"Cas, come on, this isn't you!"

Dean couldn't believe what he was hearing, what he was seeing. Castiel, the angel of the Lord who raised him from perdition, was standing there proclaiming himself the new God. He killed Raphael in a snap and other angels, too, no doubt. He put them all in danger by bringing Sam back without his soul... All for this?

"The Castiel you knew is gone."

"So what, then? Kill us?" dared Dean.

"What a brave little ant you are." Castiel grinned. "You know you're powerless. You wouldn't dare move against me again. That would be pointless. So I have no need to kill you. Not now. Besides...once, you were my favorite pets before you turned and bit me. If you stay in your place, you may live in my kingdom. If you rise up, I will strike you down."

"Cas, come on, this is nuts! You can turn this around, please!"

Castiel glared at all of them.

"I hope for your sake this is the last time you see me.'

He disappeared, leaving the Hunters and Allegra alone in Crowley's little lab of horrors. They all looked around, expecting Castiel to suddenly reappear behind them again, but no one did.
Dean exhaled, unaware that he had been holding his breath this entire time. He faced Allegra and saw the terrible state she was in. She looked completely drained as if something had sucked the life out of her. From the looks of the dried blood and the cut in her shirt, she'd been stabbed too. The cut was healing, but Dean could tell it still hurt her. He walked over to her, putting one hand gently on the wound.

"You okay?" he asked, concerned.

"Yeah, don't worry." Allegra nodded slowly, her body still in shock from the trauma it suffered. "Lisa and Ben..."

"We got them out, thanks to you," said Dean quickly, not wanting her to waste any more of her strength. "Balthazar got your message and helped."

"He's dead. Castiel killed him."

Dean sighed. He had figured as much when he hadn't heard back from the guy. Allegra's eyes suddenly darted to something behind him, and Dean noticed her alarmed expression. He spun around to see his brother collapsing.

"Sammy!"

They all hurried over to him. Dean rolled Sam on his back as Allegra knelt at his head. She put her hands at his temples.

"Dean, it's - AAAH!"

Allegra released Sam to put her hands against her own head. Dean barely had time to catch her as she fell to the floor, screaming in agony.

"Alley! Alley, what's wrong?!"

"The angels! He's... He's killing them! No! NO, STOP IT!"

Allegra cried violently, struggling against his firm grip. Her body went limp, and she lost consciousness. Dean quickly checked her pulse. It was steady but slow. He picked her up and followed Bobby out, who was carrying Sam across his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. They had to get home as soon as possible. But the Impala was practically roadkill after the demons attacked them earlier. There was no way they could get... Outside stood a black van, just waiting for them. And next to the van, the King of Hell.

"You enjoying the scenery or something?" Crowley sneered at Bobby and Dean's confused looks. "Get your bums in!"

Bobby didn't hesitate a minute and dropped Sam in the back. He took Allegra from Dean and put her down a little gentler than he had Sam.

"Not that we ain't grateful, but why the hell you helpin' us?" he asked.

"I'm not helping you, I'm helping her, as per our deal. Oh, and give her this back too." Crowley gave Dean a golden blade - Allegra's Archangelblade. "I didn't care for the way Castiel was looking at this, so I hid it from him. She's no good to me dead."

"Don't think this gets you off the hook," said Dean.

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Crowley made his exit, and Bobby and Dean sped away from the lab. When they got back to Bobby's, Dean carried Allegra up to her room whilst Bobby took care of Sam. The next hours, Dean spent sitting at either his brother's or his girlfriend's bedside, watching over them both as they were trapped inside their all too real nightmares.

***

Allegra woke up the next day with a screaming headache. Her mind was in absolute chaos. Castiel killed every angel that stood with Raphael in the dispute over Heaven. The ones who had been on his side were in hiding, afraid that he would turn on them any second. Only a clutch was brave enough to stay put. Besides praying, Allegra had no idea how to get in touch with any of them. If only the angels had spent a little less time hurting her and lying to her, they could've shown her how her angel powers actually worked.

Meanwhile, Castiel himself was nowhere to be found. Since he absorbed the souls from Purgatory, he became more than an angel. Faster, more powerful, and far more lethal than he had ever been. All moral sense and mercy were completely gone.

"Here, take this."

Dean came into her room carrying a glass of water and some aspirin.

"Bobby's fixing breakfast," he added.

Allegra sat up in bed, gratefully taking the aspirin and water from him. She doubted it would help much, but hey, beggars can't be choosers.

