Fallen Angels

So, all was quiet in the bunker, since Dean and Sam had a small fight. It was a little too quiet to be exact. Lights started flickering, there was whispering and voices. Dean was laying next to me on the bed listening to music, but I was awake reading a book and I started noticing the lights flickering and I heard the whispering. But before I could get Dean's attention, his eyes snapped open.

"Sam!"

"Dean?" He calls out, turning the lights on to see them flickering.

He got to our room to see us gone fro the bedroom.

"Dean? Brooke?"

He then goes out into the library, seeing a chair spinning around. He grabs one of the swords and gets ready to strike when he can as he walks through the library. He hears a whisper and turns around, seeing nothing. But little did he know, something was coming up behind him. He turns around just in time, but before he could swing at it, it was shot and disappeared for now, Dean and I being the ones who shot it.

"So..."

"Yep. Bunker's haunted."

With that being said, we began our day. We all got dressed and Sam and I were in the kitchen putting together salt rounds.

"I just find it weird how all of a sudden the bunker's haunted. I mean we've been here for how long? And we haven't had anything happen."

"Exactly. How is this possible? I thought you said this was the safest place on the planet." Dean remarks.

"Look, I know nothing got in. I mean, the bunker is warded and sigiled from top to bottom. There's no way something came in from the outside."

"Okay, so whoever's haunting us, died here."

"Makes sense." I nod.

"What, dead man of letters?"

"Possibly?"

"No, that doesn't track. I mean, we're the first people to occupy this place in 50 years. Why would a ghost wait so long to get its spook on?"

"Must've been a more recent death."

"No."

"What do you mean no?"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Cause you and I burned his body ourselves, okay? It's not him." He says about me and him.

"Okay, so you cremated him. We cremated Bobby too, and he came back."

"Guys, I'm telling you...this ghost, it's not Kevin."

Just then the coffee machine starts beeping at a rapid pace and the numbers on the clock start jumping around, then it just stops.

"Kevin?" Sam asks and a mug shatters.

"Ooh."

"I would say that it's Kevin."

"We commit her body to the ground, earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust, with a clear and certain hope of resurrection into the eternal life, according to the mighty working, whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself. In nomine patris, et filii, et spiritus sancti. Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for thou art with me, lord." A preacher speaks at a funeral, before one of the people standing around the grave walks away, only to be stopped by Castiel.

"What are you doing here?"

"Please, she was my friend!"

"Who? The dead human or the angel who was killed while possessing her?"

"The angel. Rebecca?"

"Rebecca had a lot of friends. Friends like Metatron. Where is he?!"

"You're looking in the wrong place. Rebecca and Metatron were friends. That was a long time ago. Had no contact since the fall. Naomi, Metatron, heavenly battles, politics...she gave it up. All of it. Rebecca taught us the angels have lost touch with our true mission."

"What do you mean by 'us'?"

"The penitents. Her followers."

"Another faction."

"Not like the others. We don't make war. We live humbly among these humans. Or we did. He killed all the others. And he killed her."

"Who did?"

"Who else? The monster. Bartholomew."

In the meantime, we've since unplugged the coffee machine to see if Kevin would get through to us through that. Sam and I were sitting in the kitchen, just staring at the thing to see if it would start going off again. But nothing really happened.

"Anything?" Dean asks, coming back in.

"Eh, a couple of dings. A little EMF activity, but mostly...silence."

"So, he's back in the veil."

"I guess so. Fumbling to break through. I mean, you got to figure it took Bobby months to make contact."

"Kevin's only...he's new at this."

"Right. Alright, you're up."

"I'll stay here, it's fine. Got nothing better to do anyway." I remark as Sam's the only one to leave the kitchen. "Want anything to drink?" I ask Dean as he sits and I stand.

"Nah, I'm good." He says as he turns the coffee machine towards him and stares at it. "Kevin? Kevin. Alright, I can't do this. Coffee-buzzing, bump-in-the-night crap. I got serious things to say to you, okay? And I'm not gonna say them to this. Kevin, I'm sorry. You did not choose this life. You busted your ass, you lost everything, everyone you've loved...and your reward? Getting killed...on my watch. If I...it was on me. It was my fault, and...and there's nothing I can do to make that right. I am so sorry."

"Uh Dean?"

"Hey, did you see that?" Sam asks, coming back.

"I did. The lights flickered."

Just then we see something forming, and then we hear Kevin's voice.

"No, this is not happening. Didn't spend months struggling to break through the veil just to get stuck listening to Dean Winchester having a self-pity session. Didn't hear enough of those when I was alive."

