[Holy Terror]
Dean drove in the Impala. Sam was passenger, and Dylan and Natalia were in back, the youngest of the four asleep.
"So, he's better?" Dean asked.
Ezekiel replied, "Yes. Sam is much improved. It should be much longer now."
Dylan frowned. "You realize you told us the same thing last week, right?"
"And I told you when we met -- this will take time."
Dean let out a frustrated breath. "Okay, well, go then. Heal. I'd like my brother back, please, and I know Natalia would, too."
Ezekiel answered stiffly, "I must say, Dean, Dylan, I'm very uncomfortable with this whole trip. Investigating crimes involving angels -- or anything involving angels -- puts me, and therefore, Sam, at risk."
"Well, family business, Zeke. All right? If we ignore this, Sam's gonna think something fishy's goin' on."
Ezekiel paused. "Then I trust you two will be discreet."
After a pause of his own, Dean said, "Wait, if you know where we're going, that means you've been listening in. Are you -- are you hearing everything between me, Sam, Natalia and Dylan?"
"No. Just a word here and there. I have better things to do with my time than eavesdrop, like heal your brother."
"Okay, 'cause here's the thing--"
Sam's eyes flashed blue and Ezekiel receded and Sam resumed. "-- you know, I was gonna say, it seems like it's getting really quiet out there, you know? Not a peep from the angels, even Buddy Boyle goes off the air and stops recruiting for them."
Dean, and Dylan took a moment to adjust to talk to Sam.
Dylan said, "Obviously it's the calm before the storm."
"Yeah, maybe," Sam replied, unconvinced. He noticed something outside and stared in startlement.
Dean and Dylan asked, "What?"
"That sign said 'Fort Collins, 50 miles'."
"So?"
"So, last time I looked, like 12 seconds ago, uh, Fort Collins was a hundred miles."
Dean searched for an answer. "Well, hey, man, ever since that goddess got her hooks into you, you know-"
Sam started getting agitated. "No, it's more than Vesta! I mean, this kind of thing's been happening to me. Like, like, there are chunks of time just... missing. Like there are times when I'm... not here."
"Well, like we've said-" Dean began.
"Yes, the trials. I know. I heard you guys. I heard you two when you said it the last week and the week before that and the week before that. Natalia's suspicious as well, I'm sure."
Dean nodded. "Yeah, because... damn straight the trials. They whacked you, man. You're not up to warp speed yet, okay? But you will be." He smiled at Sam. "Would I lie?"
Sam looked back at Dean, then back at Dylan and a sleeping Natalia.
They came to a roadhouse and got out, wearing their FBI garb, and flashed their badges at a uniformed cop.
The cop said, "Ah, one of your guys and girl are here already."
Sam, Dean, Natalia and Dylan looked at each other, put their badges back in their pockets, and headed into the roadhouse.
Inside, Sam and Dylan cleared their throats. The four of them looked around, spotted Castiel and Azrael, and made their way over to them.
Castiel and Azrael excused themselves as the former said, "Ah, my colleagues and their rookies."
Dean and Natalia looked pointedly at Castiel and Azrael, Dylan gave Castiel and Azrael a small smile, and Sam smiled in barely concealed pleasure and slapped Castiel on the arm and touched Azrael's shoulder.
In a faux FBI-colleague voice, Sam said, "Agents."
"Agent," Castiel and Azrael replied, clearly pleased to be in with them.
"Cas. Rae," Dean scolded. "What the hell are you two doing?"
"Um," Castiel's voice dropped. "I still have the badge you gave me. I had one made for Azrael."
Natalia frowned. "Yeah. Um, what the hell are you two doing?"
"The murders were all over the news. I, we thought we might be of help."
Sam turned to the angels. "Yeah, but Cas, Rae, you two know that this is an angel situation, right? I mean, you two left that night because angels were on both your asses."
Dean, uncomfortable, interjected. "Yeah, and you two were living the life, you know? Early retirement, working your way up the Gas-n-Sip ladder."
Castiel said, "If angels are slaughtering one another, Azrael and I have to do what we can to help. It is a risk we should be willing to take, don't you think?" Sam and Dylan shrugged in agreement, seeing the point. "Hey. Cas and Rae are back in town."
Natalia's lip curled and Dean said, "Seriously, did you-" he said to Sam, Natalia and Dylan, "did he just say that?"
Castiel showed them photos. "These angels, uh, they were butchered. Much more violence than was required."
