Sam was asleep on his bed. Loud rock music played and Sam jerked awake, pulling a gun on the intruder to see that it was Dean.
Dean shut off the music. "Nice reflexes. Better hair."
"What's wrong with you? I could have shot you." He checked his watch. "Why aren't you sleeping? We got in like two hours ago."
"Not tired. And we got work to do, so put on your dancing shoes, and let's boogie."
Dean walked to the main room. Sam walked in with a cup of coffee. Dean was packing his duffel on the table.
"All right. What's up?" Sam asked.
"I called Cas," Dean replied. "She said there's something going down in Missouri."
"What kind of something?"
"She said she couldn't talk about it over the phone."
"Why?"
"Because she is a weird girl, okay? She's a weird, dorky, little girl. But she happens to have an army of angels behind her, and even though I hate to say it, if we're gonna take a shot at Metatron, she might be useful."
Dean went to put the First Blade into his duffel, but Sam noticed and hid level of concern grew.
Sam frowned. "Well, do you think we need the First Blade? Why don't we just leave it here?"
"We talked about this, and we decided that-" Dean began.
"No. In all fairness, we didn't decide. You did."
"Okay, I decided that hockey stick that can kill anything might come in handy, so sue me."
"How many times have we been around this block? Magic that powerful always comes at a price, and right now, we have no idea what that price is."
"I'm fine. I'm fan-friggin'-tastic."
Sam looked at his brother. "And I'm glad. Honestly. I'm not saying we bury this thing. I'm saying we just save it for when we really need it. Crowley. Metatron. The big boss fights. You don't have to have it with you all the time, right? I mean, just leave it. Please."
Dean set the blade to the side. "No problem."
"Thank you."
---
They stood outside the exploded Colonel Scoops. Sam and Dean approached a deputy on duty outside. They went to pull out their badges, but before they were able to flip them open, she addressed them. "Agents Spears and Aguilera? FBI?"
"Uh-huh," Dean confirmed.
"Your partner said you'd be along."
"Thank you," Sam said.
They entered and greeted Castiel, who'd been talking to the sheriff. "Thank you for coming."
"Spears and Aguilera?"
"I've noticed your aliases are usually the names of popular musicians," Castiel explained.
Dean said, "Wow."
"Come here. Take a look at this."
They approached a body on a gurney to see that her eyes were burnt out of her head.
Castiel continued. "Look. And the other bodies are the same -- burnt-out husks."
"Okay, so, what is this, some sort of mass smiting?" Dean guessed.
"I don't know what this way. Never seen anything like it. Six humans died here... And one angel."
"One of yours?"
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."
Sam sat down at a computer. "All right. What was his vessel's name?"
"Sean Flynn from Omaha," Castiel replied.
Sam turned the computer screen. "This the guy?"
"Yeah, that's him."
"All right. Looks like someone just used his credit card at a Gas-n-Sip in Colorado."
"And that's how we do things in the pros," Dean said.
The red-shirted angel spoke again. "Commander. I have something. This phone's memory chip has a video time-stamped just before the explosion."
The video, showing footage from inside Colonel Scoops, was played.
"And now the moment you've all been waiting for," the customer said.
"What?" a lady asked.
"No!" a girl cried.
The man ripped open his coat to reveal a sigil carved into his chest. He rammed an angel lade through his heart as he yelled, "I do this for Castiel!"
The ice cream shop exploded and the video went dead.
"What the hell was that?" Dean asked.
"I don't know," Castiel admitted. "I didn't -- I would never ask an angel to sacrifice himself to kill innocents. I'm gonna be sick."
"Cas, why would an angel blow up a Colonel Scoops in your name?" Sam wondered.
"That's not what he was doing," Harvey corrected. "Roll it back. There." He pointed to the girl in the booth. "That was an angel -- Esther. She's one of Metatron's."
"So, this was some kind of hit?"
"I don't know," Castiel said.
"Stop saying you don't know," Dean retorted.
"You can't think I would allow something like this."
"Cas, I know you try to be a good girl, okay? I do. You try. But what you got here, this is a freakin' cult."
"Dean."
"And the last time you had this kind of juice, you did kill humans and angels, and you did nothing but lie to me and Sam about it the whole damn time!"
"Can we, uh -- can we take this somewhere else, guys?" Sam asked.
