Fallen Angels

Two priests are currently walking through the yard of their church at night, talking with one another.

"Well Senior Cassidy will join us for dinner on Saturday. And mass of course. He can be a pain, so let's have everybody on their toes." The older father starts to explain, before they come face to face with a group of angels.

"Gentlemen, we're looking for a man we may believe you know. His name is Castiel."

Castiel however is in a shelter, cleaning up and brushing his teeth, but ends up eating the toothpaste instead.

"Hey Clarence. How much longer are you gonna be with us?"

"I'll be moving on tonight after work. It's time. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Do you ever tire of urinating? I'll never get used to it."

After that routine, he ends up going to work, which is just picking up trash and helping out clean the church grounds. That's when he notices some blood on a stone. He follows the blood and it's all over a headstone and he looks up to see the two priests impaled, with no eyes.

Currently with us however, Dean was up before everyone else and had got some coffee. I had awakened a little bit after that, after just hearing him call for Sam. I groan as I pull myself out of bed and find my clothes which were scattered all over the room from Dean and I's activities last night. After pulling them on, I grab a robe and pull that on as well before heading out. Just as I reached Dean, the door to the bunker had opened and Sam had walked in.

"Hey, morning." He greets us as he comes down the stairs.

"You've been outside already?" Dean asks, checking his watch.

"Yeah. Woke up, went for a run..beautiful sunrise. Anyways, cleaned up, went and got breakfast. Grabbed you real bacon and eggs, extra grease, not even gonna argue."

"Mmm..perfect."

"And for you, got your favorite of course." Sam says, placing another container down on the table.

"You're the best Sam." I grin as I sit as well to eat my food that he got me.

"Wait, you went running?" Dean asks him.

"What? Why do you look so worried?"

"Let's see, there's Cas who I told to haul ass here days ago, he's still out there. Um..there's you.."

"Me? I feel great."

"I'm sure you do. But Sam, you went through the trials. That put a big strain on you. I just think it's better if you took it easy you know and didn't act like you were-"

"-possessed by an angel. And he does feel better. A working progress of course, but I am slowly healing him."

"Well good morning to you too Zeke."

"That's great. Um...but..Zeke.."

"I have news. I've picked up chatter among the angels. Not all are wandering around in confusion."

"Yeah, some of them are after Cas."

"There is a faction that is rapidly organizing. And finding human vessels to contain them."

"Led by Naomi?"

"I'm not heard that name, no. But it is this faction's leadership who want Castiel found. You see, Dean, I can be useful."

"So can my brother. So, why don't you go check your e-mail, and if I need your help, I'll let you know."

"Dean..."

"I said I'll let you know."

"I mean, you know, Cas is human now. It's gonna take him a lot longer to travel."

"I'm gonna get whiplash."

"What?"

"Nothing, um...alright, so I was thinking that if the angels are organizing, then that makes them a lot more dangerous than we thought."

"Why do you think they're organizing?"

"It makes sense. My point is, is that the more of them that are after Cas, the worse it is, so...we got to find him."

Meanwhile in a pharmacy, one of the workers there was watching something on his phone, and it was some religious thing or another. But it's not just him, there are others as well.

"Folks, like I've been telling you, we're in that most sacred of times. A legion of angels reaches out for us. Can you feel their divine presence? And if you do, there's nothing to fear. Heck no. If the angels come a-knocking, you just let 'em on in and fill yourself up with their grace. This is the reverend Buddy Boyle in the 'Goin For Glory Hour' wishing you a most blessed day. Amen."

"And we're clear."

"Beautiful Buddy. One of your best."

"Oh, well that is high praise sir. Seeing as how you're an emissary of the man upstairs himself. Thank you Bart."

"It's Bartholomew. And I have to say, God has personally assured me that he is highly pleased with your work. He prepareth a special reward for helping him populate a true Heaven on Earth."

"Well between you and me, it's practically reward enough being one of the few humans of all time to get orders from an actual angel. But if he prepareth, I am honored."

"Terrific."

"Sir? I'm ready."

"Oh?"

"Let me be a vessel for the divine. I give myself over to you."