Dylan looked over the photos. "Definitely took more than one or two killers to pull off something like this."
"Hit squad?" Natalia guessed. "Bartholomew's people?"
Sam glanced at her. "Well, Bartholomew has a faction we know about, but this could be somebody else entirely we don't know."
Castiel pat them each on the shoulder. "Well, whoever it is... We'll find them."
""We'll" find them," Dean and Natalia repeated. "That's great."
Dean noticed a disapproving look from what he guessed to be Ezekiel and slunk off, Dylan and Natalia following.
They made their way to a bar, sat down after making sure there were six chairs, and had a beer.
"It is so good being together again," Castiel stated. "You know, this is my first beer as a human. The same for Azrael. I hope it's okay, us joining you?"
"Why wouldn't it be okay?" Sam asked.
Dean and Dylan looked alarmed as Dean said, "You know, Cas, Rae, are you two sure you're both ready to jump back into all this? I mean, it seemed to me like you'd both actually found some peace."
Castiel met Dean's eyes. "Hey, you and your sister once told me that you don't choose what you do. It chooses you."
"Huh?" Dean and Natalia questioned.
"I'm a part of this." Castiel clinked beer bottles with Dean and Natalia. "Like it or not."
Azrael nodded. "Yes. I've been part of this for far longer, but this human thing is new. And rather enjoyable... For the most part."
Dylan clapped his hands. "All right, well, in that case, we need to figure out, uh, who we're up against, what they want, and how we stop them."
"Well, Bartholomew wants to reverse Metatron's spell. Presumably to -- to retake Heaven once his following is large enough. That's according to April," Castiel informed.
"The reaper you banged," Dean said.
"Yeah, and you stabbed."
"Yeah." Dean paused awkwardly. "She was hot."
"So hot. And very nice."
Dean nodded appreciatively. "Mm."
"Up to the point she started torturing me."
"Yeah. Well, not every hookup's perfect." Dean patted Castiel's arm companionably.
Sam smiled at the exchange. "All right. Nat and I are gonna get us another round."
"Nah, Natalia and I will get it," Castiel offered. He hopped off his bar stool and Natalia followed, kissing Dylan on the lips briefly.
"Mm," Castiel hummed, swigging the last of his old beer before setting the bottle on the table. "You know, I've never done this before."
Dean sighed. "One, beer, he's hammered."
Dylan smirked lightly. "Sound like someone we know?"
Blue light flashed from in Sam's eyes and Ezekiel surfaced.
"Oh, boy," Dean and Dylan muttered.
"Well?" Ezekiel asked. "What are you gonna do about this?"
"About Cas and Rae?" Dean questioned.
"They are beacons, Dean, pulling every angel for miles down on our heads."
Dylan looked him in the eyes. "Okay, you know what, Zeke? Level with us. What is it that you're so afraid of?"
"I told you. When I chose to answer you prayers, Dean, and heal Sam, I chose sides. That means I'm not in good standing with certain angels."
"Okay, well, you know what?" Dean said. "Cas and Rae aren't in good standing with any angel, all right? But here they are, asses on the line, fighting the fight. So tell me, what makes you so special?"
Castiel and Natalia returned. "Here we go. Six brewskies."
Ezekiel said pissily, "I'm going to get something out of the car."
He walked outside and heard something and slowed. Metatron said, "Well, I'm really looking forward to this."
"Excuse me?"
"Oh, please. I know who you really are. And it isn't Ezekiel."
Not-Ezekiel looked constipated.
Dean, Castiel, Azrael and Dylan were at the bar. Natalia had gone to freshen up. Castiel cleared his throat. "I, um, I noticed you and Dylan look... kind of uncomfortable whenever Sam and Natalia mention mine and Azrael leaving. Don't they know that you told us to leave?"
Dean sighed. "Here's the deal. When Sam was doing the trials to seal up Hell, it messed him up. Okay? The third one nearly killed him. If Nat and I'd let him finish, it would have. He's still messed up, bad."
"You said the angel, Ezekiel, helped heal him," Azrael remembered.
The two hunters looked down, avoiding the question before Dean spoke. "Look, we got to do anything we can to get him back. Now, if that means that we keep our distance for a little while, then... Then I don't have a choice. I don't feel good about it, but I don't have a choice. It's great to have your help, Cas, Rae. Okay, but we just can't work together."
Castiel and Azrael looked sad, and Dylan looked at his friend in disbelief. Dylan focused on his drink to try to avoid the awkwardness.
