Cascade - Chapter One
“Cas! Castiel!” There was no answer to Dean’s shout. No flutter of wings. Nothing. “Where the hell are you?”
The angel had abandoned them again, just when they needed him.
And then it happened... Angels were falling from the sky, lighting up the darkened clouds with their burning wings. What the hell did Castiel do?!
Dean helped his ailing brother off the mud soaked ground and into the shotgun seat of the Impala. He wouldn’t lose Sam, not now, not after everything… The ground shook with the impact of another angel hitting the earth nearby. They needed to get to safety, they needed to reach the bunker. Dean was about to jump into the car when he cursed and remembered Crowley. He couldn’t just leave the King of Hell in there, cured or not.
So reassuring Sam he would be right back Dean dashed back into the ramshackle church. He nearly broke the door down in his haste. Though Crowley looked on with wide, tear stained, eyes Dean wasn’t born yesterday. Those tears might very well be the tears of a crocodile. He freed Crowley, but left the engraved shackles on, pulling him along like a dog on a chain.
“Come on, we’re getting out of here”.
“The lights… what’s going on?” Crowley seemed to speak with a voice that wasn’t his own.
As strange as it was Dean didn’t have time to dwell on it. Nor did he give the demon an answer. He simply hauled Crowley outside where he could see for himself… it was quite obvious what was happening. The slight smell of burnt feathers tinged the air and the bright cascade of falling angels showed no sign of stopping.
Crowley stared at the sky with awe, his eyes lit up with the sort of innocence reserved for a child’s gaze. It was slightly unnerving, but it would take more than that to convince Dean. He threw the Impala’s back door open and roughly shoved Crowley inside.
“Dean!” Sam’s shaky voice drew Dean’s attention to the front of the car. “Look!”
Sam raised a finger, he pointed at something coming out of the trees. Dean slammed the car door shut and followed Sam’s line of sight. A familiar trench coated figure came walking towards them.
Dean found himself running over to the angel. The slump of his shoulder and lost look in his eye told of devastation, but a spark of anger had overridden Dean’s senses.
“Sammy could be dying! Where the hell were you?” Castiel’s eyes dropped to the ground. “What did you do Cas? Look at me dammit!”
He didn’t.
Dean lashed out with a fist.
And Castiel fell. Again.
It struck Dean then, in the moment his hand hit flesh and it gave way beneath his fist… in the way Castiel lay face down in the dirt, struggling to his hands and knees… Human… he was human.
Dean’s anger slipped away like a cloak from his shoulders. He went to kneel by Castiel and grabbed an arm to help him up. The former angel’s breath was ragged, he spat a stream of blood across the road and Dean’s heart lurched.
“Oh God… Cas, are you ok? Speak to me… say something”.
Castiel turned to look up at Dean, just as he asked. Red ran down his chin and a bruise looked to be forming on his cheek, but it was his eyes that held the real pain. They locked onto Dean, telling of hurt, guilt, remorse, fear, shame and more. But then Castiel’s eyes slipped to one side, watching the sky, witnessing his brothers and sisters… They were flickering pinpoints of light reflected in the former angel’s eyes. Then the pain became too much, it seemed like a filled cup running over, he couldn’t bear to watch any more. Castiel gaze flicked around erratically, his head turned away, and then his eyes settled where they had started… staring at the ground.
“Cas… please”. Dean shook the former angel lightly, almost begging for a response. Anything that would show him Castiel was still in there.
He feared Castiel was broken again. Was he so traumatised from the fall he could do nothing more than follow a vague instinct to find Dean?
“Dean…” Relief flooded through Dean at hearing his name, even whispered as weakly as it was.
“You’re going to be okay, lets get you to the car”. He patted Castiel’s arm and helped the former angel to his feet.
His steps were unsteady, but Dean stood strongly by his side, wrenching the car door open, and settling him in. It seemed wrong to sit the former angel next to Crowley, but there was little they could do about it.
