Reunited...Again

Jodie Mills, one of our friends is waiting in a restaurant, and a drink is brought to her table.

"On the house sheriff."

"Oh..thanks Nance, but I didn't order-"

"-so...what're we drinking?" Crowley asks, sitting down.

"Roderick?"

"Wow, Jodie, words cannot begin to the injustice that picture does to you."

"Come on." She says, smiling.

Time passes and more and more people are gone from the bar, and soon it's just the two of them.

"What?"

"Look at you. Your fancy career, a suit. I'm pretty much what I am, small town girl."

"We do share something, you and I."

"What?"

"Loss."

She then flashes back to her son and her husband.

"My son and my husband. How did you know?"

"I've lost someone too."

"It's not a date till I've cried." She chokes up, wiping tears from her eyes.

"So now you've cried."

She excuses herself for a minute to freshen up in the bathroom, and she does so, walking inside and going over to the sinks.

"This is crazy. This is crazy. I'm crazy. He's attractive though, right? He's hot."

Crowley gets out a small alter like set up, with her picture next to a lit candle, and starts to chant a spell. Jodie in the meantime finds a hex bag in her purse before starting to gasp for air, spitting blood into the sink. In the middle of the spell, Crowley's phone rings.

"You have less than one minute before a very dear, attractive and slightly tipsy friend of yours snuffs it."

"Call it off Crowley." Dean states.

"Because?"

"Because it's over you son of a bitch, we want a deal."

"30 seconds."

"We stop the trials, you stop the killing."

"I want the demon tablet. The WHOLE demon tablet."

"Fine, but then the angel tablet comes to us."

"On what grounds?"

"On the grounds that you're a douchebag, and no douchbag should have that much power. Deal or not?"

"First, I need to hear two little words. I...surrender."

The next day, we planned to meet Kevin so we could get the other half of the demon tablet. We found him under a sign, digging. We got out, crossed the street and went over to him.

"You hid the demon tablet underneath the Devil? Seriously?"

"What? I was delirious."

After Kevin cleans off the half he hid, he grabbed the other half from his bag and reconnected, the tablet becoming one again.

"Sure this is gonna work?" He asks, handing the tablet over to Sam.

"What choice to do we have?"

"Yeah, I mean. I may not have met all the people they saved, but they're innocent people and I definitely don't want their deaths on my hands, especially the ones I helped save with them." I nod.

"Alright listen, this is a secret lair you understand me?" Dean says, taking the key to the lair out, handing it to Kevin. "No keggers."

"I don't have any friends."

"Yeah well, just lay low, who knows. You'll be a mathlete again before you know it."

"You guys? You're doing the right thing." He states before we walk back to the car.

Meanwhile with Cas and Metatron, they're sitting at a bus stop.

"What was he like?"

"Who? God? Pretty much like you'd expect. Larger than life, gruff, bit of a sexist, but fair. Eminently fair. The nephilim was a monster Castiel."

"And the next trial?"

"Across the street. His name is Dwight Charles. I've been listening in on the angel radio. Cupid frequency actually. He is the next on their list."

"Their list?"

"To do the horizontal mambo. Slap bellies. To find love."

"Oh, yes."

"Well, that. He's slotted to be dinged by Cupid's arrow within 24 hours, which is good for us, because the 2nd trial is retrieving Cupid's bow."

"No killing?"

"No killing."

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Since getting the demon tablet, we agreed on meeting Crowley in an abandoned junkyard. We pull up and he's not there...for now.

"Hello you three." Crowley suddenly appears.

"What's the old expression? Success has many fathers? Failure is a Winchester? Where's the stone?"

"You show us yours, we'll show you ours."

"Really Dean? I'm trying to conduct a professional negotiation here and you want to talk dangly bits? The stone."

Sam and I then step forward so we're standing right next to Dean.

"Whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa. Slowly."

Sam then takes out the tablet from inside his jacket.

"There she is." Crowley states, as Sam puts it away and he shows off the angel table inside his jacket.

"The contract?"

Crowley takes that out and unrolls it, and it stops right at our feet.

"Long enough contract? Damn."

"Yeah, I'm sure there's no hidden agendas in there." Dean says sarcastically.

"The highlights, we swap tablets, you stand down from the trials forever."

"You stop killing everyone we ever saved."

"Agreed."

Dean then takes out a pen and goes to sign, but Crowley pulls the contract back a bit.

"Ah ah ah. Nice try squirrel. Moose is doing these trials, Moose signs."

"He's not signing anything until I read the fine print."

"I can read it." Sam takes the pen from him.