"Kevin?"

"You can see me?"

"Hey, take it easy Kevin. You might not hold this form for too long okay? I-it takes a while."

"Then we should talk fast."

"Wait, wait, wait. Why aren't you in...in Heaven? I mean, if anybody deserves an express pass to paradise..."

"I couldn't. I can't. No one can. Heaven's closed for business. Everyone who's died since the angels fell are just stuck inside the veil, waiting. And it's bad in here. Like DMV-ling-times-infinity bad."

"Well, I mean, what can we do?"

"I need a favor...big one."

"Okay."

"What's the favor?" I ask.

"Find my mother."

"Kevin."

"Crowley only told you she was alive to mess with you."

"I'm not going off his word. Alright? I have my own sources. It's crowded in the veil. All of us stuck near the sites of our deaths. But I've been able to pass messages spirit to spirit. I made contact with another new arrival. She said she saw my mom just a week ago, alive."

"Okay, this...this spirit that you're playing ghost telephone with, I mean, what do you even know about her?"

"Her name's Candy. Says she's in a forest in Wichita."

"Candy?"

"That's...that's it? That's all you got?"

"Long distance communication within the veil...it's not ideal. That's why I need you to go there, summon her, see what else she knows. You say you want to make it right? This is how." Kevin states before he disappears.

Cas in the meantime is walking through the graveyard, until he's stopped by two other angels with blades of their own.

"Where did your friend go in such a hurry?"

"You're too late. He's gone."

"Castiel?"

"Our boss has been looking for you."

Wichita, Kansas

The three of us left the bunker with some supplies that would get us through the night until we could contact Candy. We found the forest and parked, walking into it.

"Alright, that's the trestle. Candy said her spirit was stuck nearby."

"She died here?"

"Yeah."

"Dude, what got her? A bear?"

"I'm still stuck on the fact that we're trying to summon a ghost named Candy. You know, just 'cause Kevin said he heard his mom is alive, doesn't mean she..."

"Hey, we at least owe it to the kid to try, right?"

"What'd you bring?" Sam asks.

"Well, she's only been dead a week, right? So I figured we could use as much help as she can get, so..." Dean trails of, pulling out the coffee machine from the bunker.

"Really?"

"Whatever works."

"How much longer?" Cas asks.

"You have someplace to be?"

"His blade. Standard security protocol. Can't be too careful theses days."

"Hello, Bartholomew."

"Castiel." He says, hugging him. "It has been too long."

Night soon came for us in the forest, and it just got colder.

"You feel that? I think I felt a chill."

"Yeah. It's 'cause it's cold. Crowley , it's Dean. Call me when you get this."

"Really Dean?"

"What?"

"That's your third unanswered voicemail. You ever think maybe he's just not that into you?"

"Well, he is our last confirmed link to Ms. Tran. Yes, he is a flaming douche, but at least we know he's real, which is more than we can say for this Candy no-show."

Just then we hear the radio that Dean hung up on a tree trunk, start to tune and turn on.

"Candy? Are..are you there? Is that you, Candy?"

"Hello? Hello?"

"Madness, wasn't it? A puny force of 20 behind enemy lines, launching an incursion against Raphael and his loyalists."

"It was a calculated risk."

"I thought you'd gone insane, and I questioned your leadership, second-guessed every step of the campaign. But you were my commander. I held my tongue. I followed orders. Raphael fled. Most of his loyalists, dead or captured. Your gambit paid off. You...won."

"We won."

"Word of your victory spread. You got called back to the garrison, you became the great Castiel...while I stayed behind, just a grunt."

"You gained a reputation for yourself, as well. The captives I left in your care, you tortured and killed them."

"I was ordered to kill those captives. You've been flying solo for so long, you've forgotten that's what angels do. We follow orders."

"Not you though. Not anymore."

"That's right. I give them."

"At home and...something hit me..."

"There. There. There. Stop. Stop. Stop. Candy?"

"....in the box. They put me in the box. All of us in boxes, side by side. Me, Jerome, Linda."

"Linda's..."

"Ms. Tran. Candy, these boxes, where were they?"

"I don't know. They were cold. Dark. there...there was a vent. We could talk to one another."

"What about the walls? Can you describe them?" I ask.

"Bare. Cement. except for the door. That was...metal, but...like ridged."

"Ridged? You mean like corrugated?"

"Yeah! I tried to life the door, but I couldn't. Locked from the outside."

"Like a storage unit."

"Maybe. Candy, who was holding you there?"