"Oh. Hallelujah."

"Yes. Well...if you're certain."

Just then the room fills with light as it comes in through the stained glass windows. The angel enters the girl's body, and all seems alright at first, until the skin starts to turn red and bleed. It's become too much and she explodes, initially dying.

"Bart! What the hell?"

"Buddy...the simple truth is not all who are willing are designed to contain Heaven's grace. We have to expect a casualty now and then. It's a small price to pay when you think about it."

"Like the lamb of the sacrifice."

"Sure."

After eating breakfast, Dean and I had gotten dressed for the day, and Dean started to try and locate Cas.

"Alright, so this is where Cas called from on Tuesday. Longmont, Colorado. Each circle is how far he might have gotten in one, two, and three days out."

"Okay. Here we go. The same day he called from Longmont, weird murder, same town. Cops said it was like the girl was blasted from the inside out."

"Angel kill. They might have just missed Cas. Unless they got him."

"You got an Emory Part, Iowa?"

"Emory Park, Emory Park. I just saw that. Yeah, a couple days outside of Longmont."

"Okay, because two priests were murdered there Thursday. Eyes blown out, evidence of torture, they were impaled on posts."

"Torture?"

"Yeah."

"Angels are looking for info."

"About Cas." I add.

"Man, if they get to him before we do..."

"Yeah."

Cas in the meantime was with a bunch of homeless people, standing around a fire and eating food out of cans.

"Thank you. I was so hungry. Very kind of you to share."

"It's okay."

"You know, I'm finding that often, people with the least to give are the most generous. Anyway...I've got to plan better. I ran out of food very quickly today."

"You're new at this aren't you?"

"Food. Sleep or passing gas, it's all very strange. And it's occurred to me that one day I'm gonna die. Well...I better try falling asleep. It's quite a process isn't it?"

"Try counting sheep."

"Thanks once again."

Cas walks off to this broken down bus, and finds a seat and tries to fall asleep.

"What sheep?" He asks himself.

He does manage to fall asleep eventually, but someone was watching him and everyone was gone outside. Cas gets up and starts to explore the bus, angel blade in hand. When he turns back around, there's the pharmacist, clearly possessed by an angel and he goes after Cas.

"You're human?" He asks before Cas stabs him, killing him.

The next day however, the three of us go investigating the murder of the two priests, I was with Sam while Dean got led into the graveyard where the priests were found, by someone who worked with Cas.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think I know this guy you're talking about. Sounds like Clarence."

"Clarence?"

"The church, it runs a shelter in town, and we work here. We earn our keep. Clarence spent a couple nights, and then had to move on."

"And he left the day the bodies were found?"

"Matter of fact. Oh man, those poor guys were a mess. They must've suffered bad. But at least now they're with the angels."

"I sure as hell hope not. Clarence happen to mention where he was headed?"

"No. He just said he always had to keep going."

Dean nods and gets a few more questions before he comes back to the car where Sam and I were, with Sam typing away on the laptop.

"So what'd you find out?" I ask.

"Well, he's definitely been here. Good news is, he's getting cagey. He's using a fake name, Clarence."

"That's what Meg used to call him. Of course, he doesn't get that's the name of a pretty famous angel."

"What?"

"Seriously?"

"It's A Wonderful Life."

"Ohhhhh." I remark.

But Dean still doesn't get it.

"Dude, seriously?"

"What'd you come up with?"

"Another angel kill. Outside a town called Lafayette. About a day's travel east of here."

"Where's that, Indiana?"

"Yeah. Body was found in a homeless camp, inside barbecued, the whole nine."

"Homeless guy?"

"No, a pharmacist from Dayton."

"Huh." Dean says as he starts the car and we start on our day's trip to Lafayette.

Cas however was on the move again, walking through a busy town. He pulls out some money and walks into a tattoo parlor, handing the picture of what he wanted to the artist before sitting and waiting.

"Reverend Boyle's influence is astonishing."

"I'll never understand these people."

"Our fallen brothers and sisters are finding vessels faster than we'd even hoped."

"They better. And then they need to help us find Castiel. You know, the one you let slip through your fingers."

