Demon Dean - Chapter Twelve
Title: Demon Dean - Chapter Twelve
Author: sil9800
Characters: Dean, Sam, Castiel, Gabriel
Pairing: GEN - None
Rating: PG-13
Warnings/contains: Adult Language and Violence
Word count: 34,573
Summary: Picks up immediately after 9x23 “Do You Believe in Miracles.” As Dean slowly realizes what’s happened and what he’s become, Team Free Will is gutted by the loss of Dean’s humanity and must figure out how to save him while also dealing with Cas’ fading grace. All comments welcome and encouraged! WIP - Updates to follow every few days.
**DISCLAIMER** I do not own Supernatural or any of the characters portrayed on the show and make no profit from this storytelling; however, I do have the utmost respect for those that do!
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Finally, after everything they had been through to get here; discovering Dean was a demon, Cas almost dying, Gabriel coming out of the shadows and diminishing his own grace so Cas could live, breaking Metatron out of prison, almost being thrown in prison themselves, and literally searching heaven and earth for all the right ingredients, Cas and Gabriel were finally ready to attempt the spells to restore the angels’ wings and open the gates of heaven. They gathered their spices and herbs, feathers and items of "consent" from man and heaven, and a centuries-old angelic spell bowl they received from Hannah as an extra measure of sucking up, and made their way to a staging area just inside the holy gates. The irony of a runaway and a rebel trying to restore the very place they had run from and rebelled against was not lost on either of them. In fact, it was almost poetic that this task fell to these angels, and although they’d never admit it out loud, in the confines of their own minds, they each hoped a case for redemption might be made as well.
As a result of Gabriel's run-in with Hannah, Cas decided it best that he radio ahead to let her know they were about to perform the spells so she could then tell the angels they should isolate themselves away from humans within the next thirty minutes. With Enochian being the flowery language it was, it would take Gabriel at least that long just to get through the preamble. Once they arrived at their destination, they sat solemnly for a moment, saying a silent prayer to an absent Father. Then Gabriel began the incantation.
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It was after 9:00 pm when Sam and Dean made their way to the 3200 block of Cheshire Street and parked the Impala nearby. They wished each other luck and Sam began walking the neighborhood while Dean found his entry to the sewer system below ground.
"Damn!" Dean said covering his nose with the crook of his elbow, "Why can't they ever find a house to squat in or something?" He then turned on his flashlight and with no idea which direction to go he began walking to his right hoping he would discover where the shifter was holed up soon. But, luck was rarely on Dean's side and tonight would prove to be no exception. After about a half hour of finding nothing he doubled back and began searching in the other direction. Eventually he came to the end of that tunnel and had to turn right or left. He turned left and a few minutes later he thought he heard a noise behind him. He quickly grabbed the gun behind his back and turned around, pointing the flashlight everywhere but seeing nothing there.
"Great, I'm wound so tight I’m hearing things now," he said as he turned back around and continued moving forward. A few minutes later the flashlight found something on the ground ahead. He stashed the gun, pulled out his knife and squat down to examine the shifter’s discarded skin, "That shit grosses me out every-damn-time,” he said, letting the skin slide off the knife and drop back to the ground. He then pointed the flashlight ahead and said, “But I gotcha now you creepy little bastard."
Feeling more confident now that he was on the right trail he stood up again, but suddenly felt a sharp pain hit the side of his head and immediately lost consciousness.
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While scoping out the neighborhood, looking for potential victims, Sam saw a beautiful young woman dragging a trashcan to the curb. A perfect victim, he thought, noting there probably wasn’t a “man of the house" to take the garbage out for her. Knowing that it was pretty damn sexist of him to think that way didn't make it any less true and besides, she may very well thank him for that sexist thought later. Most of the other houses on the block had two cars in their driveways or garages, except for a few whose garage doors were closed. Sam checked those homes closely, looking into windows as he passed by and usually saw more than one person inside and no suspicious activity. The previous victims were all home alone when they were attacked so he felt reasonably sure those homes were safe. Sam then found a spot at the end of the block where he could closely watch the single woman's house, but also had a good view down the street to see if anyone left.
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Dean eventually came to consciousness, felt around for the flashlight and checked his watch; his best guess was that he had been out for at least 15 minutes. He rubbed the side of his head and felt the half-dried blood from a wound that had already healed and wondered why the shifter had just left him there. The answer came a few seconds later when he saw a newly shed skin beside him. Most likely, the shifter looked like him now and had his thoughts; it knew who he was and more importantly, what he was, so it also knew there wasn't any point in trying to restrain him.
“Sam!” he said searching his pockets for his phone and finding it was gone, along with his wallet, fake ID, and weapons.
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From Sam's perch he looked down the street through his spyglass and noticed a man walking up to the single woman's house. “What the hell?” he asked himself as he reached for his phone.
"Hey Sammy," the shifter answered.
"What are you doing? You're supposed to be underground!"
"Relax little brother,” the shifter said, “I already found his hideout, where I also happened to find a picture of a woman with this address on the back, so I decided to come up and warn her."
"Dean, we agreed that I would handle things like this to keep you away from civilians, remember?" Sam asked.
The shifter reached up to his forehead and replied, "Yeah, I remember, but I'm fine and this should only take a minute. Just keep watching the neighborhood in case he decides to switch vics."