"Hey you wanted us here, we're here. But I'll be damned if I'm gonna let him screw us even more."

"What's this? Trouble in paradise boys?"

Meanwhile in Heaven, Naomi is looking over some things in her office.

"What is it Nathaniel?"

"One of our freelancers has reached out to us. He's found Castiel."

"Where?"

"Drinking establishment in Houston, Texas. And..."

"What?"

"He says Castiel is not alone."

"Who is he with?"

"By the description....I think it was him. the scribe."

Back with us, Dean decided to look over the contract before Sam signed it.

"You're gonna move your lips the whole way up here aren't you? You know why I always defeat you? It's your humanity. It's a built in handicap. You always put emotion ahead of good old fashion common sense. Let's have the big galoot sign it shall we?"

After reading it, Sam walks over and nods, and with that, Dean cuffs Crowley. But there aren't just any handcuffs. they're handcuffs with spell symbols on them, he can't get away.

"Is this a joke? You realize all I have to is..." Crowley trails off and snaps his fingers, and nothing happens, I smirk.

"Ah ah ah, demonic handcuffs jackass. No flicking, no teleporting, no smoking out, oh and...no deal. Which pretty much means that you're our bitch."

"Fine, you want to play chain gang. Let's." Crowley says, punching Dean in the face.

"You settled yourself to the wrong bull mate."

Dean in retaliation, punches him as hard as he can, and takes the tablet from him.

"I can do this all day. 'Cause you know what? Damn it feels good. But sooner or later, you're gonna have to face it. You're ours. Which means your demon ass is going to be a mortal ass pretty damn quick."

"What's he mouthing on about?"

"You're the third trial Crowley."

"What are you reading?" Metatron asks Cas as they're sitting inside the diner.

"Personal advertisements. The faster that man finds love, the faster that Cupid will come. Trust me. I'm friends with friends who do this for a living."

"Help you Gents?"

"Yes. Would you say you're looking for a...partner in crime? Or a...someone who's into nurse roleplay and light domination?"

"Brother, it's 10am on a Tuesday."

"Uh...we'll have two drafts please."

"Coming up."

"You're not the most subtle tool in the shed are you?"

Just then Metatron is grabbed, angels appearing with Naomi.

"Kill him."

That's when the man who owns the place shoots one of the angels in the shoulder.

"Take it someplace else."

He's then grabbed and thrown into the bar.

"Let him go."

"Haven't you caused enough harm already Castiel?"

"Stop. Please Castiel, don't make this any worse. Please." And with that they're gone.

Meanwhile, we are taking Crowley to a church, still handcuffed and we set up the chains and consecrate the ground with the Devil's Trap.

"You really think this is gonna hold me? You're gonna cure me or whatever it is."

"That's right. And it will hold you. You're not going anywhere Crowley. Now sit here like a good little king of hell." I smirk, before following Dean out to the car where Sam is.

"He's primed. How're you feeling?"

"Honestly, the first time in a long time it feels like we're gonna win. I'm good."

"Alright well no dancing in the end zone until we're finished. What does the father's playbook say now?"

"Well, now that we've got the consecrated ground, kinda just uh...give Crowley one dose of blood every hour for 8 hours and seal the deal with a bloody fist sandwich. That should do it."

"The blood's supposed to be purified doesn't it? You ever uh...you ever done the forgive me father before?"

"Once when we were kids. Which is why I have no clue what to say now."

"I can give you suggestions if you want."

"Okay. Yeah, sure."

"Alright. I'm spit balling here, but if I were you, uh...Ruby, killing Lilith, letting Lucifer out, losing your soul, not looking for me when I went to Purgatory.."

"..thanks."

"..for starters. Hey, how about what you did to Penny Markle in the 6th grade. Why don't you lead with that."

"Well that was you."

"Carry on."

I snicker. "Do I want to know?"

"No."

"Alright then."

Sam then heads inside and goes into the confession box, to confess and purify his blood.

"Okay um...anybody's listening...here goes."

While Dean and I were getting things ready ourselves, that's when Cas appears.

"Dean, Brooke, I need your help."

"With what?" I ask.

"Little busy Cas, take a number." Dean adds.

"I'm afraid this can't wait. Naomi has taken Metatron."

"What?"

"And you know Metatron how?"

"I'm working with him on the angel trials."

"Angel trials?"

"The what?"

"We're gonna shut it all down. Heaven, Hell, all of it."

Metatron in the meantime has just woken up and Naomi is before him as he's locked in a chair.

"I know you."

"We've never officially met."

"Naomi. Your reputation perceives you. That archangels.."

"..wanted me to debrief you after God left."