"Our Dayton operative is tracking him."

"Good. Because frankly, you're hanging by a thread."

Then there's a knock on the door and another angel appears in the doorway.

"What?"

"Our operative did manage to find Castiel, but Castiel was somehow able to kill him."

"What?"

"He's a madman sir, and very dangerous."

"No, I'm very dangerous. Now you will find this madman, and you will destroy him. Do you understand?"

"That may not be possible sir."

"I'm getting a little tired of you."

"Castiel has vanished. We're unable to track him, he must've found a way to ward himself against us."

After getting the tattoo he does some more walking around the city, becoming aware of his surroundings, feeling out of place really. He then finds a church and heads inside, sitting in one of the pews, and another woman was there praying.

"Please lord. Mike is such a good man. Please send your angels to heal him. Thank you for hearing me. Amen."

"Mike is your husband?"

"He's very sick."

"Yes. Humans, so fragile. I never...never realized how fragile until recently."

"I guess that's why we pray. When you get dealt such a bad hand sometimes, you need something stronger than yourself."

"That's a wonderful idea, but..."

"What?"

"...what if you were to find out, that no one is listening? That god had pretty much left, that Heaven had gone out of business? What would you do?"

"But that's not possible."

"I think it's completely possible."

"You're missing the point. It's not possible because I have my faith."

"But when I tell you the truth-"

"-your truth, not mine. Your lack of faith doesn't cancel what I believe. That's not how it works. You know...I think you might feel better if you tried it my way. Someone is listening."

"The issue is, he somehow managed to ward himself against us. Our ability to track him has been jammed. Which brings us to you."

"My kind, we always get what we're looking for chief."

"Yes, reapers. But some of you have taken your skill set to a whole new level."

"That's the rumor."

"And are willing to freelance. For a price. That's the rumor."

"Jump start me. How do I start looking for this...Castiel?"

"I got one word for you. Winchester."

Dean, Sam and myself did some more poking around and went to the police station to get some information on the pharmacist that died.

"The damnedest thing I ever saw. Vic had a stab wound, but it's not what killed him. It's like his insides were..."

"..vaporized? It's been going around."

"So, this guy was a pharmacist from Ohio?"

"Apparently. Total family man, religious, one day just hops in the SUV and takes off, dies under a bridge here from god knows what. This is his stuff. Help yourselves."

"Thanks."

"Anything?" Sam asks as he starts going through the phone in the evidence.

"Nothing weird. Crappy music, a lot of podcasts, all the same one. Reverend Buddy Boyle's 'Going For Glory Hour'."

"Cop said he was religious."

"Let's just check it out then huh?" I suggest.

"Join me in a heapin' helpin' of glory friends. When you're in the presence of the divine, you'll know it. And if you let yourself, you'll hear it.

Dean just looks at us and fast forwards a bit.

So, remember, when angels come a-knocking, let 'em on in."

"Angels can't possess a human without permission right?"

"Yep."

"So he's basically telling people who watch this to let themselves be vessels for the angels." I continue.

"It's a willing audience. They're all religious types like our pharmacist here. Buddy Boyle was telling them to let the angels take them over."

"Like body snatchers."

"How big a reach does this Boyle guy have?"

"Pretty much the entire planet." Sam says after doing a search on the computer.

"Great...and now we have a bigger problem." I sigh, before we leave the station.

Cas, with being on the run now from the angels, is in an alleyway, looking for food in dumpster, when he notices that some food is getting thrown out from a restaurant. After the busboy leaves and goes inside, he goes over to the trash cans and digs out a pickle and sniffs it, before dropping it back into the can and turns around to see a woman.

"I'm not stealing."

"And I'm not a cop."

"It's a shame, isn't it? So much is wasted when there's so many hungry. I never knew."

"Peanut butter and jelly?" The woman asks, taking out a sandwich, approaching him. "It's pretty good."

"No, I can't take your food."

"You're not. I'm giving it to you. Look, I've had hard times myself." She says before walking away.

"Thank you."

"Yeah." She nods, heading into her apartment.