The phone went dead and Sam kept a close eye on the scene unfolding before him. The shifter rang the bell and flashed his ID when the woman answered the door. Everything looked pretty routine until…
"Oh shit!" Sam shouted as he shoved the spyglass into his jacket and quickly raced to the house he thought his brother had just walked into.
Sam urgently knocked on the door and waited until the same woman answered and said, "You must be Agent Stanley."
"Yes ma'am, is Agent Simmons here?" Sam asked.
"Yes, please come in," she said as she led him to the living room. "I can't thank the two of you enough for alerting me to a potential attacker in the neighborhood! I was just about to make some coffee for your partner, would you care for some as well?"
"Yes ma'am, thank you. And please, take your time." Sam said.
After she had left the room Sam walked up to the man in front of him and said, "What the hell Dean? You should have called me about this and stayed underground!"
The shifter paused for a moment and with a chilling voice he replied, "That guy’s not down there anymore Sam."
The sick feeling in the pit of Sam's stomach came about a half-second too late as the shifter was already in mid-swing. A split second later, the room went dark as Sam fell to the floor.
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Gabriel continued the incantation, adding the spices and herbs to the ancient angelic spell-bowl at the proper moments, and in the proper order. The feathers representing every angel born to the heavenly host were next and as Gabriel nodded to Castiel, they released their angel blades and sliced their forearms to add their blood to the mix. Then it was time for the final ingredients.
Gabriel added the lock of Ash's hair representing the "consent of man" which was immediately followed by a thunderous rumble they first heard, and then felt rolling throughout heaven. Cas held the bowl to keep it from toppling over as Gabriel then sliced off part of the apple representing the "consent of heaven" and added that the bowl as well resulting in a fierce show of lightning that crackled all around them. With a few final words the spell was complete and the thunder roared louder and the lightening became a heavenly show that must have been witnessed all over creation.
Suddenly, a crippling pain came over both Cas and Gabriel as they both fell to the ground thrashing about and trying to stifle their screams. It was unlike anything either of them had ever felt before and it only became more intense until they could no longer hold back their cries. They lay on the ground, writhing in pain, terrified that what they feared most was coming true. Metatron must have plotted this all along, the torment and eventual death of all angels, his final revenge.
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Dean continued to search for the shifter's hide-out, eventually finding it by following the skins it had shed. He searched what little was there hoping to find something that would tell him where it had gone. Eventually he found a cigar box stashed under a disgusting looking mattress, if you could call it that. The box held small mementos: a ticket to a ball game, a chain of paper clips, a rabbit’s foot that wouldn't be bringing him any luck tonight, he thought, and some pictures. He dropped the box and everything in it except the pictures. They looked to be “before” and “after” shots of its previous victims and as he sifted through each one his blood started to boil and the hatred began to swell.
There was one picture, however, that didn’t seem to have a matching “after” shot. "Well now, who are you?" he asked the picture, then turned it around and found an address on the back. That was all he needed to know and in an instant Dean vanished as the picture slowly fell to the ground.
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Sam came to consciousness and found himself tied up and laying on the floor. He looked around and saw through the windows that a storm was brewing outside. Then he saw the shifter, still looking like Dean, by the front door painting something on the floor with a can of spray-paint.
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked struggling to get free of the ropes binding him.
The shifter looked at Sam and said, "Just making sure your brother can't get any further than the front door." Then he pointed towards the kitchen and said, "There's one at the back door too, in case you’re worried," then it went back to work on the details of the devil's trap Sam assumed he must have found in Dean's memories.
"Where's the woman that lives here?" Sam asked.
"Oh her? She and I needed a little quality time together, but she's bound and gagged upstairs for the time being."
"You sonofabitch! What did you do to her?" Sam asked, pissed off it might have hurt her and trying even harder to wrangle his way out of the ropes.
"Relax, we didn't have time for much, I figured your brother would be here sooner rather than later," the shifter replied.
Sam was tied tightly enough to feel that the shifter had taken his weapons, but while it was finishing the trap, he struggled to curl his feet up to his hands behind him to feel for the knife he kept in his boot. He eventually got to it, but his hands were bound so tight and the rope was so thick, he knew this was going to take a while.
Trying to distract the shifter into making a mistake Sam said, "Dean's not going to fall for that."
"Oh I think he will. See, I have all of his thoughts right here," the shifter said pointing to its temple. "First he's going to wonder where the little woman is, then, without being able to see her, he won’t be able to risk just appearing out of nowhere, so he’ll have no choice but to come right through one of these doors. Oh, and I’ve got salt on all the windowsills too, just in case."
Sam continued working on the rope as the shifter continued working on the trap, and his monologue.
"I really don't know why you two are hunting me. I'm not a killer, not like the other monsters you hunt. I just need a little affection every once in a while, just like everyone else. Just like your own brother if his memory serves me, which it does. And just like him, I leave them alive when I'm done," he said as he inspected and then covered the trap with an area rug from the living room.
Sam was looking out the window and noticed that although the lightning and thunder was picking up, oddly enough there seemed to be no rain. Then he returned to the conversation and said, "Somehow I don't think your victims will mind too much when we end you."