They entered Castiel's private office and Sam continued. "Will you stow the baggage, Dean. Look, we've got a case. Let's work it out. Cas, did you know the angel in that video?"
Castiel nodded. "Yes. His name was Oren. He was a new recruit. He worked in community outreach."
"And what does that mean?" Dean asked.
"Some of my troops are stationed at a local hospital. They help where they can. Minor miracles -- it's nothing that would attention."
Sam frowned. "So, then, what was he doing in that video, with the stabbing?"
"The Enochian runes that were carved in his chest -- I... I think that they were meant to focus energy. When he stabbed himself, it unleashed all that power."
"So, what about the girl? What happened to her?"
"If she was the target, if the blast was focused on her, then more likely than not, she -- she was atomized. So, what do we do now?"
"Well, you don't do jack," Dean said. "Me and Sam will head to the hospital, see if we can find somebody who knew this... walking nuke."
"Hold on. These are my people. I can help."
"Well, that's sort of the problem. I mean, the Manson girls aren't gonna give us a straight answer with Charlie in the room, so just hang back."
"So, I should just sit here?"
"Pretty much."
"No. If you don't want my help, then I will follow Josiah's trail to Colorado. I have to do something, Dean."
"All right, fine. But Sam's coming with you."
"What?" Sam asked.
"Because you don't trust me?" Castiel questioned.
"To help," Dean said.
---
Sam and Castiel drove down the road in Castiel's car.
"Abaddon is dead," Castiel reiterated.
"And then some," Sam confirmed.
"Oh, no."
"Okay. Uh, ominous."
"Does Dean seem different to you?"
"Yeah. Lately, he seems to be... amped up -- you know, on edge."
"Effects of the Mark?"
"What else?"
"He does seem angry. I mean, he's always a little angry, but now it seems like... more. I think a part of him actually believed that I ordered those angels to, you know... Sam, you don't, do you?"
Sam glanced at the angel. "No. Cas, listen. You got a weird thing going on back there. Those other angels, the way they stare at you, i-it's like you're part rock star, part L. Ron."
"No, Cas. But something's weird. Dean's right, it is kinda cult-like, they way they all look up to you."
Castiel frowned slightly. "They've put their faith in me."
"And maybe that's the problem. I mean, people have been doing messed up crap in the name of faith -- in the name of God -- since forever."
"Well... I'm not trying to... play God. I'm just trying to get my people home."
---
Metatron and Gadreel watched a large man throw a bowling bowl down a lane. He threw a strike.
"Yes!" Metatron cheered. "Well done!"
"It's such a simple game," Tyrus said. "And boy, you got to love the sound of those pins."
"Beautiful -- a symphony of wood. So, you've heard our offer."
"Yeah, I sign on the dotted line, and, well, my people, they get a ticket upstairs. What if we don't want to go?"
"But it's home," Gadreel told him.
"It's boring. I mean, you -- there's nothing like this in heaven."
"I could whip you up a bowling alley," Metatron offered.
"Eh, but it wouldn't... I mean, just smell that. Mmm."
Gadreel frowned. "Old shoes and... Alcoholism? I..."
"Authenticity."
"So, wait. You're turning me down because of... bowling?" Metatron asked.
"And I like being an independent operator. And I hear you're losing. And I hate your face."
"Well, I could get a new face."
"You'd still be you -- a nerd trying to be one of the popular kids. Mnh-mnh."
"Okay. Time for the hard sell."
"Please. You knife me, and all my guys will go running to Castiel. Even you're not that stupid. But tell you what, huh? You out-bowl me, we'll talk?"
---
They reached the Gas-n-Sip in Colorado and spoke to the store employee.
"Ma yeah, I saw him, officer," the employee said. "He filled up some old, uh, woody station wagon."
"Don't suppose you, uh, got the license plate number?" Sam wondered.
"No. But he was headed to an address in Pray, Montana."
"How do you know that?" Castiel asked.
"Guy asked for directions."
"Oh," Sam replied.
"Uh, you want me to write that down?"
"Yes. Now. Please."
---
Dean was questioning a female angel in a doctor's coat. They were sitting across the table from each other in a room that looked like a boiler room.
"What do I call you?" Dean asked.
