? You got your mojo?"
"I'm not sure. But I am an angel."
"And you're okay with that?"
"If we're going to war, I need to be ready."
"Cas."
"Dean. There's more."
"What?"
"Didn't you say Sam was healed by an angel named Ezekiel?"
"Uh... yeah, why?"
"Ezekiel is dead." Cas states making Larissa and Dean freeze.
"What?" Dean asks.
"He died when the angels fell." Cas states and Larissa can feel her heart drop.
~ ~ ~
The two rush up to Kevin who is asleep with his head on a book.
"I need a spell. ASAP." Dean states.
"Everyone always needs a spell, and it's always ASAP." Kevin says tiredly.
"All right, listen to me. An angel can't be expelled by another human. Okay, only by the host, right? But, what if there was a way to power down the angel, so that it wasn't in charge for a few seconds?" Dean asks.
"What?" Kevin asks.
"For instance, if-if hypothetically, I wanted to speak with the vessel but not have the squatter listen in." Dean says.
"Why?" Kevin asks.
"Why? Kevin, we've got tons of possessed humans out there. You with me? And when the angels kill each other off, the humans are taking it in the teeth. So what if we wanted to clue the human in so that he, or she, could spit the angel out? That would be a good thing, right?"
"Uh... yeah?"
"Okay. So, hit the tablet. Let's go!"
"Now?"
"Yesterday, Cinderella!" The two adults leave.
"Dean, what the fucking hell?" Larissa hisses.
"Well, wh-what? I was supposed to know it wasn't Ezekiel?" Dean asks.
"You have such a problem trusting angels, but you just let one get into Sam?" Larissa asks.
"I took his word for it."
"Since when do you take anybody's word for anything?"
"Just shut up, Larissa."
+++
"All right, so this masterpiece we just painted -- it's gonna work, right?" Dean asks.
"The sigils are supposed to briefly hobble the possessing angel. If the info's correct." Kevin says.
"Wait, what?" Dean asks.
"I only had time to get a little from the tablet. The rest came from an old Men of Letters book. As soon as your blood touches the ignition sigil, the spell kicks in." Kevin says. "Dean, Rissa, what's going on?"
"I told you." Dean says.
"You told me theoretically. Dean, we just painted sigils in the storeroom. What the hell?" Kevin asks.
"You're gonna have to trust me, okay, trust that I told you everything that I can for now. Can you do that?"
"I always trust you. And I always end up screwed."
"Oh, come on. Always? Not always."
+++
Dean and Larissa walk into the kitchen where Sam is putting beers in the fridge.
"Hey, where you been?" Dean asks.
"Hey. Beer run." Sam says.
"Long beer run." Dean says and Sam chuckles. "Can we talk?"
"Yeah. Uh... sure." The three go to the storeroom. "This sounds serious." Dean shuts the door and pulls a knife out, slicing his palm. He slaps his bleeding hand against the sigil, a light emitting from the sigil making Sam turn around.
"What's going on? What are you doing?" Sam asks.
"I got to tell you some stuff fast. It's gonna piss you off." Dean says.
"Okay." Sam says.
"Those trials really messed you up." Dean says.
"Yes, I know that, Dea--"
"No, you don't. I mean messed you up like almost dead. No more birthdays, dust to dust. Well, that messed me up, so I made a move, okay? A tough move about you without talking it over because you were in a coma."
"Wait, what? When?"
"You were in the hospital, okay, and they said you were gonna die."
"What did you die?"
"I let an angel in." Dean answers after a moment.
"In what?" Sam asks.
"In you. He said he could heal you and he is." Dean says.
"He's still in me? Wait." Sam laughs. "That's impossible, Dean. That couldn't happen. I never invited him in."
"I tricked you into saying yes. It seemed like the only way."
"So... again. You thought I couldn't handle something, so you took over!"
"No, I did what I had to do! You would've never agreed to it, and you would've died."
"Well, maybe I would've liked the choice, at least. Did you know about this?" Sam asks Larissa.
"Yes." She quietly admits. Sam lets out a scoff of disbelief and Larissa hates the heated look sent her way by one of the people she loves most. Even if she does deserve it. "Look, Sammy--"
"We can do this -- later. You can-- you can kick my ass all you want, divorce her, whatever." Dean says. Larissa gives him an incredulous look. "Right now, we got bigger problems."
"Bigger?" Sam asks.
"The angel lied to me. Okay? He-- he's not who he said he was. He said his name was Ezekiel. Cool guy, according to Cas, but it's not Ezekiel." Dean says.
"Who is he?" Sam asks.
"We don't know. Apparently, Ezekiel is dead. Whoever this guy is can end you in a heartbeat if he wants to, so you have got to dump him." Dean says. "Are you hearing what I'm saying? I think you're well enough now, but you got to expel him. Sam? Sam--" Sam walks past them.
"Sam." Larissa says.
"Hey!" Dean calls.
Sam turns and punches Dean before punching Larissa, both going to the ground. Sam leaves the room.
Dean and Larissa walk into the library and freeze when they see Gadreel smiting Kevin.
"No!" They both shout, rushing forward.
"No! No! No! Kevin?!" Dean yells.
Kevin's body drops to the floor. Sam throws his hand out to the two hunters and pins Dean against a pillar and Larissa against a bookshelf.
"Sam?" Dean calls.
"Sammy." Larissa cries.
"There is no more Sam." The angel says. Larissa and Dean continue to gasp in pain. "But, I played him convincingly, I thought."
"How did you..." Dean says.
"I heard you two talk with Kevin Tran tonight." The angel says. "Alter a sigil... even the slightest... alter the spell." He says while packing a bag, including the angel tablet. He holds his hand up to show dust. "Sorry about Kevin, but ultimately... it's for the best. I did what I had to."
He puts a yellow card on Kevin's chest. He looks between Dean and Larissa before walking out. As he walks to the stairs, the two are released to the invisible hold and fall to the floor. They hear the door to the bunker shut.
"Kevin? Kevin?" Dean calls.
Larissa lets out a quiet sob, continuing to cry as she stares at Kevin's burnt out eyes.
"Athena." She whispers, finding the strength to get up and she runs to Athena's room. She opens the door, finding Athena still peacefully sleeping in her crib.
Larissa sighs in relief and quietly leaves the room. She goes to her and Sam's room, stopping just inside as she looks around. Larissa starts to sob again, punching the wall.
She falls to her butt and buries her hands in her hair as she continues to cry over losing both Sam and Kevin.