The shifter walked over and squat down next to Sam, forcing him to stop working on the rope, "Fortunately for me, I don’t think you’ll be getting that chance. I imagine your bother is going to listen to what I have to say.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Sam replied.
The shifter sighed as he stood back up again, “If you only knew the secrets he was keeping from you little brother!”
"First he'll tell me when he's ready, and second, I'm NOT your brother you sick, demented piece of…"
"Shit,” they both said at the same time, “I’m well aware of what you and your brother think of me. Speaking of which, I got news for you, that’s exactly what he’s planning on telling you too: jack shit!" He then pulled a dining room chair into the living room and sat down as the lightning and thunder continued raging outside.
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The pain the angels were enduring was almost unfathomable at this point and only getting worse as it then began to separate into two distinct pains now, crawling up their backs until it finally stopped between their shoulders. Almost all at once the angels began daring to hope as they felt something pushing against their skin from the inside. They felt the first tearing of their skin, and then another as the spines of the wingspans burst out of their backs with an immense sting. The feathers then began crawling out, attached to the spine, breathing air for the first time and feeling worse than a man-o-war’s tentacles. Each feather brought new torture, but it was working! Then rows of feathers began cascading down as the angels continued to cry out in a strange combination of pain and euphoria.
Cas and Gabriel were bearing the torment, hunched over but trying to stand as they started to push the wings out further and quicker, until their anguish finally began to ease. Standing tall and facing each other now, they pushed the last remaining feathers from their backs, laughing through the pain yet enjoying every second of it until finally, the lightning and thunder began to fade and all that was left was the brilliantly bright heavenly white emanating from their new wings.
“You did it brother!” Cas said.
“WE did it brother!” Gabriel replied as they embraced and laughed at their shocking success.
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Dean reappeared in their motel room five miles away and walked straight to the safe and opened it up. "Come to Daddy sweetheart," he said as he grabbed the First Blade and then quickly disappeared again.
Showing up this time just outside the woman's house, he looked inside the window to assess the situation and saw Sam tied up and lying on the floor with the shifter dragging a chair into the living room. It was always damn strange seeing an exact replica of yourself, he thought, then he went about trying to decide the best way to enter the room. The guy had to know what he was by now and exactly what he could do, so how would he try to get around it? And where was the woman that lived here? He tried to peer around the edges of the window without being seen, but there were just too many places she could be where she'd see him if he just appeared in the room. "Dammit! Friggin' humans always gettin' in the way!" he said thinking of all the hunts he went on while he was on his own.
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Sam was still working on the rope when he said, "You've got to know you're not going to live through this."
"Maybe not," the shifter said, "but I'd put my chances at about 50/50. One thing's for sure though, if I would’ve just taken off you guys would’ve just tracked me down, and with these skills,” the shifter tapped its temple again, “there's no way I'd survive that! No, better to trap him and propose my offer," the shifter said as he sat down in the dining room chair he dragged over to wait for Dean.
Almost on cue, the front door burst open and before Sam could warn him, Dean walked right into the devil's trap and hit an invisible wall.
"Dammit!" Dean said evaluating the situation, seeing Sam still tied up on the floor, and realizing too late that of course the woman was nowhere to be seen.
"Dean, so glad you could make it," the shifter said.
Dean brought on the smirk and said, "Oh, I don't think you'll be feeling that way for long."
"No need to get nasty,” the shifter replied, “Your brother's still alive, and the woman that lives here is too, so let's all take a deep breath and just talk for a few minutes, shall we?"
"Sammy, you ok?" Dean asked.
"Peachy," Sam said giving a coded response meaning he'd be fine soon enough.
Dean took that to mean Sam was working his way through the ropes and would be free soon.
"Satisfied? He's fine," the Shifter said.
"All that means is I can kill you quick rather than enjoying myself a little, though I gotta tell ya, after those pictures I found, I may just take my time anyway."
As chilling as that was, the shifter decided it best to ignore that remark and simply replied, "I’ve got a deal for you Dean."
Dean paced around in the confining devil's trap then said, "What exactly do we look like here, a crossroads demon? I don't make deals."
"No," the shifter said as Sam was almost through the ropes, "you’re not, we both know what you are don't we?" The shifter paused to make sure the point had been taken, but just to make sure, he said, "Oh, and Sam does too, right? So there's no secrets among friends here."
Just about then Dean was wishing he'd told Sam everything as Sam darted his eyes over to look straight into his own. In fact, Sam had just finished cutting through the ropes but hadn't yet moved a muscle, waiting to see exactly where this verbal standoff was heading.
"That's right," Dean said, "what's your point?"
"I think my point is clear, but the deal is this: you're gonna let me walk away," the shifter said as he walked over to Sam then knelt down and lifted him up by the hair, "and Sammy here, gets to keep being sweet, clueless, breathing Sammy. Otherwise, he dies right now!"
Sam could feel the shifter starting to lift a knife up to his throat so he could no longer pretend to be bound. He head-butted the shifter behind him so hard he must have broken its nose on impact then it fell straight back to the floor. Sam then flew over to the devil's trap, pulled the rug up, and scratched the border with his knife until Dean was free.
Dean immediately disappeared while the shifter tried to scramble up to run away. He then reappeared right next to it and grabbed the hair on its head with his left hand as he reached behind his back for the Blade with his right.