"My angelic name is 18 syllables long," the angel replied. "Let's stick with Flagstaff."
"Copy. So, you knew this Oren guy?"
"We worked together at the hospital. He was a joy -- bright, full of life."
"Yeah, I hear he had a real explosive personality."
"Do you think this is a joke?"
Dean remained stone-faced. "Do you see me laughing? Is there anything else you can tell me about him? For example, why he'd light his own fuse."
"No. Can I go? I have lives to save."
"Welcome to the club." Flagstaff smirked. "Something funny?"
"Not funny "ha ha". But you thinking you both help people -- it's amusing. I help people. A clogged artery here, a tumor there. I do good in this world. You -- you believe every problem can be solved with a gun. You play the hero, but underneath the hype, you're a killer with oceans of blood on his hands. I hate men like you."
Dean stared at her calmly, then leapt to his feet and threw the table between them and chairs nearby aside in one swift movement. Dean threw Flagstaff and her chair backwards, but caught them before they hit the ground and held an angel blade to her throat. "Honey, there ain't no other men like me."
"Don't... please," Flagstaff begged, scared.
"Oren. Friends?"
"Constantine... And Tessa."
Dean frowned. "Tessa? The reaper, Tessa?"
"You know her?"
---
Sam and Castiel pulled up outside a warehouse in Pray, Montana.
Sam noticed a car. "That looks like the car they guy at the gas station was talking about, right? Maybe Josiah's still around."
"Sam, this place is... radiating power," Castiel said. "I haven't felt anything like this since... since Heaven. We have to get in here."
He started picking the lock. "Okay." He started banging his shoulder against it, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn't open it.
"Step aside. I got this." Castiel threw her body into the door and jangled the door handle a few times, but nothing happened. "I don't got this."
---
Outside an auditorium, people walked up the stairs. Tessa walked up the stairs.
Dean's voice stopped her as he stepped from behind a post. "Howdy, Tessa. You're supposed to be working at the hospital tonight, but when I stopped by, you were gone. So was an ambulance. Pro-tip -- they all have GPS."
"Good to know," Tessa noted. "So, you're here. Why? You just love musical theater?"
"Only if it's Fiddler. We need to talk."
"Can't. Sorta got a date." As Tessa turned to leave, Dean grabbed her jacket to pull her back, but accidentally revealed part of a sigil carved into her chest.
Dean quickly put two and two together. "Not happening."
Tessa tried to jerk away, but Dean handcuffed her and pushed her to a wall. "Where's the other one? Where's Constantine?"
---
Metatron slammed his bowling shoes on the counter in disgust.
"Better luck next time," Tyrus said.
"Thanks," Metatron replied.
"Metatron!" Constantine called as he ripped open his shirt and stabbed an angel blade into his heart. "I do this for Castiel."
EXT. WAREHOUSE
Sam and Castiel were still trying to get into the warehouse.
"We checked all the windows and doors," Sam said. "What about you? You find anything?"
"I think so," Castiel replied, lighting up her hand to reveal an Enochian spell etched above the doorway. "It's Enochian. I believe it's some sort of riddle. "Why is six afraid of seven?" Now, I assume it's because seven is a prime number, and prime numbers can be intimidating."
Sam had a bemused expression and said, "It's because seven eight nine."
The door opened with a creak.
"It's wordplay," Castiel realized. "And the answer is the key, like the doors of Durin in 'Lord of the Rings'."
Sam frowned. "Wait a second. You know about 'The Lord of the Rings'?"
"I'm very pop-culture savvy now."
Sam's phone rang. "Hey."
"How is she?" Dean asked.
"She's uh... She's Cas. What about you? How's it going?"
"Great. Went out, got some air. Met an old friend. Say hi to Sam, Tessa."
"Your brother's a psycho, Sam," Tessa said.
"Ha, ha. Stop."
"What's going on?" Sam questioned.
"You first."
---
Dean and Tessa walked into the Commander Room.
"Tessa? What are you doing?" Harvey wondered.
"You want to tell her?" Dean asked.
Tessa remained silent, so Dean pulled back the top of her shirt to reveal the sigil, which he'd cut a gash across to mark it out.
"Oh, God."
"There's no God," Tessa retorted. "There's only Castiel."
"Oh, and you're done," Dean decided.
