Disclaimer: Don't own 'em; not making any money.

A/N: Tag to 6.22, The Man Who Knew Too Much. Cas has gone off the deep end, Sam's wall has fallen and Dean is pissed.

Smite is Right

"...So you will bow down and profess your love unto me, your Lord," Cas paused and his eyes were cold and eerily empty, "Or I shall destroy you."

Dean was reminded of nothing so much as Father Gregory, a good man who'd died violently and, as a spirit convinced he was an angel, incited acts of evil because he just couldn't tell the difference anymore. Well, Cas was now countless magnitudes stronger than Gregory had been, and clearly the same magnitudes crazier, but the words Father Reynolds had spoken then fit just the same now.

"Cas, you're an angel. A souped up one clearly, but you're still an angel and an angel cannot be God."

"You still doubt me? The sword did not work."

"All those souls inside you? People, monsters, alphas? Who knows what kind of juice you got flowing in you right now. Maybe some of them were gods. Doesn't make you one."

"You will bow down Dean."

"Dean..." Sam's voice was a warning and a plea, but Dean could see how hard it was for him to stay on his feet, and that was his priority right now, the same as it had always been. Take care of Sammy. And as far as this messed up situation went? Dean had just about had it.

"And what kind of God are you gonna be, Cas? You said a better one. Is this better? You threaten your friends, the ones who've fought at your side? You kill us if we won't worship you? You've got a screwed up world out there. A screwed up heaven, and all you can think about is petty revenge. You've got people and angels to punish and you're gonna do it with a smile on your face."

Cas opened his mouth to speak, but Dean ploughed over him, on a roll.

"What are you gonna have your prophets write? The last one said in the beginning was the word and the word was God and then he created the universe. What's your story, huh? Near the end an angel made a deal with a demon, stole the blood of a virgin, swallowed a whole mess of souls didn't belong to him and then killed all his friends? Who's gonna worship that?"

I've met quite a few gods in my time Cas. Frankly I wasn't impressed. And so far you're not shaping up any better. Those other gods, we killed the ones we needed to. You wanna try to kill us? We'll try to kill you right back."

"You will-" Cas's voice had changed. Dean heard petulance and his gut twisted in anger.

"No Cas. I got a brother barely standing to take care of and I got a car to fix. I've got more important things to worry about than you. We're leaving." He moved to Sam's side, and Cas followed him with his eyes, but didn't move otherwise. Dean pulled Sam's arm over his shoulder, steadying him and softened his voice, "Ok, Sammy, let's get you some rest."

"Dean," Cas was angry now, but Dean could match that and then some. Cas had done this to Sam, deliberately, to take them out of the fight. That was still something needed settling. But not now.

"You wanna be God? Go be God. Be like the last one and leave us the hell alone."

As they reached Bobby, he put his arm around Sam's waist on the other side, pulling his arm over his shoulder and they shuffled forward back towards the stairs.

Dean was braced for something to happen. In truth, he wasn't sure whether Cas would go ahead and smite them. If he did, he did, but he was damn sure he wouldn't bow down out of fear and he wasn't going to worship or even respect any god who hadn't given him a damn good reason.

Cas wasn't going to listen to reason right now. Maybe never again. Dean would help him if he asked for it, but he wasn't holding his breath. Cas had crossed some serious lines to get here, and he wasn't coming back easy.

But Dean didn't give up on friends, on family. Cas may have lived for millions of years, time out of mind, but he was still a child, and Dean knew from raising Sammy that sometimes the best thing to do was to ignore the bad behaviour and reward the good. Dean had time to wait this out. Not a lot of time in angel terms, but some years at least, if he didn't get his guts ripped out by the next fugly down the road.

Eventually Sammy had come back, all of him, and if not in one piece, at least willing to try. He had to hope Cas would too.

But for now, Dean put him out of his mind. Sammy was leaning pretty heavily on him and Bobby. The wall was down, solutions were thin on the ground and he was out of favours to call in.

Death, Cas, Crowley, everyone had said without that wall, Sam would be damaged beyond repair, his soul so twisted and broken, he'd be a vegetable, but what the hell did they know about what he and Sam had survived? Sam was here, had held himself together to come fight at his brother's side and Dean had faith.

Not in gods or angels or any of that bullcrap. He had faith in Sam again, hard won faith, tempered by time and experience and so much pain that he knew the exact size, shape and feel of it.

Sam would tough this one out. Not alone though. He'd have his family with him.

The beginning...

A/N2: I'm like a child too – reviews are rewards!