"Two men. It was so dark in the box. When they came, I could barely see. The...the first guy was British, I think. Kind of short, loved hearing himself talk."

"Crowley. And what do they want?"

"Said I was worth more alive than dead. But he stopped coming. Then it was just the other guy. We thought with just him...we'd try to escape. I ran so hard, so far, but..."

"Candy?"

"Candy are you still there?"

"Candy, are you there? What about Ms. Tran? Candy?"

"I don't know. Maybe she survived."

"Maybe? That's not what you told her son."

"I said she was alive. I don't know what happened after. For her sake, I hope she's dead."

And in that very storage unit, she was alive, when the guy came for her. And of course after talking with Candy, we made our way back on the road in search for nearby storage facilities.

"Okay, there are three storage facilities nearby. The closest one is about a mile up the road. Oh, and I, uh...I dug up some stuff on Candy. Turns out she was the kept woman of a powerful congressman. Gossip blog said he worshiped the ground she walked on, literally. He, uh..foot fetish."

"So, Crowley was holding the beloved tootsies of a powerful politician?"

"And the beloved mother of a powerful prophet."

"Ms. Tran."

"Human leverage. But why kill Candy?"

"Well, you heard her. Uh, she tried to make a break for it. Maybe Crowley wanted to make an example."

"But Crowley stopped coming back, remember?"

"Exactly. He wanted the victims alive."

"So, what, you want to give him a medal? I mean, Crowley's the one who put them in the cells in the first place."

"Yeah, I know. I'm just talking it out. You know, working the case. Businesslike."

"Realizing they were more trouble than they were worth, we purged our human allies, then commandeered Boyle Ministries, Inc for our own use."

"Buddy Boyle. So, you killed him."

"No. We made him and his colleagues vessels. At least those who didn't go 'pop'. You nervous Castiel?"

"Your followers want me dead. I'm not entirely certain you don't too."

"If I wanted you dead, you'd be dead."

"So, we're friends here?"

"Yes."

"And I'm free to go?"

"Of course. Though, I don't know why you would. What's out there for you Castiel? What do you really expect to accomplish on your own? You'll never find Metatron that way."

"How'd you know about Metatron?"

"I figured that's why you were pursuing Rebecca, engaging with her follower. We have different methods Cas, but we want the same thing...to find Metatron and restore our kind to Heaven."

"Then why kill Rebecca and her followers? They're no threat to you."

"Perhaps, but better to nip a fledgling faction in the bud, than let it grow into a bigger threat down the road. A drop of blood to save a gallon."

"I don't agree."

"I'm not asking you to. I will outrace Malachi in the hunt for Metatron, and I will certainly outrace you on your own. But if you can set aside your qualms about methods for one second, there's no reason the two of us can't take him down. Together."

"Let me guess...5'5'', pasty white, black rimmed hipster glasses just like the last place." Dean says as we walk into another storage facility, ringing the front desk bell. "Nailed it."

"Can I help you?"

"Yeah, hi. Agent Nicks, McVie and Garrison. Need to take a look at your, uh, rental records."

"Uh, my manager's not here. I really don't think I should..."

"Hey! The records, pal."

"Yeah. Bring out the rental binder! There you go sir."

"Hey." Sam gets our attention at the board of where all the storage units are located. "Okay, check it out. Corridor 'Q'. Three adjacent unites separate from the others. I mean, Candy said there were three hostages right?"

"Yeah. Okay. It's all leased by the same guy...a D. Webster."

"D. Webster? Wait. As in, like, Daniel Webster?"

"Well, I know a lame Crowley in-joke when I see one."

"You guys say 'D. Webster'?"

"Yeah. Yeah, you...you seen him?"

"Uh, no, just...I know his name from the records. He's leasing another unit on the other side of the facility. I could show you."

"Yeah. That'd be great. Alright, why don't you two take corridor 'Q'? I'll go with, uh, Del the funky homosapien.

Just to make sure we're not suspicious, we wait until it's all clear to check out the corridor, Dean heading with Del to the storage unit.

"Hmm."

Sam and I finally get to the corridor and find the units and find a lock, Sam picks it and the door opens, we hear screaming from inside.

"Ms. Tran! Ms. Tran! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey, it's us. It's Sam and Brooke. It's us. Oh my gosh." He says as he takes the rag out of her mouth.

"Sam? Brooke? We have to get out of here before it comes back. Is Kevin with you?"

And just then, the door closes by itself. I try and get it open, but it's no use. That's when Sam spots a camera on the ceiling and gets my attention.

"You sure this is the one leased by Webster?" Dean asks Del.