Dean walked Tessa down a hallway and put her in a warded room. Harvey and the others followed.
"You wounded her," Harvey said.
"More like "defused", okay?" Dean corrected. "I cut up that old testament graffiti she carved into herself. I figured that would break the spell."
"And now... What will you do to her?" the red-shirted angel asked.
Dean pulled an angel blade from his jacket. "Guess."
"Torture," Flagstaff stated. "Predictable."
"We need to know if there are other bombers out there."
Harvey frowned. "No. I won't allow it. I know what Tessa was planning. It's horrible, but there's only one person who can punish her."
"Let me guess. Yea big, trench coat, sensible shoes?"
"You have to understand that Castiel is the only thing holding us together. A month ago, half the angels in this place were trying to kill the other half. Castiel has given us a purpose. But more than that, she has given us a way to live in peace. We have rules. Order. If I let you take matters into your own hands, what's to stop one of them from doing the same? You can talk to her. You should talk to her. But leave the Blade outside."
"Are you asking or telling?"
"We're not asking," the red-shirted angel said.
Dean stared at the angels evenly without blinking an eye. He smoothly flipped the Blade handle first and handed it to Harvey. He walked calmly into the room with Tessa.
INT. WAREHOUSE
Sam and Castiel were searching the warehouse.
"You sure you don't want to go back, Cas?" Sam asked. "Look, if Dean's right about Tessa..."
"No, I, uh... I do. I just... give me a second."
He shined his flashlight on some writing and read it aloud. ""Only the penitent man shall pass"? Cas, wait!"
Castiel fell to her knees just in time to avoid two huge spinning sawing blades which sprung out from the wall about neck height.
""The Last Crusade,"" Sam said.
INT. ROOM
Dean sat across from Tessa at the table. Harvey stood to the side.
"Okay. Well, let's start with an easy one. Who are you working for?" Dean asked.
"Castiel," Tessa replied.
"Liar."
"People like you, they never understand. Sacrifices have to be made."
"So you go after one of the bad guys, and if a few humans get microwaved, no big deal, right?"
"In the grand scheme, they don't matter."
"Oh, Tessa, you are so wrong."
"When Castiel came to me and told me what I had to do, he said I was chosen because I was strong. Others... they couldn't handle this. They're too weak." She looked at Harvey.
Harvey leapt at Tessa, but Dean put his arms up to stop him. He grabbed his shoulders and shoved him out the door and into the hallway. He stepped out as well and closed the door behind them.
"Settle down!" Dean ordered.
"Is -- do you think she's telling the truth?" Harvey asked.
"She thinks she is."
INT. WAREHOUSE
Sam and Castiel rounded a corner and a glowing door was in front of them.
"Sam. We found it," Castiel said.
"What?"
"It's the door to Heaven."
"Seriously?" Sam questioned in disbelief.
"What else would Metatron go to such great lengths to protect? I can hear it. It's calling to me, Sam. If we can control this door, we can take the fight to Metatron. We may not even need to fight at all."
"Cas, wait."
Castiel opened the door to reveal a room with atrocious party decorations. Sam walked over to a table and read from a card. ""Welcome to your own personal Heaven, Castiel. Good luck finding the real one.""
"But... Why?" Castiel asked.
Sam turned around to talk to Castiel, and noticed a badly burned man leaning against the wall next to the door.
Castiel leaned down next to the man. "It's Josiah. He reeks of holy oil."
Sam fingered an empty bucket of holy oil hanging over the door and said, "Yeah. Looks like he got 'Home Alone'-ed."
"So, all of this -- it was a lie."
Josiah jerked to consciousness and grabbed Castiel's wrist. "Supposed to be here... Gate... He told me... After Ezra, he told me that I should come to him. Metatron told me that I could go home. I just wanted to go home."
Castiel went to heal Josiah. "Here. Let me-"
"No! I would rather die than owe my life to you, Castiel. You play at being noble. You play at being one of us. But I look into your eyes... And I don't see an angel staring back at me." Josiah died.
INT. ROOM
Dean walked back into the room with Tessa and she asked, "Where's your friend?"
"Just you and me now," Dean said. "Let's talk about us. I mean, we got history, yeah?"
"Sure. I still remember our meet-cute. You were dying."