"How's Sam?" she asked.

"Still out of it." Dean sighed as he sat next to the bed. "I don't know what the hell Cas did to him, but it messed him up real good. I'm just glad you're doing better now. I don't know what I would do if I lost you."

He gazed into Allegra's eyes, smiling sadly. She reached for his hand and gave him a comforting pinch. They heard a truck pulling up in Bobby's salvage yard, and Dean got up to look out the window. Allegra managed to do the same, albeit with some strain.

"What the hell happened to Baby?" she asked, shocked as she saw Bobby unhooking the Impala from the trailer.

"Demons," answered Dean. "It's gonna take forever to get her back into shape."

"Well, the sooner you start, the sooner she's done."

"You don't mind?"

"No, of course not. I'll come down to help you in a little while. I wanna check on Sam first."

Dean turned around to face Allegra. 

"Don't use your powers," he said sternly. "Alley, I mean it. You're still weak from whatever those bastards did to you."

"I'm stronger than I look. And I need to help him. You didn't see what I saw, Dean. I think Castiel broke down the wall in Sam's head. His soul was... It felt like I was back in Hell."

Allegra looked at him intently, letting him know he wasn't going to win this round. She didn't care if this sparked up his jealousy again, she couldn't leave Sam to suffer.

"Okay, fine. But promise me you won't overdo it."

"Promise." Allegra made a cross with her finger just above her heart. "Now go down there and get started. I expect you to be halfway Grease Lightning by the time I'm there."

Dean chuckled at the Grease reference. Allegra knew he was more Rebel Without a Cause than T-Bird, but it was the first thing that popped into her muddled mind right now. At least she made him laugh. He really did have the most beautiful laugh.
She met his lips as he leaned in. It was probably only supposed to be a short kiss, but it was like they were only now realizing how long they'd been apart. Their lips, their entire bodies even, moved completely on their own. They pulled each other into a close embrace. Dean pressed Allegra against the wall with his body and felt her respond to him. As his hands trailed down to her hips, hers went up and in his hair. When their lips finally pulled away from each other, they were both trying to catch their breath. There were no words needed. Their eyes spoke what they wanted to say.

If only it could be more.

***

It took another day before Sam woke up. He put on a brave face and told everyone he was okay, but Allegra knew better. He really wasn't. She wasn't at full strength yet, so she could only do a minimum, but she did notice that Sam did better whenever she was near. Maybe her presence was enough. For now, anyway.

Dean kept busy working on Baby. Bobby helped out sometimes, but he prefered to keep an eye out on any news from the Castiel front. When Sam wasn't resting up (on both Allegra and Dean's orders), he was either helping his brother or his mentor. So that really just left Allegra to help Dean put the Impala back together.
And he had to admit, she was actually a great help to him. When she was 16, she spent a few weeks working as a secretary for this older couple who owned a garage (she convinced them it was an internship for school). The couple took a liking to her, and the woman taught her how to cook whilst her husband taught her a couple of tricks on auto mechanics. Both came in handy right about now.

After a particularly hard day's work, Allegra surprised Dean with a homemade blueberry pie with coconut custard. She had never seen him so happy. If she hadn't cut out a couple of slices for Bobby and Sam, they probably wouldn't have had any.

"How about a cherry on a chocolate crust next time?" she asked as she leaned back against the counter, enjoying the sight of the guys eating.

"Yeff, pleafe!" answered Dean, his mouth stuffed with blueberries.

"Boy, watch your manners!" scolded Bobby.

"Bu I saifh pleafe."

Sam shook his head at his older brother and looked over at Allegra. Her eyes met his. She could still see the pain in them. She wondered if he was ever without any.
Then, she noticed the tv interrupting the program that was on. Allegra quickly turned the volume back on when she saw Breaking News appear on the screen.

"Guys," she warned, and they all turned to watch.

"The sudden deaths of some two hundred religious leaders are currently under investigation. The Vatican has yet to issue a statement, but some are already calling this an act of God. - We all saw him. No beard, no robe. He was young...and...and sexy. He had a raincoat."

Dean shut the tv off. Allegra felt cold. Two hundred people... Had Castiel really killed so many innocents? Was he that far gone? They couldn't let it continue. She couldn't let it continue.

"I'm gonna try something," she said to no one in particular as she made her way out of the kitchen.

"Alley, what are you...?"

But Allegra ignored Dean and went straight outside. She stood on the porch, her hair blowing softly in the wind, her eyes closed. She wasn't sure if prayer would work, but what did she have to lose at this point? 