"Yeah, this is it."

That's when Dean notices a box that does not have the name Webster on it at all.

"This isn't Crowley's unit."

When he turns around, he's hit and knocked out by Del.

"What are these locations?" Cas asks as he sees a map and camera pictures.

"Sighting of Metatron."

"He's been on Earth?"

"Three times we know of so far. That's the benefit of a massive ground operation. Eyes an ears everywhere. It's only a matter of time before we get an active location."

"Why wait? With this kind of information, I'd lure him out."

"I knew you'd be an asset. No one's as motivated as you to take him down. I've had my hands so full with the factions, it's distracted me from the real goal. But with you by my side...the new boss and the ultimate rebel working together...think of the message that would send to would-be dissidents. They'd finally understand that resistance if futile. Think of the bloodshed we could avert...what a united angelkind could accomplish in Heaven...elsewhere."

And then the two guys who captured Cas, bring in the guy he was talking to earlier, Rebecca's follower.

"Bart, what are you doing?"

"What need to be done. I'm gonna torture the rebel, find out what he knows, then kill him. And you're going to help."

"Here we go. Alright." Sam says as he gets Ms. Tran free.

"Do you know how we can get out of here Ms. Tran?" I ask.

"There's a...there's an electrical line, leads to the control panel.

"Here, hold the flashlight." Sam says as he hands it to me as he opens the control panel.

"Okay, this might take a while."

Ms. Tran just looks at him, taking the tool he had in his hand.

"We have to unplug the ground wire first. If this is standard U.S. color coding, it should be the green one."

"Okay."

"Helping Kevin with his engineering-club assignments, I picked up a thing or two. I'm sure he insisted, but I trust you weren't foolish enough to bring Kevin along on this mission. That you left him someplace safe?"

"Of course."

"Good. Now all we have to do is get this door open, get the hell out of here, and you will bring me to my son."

That causes Sam and I to look at each other, Sam taking her hand and stopping here for a minute.

"Ms. Tran..." I trail off, and she looks at both of us, wanting to cry but doesn't.

"You will take me to my son. Flashlight. Flashlight!"

Dean on the otherhand was just starting to come to in the storage unit that Del had knocked him out in.

"'Trust me,' he says. 'You definitely want to be a part of this...a chance to get in on the ground floor of my operation, a real learning experience. Consider it a stepping stone, my lad...like an internship.' Should've known. Internships suck."

"So you're the one. You're the one who Crowley left in charge."

"Yeah. What a privilege. Feeding the apes, hosing the floors, washing out the honey buckets, and for zero credit. The boss, M.I.A. Too important to show for work, to even return my calls. And you know the worst part? I wasn't even allowed to kill anyone. I was told to protect them. I mean, how sick is that? Am I not a young, vital demon with basic demon needs and rights? And when I call Crowley to inform him that I've single-handedly caught the Winchesters and the girl with them, if he even answers my call, think I'll get a thank you? Ha!"

"Yeah, you're right kid. He won't give you credit. If anything, he'll be pissed."

"What?"

"Well, me and Crowley, we're...we're tight now. Thick as thieves. Saw him just last month. We, uh, had a grand ol' time."

"So that's where he's been. Out partying with humans, with hunters?! While I languish here in this go-nowhere, no-kill joke of a job."

"'Partying' is a bit of an exaggeration."

"This job blows!" He exclaims, ripping off the nametag and tossing it on the ground. "I quit."

"Tell me where they are." Bartholomew asks the rebel as he tortures him.

"I told you. They're dead. I'm the last."

"Can't you see he's telling the truth? He's done."

"Yes, I believe he is." Bartholomew says, handing the blade for Cas "

"Now finish him off."

"Bartholomew, it doesn't need to be like this."

"Castiel, get your head out of the sand. Do you know why they brought you back from the battlefield? The truth?"

"Yes, I know the truth."

"Our leaders wanted those captives killed, and they knew you'd stand in the way of their order. Said you didn't have it in you. That you couldn't do what needed to be done. But I know different. I know you've changed."

"I'm not a murderer."

"You weren't. Not then. But since then, you've slaughtered thousands of angels. You killed Malachi's man for his grace."

"Who I was, what I did, that's not who I am."

"No? Then who are you? I want to work with you Castiel, but I need proof. They need proof that they were wrong. That you can do what has to be done. This has to be done."

"I was never free to leave. My only choice was to obey or be killed. Well, I choose." Cas says, handing the blade back to Bart.

"I am truly sorry to hear that." Bart says before killing the rebel himself.

"No!"