"Debrief me. Is that what you call it?"

"Well how would you know? You ran before I had the chance. But, here we are. I just have one question before we begin. You had to know that we would leap at the chance to extract all of God's secrets from that head of yours. Which is why I ask myself, why? Why did the scribe suddenly come in from the shadows? And what're you doing with Castiel?"

"With the blessing set before you, make your choice and be content. Not a big reader are we?"

"Metatron? The guy who was full on crazy, cat lady hoarder, angel yesterday, now he wants to save Heaven?" Dean asks.

"I know, it sounds kind of odd to me." I nod.

"Yes he wants to. But I'm the only one who can. I can't fail you guys. Not on this one. I need your help."

"Look Cas, that's all well and good okay? But you're asking us to leave Sam, and we've got Crowley in there tied and tressed. Now if anyone needs a chaperone while doing the heavy lifting, it's Sam."

"You should go." Sam states and we turn around to face him. "Seriously."

"Oh what, and leave you here with the King of Hell? Come on."

"I got this. If you guys can lock the angels up too, that's a good day."

"Look, I....I'm down with sending the angels back to Heaven, just cause they're dicks. But the demons, this is on us. Start the injections now. If we're not back in 8 hours, finish it. No questions, no hesitation."

"Yeah."

Dean grabs the tablet and then Cas puts his hands on both of our shoulders and we disappear. Sam had closed the trunk of the Impala and went inside, preparing everything and then taking one needle dose of his blood out of his arm.

"You really think injecting me with human blood is gonna make me human? Did you read that on the back of a cereal box?" Crowley asks as Sam injects the first dose of his purified blood into him. "See you in an hour."

Cas had taken us to the lair where we brought the tablet for Kevin to decipher.

"Kevin? We have a task for you."

"We need you to decode this tablet. The angel tablet." I state, as Dean puts it on the table.

"Is this a joke?"

"No it's the word of God."

"It's a tablet. Translate. It's what you do."

"Okay...it's the angel tablet. Which I've never laid eyes on in my life. You want a translation in like 6 hours? When it took me 6 months and a dead mom to translate a piece of the demon tablet? According to your own words, this morning, this is not what I do. It's what I did. Told me I was out Dean."

"Yeah, well..."

"And if this gonna be, the guys like us are never out speech to save it."

"Dean's right..."

"Cas.."

"...there is no out. Only duty. You are a prophet of the lord. Always and forever. Until the day you cease to exist and then another prophet takes your place. Now, are you clear as to the task before you?"

He nods.

"Then do it. We must go." And with that we're gone again.

Meanwhile with Sam, he gets ready for the next dose of blood. And he injects Crowley with it, Crowley grabs his arm and bites him.

"What the hell Crowley?" He punches him. "Biting? Seriously?" He leaves to get it patched up.

Crowley spits the blood into his hand and starts to speak in Latin, the blood bubbling and moving around.

"For the love of everything, whoever is hearing this, if anyone is hearing this, this is your King. Send help immediately."

Dean, Cas and myself ended up at that diner that Cas was at with Metatron, only because Cas had to do the next trial and we were waiting on Cupid.

"Anything? You were gone long enough." Dean asks when Cas walks back in.

"No. There was one female but..."

"What?"

"...I don't think she was female. Anything here?"

"Free drinks. Your buddy over there thinks your saved his life."

"Really think it's wise to be drinking on the job?"

"What show have you been watching? Talk to us. You sure about this? I mean it's one thing being Sammy slamming the gates to the pit, but you...you're boarding up Heaven and you're locking the door behind you."

"Yeah. I know."

"You did a lot of damage up there man. You think they're just gonna let that slide?"

"You mean, do I think they'll kill me? Yeah, they might."

"So this is it. E.T. goes home."

Just then a woman walks in.

"Hey there, where's Ed?"

"Flu. I'm Gail."

"Well okay then."

"Showtime."

"Let me give you a hand."

"Thanks. You're a real gentleman."

"Oh god, this is like the first five minutes of every porno I've seen."

"Thanks."

"Gail, Rod."

"Ma'am."

"Rod rides a stool here most days."

"I'll be seeing you both. Thanks for the help."

"No problem."

Both men watch the TV screen and something just changes when they see the bow and arrow.

"Damn, that's sweet."

And then they look at each other with loving looks.

"How about the next one's on me?"

It's clearly nightfall and Sam is still working on Crowley with the injections.

"How we doing Moose? Ain't it about time for the next love injection. Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes, turn and face the strange ch-ch-changes. It's gonna have to be a different man. Time may change me, but I can't trace-" Crowley stops when the ground rumbles and then the devil's trap is broken. "Did you really think you could kidnap the King of Hell, and no one was gonna notice? Dumbnuts!"

