( JUST A MAN )

HELL
[ TIME UNKNOWN ]

      Countless souls stand in line. The newest arrival takes number 6,611,527,124 from the take-a-number dispenser. "Where are we?" Castiel asks Crowley.

       "You don't recognize it, do you? It's Hades, new and improved. I did it myself."

       "This is Hell?" Asks Castiel.

        "Yeah. See, problem with the old place was most of the inmates were masochists already. A lot of "thank you, sir. Can I have another hot spike up the jacksie?" Crowley says. "But just look at them. No one likes waiting in line."

       "And what happens when they reach the front?"

        "Nothing. They go right back to the end again. That's efficiency." Crowley says.

       "You have four minutes left."

       "What are you planning to do about Raphael?" Asks Crowley.

       "What can I do besides submit or die?" Cas asks.

        "Submit or die? What are you, French? How about resist?"

        "I'm not strong enough, and you know it." Says Castiel.

        "Ah, not on your own, you're not. But you're not on your own, are you? There's a lot of angels swooning over you. "God's favorite." Buddy boy, you've got what they call sex appeal."

      "Thank you. Get to the point." Says Cas.

       "Angels need leaders, so be one. Gather your army and kick the candy out of each and every angel that shows up for Raphael." Crowley says.

       "Are you proposing that I start a civil war in heaven?"

       "Ding! Ding! Ding! Tell him what he's won, Vanna." Says Crowley.

       "You're asking me to be the next Lucifer."

       "Please. Lucifer was a petulant child with daddy issues. Cas, you love God. God loves you. He brought you back." Crowley says. "Did it occur to you that maybe he did this so you could be the new Sheriff upstairs?"

       "This is ridiculous. I mean, the amount of power that it would take to mount a war..." Castiel starts.

        "More than either of us have ever seen, yeah. But what if I said I knew how to go nuclear?"

       "What do you mean?" Castiel asks.

       "Purgatory, my fine feathered friend. Purgatory. Just think about it." Crowley says. "An untapped oil well of every fanged, clawed soul. I mean, what's that over the years? 30 million? 40 million? Just sitting there, plump and rich for the taking."

       "How would you even find it when no one ever has?" Castiel asks.

        "We'll need expert help."

       "From whom?" Castiel asks.

        "From experts, of course. I know of three eerily suited 'Teen Beat' models with time on their hands." Crowley says.

       "No. Not Dean. He's retired, and he's to stay that way." Castiel says. "Elena has also moved on with her life."

       "Fine. Then I know of a certain big, bald patriarch I can take off the bench. The point is...They can get us to the monsters. The monsters can get us to Purgatory. I know it."

       "And what's your price in all of this?" Asks Castiel.

       "Just half." Crowley says.

       "Half?"

       "My position isn't all that stable, ducky. Those souls would help, just like they'd help you. Besides, wouldn't you rather have me in charge down here? The devil you know..." Crowley starts.

       "This is pointless. Your plan would take months, and I need help now." Castiel says

       "Granted. Yes. But just to show you how serious I am about this scheme...How about I float you a little loan? Say, 50 large? 50,000 souls from the pit. You can take them up to heaven. Make quite a showing. It's either this or the Apocalypse all over again." Crowley says. "Everything you've worked for—everything that Sam and Dean have worked for—gone. You can save us, Castiel. God chose you to save us. And I think...Deep down...You know that."

       "I wish I could say I was clean of pride at that moment...Or the next."

       Castiel uses the power of the souls to remove Raphael from the room. "There will be no Apocalypse. And let it be known—you're either with Raphael or you're with me." He says.

       "And so went the long road of good intentions...The road that brought me here."

ELLSWORTH'S HOUSE
[ ☼ ]

       "Castiel, uh...We need you for a little powwow down here, so come on down." Dean says.

       "Hello." Cas says.

        "Oh, Johnny on the spot." Bobby says.

        "You're still here." Says Cas.

        "Yeah, we had to bury the bodies." Elena says.

        "And we found a little whiskey. Thanks for coming." Dean says.

        "How can I help?"

         "Oh, look. We, um—we have a new plan. We think we've finally figured out a way to track down Crowley." Sam says.

       "What is it?" Castiel asks.

        Bobby lights a match and drops it on the floor by Castiel's feet, trapping him in a ring of holy fire. "It's you." He says.

       "What are you doing?" Castiel asks.

       "We gotta talk." Dean says.

       "About what? Let me go!" Cas yells.

       "About Superman. And Kryptonite." Dean says.

       "How'd you know what I said?" Bobby asks.

       "How long you been watching us?" Elena asks.

      "You know who spies on people, Cas? Spies." Dean says.

       "Okay, just wait. I don't even know what you mean."

       "What about this demon craphole? How is it so, uh..."Next to godliness" clean in here?" Dean says.

       "And how exactly did Crowley trick you with the wrong bones?" Asks Bobby.