Outside the bar, Metatron said, "Relax. I'm not here to out you. But I am curious, why Ezekiel?"
"They say he is a good, and... honorable angel," Not-Ezekiel replied.
"Ahhhh. Everything they say you are not. I see your point... Gadreel."
"The stories about me -- they are not true!"
"And yet you spent thousands of years locked in Heaven's darkest dungeon. And now you're hiding in this human, posing as Ezekiel." He shook his head. "Tragic. It broke His heart to lock you away, you know? You were God's most trusted. That's why He chose you to protect the garden. Your one task was to keep evil from entering... from befouling His cherished creation, mankind, and you failed Him!"
"Not my doing."
"Well, for whatever reason, the serpent entered. The Earth is cursed with evil. Someone had to be blamed."
"What is it you want of me, Metatron?"
Metatron sighed. "Just to be your friend. You and I go back a long way. I was actually the one who freed you."
"You?"
"I was the one who caused all the angels to fall. Including the imprisoned ones. You're welcome."
"No angels in Heaven? None at all?"
"No, and you know, at first, I thought I would love it. But it's a big place. My solitude is getting tedious."
"And so?"
"And so... Plan 'B'. Rebuild Heaven as the place God envisioned it, only with a handpicked few. No more anemic functionaries like Bartholomew. And no more stupid angels. Maybe some funny ones. You were one of his most trusted, Gadreel. You want to take back your reputation? You want to reclaim the Heaven that was? We could do this together."
A tortured look overtook Gadreel's face.
In the bunker, Sam and Dylan were sitting on a table with a light table map, at their laptops. Natalia had a book. Dean came jogging in.
"Any word from Cas or Rae?" Sam asked.
"Nothing yet," Dean replied.
Natalia frowned. "And we're not... worried about them, that they just took off like that again?"
"I mean, it's not like they do this kind of stuff alone," Sam added.
Dean looked between them. "It's the way he wanted it, honestly." Sam Natalia looked unconvinced. "Hey, look, guys, they've been all over the map since they got their wings clipped. Dylan, quit glaring at me. Please. It's what Cas and Rae wanted; to be alone for awhile." Dean changed the subject. "What do you three got?" He rolled his chair to Sam and Dylan to look at their laptops. "Obituaries. That one of the bikers?"
"Yeah. His name was Red Dawg."
"Heh," Natalia commented with a small giggle. "'Course it was."
"It's not what you think. Look, he's a family guy. Big in the PTA, he played Santa at Christmas parties?"
"So, what? Just one day, he up and joined a biker gang?" Dean asked.
"No, he did that years ago. Get this. This is weird. Look." He pulled up news clippings and photos. "These are all the victims, right? They were all baptized together."
"Baptized?" Dean repeated.
Dylan nodded. "Yeah. They were a born-again biker gang."
"Well, that is not something you hear every day," Dean stated.
"No, it's not," Sam agreed.
Dean noticed something on the screen. "Wait, make that bigger. Nat; here. Now." Natalia stuck her tongue out at him and stood between her brothers as Sam made the image bigger and the four of them looked at a biker logo on a jacket. ""Boyle's Boys"? Boyle as in Reverend Buddy Boyle?"
Sam leaned forward and did some fancy fingerwork on the keyboard. "Listen to this. 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 with divine glory."
"So, Boyle's at it again," Natalia noted. "Selling folks on being meat suits for angels."
Dylan frowned. "Just what -- talking to smaller groups now?"
"I don't know," Dean replied. "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 against Bartholomew's people?" Sam guessed.
"Yeah, and they got slaughtered. Which means that this new group is even worse. Haven't Nat and I always said that angels are dicks?"
Kevin and Dean were researching at tables. Dean was at a laptop and Kevin was looking at a tablet. Dylan was standing nearby, peering over his shoulder as he read.
"Dean, Dylan, there may be nothing in here," Kevin said. "Crowley said the spell that cast down the engines was irreversible."
"Yeah, well, screw Crowley," Dean replied. "Why would you think that anything he says is true?"
"This part is nearly indecipherable. Almost like, when Metatron wrote it down, he wanted to keep the words hidden, even from prophets."
Sam and Natalia entered. "Hey."
"Hey," Dylan greeted. "Check this out. Another angel attack."
"What? Where?" Sam and Natalia asked.
"Utah," Dean informed. "A, uh, college, uh, Bible-study group and their, uh, their guest speaker -- some top-shelf church lady. Insides scorched out, kids' eyes were missing, but, not the church lady's."