"Look, for the billionth time, we're just looking for some information okay? We're not cops. I mean, do we look like cops?" Dean says as we've since decided to approach the homeless group, to see if they've seen Cas.

"Yes."

"Well, we're not cops. We just need to find a friend who's in it deep."

"Look, he might have been here the night that guy was killed. Uh..were any of you here then?"

"Maybe."

"Ok, okay. Uh, he's got dark hair, blue eyes, a little out of it."

"He maybe called himself Clarence?"

"Clarence, yeah."

"You've talked to him?" I ask.

"No, not really. We didn't really talk much."

"And uh...?"

"I think he was on the run."

"On the run huh?"

"You see him with the vic? Uh, victim?"

"No."

"Okay."

"He went off to sleep in another part of the resort."

"Where?"

"He's not there now."

"Where'd he go?"

"I saw him running from under the bridge to the highway."

"You gonna pay us for all this teeth pulling? Where was he headed?"

"He flagged a truck heading north. Detroit, probably."

"Detroit?"

"Why Detroit?"

"Truck was marked 'Motor City Meats'."

Wherever Cas was, it ended up raining, down pouring actually. He pulled the hood over his head as he tried to shelter himself from the rain. The woman from earlier comes out from her apartment and notices him sitting there, allowing him to come inside.

"Wow, it's beautiful."

"If you say so. Uh, just so you know, I don't usually bring home strange men."

"Am I strange?"

"No, I mean...men I don't know. But you look like you've been to Hell and back."

"Yeah, a few times."

"April, by the way. April Kelly."

"Um, Castiel."

"One name?"

"Yeah, like God."

"Or Cher?" She laughs a bit. "Uh, not to raise any red flags, but do you know your shirt's soaked in blood?"

As we search for Cas and where he could be, we stop at a little store for some snacks and such for the road. Dean had to get pie of course.

"Look at these chemicals. Do you even read the label?" Sam asks amusedly.

"No. I read 'pie'. The rest is just blah, blah, blah. Listen, when we hit Detroit, we start with the homeless shelters."

"Right, then go to the encampments, soup kitchens."

"Check out places that he might have gone looking for work."

"Yeah, and I can...I can check for vagrancy arrests."

"Yeah and, you know...odd deaths."

"I've got that one." I nod as we turn the corner. "Guys?" I say quietly.

"What is it Brooke?"

"Someone's following us. I just have that feeling you know?"

"Right...hide." Dean says and we do so.

Behold, someone does come into the alleyway we turned down and I come out from the shadows and grab him, pushing him against the fence. Dean and Sam come and hold knives to his neck.

"Who are you?!"

"Why are you trailing us?"

"You call this rag a bandage?" April asks, putting the rag Cas had over his cut on his arm, in the sink. "You're lucky this wasn't infected. What happened to the guy who attacked you?"

"Oh, I stabbed him. He exploded."

"Funny. You don't look like the knife-fight type to. Or the homeless type, actually."

"Yes. Well, I guess I trusted the wrong person."

"Bad investment advice?"

"No, vanity. I thought I was more important, more effective than I am, that I could...fix everything. And now all I can do is keep running."

"Well, all patched up. But god, your delts are in knots. You got to relax."

"Ah, it's all new to me. Hunger. Cold. This feeling, being all alone."

"You're not alone tonight." She says before kissing his cheek.

That ends up leading her to kiss him on the lips and then more than that happens. The three of us however have decided to take the man who was trailing us capture and we handcuffed him in a warehouse to get some answers out of him. We find out his name is Maurice and he's a bounty hunter, looking for Cas.

"So, Maurice. You bounty hunters are like delta force reapers. Why would they sic you on Cas?"

"He warded himself."

"Naomi hire you?"

"Well did she?" I add, arms crossed over my chest.

"You really are out of the loop. Naomi's dead. Resting in pieces."

"So then who's running things now?"

"Answer!"

"Her protege, Bartholomew. He's an up-and-comer."

"So he figured we'd lead you to Cas."

"Well look who's wrong now." I add.

"This Bartholomew, he organizing the angels?" Dean asks, and when Maurice doesn't answer right away, Dean takes the angel blade and cuts him again.