"Good times. Here's the deal. I like you, Tess, okay? For an angel. But tell me, why are you doing this?"
"Castiel."
"No, forget Cas. Why are you doing this? What would make a person want to pop their top, huh? I mean, look, I've been in bad shape. I have. But I have never been that damn low."
"I guess I just can't take the screaming."
"Who's screaming?"
"All of them. The lost souls. The ones that can't get into Heaven now that it's been boarded up. I hear them. They are so confused. They're in so much pain. All I wanted to do is help them. It's what I do. It's my job. But I can't. So I suffered... Until death, nothingness. Suddenly, it didn't seem so bad. It seemed quiet."
"So, why don't you just jam an angel blade in your throat and call it a day?"
"I thought about it. But I was too weak. Til Castiel gave me a reason to die."
"Yeah. See, that just doesn't sound like the Cas I know."
"But doesn't it, though? And the Cas you know, would she raise an army of angels without telling you? 'Cause this Cas did. I'll tell you a secret. There's more out there... Like me. So many more."
"You got names?"
"That would ruin all the fun."
"No. No, see... the fun's just getting started."
Dean pulled the First Blade from his jacket and Tessa started back. "Dean, what have you done?"
"What I had to. Welcome to the club."
Tessa sprinted at Dean and impaled herself on the Blade in Dean's hand. "Thank you." She died in a bright light.
Harvey and the others burst into the room as Dean was feeling the high from the Blade kill.
Dean was handcuffed to a chair in the warded room. He had duct tape over his mouth and his nose was bleeding.
Harvey opened to door as Castiel and Sam burst in. "He put up a fight."
"Get out," Castiel ordered.
Sam moved quickly to Dean and ripped off the duct tape.
Dean immediately said, "Ah! You should have seen the other ten guys."
"They said you killed Tessa?" Castiel asked worriedly.
"Not so much. She knifed herself."
Sam removed the handcuffs and frowned. "Yeah? Why would she do that, Dean?"
"I don't know, Sam. She was saying all kinds of crap."
"So that's why you pulled out the First Blade?"
"They told you about that, huh?"
"We had a deal."
"Yeah, well, it was a stupid deal."
"Really? 'Cause if you'd stuck to it, Tessa would still be alive. Without her, we ain't got jack."
"You think I don't know that? You think I wanted that to happen?"
"I don't know, Dean. Did you?"
Castiel looked between the hunters. "All right, that's enough. Stop it."
Harvey opened the door. "Commander, I'm sorry, but you have a call... From Metatron."
Castiel and the hunters walked into the war room as Metatron waited patiently on a video call.
"Castiel. Bet you're not happy to see me," Metatron said.
"Is anyone ever?" Dean retorted.
"Dean, always with the B-grade '80s-action-movie wit."
"What do you want, Metatron?" Sam asked.
"Just to tell ass-tiel, there, that I'm still alive. Her bomber failed," Metatron informed.
"My bomber?" Castiel questioned.
"The crazy guy. Big knife. Kablooey. I'm fine, thanks for asking, but Gadreel is wounded, and Tyrus -- R.I.P. His followers are not your biggest fans, by the way. They've all come over to my team."
"I didn't send anyone to kill you."
"Oh, stop lying, Castiel."
"Who are you to lecture me on lying?"
"I did what I had to do. I have always done what I have to do, for God and for the angels."
"Sure. Yeah, you're Mother Teresa with a neck beard," Dean retorted.
"What I did was neither good nor bad. It was necessary -- a small hardship to make us all stronger, to make us a family again."
Sam frowned. "Yeah, except for the angels you had Gadreel kill."
"Okay, yes," Metatron replied. "Maybe I got a little carried away at first, but those days are over. A near-death experience makes you re-evaluate. So, one time only, I'm offering amnesty. Every angel, no matter what their sin, may join me and return to Heaven. I will be their God, and they can be my Heavenly host."
"Why would we follow you?" Harvey retorted.
"Well, look around. You've seen earth. You've had a taste of free will. I got to ask you -- do you like it? I mean, the way you've flocked off to follow Cas tells me you need to follow someone. It's in your DNA. But Cas -- she's not what you think she is. She sends angels out to die. Have you told them about your stolen grace, Castiel? How it's fading away, and when it burns out, so will you? So... No, then. I'm not the best, but I'm the best you've got. You want to stay with Castiel, fine, but she's playing you, because at the end of the day, the only thing he cares about is herself and the Hardy Boys there. You've got a choice to make. Make the right one." Metatron clicked off.