"So she was an angel, too?" Dylan questioned.
Dean met his eyes. "Sounds like. Uh, and she sang soprano for the, uh, Melody Ministry Glee Club?"
"Okay?" Sam and Natalia commented.
"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?" Sam reiterated.
"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." Sam sighed. "Wow. It's a bunch of kids."
"Kevin. Clock's ticking."
Dylan smiled and patted the prophet's shoulder. "You got this, Kev."
Dean and Dylan were walking into the kitchen. Natalia was still doing research. Kevin walked out with a couple sandwiches.
"Hey," Dean called. "You seen Sam?"
"He went out," Kevin replied.
"Where?" Dean and Dylan asked.
"I don't know. You two notice he's doing that a lot?"
"Yeah," Dean answered thoughtfully.
Dean's phone rang and Kevin walked out as Dean answered, putting it near Dylan's ear.
"Yeah," Dean said. "Dylan's here, too. Nat's busy."
"Dean, Dylan, I don't have a lot of time, so listen. The leader of the opposition is an angel named Malachi," Castiel told them.
"How do you know that?" Dean asked.
"He had us. We, uh, we were tortured. But we got away."
"How?" Dylan wondered.
"We... I did what I had to do. I became what they've become. A barbarian."
Dean glanced at his friend. "What are you -- Cas, where are you? Is Rae with you?"
"Yes. It's better we stay away. They're gonna want us even more now. But I'm gonna be all right. We... we got our grace back. Well, not ours per se, but they'll do."
"Wait, you're -- you're both back? You two got your mojo?"
"I'm not sure. But we are angels."
"And you're both okay with that?" Dean asked.
"If we're going to war, we need to be ready."
After a pause, Dean said, "Cas."
"Dean. Dylan. There's more."
"What?" Dean and Dylan questioned.
"Didn't you say Sam was healed by an angel named Ezekiel?"
"Uh... Yeah, why?" Dean confirmed in a questioning tone.
"Ezekiel is dead."
"What?" the friends asked again.
"He died when the angels fell."
Dean and Dylan shared an 'oh, this is bad' expression. They made their way back to Kevin to find him dozing over a book. Natalia had fallen asleep in her chair.
"We need a spell," Dean said urgently. "ASAP."
Kevin woke up, exhausted. "Everyone always needs a spell, and it's always ASAP."
Dylan frowned a moment. "Okay, then, listen to me. An angel can't be expelled by another human, but only by the host, right? But, what if there was a way to power down the angel, so it wasn't in charge for a few seconds?"
"What?" Kevin asked.
"Say, for instance, if -- if hypothetically, Dean or I wanted to speak with the vessel but not have the squatter eavesdropping."
"Why?"
Dean frowned. "Why? Kevin, we've got tons of possessed humans out there. You with us? And when the angels kill each other off, the humans are taking it in the teeth. So what if he and I 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!" Dean and Dylan turned to walk out.
Dylan paused and picked up Natalia bridal style and her eyes fluttered open.
"Now?" Kevin asked.
"Yesterday, Cinderella!" Dean yelled.
Natalia frowned. "Huh?"
"Nothing, love," Dylan replied.
Metatron and Gadreel were gathered outside, under a large overpass.
"I've been thinking this over, Metatron," Gadreel said. "I will join you as second in command."
An expression of relief and pleasure took over Metatron's face. "Bravo, Gadreel! This move will erase the mark that has hounded you through the centuries. Heaven will be restored, as will your reputation as one of its greatest heroes."
"I thank you for this opportunity."
"There is just one more thing."
"Yes."
"I need to be sure of your fidelity."
"You have it."
"No, I mean really sure. We have enemies who pose an imminent threat to our effort. They must be neutralized."
"Slain?"
"In a word."
"That... That is not who I am."
Metatron pulled a yellow card from his pocket and said sarcastically, "Yeah. Here is the first name on your to-do list." Metatron handed the yellow card to Gadreel, who read the name, and sighed. "Decide."
Dean and Dylan walked back to Kevin and Dean said, "All right, so this masterpiece we just painted -- it's gonna work, right?"
Kevin nodded. "The sigils are supposed to briefly hobble the possessing angel. If the info's correct."
Dylan frowned. "Wait, what?"
"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 paused. "Dean, Dylan, what's going on?"
"We told you," Dean replied.
"You two told me theoretically. Dean, Dylan, we just painted sigils in the storeroom. What the hell? Does Natalia know anything?"