"How many people do you suppose get the chance to actually kill themselves, twice?" he asked before stabbing the shifter in the gut, then twisting the Blade around, pulling it out and stabbing him again, savoring the pain he was inflicting as he then sliced its gut open from side to side. As its blood drenched the Blade, the Mark burned with satisfaction while Dean then slit its throat clean through, watching the life fade from its eyes as its body fell to the floor with Dean still holding its head in his hands.
Dean flung the head aside and turned around to see his brother still on the floor next the devil's trap. "You ok?" he asked.
"Fine, you?" Sam asked getting up off the floor.
Dean just smiled and said, "Couldn't be better! But, ya know? I really need to learn to take better care of myself!”
Sam just shook his head at the pun, then Dean asked, “Where the hell is the lady that lives here anyway?"
"She's upstairs, I'll take care of her while you go… take care of yourself."
Dean just laughed at the continued play on words.
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Still reeling from the ordeal they had just suffered, Cas and Gabriel were surprised to hear a commotion coming from the other side of the gates. As they wearily went to investigate, they noticed one by one, angels from all over the world were beginning to gather at the other side of the gates, celebrating, shaking hands, and embracing each other in a camaraderie that hadn't been seen or felt in centuries. As touched as he was by the moment, Cas needed to focus and concentrate on the next spell. He looked to Gabriel for help but only heard him say, "Don't look at me brother, this one is all you, I'm spent!"
Cas was every bit as exhausted as Gabriel, but with the angels gathering, he didn’t see any choice but to press on.
"Everyone! May I have your attention please?!" Cas yelled, but no one could hear him over the din of excitement so he tried again by broadcasting his voice over angel radio. "Brothers and Sisters, those at the gates of heaven and those making their way here, may I have your attention please?" The angels began settling down as Cas continued, "Thank you! For those that cannot see me, this is Castiel speaking with the archangel Gabriel beside me," The angels began murmuring amongst themselves, "Please, I know you are unhappy with us for our part in what happened to Metatron; however, I assure you it was all necessary in order to bring you here today in the manner in which you are arriving. Gabriel has given you new wings today, and I will soon attempt to open the gates so you can all return home! In order to do so, I must ask for silence, and dare I ask, your support as well, while I try to restore our home to its former glory."
The angels looked around and in the same moment hundreds of angels knelt down on one or both knees and bowed their heads in silence. Moved beyond words, Cas was overcome and thought to himself, if this wasn’t the moment, there surely never would be.
Gabriel, kneeling himself now, looked up to his younger brother and asked, "Well? What are waiting for?"
Cas nodded then rested his chin on his chest as he stretched his new wings to their limit and began the incantation. However, this time around, fewer than a dozen words of Enochian were needed as the key was in Cas’ grace rather than the chant itself. Cas moved forward as he spoke the few words and stopped just short of the impenetrable gates and gave voice to the final syllable. He then laid both hands on the lock which in turn absorbed the essence of his being. Through the stillness of silence the angles held their collective breath after hearing the faintest click. Not knowing if Castiel had succeeded, or failed yet again, they watched their brother pause and then grab the gates with both hands, pulled them open and fell to his knees in his own astonishment. As the angels cheered and began moving towards the gates, Gabriel rushed to get to his brother first and put his arm around him, protecting him as the heavenly host clamored to enter their home for the first time in over a year.
“Please tell me you’re OK!” Gabriel said.
Cas stood right back up again, looking at his older brother and just said, “Couldn’t be better!”
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After Sam had given the woman some almost-believable story he concocted, and Dean disposed of the body, they got into the Impala and drove out of town. Dean was quick to find a nice spot off a country road and next to an empty field where they could pull over to share a couple of beers. Dean grabbed the green cooler out of the back as Sam climbed out and sat on the hood. Dean passed a beer to his brother as he leaned against the headlights. They razzed each other and stared at the stars and just enjoyed the post-hunt moment as they always did.
However, Sam’s mind was also thinking about what the shifter said about Dean not planning on telling him what was really going on. So he decided to do what he always does and started with a softball question, "Well, is the Mark satisfied?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, for now anyway," Dean said still looking up at the sky, hoping that would be the end of it, but knowing full well it wouldn’t. He was right on the money of course when Sam soon asked his next question.
"Dean, I don’t want to push like I did back at the hotel the other night, but I think it's time, don’t you?"
Being the smartass he was Dean asked, "Time for what?"
"Dean, come on, you're my brother, and you’ve got to know by now that there's nothing you can't tell me, nothing that we can’t deal with together! It’s time to tell me the truth Dean. It’s time to tell me what the shifter was hinting at, and it’s time to tell me what Crowley told you, the things you can do now, and what you really are. Come on man, just talk to me.”
Dean took a long swig of his beer and then turned to look at his brother, making his case, and making a lot of sense.
“Whatever it is, I can handle it. If that’s what’s holding you back, don’t let it. Besides, I have to know everything if I’m going to help you. You’ve waited long enough and you should be able to see by now, I’m going to stick by you no matter what. So let’s just get it out there - what are you not telling me?”
Dean looked down at his feet, took another swig of his beer and looked back up at the stars. When he couldn’t stall any longer he looked at his brother and said, “OK Sammy, you’re right, if you’re gonna help me out of this, you’re gonna need to know everything.”