And just then the doors burst open and it's Abadon who walks in.

"Hello boys."

"That's my line. Abadon, they told me you were dead."

"So not."

"And the rest of the cavalry?"

"Oh no, it's just little, old unkillable me."

Sam goes for his gun, but Abandon throws him against the wall.

"Brilliant. Why send in a few grunts when you can send in a knight? Say your prayers Moose." Crowley says and with that, Sam is flung out the window. "That'll do. Undo these, I'll kill him myself."

"That was an order...was it?"

"I am your King."

"About that..." She trails off, punching him.

In the meantime, we meet the woman out back, or well Cupid as I should say.

"Hello brother."

"Give us your bow."

"What?"

"Whoa whoa whoa, hey." Dean stops him from killing her. "Talk first, stab later."

"Do you know what I find the most shocking about time travelling through a closet and landing in the year 2013? Somebody thought it was a good idea to make you the King of Hell."

"You know what that boy's trying to do right? He's trying to shut the gates of hell."

"Right now, you and I are gonna talk about a regime change."

"You whore. I am your King!"

She just kicks him, which knocks him out for the time. When she turns around, she's splashed with holy water.

"Love the suit." Sam states, before dropping lit matches on her, as she goes up in flames, the demon leaving the body.

"I've been afraid to go home for some time now. Orders used to come once a day and now it's chaos. It all seems to be breaking down. You think you can fix that?" Cupid asks.

"With time, yes."

"Take it then." She says, showing the bow.

"You've been digging." Metatron states, his eye bloody, blood running down his face.

"Why are you doing this? THIS!"

"Do you have any idea what it would be like...to be plucked from obscurity. To sit at God's feet. To be asked to write down his word? The ache I felt when he was gone. Telling myself....father's left and look what he's left us. Paradise. Then you and your archangels couldn't leave well enough alone. You ran me from my home. Did you really think you could do all of that to me, and there'd be no payback?"

Naomi just shakes her head and she disappears. Sam in the meantime has put Crowley back in the chair, sitting upright.

"You did good back there Moose. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks."

"Hold on. What's that."

"That's what it looks like." Sam says, fixing the trap.

"Are you joking? I just saved your life."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Me seriously? We share a foxhole you and I. You're gonna do me like this?"

Sam then injects him with another dose.

"Band of brothers at the Pacific? None of this means anything to you? All those motels, you never once watched HBO? Not once? Girls. You're my Marnie, Moose. And Hannah, she just needs to be loved. She deserves it, don't we all? You, me, we deserved to be loved, I deserved to be loved! I just want to be loved."

"What?"

"What?"

Another house has passed and Sam readies the next injection of his blood.

"If it would be possible Moose, I'd like...to ask you a favor. Sam. Earlier when....you were confessing back there, what did you say? I only ask because...given...my history, it raises the question...where do I start...to even look...for...forgiveness in me?"

"How about we start with this?" Sam refers to the injection and Crowley willingly takes it.

Dean, Cas and myself were still out back of the diner and Kevin had called us to update us on the tablet translation.

"I think I found angel trials, but I don't see anything about a nephillum or a cupid's bow or anything like that."

"Oh come on Kev, we're on the one yard line here."

"And I should've mentioned this six months ago, but the sports metaphors...you want to motivate me? Magic cards, Skyrim, Aziz Ansari.”

"What? I don't know what those words mean."

"I'm not here to fight you Castiel."

That voice causes Dean and I to turn around to see Naomi.

"Dean?" Kevin says over the phone.

"Not anymore." Naomi states.

"Dean?"

"Where is Metatron?" Cas asks firmly.

"He told you he was going to fix Heaven didn't he? Murdering a nephillum, cutting of a Cupid's bow, it's a lie. All of it. I've been in his head."

"You've been in all of our heads, that's the problem."

"No Castiel, you're wrong."

"This is what you do. You twist things. I'm trying to fix Heaven. Metatron is trying to fix Heaven."

"Metatron isn't trying to fix anything. He's trying to break it. An act of revenge for driving him away."

"Break it how?"

"Dean..."

"Expel all angels from Heaven. Just as God cast out Lucifer."

"Cast you out? To where? Hell?"

"Here. Thousands of us walking the Earth."

"Lies." Cas states, heading to kill her, but Dean stops him.

"Wait."

"Our mission was to protect what God created. I don't know why we forgot that. I want nothing more than to see you shut the gates of Hell. But I told you that you could trust me. If Sam completes those trials, he is going to die."