Castiel turned to the angels. "He's lying."
"About the grace?" Harvey asked.
"It's complicated."
"So he wasn't lying."
"He was about everything else. He... you believe me, don't you?"
"I want to believe you, but I... we need proof."
"Name it."
Harvey pointed to Dean. "Punish him."
"What?" Dean frowned.
"He murdered Tessa. He broke our rules."
"Y'all can go to Hell." Dean turned to leave, but was stopped by angels.
"Dean," Castiel called.
Sam went to his aid, but was also subdued by angels and said, "Hey, wait a sec-"
Harvey turned to Castiel. "You gave us an order, Castiel, and we gave you our trust. Don't lose it over one man." She handed the blade to Castiel. "This is justice."
Castiel took the blade and held it as she considered. Dean stared at her in shock. Castiel struggled and made her decision. "No. I can't."
"Goodbye, Castiel."
All the angels quietly filed out of the war room, leaving Dean, Castiel and Sam standing there alone.
---
Metatron entered his office talking on the phone. Gadreel waited in one of the chairs.
Metatron spoke to the person on the phone. "You're right. There is no other side. Well, welcome aboard." He hung up. "Well... the first of Castiel's flock has come around. The rest will follow."
"You should have told me what our elite unit was for," Gadreel told him.
"Why? It was none of your business."
"Tessa, Constantine -- I recruited them, and you brainwashed them into blowing themselves up."
"So? Well, that's an old writer's trick -- flipping the script. You start by building up a seemingly unbeatable enemy, like the death star, or a rival angel with a bigger army. That way, I look like the underdog. But then, oh, no! The competition gets greedy. She starts pushing things too much. With the help of my combustible double agents. And then, after a rousing speech, her true weakness is revealed. She's in love with humanity. And now... I'm inevitable."
"What about Josiah?"
"Mm. He was a loose end. I -- I told him where the gate was... Before we moved it. I just wish Cas had walked into one of those traps. Anyway, point is -- while everyone else is playing checkers, I'm playing Monopoly, and I always build a hotel on Boardwalk. And I always win."
---
The three of them entered the bunker.
"So, Dean, uh... are we gonna talk about this, or what?" Sam asked.
"About what? Yeah, I lied, but you were being an infant," Dean replied.
"Wow. Even for you, that apology sucked."
"Oh, I'm not apologizing. I'm telling you how it's gonna be."
"Dean, that Blade-"
"That Blade is the only thing that can kill Metatron, and I'm the only one who can use it... so from here on out, I'm calling the shots. Capisce? Look, until I jam that Blade through that douchebag's heart, we are not a team. This is a dictatorship. Now, you don't have to like it, but that's how it's gonna be."
Sam looked at Dean angrily and stepped away while Dean went up the stairs and sat across from Castiel.
"So, batteries..." Dean began.
"I'm fine," Castiel reassured.
"No, you're not. How long you got left?"
"Long enough to destroy Metatron, I hope. But without an army..."
"Well, hey, you still got me."
"Dean. Those bombers -- you don't really think that I-"
"Cas, you just gave up an entire army for one guy. No, there's no way that you blew those people away."
"You really believe we three will be enough?"
"I mean, we always have been."
Sam entered the room at the same time as Gadreel and shouted a warning. Dean and Castiel leapt to the defense.
"Guys!" Sam yelled.
Gadreel looked between the hunters. "I'm not here to fight. I thought about what you said. You're right. Metatron, he's... something needs to be done."
"And we should trust you why?" Sam asked harshly.
"Because I can give him to you. I know where Metatron is. I know everything. I know the bombers. They were his agents, not yours. You don't trust me, fine. I understand. I've... made mistakes. But haven't you? Haven't we all? At least give me a chance."
Dean and Sam exchanged looks. Dean stepped forward and extended his left hand to shake Gadreel's. As soon as the angel grasped it, Dean yanked the First Blade from his jacket and slashed Gadreel deeply across the chest. Sam and Castiel leapt at Dean and held him back as he snarled under the full power of the Blade and Gadreel fell heavily to the ground.