Author: sil9800
Characters: Dean, Sam, Castiel, Gabriel
Pairing: GEN - None
Rating: PG-13
Warnings/contains: Adult Language and Violence
Word count: 34,573
Summary: Picks up immediately after 9x23 “Do You Believe in Miracles.” As Dean slowly realizes what’s happened and what he’s become, Team Free Will is gutted by the loss of Dean’s humanity and must figure out how to save him while also dealing with Cas’ fading grace. All comments welcome and encouraged! WIP - Updates to follow every few days.
**DISCLAIMER** I do not own Supernatural or any of the characters portrayed on the show and make no profit from this storytelling; however, I do have the utmost respect for those that do!
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Finally, after everything they had been through to get here; discovering Dean was a demon, Cas almost dying, Gabriel coming out of the shadows and diminishing his own grace so Cas could live, breaking Metatron out of prison, almost being thrown in prison themselves, and literally searching heaven and earth for all the right ingredients, Cas and Gabriel were finally ready to attempt the spells to restore the angels’ wings and open the gates of heaven. They gathered their spices and herbs, feathers and items of "consent" from man and heaven, and a centuries-old angelic spell bowl they received from Hannah as an extra measure of sucking up, and made their way to a staging area just inside the holy gates. The irony of a runaway and a rebel trying to restore the very place they had run from and rebelled against was not lost on either of them. In fact, it was almost poetic that this task fell to these angels, and although they’d never admit it out loud, in the confines of their own minds, they each hoped a case for redemption might be made as well.
As a result of Gabriel's run-in with Hannah, Cas decided it best that he radio ahead to let her know they were about to perform the spells so she could then tell the angels they should isolate themselves away from humans within the next thirty minutes. With Enochian being the flowery language it was, it would take Gabriel at least that long just to get through the preamble. Once they arrived at their destination, they sat solemnly for a moment, saying a silent prayer to an absent Father. Then Gabriel began the incantation.
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It was after 9:00 pm when Sam and Dean made their way to the 3200 block of Cheshire Street and parked the Impala nearby. They wished each other luck and Sam began walking the neighborhood while Dean found his entry to the sewer system below ground.
"Damn!" Dean said covering his nose with the crook of his elbow, "Why can't they ever find a house to squat in or something?" He then turned on his flashlight and with no idea which direction to go he began walking to his right hoping he would discover where the shifter was holed up soon. But, luck was rarely on Dean's side and tonight would prove to be no exception. After about a half hour of finding nothing he doubled back and began searching in the other direction. Eventually he came to the end of that tunnel and had to turn right or left. He turned left and a few minutes later he thought he heard a noise behind him. He quickly grabbed the gun behind his back and turned around, pointing the flashlight everywhere but seeing nothing there.
"Great, I'm wound so tight I’m hearing things now," he said as he turned back around and continued moving forward. A few minutes later the flashlight found something on the ground ahead. He stashed the gun, pulled out his knife and squat down to examine the shifter’s discarded skin, "That shit grosses me out every-damn-time,” he said, letting the skin slide off the knife and drop back to the ground. He then pointed the flashlight ahead and said, “But I gotcha now you creepy little bastard."
Feeling more confident now that he was on the right trail he stood up again, but suddenly felt a sharp pain hit the side of his head and immediately lost consciousness.
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While scoping out the neighborhood, looking for potential victims, Sam saw a beautiful young woman dragging a trashcan to the curb. A perfect victim, he thought, noting there probably wasn’t a “man of the house" to take the garbage out for her. Knowing that it was pretty damn sexist of him to think that way didn't make it any less true and besides, she may very well thank him for that sexist thought later. Most of the other houses on the block had two cars in their driveways or garages, except for a few whose garage doors were closed. Sam checked those homes closely, looking into windows as he passed by and usually saw more than one person inside and no suspicious activity. The previous victims were all home alone when they were attacked so he felt reasonably sure those homes were safe. Sam then found a spot at the end of the block where he could closely watch the single woman's house, but also had a good view down the street to see if anyone left.
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Dean eventually came to consciousness, felt around for the flashlight and checked his watch; his best guess was that he had been out for at least 15 minutes. He rubbed the side of his head and felt the half-dried blood from a wound that had already healed and wondered why the shifter had just left him there. The answer came a few seconds later when he saw a newly shed skin beside him. Most likely, the shifter looked like him now and had his thoughts; it knew who he was and more importantly, what he was, so it also knew there wasn't any point in trying to restrain him.
“Sam!” he said searching his pockets for his phone and finding it was gone, along with his wallet, fake ID, and weapons.
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From Sam's perch he looked down the street through his spyglass and noticed a man walking up to the single woman's house. “What the hell?” he asked himself as he reached for his phone.
"Hey Sammy," the shifter answered.
"What are you doing? You're supposed to be underground!"
"Relax little brother,” the shifter said, “I already found his hideout, where I also happened to find a picture of a woman with this address on the back, so I decided to come up and warn her."
"Dean, we agreed that I would handle things like this to keep you away from civilians, remember?" Sam asked.
The shifter reached up to his forehead and replied, "Yeah, I remember, but I'm fine and this should only take a minute. Just keep watching the neighborhood in case he decides to switch vics."