"Okay, so we've been here before. You never answer, and really, I'm not expecting You to do so now, either. I only know You as cold, distant, and merciless. But others believe You are good and just and whatnot. So it's up to You. What kind of God do You want to be? Feared? A despot? Or beloved? Someone worth believing in... If it's the latter, then please, give me something to stop Castiel. Anything. A weapon, powers, a sign even, I don't care. 'Cause as long as he has those souls, he won't stop until he destroys everything You created. That can't be what You want, right? You wanted me to pick sides? Well, here I am, going for the option You never thought of giving me. Not Michael, not Lucifer, but mere humans. Let me use my powers the way I want, and then maybe I can still be the savior you all want me to be."

Allegra waited with bated breath. From her previous one-sided conversations with God, she knew He probably wouldn't answer, but still... If she really was one of His Archangels, if only half a one, then He should be listening. He should hear her. Help her.
Just as Allegra was about to give up and go back inside, she heard a familiar hissing sound a bit further ahead. A black serpent slithered its way through the gravel and then lay waiting for her at the bottom of the steps. The king cobra lifted its head, and the forked tongue went in and out of its mouth every few seconds. Allegra stepped down the steps and knelt beside the serpent. It obediently went into her hand and turned back into its original form at her touch.

"I know what to do. Thank you."

She pushed herself back up with the Staff of Moses and felt its powers fuelling her own. She discarded all memories of Montana and instead focused everything on finding Castiel. Much to her surprise, it didn't take long for her to track him down. Maybe it was thanks to the extra juice the Staff gave her. Or maybe Castiel wanted her to find him.

"Alley? Allegra, What the hell are you doing?!"

Dean's voice rang clearly through Allegra's head. She turned to see him leave the window where he had been watching her. All her resolve, her steadfast determination to try and end this on her own, was gone. She wanted to drop the Staff and run back inside to be in Dean's arms. But there was too much at stake. Just as the door swung open and Dean stormed out of the house, Allegra disappeared. His desperate voice shouting her name was the last thing she heard.

***

They stood in a meadow. High grass, wildflowers everywhere, bees buzzing, and crickets chirping. A scene from a postcard. Or so it should have been. Castiel had his back turned to Allegra. She stayed at a distance, watching him, the Staff clutched in her hand.

"How curious that the false God would send you of all people," said Castiel.

"He didn't send me."

He slowly turned around to face her. Allegra tried to keep up a brave face and stay in her place, but the sight of Castiel's bloodied trench coat shocked her. As did the open wounds and boils on his skin.

"Do I frighten you?" asked Castiel, tilting his head at her.

"Yes," she answered truthfully. "But I'm more scared for you than I am of you. Castiel, please stop what you're doing. You're hurting people."

"I'm no different from the false God, Allegra. I must punish the wicked before I can start my new world. You hold the plagues; you know what it's like."

"You're right, I do. That's why I would think you would want to do things differently. I mean, you want to show us we are worthy of you, right? That you are right to usurp the false God because you are far better than He will ever be?"

Castiel said nothing. He merely narrowed his eyes at her. Allegra took his silence as a sign for her to continue, and she took a step closer.

"The God we've known is cruel. Cold. Without compassion. He's made me use the plagues on hundreds of innocent people, killing children even. Do you really want to be like Him? You can do and be better. I've asked it of you before. I'm asking again."

For a brief second, she believed the old Castiel resurfaced as his cold expression fell away. Those words triggered something. A memory. He wasn't completely gone yet. 

"If I were to stop my pursuit of those who wronged the good, if I were to... consider your request, would you, in turn, do the same?"

Allegra's first instinct was to run. A deal with cuckoo Castiel somehow seemed worse than a deal with the King of Hell. But she held her ground.

"What did you have in mind?"

"I have been thinking of ways to improve what the false God did wrong," said Castiel, approaching her. "His failure to create the ultimate power on Earth, in the universe even, comes to mind. He tried with a mere mortal and then again with you, a hybrid. I know the full prophecy now, Allegra, and I see why you were chosen to be a vessel for the true power, despite obvious shortcomings."

He reached out for Allegra's cheek, and she felt his icy fingers on her skin. It took everything she had not to flinch at his touch. She looked into his blue eyes, once kind but now hollow.

"Death is almost certain when you give birth to a child that powerful," continued Castiel. "But if you were to choose a God instead of an Archangel..."