"Answer him!"

"That's all I know. You can kill me. It won't matter. If I don't find Castiel, there are others that will. But do what you want."

"Sure." Dean states before killing him.

"Well say something." April says as she and Cas are laying de-clothed under the blankets surrounded by candles in the dark.

"There aren't words."

"So, that was okay?"

"Very much so. Um...what I did, that was uh...correct?"

"Very much so."

"Good. Good."

"Castiel, I can't help thinking all that stuff you said earlier, blame and guilt? It seems like you're taking on a heavy load for such a sweet guy."

"Believe me, I've done a lot of foolish, unwise things. I'm no angel."

"Well, whoever you trusted...can't they help undo this?"

"We're not in contact."

"So what happens next for you?"

"More of this, I hope."

After killing Maurice, we had set out on the road again, taking another long trip, currently being in Michigan. But still with Cas and April, she was up cutting fruit while he was just waking up and had gotten dressed.

"Oh. I washed your stuff. Find everything okay?"

"As a matter of fact, something is missing."

"Oh?"

"It was with my jacket. It's hard to describe."

"Oh, you mean this?" She questions as she holds out the angel blade.

After driving for a bit, Dean decides to stop, and Sam and I have no idea why.

"Dean, why are we stopping?" I ask.

"Yeah, what's up?" Sam asks.

"We've been chasing our tails all night. No Cas. 'What's up?'. I'm fried."

"I can always drive if you want." I offer.

"That's alright. I think it's time for Plan B."

"I'm not following."

"I'm letting you know."

"O-okay. Um, letting me know what?"

"I'm letting you know."

And just then, Zeke comes through.

"What is it Dean?"

"I need your help."

"That is flattering. We've been through this. I cannot be making public appearances."

"Oh I understand that. I'm not asking you to walk the red carpet Zeke, okay? I need your help finding Cas."

"It cannot be done. He is warded."

"I know that, but maybe you can use your intergalactic, hyperspace, x-ray eyeballs to find someone else. There might be a reaper for rent on his ass. Could you find them?"

"I could try." He says, closing his eyes to focus.

With that said reaper, Cas is tied up in a chair while she plays with the blade.

"It's probably pointless, washing the blood out of your shirt really. It's the kind of thing the real April would have done. Mm. I miss being her. Very sweet. Didn't mind me entering her one bit."

"Why didn't you just attack me right away?"

"My briefing said you were dangerous and powerful. And you did arrive armed, so...I needed information, so I had to gain your trust."

"And that required intercourse?"

"Well I am allowed some leeway for executive decisions. And I can't say I didn't find you attractive."

"Who hired you? I assumed with Naomi gone, things were in chaos."

"New sheriff in town, Cas. He hired a bunch of us. I got lucky. Enough questions from you. I have several of my own. Let's talk about your buddy Metatron." She says, cutting his skin, doing that multiple times as she asks questions.

"Alright, let's try this again, and one of these times, we'll get it right."

"I know nothing about Metatron's spell. I didn't know he was gonna cast the angels out of Heaven. I was cast out too."

"Oh, dear. Nothing but reruns on this channel. These blades are marvelous, aren't they? They really do a number on humans too."

"I told you last night, and I meant it. I was naive. I had no idea what he was planning."

"You're lying. It's known you helped Metatron enter Heaven, collaborated with him."

"'Cause we were going to restore Heaven. Bring the factions together. He lied to me."

"You were with him when he unleashed the spell. You know how the angels were cast down!"

"I didn't know he was assembling a spell. I only knew that I was the final ingredient."

"You?"

"My grace. That's why I'm human. He took my grace for the spell."

"Or you gave it."

"It may be unwise to kill me. If my grace were the key to empowering the spell, I may be key to countering it."

"Are you negotiating with me Castiel?"

That's when the door gets kicked in and the three of us rush in.

"Cas!" Dean exclaims before April shoves the blade through Cas' body.

We go to kill April, but Dean gets flown into the kitchen, Sam gets flown into the closet and I get flown into one of the walls.

"This girl's popular with all the boys." April says as she kicks the angel blade away from her that was on the ground as she heads towards Sam in the closet.