The phone went dead and Sam kept a close eye on the scene unfolding before him. The shifter rang the bell and flashed his ID when the woman answered the door. Everything looked pretty routine until…
"Oh shit!" Sam shouted as he shoved the spyglass into his jacket and quickly raced to the house he thought his brother had just walked into.
Sam urgently knocked on the door and waited until the same woman answered and said, "You must be Agent Stanley."
"Yes ma'am, is Agent Simmons here?" Sam asked.
"Yes, please come in," she said as she led him to the living room. "I can't thank the two of you enough for alerting me to a potential attacker in the neighborhood! I was just about to make some coffee for your partner, would you care for some as well?"
"Yes ma'am, thank you. And please, take your time." Sam said.
After she had left the room Sam walked up to the man in front of him and said, "What the hell Dean? You should have called me about this and stayed underground!"
The shifter paused for a moment and with a chilling voice he replied, "That guy’s not down there anymore Sam."
The sick feeling in the pit of Sam's stomach came about a half-second too late as the shifter was already in mid-swing. A split second later, the room went dark as Sam fell to the floor.
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Gabriel continued the incantation, adding the spices and herbs to the ancient angelic spell-bowl at the proper moments, and in the proper order. The feathers representing every angel born to the heavenly host were next and as Gabriel nodded to Castiel, they released their angel blades and sliced their forearms to add their blood to the mix. Then it was time for the final ingredients.
Gabriel added the lock of Ash's hair representing the "consent of man" which was immediately followed by a thunderous rumble they first heard, and then felt rolling throughout heaven. Cas held the bowl to keep it from toppling over as Gabriel then sliced off part of the apple representing the "consent of heaven" and added that the bowl as well resulting in a fierce show of lightning that crackled all around them. With a few final words the spell was complete and the thunder roared louder and the lightening became a heavenly show that must have been witnessed all over creation.
Suddenly, a crippling pain came over both Cas and Gabriel as they both fell to the ground thrashing about and trying to stifle their screams. It was unlike anything either of them had ever felt before and it only became more intense until they could no longer hold back their cries. They lay on the ground, writhing in pain, terrified that what they feared most was coming true. Metatron must have plotted this all along, the torment and eventual death of all angels, his final revenge.
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Dean continued to search for the shifter's hide-out, eventually finding it by following the skins it had shed. He searched what little was there hoping to find something that would tell him where it had gone. Eventually he found a cigar box stashed under a disgusting looking mattress, if you could call it that. The box held small mementos: a ticket to a ball game, a chain of paper clips, a rabbit’s foot that wouldn't be bringing him any luck tonight, he thought, and some pictures. He dropped the box and everything in it except the pictures. They looked to be “before” and “after” shots of its previous victims and as he sifted through each one his blood started to boil and the hatred began to swell.
There was one picture, however, that didn’t seem to have a matching “after” shot. "Well now, who are you?" he asked the picture, then turned it around and found an address on the back. That was all he needed to know and in an instant Dean vanished as the picture slowly fell to the ground.
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Sam came to consciousness and found himself tied up and laying on the floor. He looked around and saw through the windows that a storm was brewing outside. Then he saw the shifter, still looking like Dean, by the front door painting something on the floor with a can of spray-paint.
"What the hell are you doing?" he asked struggling to get free of the ropes binding him.
The shifter looked at Sam and said, "Just making sure your brother can't get any further than the front door." Then he pointed towards the kitchen and said, "There's one at the back door too, in case you’re worried," then it went back to work on the details of the devil's trap Sam assumed he must have found in Dean's memories.
"Where's the woman that lives here?" Sam asked.
"Oh her? She and I needed a little quality time together, but she's bound and gagged upstairs for the time being."
"You sonofabitch! What did you do to her?" Sam asked, pissed off it might have hurt her and trying even harder to wrangle his way out of the ropes.
"Relax, we didn't have time for much, I figured your brother would be here sooner rather than later," the shifter replied.
Sam was tied tightly enough to feel that the shifter had taken his weapons, but while it was finishing the trap, he struggled to curl his feet up to his hands behind him to feel for the knife he kept in his boot. He eventually got to it, but his hands were bound so tight and the rope was so thick, he knew this was going to take a while.
Trying to distract the shifter into making a mistake Sam said, "Dean's not going to fall for that."
"Oh I think he will. See, I have all of his thoughts right here," the shifter said pointing to its temple. "First he's going to wonder where the little woman is, then, without being able to see her, he won’t be able to risk just appearing out of nowhere, so he’ll have no choice but to come right through one of these doors. Oh, and I’ve got salt on all the windowsills too, just in case."
Sam continued working on the rope as the shifter continued working on the trap, and his monologue.
"I really don't know why you two are hunting me. I'm not a killer, not like the other monsters you hunt. I just need a little affection every once in a while, just like everyone else. Just like your own brother if his memory serves me, which it does. And just like him, I leave them alive when I'm done," he said as he inspected and then covered the trap with an area rug from the living room.
Sam was looking out the window and noticed that although the lightning and thunder was picking up, oddly enough there seemed to be no rain. Then he returned to the conversation and said, "Somehow I don't think your victims will mind too much when we end you."
The shifter walked over and squat down next to Sam, forcing him to stop working on the rope, "Fortunately for me, I don’t think you’ll be getting that chance. I imagine your bother is going to listen to what I have to say.”