        "It's hard to understand. It's hard to explain. Just let me go. Let me out and I can—" Castiel starts.

       "You got to look at me, man. You got to level with me and tell me what's going on. Look me in the eye and tell me you're not working with Crowley." Dean says and Castiel looks at him, but then looks away. "You son of a bitch."

      "Let me explain."

       "You're in it with him? You and Crowley have been going after Purgatory together?" Dean asks. "You have, huh? This whole time."

       "I did it to protect you. I did it to protect all of you." Cas says.

       "Protect us how? By opening a hole into monsterland!" Sam yells.

       "He's right, Cas. One drop got through, and it was Eve. And you want to break down the entire dam?" Bobby asks.

       "To get the souls. I can stop Raphael. Please, you have to trust me."

      "Trust you?! How in the hell are we supposed to trust you now?" Elena asks.

       "I'm still me. I'm still your friend. Sam...I'm the one who raised you from Perdition." Castiel says.

       "What?" Sam asked "Well, no offense...But you did a pretty piss-poor job of it. Wait. Did you bring me back soulless...On purpose?"

      "How could you think that?" Castiel asks.

       "Well, I'm thinking a lot of things right now, Cas." Sam says.

       "Listen. Raphael will kill us all. He'll turn the world into a graveyard. I had no choice." Cas says.

        "No, you had a choice. You just made the wrong one." Says Dean.

        "You don't understand. It's complicated."

        "No, actually, it's not, and you know that. Why else would you keep this whole thing a secret, huh, unless you knew that it was wrong?" Dean says. "When crap like this comes around, we deal with it... Like we always have. What we don't do is we don't go out and make another deal with the Devil!"

        "It sounds so simple when you say it like that. Where were you when I needed to hear it?" Castiel asks.

       "I was there. Where were you?" Dean asks.

        "You should've come to us for help, Cas."

        "Maybe." Castiel says. "There is a loud sound of wind. A large cloud of demon-smoke approaches. "It's too late now. I can't turn back now. I can't."

       "It's not too late. Damn it, Cas! We can fix this!" Elena yells.

        "Elena, it's not broken! Run. You have to run now! Run!" Castiel yells. Dean, Sam, Elena and Bobby run out the door.

        Crowley enters. "My, my. Playing with fire again?" He snaps and puts out the flame.

       "If you touch the Winchesters or Elena..." Castiel starts.

       "Please. I heard you the first time. I promise—nary a hair on their artfully tousled heads." Crowley says. "Besides, I think they've proven my point for me. It's always your friends, isn't it, in the end? We try to change. We try to improve ourselves. It's always our friends who got to claw into our sides and hold us back. But you know what I see here? The new God." He points at Castiel. "And the new Devil, working together."

       "Enough. Stop talking. And get out of my sight." Castiel says.

       "Well...Glad I came. You're welcome, by the way." Crowley heads for the door. "You know the difference between you and me? I know what I am. What are you, Castiel? What exactly are you willing to do?"

BOBBY'S LIVING ROOM
[ ☾]

       "Hello, Dean." Castiel says.

       "How'd you get in here?" Dean asks.

        "The angel-proofing Bobby put up on the house—he got a few things wrong." Cas says.

       "Well, it's too bad we got to angel-proof in the first place, isn't it?" Dean asks. "Why are you here?"

       "I want you to understand."

       "Oh, believe me, I get it. Blah, blah, Raphael, right?" Dean asks.

        "I'm doing this for you, Dean. I'm doing this because of you."

        "Because of me. Yeah. You got to be kidding me." Says Dean.

        "You're the one who taught me that freedom and free will—" Castiel starts.

        "You're a freakin' child, you know that? Just because you can do what you want doesn't mean that you get to do whatever you want!"

       "I know what I'm doing, Dean." Says Dean.

       "I'm not gonna logic you, okay? I'm saying don't...Just 'cause. I'm asking you not to. That's it." Dean says.

       "I don't understand."

        "Look, next to Sam, you, Elena and Bobby are the closest things I have to family—that you are like a brother to me." Dean says. "So, if I'm asking you not to do something...You got to trust me, man."

       "Or what?"

        "Or I'll have to do what I have to do to stop you." Says Dean.

        "You can't, Dean. You're just a man. I'm an angel." Castiel says.

        "I don't know. I've taken some pretty big fish."

       "I'm sorry, Dean." Cas says.

       "Well, I'm sorry, too, then."

PARK
[ ☼ ]

       "So, that's everything. I believe it's what you would call a...Tragedy from the human perspective. But maybe the human perspective is...Limited. I don't know. That's why I'm asking you, Father. One last time. Am I doing the right thing? Am I on the right path? You have to tell me. You have to give me...A sign. Give me a sign. Because if you don't...I'm gonna ju-- I'm gonna do whatever I... Whatever I must."