The Winchester Three (S4): Lazarus Rising

Ch 14 Section 3

Angel was already covered in blood and wounds as Alastair sent another strong kick to her body. The demon then grabbed her by the hair and slammed her face into the concrete. He picked her up by grasping her throat tightly and shoved her up against the hexacle, lifting her feet off the floor.

"You got a lot to learn, girl. So I'll see you back in class bright and early Monday morning."

Upon feeling a presence behind him, he whirled around and was met with Castiel holding Rubys knife. The demon dropped Angel, who at this point was too injured to move and didn't even look to be breathing, to focus on the armed angel in front of him. Castiel stabbed him in the shoulder, but the injury sparked only a small gold light. Not as much power as it usually does when it kills.

"Well, almost." Alastair smirked, "Looks like God is on my side today."

Castiel lifted his hand and the knife twisted itself. Alastair grunted in pain before pulling the knife out and tossing it away. He charged Castiel and engaged in a rabid fight between the two.

"Like roaches, you celestials." Alastair sneered after he slammed Castiel against the wall and choked him, "Now, I really wish I knew how to kill you, but all I can do is send you back to heaven."

Alastair began chanting in latin causing Castiel to choke as a blue light appeared in his eyes and mouth. He was stopped abruptly, choking as well, before he was the one being slammed against the wall. Although, it wasn't by Castiel. Sam walked through the entrance with his hand raised as Castiel slumped to the ground.

Alastair glowered at the youngest Winchester hatefully, "Stupid pet tricks."

"Who's murdering the angels?" Sam demanded, "How are they doing it?"

"You think I'm gonna tell you?"

"Yeah, I do." Sam twisted his hand until Alastair's eyes rolled white and he began choking, "How are the demons killing angels?"

"I don't know!"

"Right."

"It's not us!" Alastair choked, "We're not doing it."

"I don't believe you."

"Lilith is not behind this. She wouldn't kill seven angels. Oh, she'd kill a hundred, a thousand." Sam stopped at that answer and Alastair caught his breath, "Oh, go ahead. Send me back, if you can."

"I'm stronger than that now." Sam held his hand out again, "Now I can kill."

Gold light flared inside Alastair as he screamed and soon his host collapsed, dead.

Later on, at a hospital...

Angel was now in a hospital bed, heavily bruised and bandaged. She had a breathing tube attached and was connected to multiple IV drips. Dean and Asa were on either side of her, each with their own look of guilt on their faces at not being able to get to her on time. Sam was leaning across from her bed watching her with a similar look when he caught sight of Castiel lingering in the doorway. He stared at Angel with a torn expression for a pause before continuing down the hall. Without a word, Sam quickly followed him.

Castiel tensed when Sam cut in front of him, "Sam-"

"Get in there and heal her." He demanded, "Miracle. Now."

"I can't."

"You and Uriel put her in there-"

"No."

"Because you can't keep a simple devil's trap together!"

"I don't know what happened. That trap..." He shook his head, "It shouldn't have broken. I am sorry."

"This whole thing was pointless. You understand that? The demons aren't doing the hits. Something else is killing your soldiers."

"Perhaps Alastair was lying."

"No, he wasn't."

As Sam turned to walk back to Angel's room, Castiel looked as though he had been slugged in the face.

In a snowy park...

"Castiel." Uriel was sitting on a bench with his eyes closed when Castiel appeared, "I've received revelation from our superiors. Our brothers and sisters are dying and they... they want us to stop hunting the demon responsible." Castiel sat next to him as he spoke, "Something is wrong up there. I mean, can you feel it?"

"The murders. Maybe they aren't demonic. Sam Winchester said the demons had nothing to do with it."

"If not the demons, what could it be?"

"The will of heaven. We are failing, Uriel. We are losing the war. Perhaps the garrison is being punished."

Uriel looked pained, "You think our father would-"

"I think maybe our father isn't giving the orders anymore. Maybe there is something wrong."

"Well..." Uriel stood up and straightened his jacket, "I won't wait to be gutted."

Later on, on a snowy street...

"Anna..." Castiel called out to the dark empty night, "Anna, please."

The streetlight above him flickered for a few seconds. He looked up, then turned around to be met face to face with the red headed angel.

"Decided to kill me after all?"

"I'm alone."

"What do you want from me, Castiel?"

A moment of silence stretched before he found the words to say, "I'm considering disobedience."

Anna's face softened as she came up closer to him, "Good."

"No, it isn't. For the first time, I feel..."

"It gets worse. Choosing your own course of action is confusing, terrifying." She put her hand comfortingly on Castiel's shoulder but when he gave it a look she dropped it, "That's right. You're too good for my help. I'm just trash. A walking blasphemy."

When she turned to walk away Castiel stopped him, "Anna." She stopped, "I don't know what to do. Please tell me what to do."

"Like the old days? No." Anna shook her head once when she turned back momentarily, "I'm sorry. It's time to think for yourself."

Back in Alastair's prison room...

Castiel examined the devil's trap that Alastair was once chained to. His eyebrows scrunched in confusion once he noticed the dripping faucet and shut it off without touching it. Much like how it was turned on.

"You called?" Uriel's voice earned his attention as he entered, "What do you say, Castiel? Will you join me? Will you fight with me?"

"Strange. Strange how a leaky pipe can undo the work of angels when we ourselves are supposed to be the agents of fate."

"Alastair was much more powerful than we had imagined."

"No. No demon can overpower that trap. I made it myself." Castiel said as he turned to face him, "We've been friends for a long time, Uriel. Fought by each other's sides, served together away from home, for what seems like forever. We're brothers, Uriel. Pay me that respect. Tell me the truth."

"The truth is, the only thing that can kill an angel..." A long silver blade slid out of Uriel's sleeve into his grasp, "Is another angel."