“I wouldn’t be so sure,” Sam replied.
The shifter sighed as he stood back up again, “If you only knew the secrets he was keeping from you little brother!”
"First he'll tell me when he's ready, and second, I'm NOT your brother you sick, demented piece of…"
"Shit,” they both said at the same time, “I’m well aware of what you and your brother think of me. Speaking of which, I got news for you, that’s exactly what he’s planning on telling you too: jack shit!" He then pulled a dining room chair into the living room and sat down as the lightning and thunder continued raging outside.
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The pain the angels were enduring was almost unfathomable at this point and only getting worse as it then began to separate into two distinct pains now, crawling up their backs until it finally stopped between their shoulders. Almost all at once the angels began daring to hope as they felt something pushing against their skin from the inside. They felt the first tearing of their skin, and then another as the spines of the wingspans burst out of their backs with an immense sting. The feathers then began crawling out, attached to the spine, breathing air for the first time and feeling worse than a man-o-war’s tentacles. Each feather brought new torture, but it was working! Then rows of feathers began cascading down as the angels continued to cry out in a strange combination of pain and euphoria.
Cas and Gabriel were bearing the torment, hunched over but trying to stand as they started to push the wings out further and quicker, until their anguish finally began to ease. Standing tall and facing each other now, they pushed the last remaining feathers from their backs, laughing through the pain yet enjoying every second of it until finally, the lightning and thunder began to fade and all that was left was the brilliantly bright heavenly white emanating from their new wings.
“You did it brother!” Cas said.
“WE did it brother!” Gabriel replied as they embraced and laughed at their shocking success.
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Dean reappeared in their motel room five miles away and walked straight to the safe and opened it up. "Come to Daddy sweetheart," he said as he grabbed the First Blade and then quickly disappeared again.
Showing up this time just outside the woman's house, he looked inside the window to assess the situation and saw Sam tied up and lying on the floor with the shifter dragging a chair into the living room. It was always damn strange seeing an exact replica of yourself, he thought, then he went about trying to decide the best way to enter the room. The guy had to know what he was by now and exactly what he could do, so how would he try to get around it? And where was the woman that lived here? He tried to peer around the edges of the window without being seen, but there were just too many places she could be where she'd see him if he just appeared in the room. "Dammit! Friggin' humans always gettin' in the way!" he said thinking of all the hunts he went on while he was on his own.
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Sam was still working on the rope when he said, "You've got to know you're not going to live through this."
"Maybe not," the shifter said, "but I'd put my chances at about 50/50. One thing's for sure though, if I would’ve just taken off you guys would’ve just tracked me down, and with these skills,” the shifter tapped its temple again, “there's no way I'd survive that! No, better to trap him and propose my offer," the shifter said as he sat down in the dining room chair he dragged over to wait for Dean.
Almost on cue, the front door burst open and before Sam could warn him, Dean walked right into the devil's trap and hit an invisible wall.
"Dammit!" Dean said evaluating the situation, seeing Sam still tied up on the floor, and realizing too late that of course the woman was nowhere to be seen.
"Dean, so glad you could make it," the shifter said.
Dean brought on the smirk and said, "Oh, I don't think you'll be feeling that way for long."
"No need to get nasty,” the shifter replied, “Your brother's still alive, and the woman that lives here is too, so let's all take a deep breath and just talk for a few minutes, shall we?"
"Sammy, you ok?" Dean asked.
"Peachy," Sam said giving a coded response meaning he'd be fine soon enough.
Dean took that to mean Sam was working his way through the ropes and would be free soon.
"Satisfied? He's fine," the Shifter said.
"All that means is I can kill you quick rather than enjoying myself a little, though I gotta tell ya, after those pictures I found, I may just take my time anyway."
As chilling as that was, the shifter decided it best to ignore that remark and simply replied, "I’ve got a deal for you Dean."
Dean paced around in the confining devil's trap then said, "What exactly do we look like here, a crossroads demon? I don't make deals."
"No," the shifter said as Sam was almost through the ropes, "you’re not, we both know what you are don't we?" The shifter paused to make sure the point had been taken, but just to make sure, he said, "Oh, and Sam does too, right? So there's no secrets among friends here."
Just about then Dean was wishing he'd told Sam everything as Sam darted his eyes over to look straight into his own. In fact, Sam had just finished cutting through the ropes but hadn't yet moved a muscle, waiting to see exactly where this verbal standoff was heading.
"That's right," Dean said, "what's your point?"
"I think my point is clear, but the deal is this: you're gonna let me walk away," the shifter said as he walked over to Sam then knelt down and lifted him up by the hair, "and Sammy here, gets to keep being sweet, clueless, breathing Sammy. Otherwise, he dies right now!"
Sam could feel the shifter starting to lift a knife up to his throat so he could no longer pretend to be bound. He head-butted the shifter behind him so hard he must have broken its nose on impact then it fell straight back to the floor. Sam then flew over to the devil's trap, pulled the rug up, and scratched the border with his knife until Dean was free.
Dean immediately disappeared while the shifter tried to scramble up to run away. He then reappeared right next to it and grabbed the hair on its head with his left hand as he reached behind his back for the Blade with his right.