"What?!" I exclaim.

"The hell are you talking about?"

"I saw it in Metatron's head. It was always God's intention. The ultimate sacrifice. As for you Castiel, I beg of you, stop this path. Metatron has been neutralized. If you want back in truly, I will listen." She finishes before disappearing.

"Hey, right now, talk to me. Is she lying?"

"I don't know."

"Well find out!"

"She's lying."

"Take us to him." Dean demands.

"Dean..."

"Take us to him now!"

Sam gets the book and starts the spell chanting, throws the book away and then cuts his hand. Cas got us there in time and we were rushing to the entrance to the church.

"Dean...Brooke, I'm wrong. I'm going to fix my home." Cas states, disappearing.

"Cas!"

"Dean don't worry about him, let's go...now!"

Sam's arms and hands are glowing and he's ready to cure Crowley, but before he can, we burst through the doors.

"Sammy stop!"

Cas goes back to Heaven and finds Naomi dead.

"She told you I lied didn't she?" Metatron appears and holds a knife to his throat. "You should've listened to the bitch."

"Sam don't do it. You've got to listen to us."

"Easy there. Just take it easy, we got a slight change of plan."

"What? What's going on? Where's Cas?"

"Metatron lied. You finish this trial, you're dead Sam."

"So?"

Metatron had locked Cas in the chair, since he really had no choice.

"You promised."

"Shhhhh. Castiel, I want you to stop thinking about master plans, Heaven and angels and all this. That doesn't concern you anymore." He states, cutting Cas' throat. "These were never trials Castiel. This is a spell. I'm taking from you now, your essence, your grace is the last piece." He adds, capturing Cas' grace in a vial and then healing the wound. "And now, something wonderful is gonna happen. For me and for you. I want you to live this new life to the fullest. Find a wife, make babies, and when you die and your soul comes to Heaven, find me. Tell me your story. Now go." He finishes, placing his hand on his forehead and a bright light fills the room.

"Look at him. Look at him. Look how close we are. Other people will die if I don't finish this!" Sam exclaims.

"Sam...."

"Think about it. Think about what we know huh? Holding souls from Hell, curing demons, hell...ganking a Hell Hound. We have enough knowledge on our side to turn the tide here. But we can't...hell I can't do it without you."

"You can barely do it with me. I mean, you think I screw up everything I try. You think I need a chaperone, remember?"

"Come on man, that's not what I meant."

"That's exactly what you meant. You want to know what I confessed in there? What my greatest sin was? It was how many times I let you down. I can't do that again."

"Sam..."

"What happens when you decide that I can't be trusted again? I mean, who are you gonna turn to next time instead of me? Another angel? Another...another vampire? Do you have any idea what it feels like to watch your brother-"

"Just hold on, hold on! You seriously think that? Because none of it...none of it is true. Listen man, I know we’ve had our disagreements. Hell, I know I’ve said some junk that sent you back on your heels. But Sammy, come on. I killed Benny to save you. I’m willing to let this bastard and all the sons of bitches that killed mom walk because of you. Don’t you dare think that there is anything, past or present, that I would put in front of you. It has never been like that, ever. I need you to see that. I'm begging you."

"How do I stop?"

"Just let it go."

"I can't. It's in me Dean, you don't know what it feels like."

"Hey.." Dean trails off, taking out a rag and wrapping it around the cut on Sam's hand. "...listen to me. We'll figure it out. Okay? Just like we always do. Come on. Let it go okay? Let it go brother." Dean adds, hugging him tight, and eventually the glowing goes from Sam's hands and arms.

"Hey.."

"..the glowing...it's gone." I state.

"See?"

And just then Sam goes down, groaning in agonizing pain.

"Sam?"

"Sam! What's wrong? Dean, we've got to get him outside."

"Help me." Dean states and we help bring Sam outside to the car.

"We've got you Sam."

"You're gonna be just fine little brother." Dean adds as we all fall to the ground by the car.

"Sam.."

"Dean, what's wrong? I thought we fixed it."

"I don't know. Sam! Cas! Castiel! The hell are you?"

Little did we know, Cas was in the middle of the woods, nowhere near us. Kevin was getting ready to leave the lair when everything started turning on. All the machines, everything. It then got very very windy as well.

"Sammy!"

Just then we hear these noises from the sky.

"What's that noise?"

Then we see lights in the sky, which turn to fireballs once they leave the clouds.

"No Cas..."

"Oh no..."

We watch as one falls and slams into the water nearby.

"What's happening?" Sam asks.

"Angels. They're falling."