Dean got into the Impala and gave Sam a shake. “You with me Sammy?”
Sam’s eyes were closed and he was shivering, but he was breathing strongly and didn’t seem to be in as much pain. Still a moan was all he could muster.
“Sammy, we’ve got Cas back. I’m taking us all home, we’re all going to be okay you hear?”
Dean started the Impala and looked up at the sky as he pulled off. Only a few angels now fell, the clouds were darkening once again. He glanced in his rear view mirror to see Castiel slumped against the car door. His eyes were fixed on the floor as if he dare not look out of the window. He seemed to fear catching sight of the last of his kin plummeting in wreathes of flame.
Dean noticed Castiel’s face was wet with tears as well as blood, Crowley’s face was similarly shining, his eyes were bright with sorrow. As Dean watched the pair on the back seat something strange happened. Crowley had been the demon on Castiel’s shoulder, his infernal partner in crime… and just a few days ago he had been elbow deep in the former angel’s guts. There had been nothing but animosity between the two. But he looked over at Castiel now as if the ex-angel’s pain was his very own. Slowly the demon - former demon? - reached out a shackled hand and tentatively placed it on Castiel’s shoulder. The former angel flinched but Crowley kept his hand there.
“I’m sorry…” He spoke with that un-Crowley like voice again. And he seemed to hesitate, as if wondering whether to go on… or maybe where to start - I’m sorry for leading you astray, I’m sorry for shooting you and hurting your friends. I’m sorry you’re hurting and human, I’m sorry… Sometimes just ‘I’m sorry’ would have to suffice.
Seeing that selfless act of comfort and penance from Crowley started Dean wondering more seriously… Maybe he was cured, maybe he was human now. There might just be two men on the back seat, one that had fallen to earth and the other who had been dragged up to it, kicking and screaming.
Dean turned his attention back to the road, heading for the sanctuary of the bunker.
“We’re going to be okay”. He said, staring through the windscreen, speaking more to himself than anyone in the Impala.
Chapter Two
The angel had abandoned them again, just when they needed him.
And then it happened... Angels were falling from the sky, lighting up the darkened clouds with their burning wings. What the hell did Castiel do?!
Dean helped his ailing brother off the mud soaked ground and into the shotgun seat of the Impala. He wouldn’t lose Sam, not now, not after everything… The ground shook with the impact of another angel hitting the earth nearby. They needed to get to safety, they needed to reach the bunker. Dean was about to jump into the car when he cursed and remembered Crowley. He couldn’t just leave the King of Hell in there, cured or not.
So reassuring Sam he would be right back Dean dashed back into the ramshackle church. He nearly broke the door down in his haste. Though Crowley looked on with wide, tear stained, eyes Dean wasn’t born yesterday. Those tears might very well be the tears of a crocodile. He freed Crowley, but left the engraved shackles on, pulling him along like a dog on a chain.
“Come on, we’re getting out of here”.
“The lights… what’s going on?” Crowley seemed to speak with a voice that wasn’t his own.
As strange as it was Dean didn’t have time to dwell on it. Nor did he give the demon an answer. He simply hauled Crowley outside where he could see for himself… it was quite obvious what was happening. The slight smell of burnt feathers tinged the air and the bright cascade of falling angels showed no sign of stopping.
Crowley stared at the sky with awe, his eyes lit up with the sort of innocence reserved for a child’s gaze. It was slightly unnerving, but it would take more than that to convince Dean. He threw the Impala’s back door open and roughly shoved Crowley inside.
“Dean!” Sam’s shaky voice drew Dean’s attention to the front of the car. “Look!”
Sam raised a finger, he pointed at something coming out of the trees. Dean slammed the car door shut and followed Sam’s line of sight. A familiar trench coated figure came walking towards them.
Dean found himself running over to the angel. The slump of his shoulder and lost look in his eye told of devastation, but a spark of anger had overridden Dean’s senses.