"How many people do you suppose get the chance to actually kill themselves, twice?" he asked before stabbing the shifter in the gut, then twisting the Blade around, pulling it out and stabbing him again, savoring the pain he was inflicting as he then sliced its gut open from side to side. As its blood drenched the Blade, the Mark burned with satisfaction while Dean then slit its throat clean through, watching the life fade from its eyes as its body fell to the floor with Dean still holding its head in his hands.
Dean flung the head aside and turned around to see his brother still on the floor next the devil's trap. "You ok?" he asked.
"Fine, you?" Sam asked getting up off the floor.
Dean just smiled and said, "Couldn't be better! But, ya know? I really need to learn to take better care of myself!”
Sam just shook his head at the pun, then Dean asked, “Where the hell is the lady that lives here anyway?"
"She's upstairs, I'll take care of her while you go… take care of yourself."
Dean just laughed at the continued play on words.
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Still reeling from the ordeal they had just suffered, Cas and Gabriel were surprised to hear a commotion coming from the other side of the gates. As they wearily went to investigate, they noticed one by one, angels from all over the world were beginning to gather at the other side of the gates, celebrating, shaking hands, and embracing each other in a camaraderie that hadn't been seen or felt in centuries. As touched as he was by the moment, Cas needed to focus and concentrate on the next spell. He looked to Gabriel for help but only heard him say, "Don't look at me brother, this one is all you, I'm spent!"
Cas was every bit as exhausted as Gabriel, but with the angels gathering, he didn’t see any choice but to press on.
"Everyone! May I have your attention please?!" Cas yelled, but no one could hear him over the din of excitement so he tried again by broadcasting his voice over angel radio. "Brothers and Sisters, those at the gates of heaven and those making their way here, may I have your attention please?" The angels began settling down as Cas continued, "Thank you! For those that cannot see me, this is Castiel speaking with the archangel Gabriel beside me," The angels began murmuring amongst themselves, "Please, I know you are unhappy with us for our part in what happened to Metatron; however, I assure you it was all necessary in order to bring you here today in the manner in which you are arriving. Gabriel has given you new wings today, and I will soon attempt to open the gates so you can all return home! In order to do so, I must ask for silence, and dare I ask, your support as well, while I try to restore our home to its former glory."
The angels looked around and in the same moment hundreds of angels knelt down on one or both knees and bowed their heads in silence. Moved beyond words, Cas was overcome and thought to himself, if this wasn’t the moment, there surely never would be.
Gabriel, kneeling himself now, looked up to his younger brother and asked, "Well? What are waiting for?"
Cas nodded then rested his chin on his chest as he stretched his new wings to their limit and began the incantation. However, this time around, fewer than a dozen words of Enochian were needed as the key was in Cas’ grace rather than the chant itself. Cas moved forward as he spoke the few words and stopped just short of the impenetrable gates and gave voice to the final syllable. He then laid both hands on the lock which in turn absorbed the essence of his being. Through the stillness of silence the angles held their collective breath after hearing the faintest click. Not knowing if Castiel had succeeded, or failed yet again, they watched their brother pause and then grab the gates with both hands, pulled them open and fell to his knees in his own astonishment. As the angels cheered and began moving towards the gates, Gabriel rushed to get to his brother first and put his arm around him, protecting him as the heavenly host clamored to enter their home for the first time in over a year.
“Please tell me you’re OK!” Gabriel said.
Cas stood right back up again, looking at his older brother and just said, “Couldn’t be better!”
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After Sam had given the woman some almost-believable story he concocted, and Dean disposed of the body, they got into the Impala and drove out of town. Dean was quick to find a nice spot off a country road and next to an empty field where they could pull over to share a couple of beers. Dean grabbed the green cooler out of the back as Sam climbed out and sat on the hood. Dean passed a beer to his brother as he leaned against the headlights. They razzed each other and stared at the stars and just enjoyed the post-hunt moment as they always did.
However, Sam’s mind was also thinking about what the shifter said about Dean not planning on telling him what was really going on. So he decided to do what he always does and started with a softball question, "Well, is the Mark satisfied?" Sam asked.
"Yeah, for now anyway," Dean said still looking up at the sky, hoping that would be the end of it, but knowing full well it wouldn’t. He was right on the money of course when Sam soon asked his next question.
"Dean, I don’t want to push like I did back at the hotel the other night, but I think it's time, don’t you?"
Being the smartass he was Dean asked, "Time for what?"
"Dean, come on, you're my brother, and you’ve got to know by now that there's nothing you can't tell me, nothing that we can’t deal with together! It’s time to tell me the truth Dean. It’s time to tell me what the shifter was hinting at, and it’s time to tell me what Crowley told you, the things you can do now, and what you really are. Come on man, just talk to me.”
Dean took a long swig of his beer and then turned to look at his brother, making his case, and making a lot of sense.
“Whatever it is, I can handle it. If that’s what’s holding you back, don’t let it. Besides, I have to know everything if I’m going to help you. You’ve waited long enough and you should be able to see by now, I’m going to stick by you no matter what. So let’s just get it out there - what are you not telling me?”
Dean looked down at his feet, took another swig of his beer and looked back up at the stars. When he couldn’t stall any longer he looked at his brother and said, “OK Sammy, you’re right, if you’re gonna help me out of this, you’re gonna need to know everything.”