The Winchester Three (S4): Lazarus Rising

Ch 14 Section 5

Back in the hospital...

At this point, Angel was still in bed, but the breathing tube was no longer connected to her. Her brothers and Asa were no longer in the room, but Castiel was sitting next to her.

"Are you alright?"

Angel glared, "Are you kidding me?"

Castiel ignored the attitude, "You need to be more careful."

"No, you need to be more careful and actually learn how to manage a damn devil's trap, Castiel."

"That's not what I mean." He turned to look at her finally with heavy eyes, "Uriel is dead."

Her eyes widened, "The demons killed him?"

"It was disobedience. He was working against us."

"Is- is what Alastair said true?" Angel's eyes once again filled with tears and vulnerability, something she herself was shocked she was allowing Castiel to see, "Did I break the first seal and start all this?"

"Yes." Castiel answered with little hesitation sending Angels heart plummeting into her stomach, "When we discovered Lilith's plan for you, we laid siege to hell and we fought our way to get to you before you-"

"Jump-started the apocalypse and the end of the world?"

"And we were too late."

"Well, then why take me out of hell at all?" She shook her head at him, trying to understand, "Why not just leave me there to rot?"

"Angel..." Castiel's eyes finally softened for her, "It's not blame that falls on you, it's fate. The righteous soul who begins it is the only one who can finish it. You and your brothers have to stop it."

"And by it you mean Lucifer and the whole apocalypse he's gonna bring down on us? How the hell are we supposed to stop that?" When he got up from his seat, Angel struggled to a sitting position and ignored the pain singing in her body, "Castiel, don't you dare disappear on me after dropping this bullshit on my lap! Tell me what that means!"

"I don't know."

She scoffed, "I'm not buying that answer."

"I don't. Angel, they don't tell me much. I know our fate rests with you and your brothers."

"Then you guys are screwed. I can't do this, Cas." Tears once again filled her eyes but this time they ran down her cheeks as she begged for him to understand, "Even with my brothers, this- this is too big. Alastair... He was right about me not being all here. I'm not the same woman- I'm not the same hunter I used to be. I'm broken. I'm not strong enough for this." She tore her eyes away from him, "I guess I'm not the woman either of our dads wanted me to be.... You need to find someone else."