Dylan shook his head. "Sorry, no. We'll tell you when we can, okay? No, I don't think she does. I hate lying to her like this."
"You're gonna have to trust us, okay, trust that we told you everything we can for now. Can you do that?" Dean asked.
"I always trust you two." Dean and Dylan nodded. "And I always end up screwed."
Dean cracked a small smile. "Oh, come on. Always? Not always."
Dylan and Dean came upon Sam and Natalia, who were shelving beers.
"Hey, where you been?" Dean asked.
"Hey. Beer run," Sam replied.
Dylan raised a brow. "Long beer run." Sam chuckled. "We gotta talk."
"That sounds worrisome. Yeah. Uh... Sure."
Dean and Dylan ushered Sam into the storeroom and Sam commented, "This sounds serious."
As Sam was walking in, before he turned around, Dean shut the door and pulled out a knife to slash his palm. Dean slapped his hand against the door, and a flare of light emitted from the sigil. Natalia frowned at her brother's actions.
Sam turned around, startled. "What's going on? What are you doing?"
"We gotta tell you some stuff fast," Dean said. "It's gonna piss you off. Nat, it's gonna piss you off, too."
"Okay."
"Those trials really messed you up."
"Yes, I know that, Dea-"
Dean interrupted hurriedly. "No, you don't. I mean, really 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 do?" Sam and Natalia asked.
Dean paused, his mouth moving speechlessly for a moment. "I let an angel in."
"In what?"
"In you. He said he could heal you and he is," Dylan replied.
"He's still in me? Wait." Sam laughed. "That's impossible, Dean, Dylan. That couldn't happen. I never invited him in."
"I tricked you into saying yes," Dean told him. "It seemed like the only way. Dylan found out later."
Sam sighed. "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."
Dylan sighed. "Look, we can do this later. You can -- you can kick Dean's and my ass all you want. Right now, we got bigger problems."
"Bigger?"
"The angel lied to us. Okay? He -- he ain't who he said he was. He said his name was Ezekiel. Cool guy, at least according to Cas and Rae, but it's not Ezekiel."
"Who is he?"
Dean shook his head. "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." He paused. "Are you hearing what we're saying? I think you're well enough now, but you got to expel him. Sam? Sam-" Sam walked past Dean and Dylan. "Hey!"
Sam turned around and swung a punch at Dean and Dylan. Dean went down and Dylan ducked out of the way. Sam walked out, furious.
Natalia narrowed her eyes at Dean. "How the hell could you do that?! You're so damn selfish!" She turned to Dylan. "And you. You lied to me!" She stalked away.
Sam walked into the library and walked towards Kevin, who looked up. "Hey, Sam."
Sam stopped, then continued in slowly, calmly, and with deliberation as Kevin continued, "Hey, do you notice anything a little bit off about Dean and Dylan lately? Between you and me, I'm a little bit worried about them."
Gadreel answered, "Don't worry about Dean and Dylan. Dean and Dylan will be fine. Natalia will be fine." He looked at Kevin for a moment, then reached out and grabbed his head.
Dean, Dylan and Natalia rounded the corner into the room as Kevin screamed. Dean, Dylan and Natalia saw a white light flooding from Kevin through his eyes.
"No!" Dean, Dylan and Natalia cried. "No! No! No! Kevin?!" They ran forward as Kevin's body dropped to the ground.
Gadreel extended a hand and held Dean, Dylan and Natalia off.
"Sam?" Dean and Natalia called.
"There is no more Sam."
Dean, Natalia and Dylan gasped in pain as Gadreel continued, "But, I played him convincingly, I thought."
"How did you..." Dylan began.
"I heard you two talking with Kevin Tran tonight."
Gadreel packed a bag. "After a sigil... even the slightest... After the spell." He held up his hand to show the dust of markings on his fingers. "Sorry about Kevin, but ultimately... it's for the best. I did what I had to do." He placed the yellow card on Kevin's chest. He turned to Dean, Natalia and Dylan, feeling guilty, then walked out.
As Gadreel walked towards the stairs, Dean, Natalia and Dylan were released. They gasped and looked at Kevin, whose eyes were burned out. The door to the bunker shut.
"Kevin? Kevin?" Dean, Natalia and Dylan called as a tear slipped from one eye, and they bowed their heads in sorrow.
Natalia looked at Kevin's body sadly, then left the room, not able to be around two of the closest people in her life.