Allegra's eyes widened as she understood his meaning. She slapped his hand away. The Staff glowed in her hand, sensing her anger. Castiel grinned at her reaction.

"Your answer is clear. So mine is as well. Return to Dean and spend as much time as you can with him. You accuse me of being like the false God, but this is my mercy to you. I will allow both of you to live for now... and for old time's sake."

He backed away from her. Just before he got out of her reach, Allegra swung the Staff against Castiel's legs, making him fall to the ground, and put the end against his chest, pinning him down in the dirt. She closed her eyes, letting her own powers merge with those of the Staff of Moses.
Castiel screamed as the plagues hit his being, one right after the other. Blood oozed out of him. Frogs, lice, flies... all covered his body in less than a second. Pestilence made his skin flake. The boils he already had were covered up by new ones that burst instantly, and the oily pus then somehow burst into flames. Locusts ate their way out from the inside of his body. Castiel's eyes turned white, blinding him to everything around him, making the sensation of the previous plagues even more unbearable. 
The earth beneath Castiel split open, and he fell through. A white light made Allegra avert her eyes. She stumbled, the Staff still in her hand. All went quiet around her as soon as the earth closed itself. There were no insects, no rustling grass, nothing at all - only the deafening silence. Allegra sat up on her knees and looked at the place where Castiel had been. Tears stung in her eyes. 

"I'm sorry," she whispered.

"You did it!"

She turned her head at Crowley's voice. He stood right behind her, looking down at her in awe.

"What are you doing here?" asked Allegra, rubbing her tears away with the back of her eyes.

"I've been watching you myself these past days. Figured you were my safest option. Then I saw you leave with that bloody Staff, and I knew you were gonna do something stupid. Got here just in time to see the show. You actually did it!"

She ignored his jubilant state and stared at the earth again. Crowley pulled her up by her arm.

"You did what you had to do, love."

He managed to sound somewhat compassionate as he said that, and Allegra nodded.
It was over. Castiel was dead. The souls had returned to Purgatory. All was well, and Allegra could return to Dean and live happily with him.

That would have been the ideal scenario.

The ground trembled. The grass died around them. Crowley and Allegra looked around, trying to figure out what was happening. Their eyes darted everywhere. A geyser of lava suddenly burst out of the earth into the sky, making them jump back. They tried to shield themselves from the heat. Allegra squinted to see and gasped when she saw what, or rather who, had caused this. 
Castiel stepped out of the hole in the ground, his body bloodied, wounded, and burning but healing. He walked straight towards them. Allegra didn't hesitate and grabbed Crowley's arm. She zapped them both away from the meadow and Castiel. But where could they go? Nowhere on Earth was safe. No power on Earth could stop Castiel. No power in Heaven either, it seemed. It was impossible.

***

"Dean, it's me."

"Alley, thank God! Where are you? Are you all right?"

Sam and Bobby rushed to Dean's side as he put the phone on speaker. It had been hours since Allegra left. Dean had been beside himself with worry for her. The relief that washed over him now was indescribable. 

"I'm okay, Dean." Allegra's voice didn't sound very steady as she spoke. "I'm... hiding."

"Alley, what happened? What did you do?"

"I killed Castiel with the plagues."

Dean looked up at his brother and his mentor. They were going through the same process he was; shock, realization, and hope.

"So what? We good now?" asked Bobby. "It's over?"

"No."

"What do you mean, no?" demanded Dean, fear gripping his heart again.

"He didn't stay dead."

The little hope they had just flew out the window.

"I used the Staff of Moses," continued Allegra. "I hit him with all the plagues, including the death of the firstborn, and he still walked away."

"We'll find a way," said Dean. "We'll figure it out, Alley, but you need to come back first." 

"I can't."

Dean shut the speaker off and put his phone back at his ear. He walked out of the living room, Sam's eyes following him.

"Alley, don't do this," he begged. "Whatever happens, we face it together. You jump, I jump, remember?"

"Dean... Don't you know by now I won't put you in danger?" said Allegra.

"Alley, no, please. Please come home."

He heard a sob and then Allegra's broken voice for the last time.

"I love you."

"Alley, no! Alley?! Allegra!"

A/N I hope you've enjoyed the drama so far. Plenty more to follow. We all know what happens in season 7.
The chapter's title is another reference to The Prince of Egypt, the musical version this time. It's a lyric used in the songs 'Make it right' and 'The plagues.' Seemed to fit here.

Thank you for reading - leave a comment if you want.