“Sammy could be dying! Where the hell were you?” Castiel’s eyes dropped to the ground. “What did you do Cas? Look at me dammit!”
He didn’t.
Dean lashed out with a fist.
And Castiel fell. Again.
It struck Dean then, in the moment his hand hit flesh and it gave way beneath his fist… in the way Castiel lay face down in the dirt, struggling to his hands and knees… Human… he was human.
Dean’s anger slipped away like a cloak from his shoulders. He went to kneel by Castiel and grabbed an arm to help him up. The former angel’s breath was ragged, he spat a stream of blood across the road and Dean’s heart lurched.
“Oh God… Cas, are you ok? Speak to me… say something”.
Castiel turned to look up at Dean, just as he asked. Red ran down his chin and a bruise looked to be forming on his cheek, but it was his eyes that held the real pain. They locked onto Dean, telling of hurt, guilt, remorse, fear, shame and more. But then Castiel’s eyes slipped to one side, watching the sky, witnessing his brothers and sisters… They were flickering pinpoints of light reflected in the former angel’s eyes. Then the pain became too much, it seemed like a filled cup running over, he couldn’t bear to watch any more. Castiel gaze flicked around erratically, his head turned away, and then his eyes settled where they had started… staring at the ground.
“Cas… please”. Dean shook the former angel lightly, almost begging for a response. Anything that would show him Castiel was still in there.
He feared Castiel was broken again. Was he so traumatised from the fall he could do nothing more than follow a vague instinct to find Dean?
“Dean…” Relief flooded through Dean at hearing his name, even whispered as weakly as it was.
“You’re going to be okay, lets get you to the car”. He patted Castiel’s arm and helped the former angel to his feet.
His steps were unsteady, but Dean stood strongly by his side, wrenching the car door open, and settling him in. It seemed wrong to sit the former angel next to Crowley, but there was little they could do about it.
Dean got into the Impala and gave Sam a shake. “You with me Sammy?”
Sam’s eyes were closed and he was shivering, but he was breathing strongly and didn’t seem to be in as much pain. Still a moan was all he could muster.
“Sammy, we’ve got Cas back. I’m taking us all home, we’re all going to be okay you hear?”
Dean started the Impala and looked up at the sky as he pulled off. Only a few angels now fell, the clouds were darkening once again. He glanced in his rear view mirror to see Castiel slumped against the car door. His eyes were fixed on the floor as if he dare not look out of the window. He seemed to fear catching sight of the last of his kin plummeting in wreathes of flame.
Dean noticed Castiel’s face was wet with tears as well as blood, Crowley’s face was similarly shining, his eyes were bright with sorrow. As Dean watched the pair on the back seat something strange happened. Crowley had been the demon on Castiel’s shoulder, his infernal partner in crime… and just a few days ago he had been elbow deep in the former angel’s guts. There had been nothing but animosity between the two. But he looked over at Castiel now as if the ex-angel’s pain was his very own. Slowly the demon - former demon? - reached out a shackled hand and tentatively placed it on Castiel’s shoulder. The former angel flinched but Crowley kept his hand there.
“I’m sorry…” He spoke with that un-Crowley like voice again. And he seemed to hesitate, as if wondering whether to go on… or maybe where to start - I’m sorry for leading you astray, I’m sorry for shooting you and hurting your friends. I’m sorry you’re hurting and human, I’m sorry… Sometimes just ‘I’m sorry’ would have to suffice.
Seeing that selfless act of comfort and penance from Crowley started Dean wondering more seriously… Maybe he was cured, maybe he was human now. There might just be two men on the back seat, one that had fallen to earth and the other who had been dragged up to it, kicking and screaming.
Dean turned his attention back to the road, heading for the sanctuary of the bunker.
“We’re going to be okay”. He said, staring through the windscreen, speaking more to himself than anyone in the Impala.
Chapter Two