"Do you know how long it's been since I've done this?" Del asks Dean as he makes a slice mark on his neck. "I thank you for reminding me what I truly am." He adds, going to kill Dean, but the door opens and in we walk and Dean kicks Del in the leg. Sam gets into it with Del and I rush over and help get Dean free.

"Dean are you okay?"

"Yeah, just get me free."

"As your refusal makes perfectly clear, you always thought you were better than me. Shall we put your superiority to the test once and for all?" Bartholomew asks before punching Cas in the face.

"No." Cas state, being punched again. "Angels fighting angels has to stop somewhere. Might as well stop with me."

"Fine." Bart says, grabbing the blade, only for Cas to stop him from killing him. "Stand down!" He exclaims to his followers. "This is between me and the rebel."

Cas gets the better of him, holding the blade to his neck.

"To the victor. Do it."

"No." Cas states, shoving Bart to the ground.

"What are you now? A penitent?"

"I am nothing."

"You never did understand, Castiel. There can be no peace without bloodshed."

Cas drops the blade in his hand, but Bart had one hidden away in his coat. Cas stops him and ends up killing him in the end.

"Let me pass."

"Do it. Kill me." Del says as we've tied him up in the handcuffs from the bunker.

"No, we're saving you for someone else."

"Crowley."

"No, not Crowley unfortunately."

"Much worse."

Then Ms. Tran comes into the storage unit.

"Do the honors, Ms. Tran."

"With pleasure."

"Hey, lady. I swear. I was just following ord..."

That's the last thing he says before she kills him and sends him back to hell, before handing the knife back to Dean.

"Take me to my son." She states, walking out.

We follow behind her and head back to the bunker, but not before stopping somewhere so she could clean up and everything. The next day we got back to the bunker after driving all night.

"Kevin?"

"You here?"

"Kev?"

"Well?" He asks.

"We got her."

"She's alive."

"And she's here."

"But we wanted to give you a moment to...you know, process."

"Oh. I uh...does she know?"

"She does." I nod.

"Kevin? Hello son." She says, on the verge of crying, and the three of us leave the room so they can have their moment.

"Hey mom."

"Oh."

Sam and I stayed and talked with Kevin while Dean took Ms. Tran to Kevin's things, finding what he could be attached to in order to be in the bunker still.

"So, this is uh...this is all of it. You know, hunter's tools...notebooks, papers, pencils, P.S.A.T results. Perfect score. Way to go kid."

"This. This is it. His father's. Mr. Tran died when Kevin was a baby. It's the only piece of his father Kevin ever had. If Kevin's s..spirit is bound to some object here...this is it."

"Listen, Ms. Tran. There's a lot what we don't know about this Heaven situation. There are risks to taking Kevin home with you. Now, spirits, the longer that they're in the veil, they have a way of...well, it doesn't end up well."

"He's my son. It's my job to keep him safe for as long as I can."

"Sorry I created this chaos. Sorry I couldn't do more to fix it. You may have lost the war, Rebecca, but you tried a new way. You have my respect for that." Cas says at the grave of the human that was being possessed by her, before a hand appears on his shoulder, one of Bartholomew's followers.

"I don't want to fight. But if I have to, I will."

"I didn't come to fight. When I fell, I thought I had no choice, but yesterday you've showed me that there is a choice. And I choose you."

"I'm sorry. I'm no leader."

"Yes, you are. If you will have me Castiel, I will follow you. And I am not the only one." He states, as two more show up.

"She was held and tortured for a year because of me. Now that I found her, I'm not letting her out of my sight. She's my responsibility."

"And you were ours. And we failed you. I..."

"Sam. I know that wasn't you. Go put a blade in that asshat who possessed you and we'll call it square. Guys. Thank you."

"You can thank us when we get you to Heaven where you belong. Okay, until then, enjoy your time with your mom. The uh, uninterrupted, 24/7, no-escape quality time."

"Dick." Kevin says jokingly. "Hey, before I go...will you guys promise me something?"

"Yeah. Anything."

"Can you and Sam...get over it? Dudes, just 'cause you couldn't see me, doesn't mean I couldn't see you. The drama, the fighting...it's stupid. And I can tell it's making Brooke upset. My mom's taking home a ghost. You three...you're all still here."

"Of course. Promise."

"Yeah."

"Good."

We watch as he leaves with his mother, disappearing through the door.

"Well, that was..." Dean starts to say, watching Sam walk off. "Yeah, okay."

Sam hesitates, but he goes into his room. Dean and I go into ours. He puts headphones on and plays his music again, not saying a thing.