Dean was closest to Cas and pulls that angel blade out of him and he sees me starting to get up from where I was thrown. He tosses me the blade and I sneak up behind April with it. Just as she knocks Sam out and turns around, I shove the blade through her stomach, killing her.

"Cas. Cas. Cas!" Dean says, trying to see if Cas will come back to life, but he doesn't.

And I notice that as I turn around, walking over myself.

"Cas! No."

I immediately get this sad look on my face, and so does Dean as we look on at a motionless Cas.

"Sam, he's gone."

Sam walks up to Cas and then starts to heal him, and that's when we realize that it's not Sam, it's Zeke this time. He stumbles back in the place where Sam was left, and then Cas wakes up.

"Dean!" I exclaim as I see Cas wake up.

"Brooke. Dean."

"Hey. Hey! Yeah."

"And Sam." He states as Sam wakes up.

"Cas, you okay?"

"Never do that again!"

"Alright. But I'm confused. I know she stabbed me, but I'm...well I don't appear to be dead."

"Well you got dinged." Dean says to Sam first. "And uh, you. I made a deal with her. Said she wouldn't get kabobed if she brought you back. She brought you back."

"You lied."

"I did. I do that."

It took a few days, but we finally got Cas safe and sound at the bunker with us, and we could relax for a bit.

"You know, you never answered my question. How did you now where to find Cas?" Sam questions.

"I told you. I went through Maurice's pockets, I found an address and took a shot."

"I never saw you go through Maurice's pockets."

"What are you talking about? I don't see half of the nerdy stuff that you do. It doesn't mean that you don't do nerdy stuff."

"I am really enjoying this place." Cas remarks as he and I come back to where Sam and Dean are, after I gave Cas the walk through. "Plentiful food, good water pressure, things I never even considered before. There really is a lot to being human, isn't there?"

"It ain't all just burritos and strippers, my friend."

"Yeah. I understand what you're saying."

"You do?"

"Yes, there's more to humanity than survival. You...look for purpose, and you must not be defeated by anger or despair. Or hedonism, for that matter."

"Where does hedonism come into it?"

"Well, my time with April was very educational."

"Yeah. I mean, I would think that getting killed is something."

"And having sex."

We all give Cas this weird look and Dean almost chokes on his burrito.

"You had sex with April?"

"Yeah, that would be where the hedonism comes in."

"Shh."

We're all silent for a moment, taking in the news that Cas had just told us.

"So...did you have protection?"

"I had my angel blade."

I just cover my face with a hand and shake my head.

"Oh...oh, he had the angel blade."

"Um..."

"In any event, I...I do now see how difficult life can be and how well you three have led it. And I think you'll be great teachers."

"Thanks Cas."

"Are there any more burritos?"

"Uh yes."

"Our little Cas. He gave it up to a reaper. That is..."

"Castiel cannot stay here." Sam says, but we realize it's Zeke.

"Zeke? What do you mean he can't stay here?" I question.

"He will bring the angels down on all of us."

"No no, he's got the Enochian tattoo. He's warded."

"He was warded when April found him, and she killed him."

"Yes, and you brought him back, and I tink you for that, but this is Cas, who vouched for you when I didn't know you from jack. The bunker is safe."

"Bartholomew is massing a force. We cannot stand an incursion. Castiel is in danger, and if he is here, I am in danger."

"You're in danger? From who, the angels?"

"If he stays, I'm afraid I will have no choice but to leave."

"Oh no, you can't do that. Sam's not well enough. If you leave his body..."

"..I know. I am sorry." He says before going back to being Sam and then Sam walks off.

"Dean what are we gonna do? We can't just let him go out there on his own."

"I know, but I can't let Sammy die. I have to do what I have to do."

"Right. Alright, well I'll be in the bedroom if you need me. Tired."

"Then you get some rest." He nods, kissing me quick before heading into the library where Cas was eating a burrito.

"Epic food. I can't get enough."

"Cas, uh, can we talk?"

"Of course. Dean, you know I always appreciate our talks, our time together."

"Listen buddy, um....you can't stay."