DCBB: Trinity - Two's Company
Two’s Company
“Where is he?” Crowley demanded, his fists clenched together as he leaned over his desk to glare at the lesser demon before him. “I sent him on a simple mission and now you’re telling me he’s gone? How can a demon just disappear? For your sake, you had better hope he isn’t dead.”
The lesser demon cowed to the King of Hell. “Sir, I’m not sure. He isn’t the only one, though. Whole sectors are gone. We don’t believe they’re dead. There aren’t that many hunters up there capable of such a massacre.”
“Whole sectors are missing?” Crowley slammed his fist and stood up to pace. He turned to growl at the demon. “Whole bloody sectors? When were you planning on notifying me? Did you think that I wouldn’t eventually notice that honking great chunks of the demon population were going missing?”
“N-no sir, we knew you’d notice. We were just hoping to have answers for you before we troubled you with the situation,” the demon said, pleadingly as it tried to move away from Crowley.
“I’m assuming there are still no answers and now my pet is amongst the missing,” he growled. This was not good. He needed the boy. His plan could not go as it needed to if the child-demon was missing. He still had so much to do before he could begin to work on the actual takeover of the three realms. He couldn’t do this without the boy. He didn’t have time for incompetence.
Crowley glared at the lesser demon. He lifted his hand and the demon cried out, "Please, Lord Crowley! Please, I'll find them."
Pausing, Crowley cocked his head slightly. "Lord Crowley? I like the sound of that." He smirked and swished his hand and the demon turned to black smoke before him. He had no time for incompetence.
He stepped out of his office and approached his secretary. “Darla, I need you to do some research for me. Find out what is happening up on Earth and why my demons are disappearing. Obviously, my so-called intelligence group are useless so I’m going to rely on you to get me all the answers.”
The busty blonde smiled up at Crowley with red lips and pointy teeth. “Yes, Mr. Crowley, sir. I’ll get right on it.”
“Good,” Crowley hissed. Darla was efficient if anything. Not his type, mind you, though she did try to flirt with him. Even if he was partial to her, her voice alone was enough to make him want to rip his ears off. However, she was good at her job and if she thought she could seduce him as well, he’d just allow it for the sake of good business. He really wasn’t into those types of office relationships but if it made her work that much harder the better for him. “I’m heading out. Got to see if I can find my new pet, so cancel all my appointments.” He was about to leave when he paused. “Oh, and Darla?”
“Yes, sir?”
“See if you can locate Ajay. I'll need his expertise,” he said with a sick smile.
Darla returned his smile. “Yes, Mr. Crowley, sir.”
~*~
"What was the address, again?" Dean asked, irritated and sore. He'd slept horribly the night before and he hadn't had a single ounce of caffeine that morning. He and Sam were looking into another case of missing children. They were in a small town off the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. It was picturesque but rather isolated, surrounded by mountains and tucked neatly into the valley. Dean was glad for the summer heat because he would have hated to have gotten snowed into this little burg. This time the missing children were taken from a slumber party. Eight kids at the party and three were taken while they all slept. Whoever was doing this really had a huge set of balls.
Sam glanced at his phone and said, "That one. Forty-two Blue Jay Way."
Tamara and Castiel had gone off to investigate another nearby disappearance in the city of Asheville so they had separated the day before. Tamara and Castiel weren't the best fake FBI agents what with Tamara's British dialect and Castiel being a smitey version of Columbo, it was probably best if they did their own thing. That was fine. It made sense. However, Dean quickly discovered that he couldn't sleep for shit without the angel tucked up behind him or curled around him with his face pushed into Dean's neck. Castiel didn't need to sleep but he chose to do so with Dean. He said that he enjoyed the closeness and Dean liked the feeling of being protected. Or maybe he just liked the closeness as well. Or the skin. Probably the skin. Definitely the sex.
He had to shake those mental images away before he thought on that subject for too long. Wouldn't do to have to hide an erection while investigating a slumber party. That would definitely be hard to explain.
Dean pulled the car up to the front of the house and was about to exit it when his phone buzzed to life. He smiled at the caller I.D. "S'up Cas?"
"Hello, Dean. Tamara thought I should call you to tell you our investigation seems to have met another dead end. We have a few more places she wants to look into but I hold no hope."
"That's the spirit, Cas. Well, we just got to our site. I'll give you a ring when we know anything."
"Okay, Dean." Castiel paused. "I missed you last night."
Dean smiled. "I know buddy, me too."
"Goodbye, Dean. I'll see you tonight."
"Bye, Cas and...please don't be long."
He hung up the phone and as he tucked it into his pocket he noted the stupid smile on his brother's face.
"Bitch."
"Jerk," Sam said, laughing out the word.
They walked up to the simple white house with grey shutters. It had a wrap-around porch and a wooden bench swing hanging from the awning. The yard was immaculate and it reminded him of the house he had found Castiel in when he was Emmanuel. Of course, it was nothing like that house but most houses in suburbia seemed to remind him of that one.
The door opened shortly after Sam rang the bell and a tired looking gentleman answered, clutching a young boy to his side. The boy, more like young teen, didn't look all that pleased to be held so close.
"Mr. Harolds? I'm Agent Wright and this is my partner, Agent Mason. We're here to ask you a few questions concerning the disappearances that occurred here two days ago," Dean said, holding his fake badge up for the man to see as he noted the eye roll from the teen.
"Dad talked to a couple of you guys yesterday," the teen said but his father hushed him.
"Danny, don't be rude to the gentlemen," he said before opening the door wider for Sam and Dean to enter.
"That's all right, " said Sam. "We often send multiple sets of investigators to ask questions. Especially on a case that may have links to what is going on around the country."
"Around the world," Danny corrected.
Dean looked at the boy, not fully understanding.
With another eye-roll the kid said, "This morning there was a report on BBC World News about kids missing in England and Germany. What? Mom watches it in the morning."
Dean liked this kid. The little shit. "Danny, can you show me where you guys were sleeping that night while Agent Mason talks to your dad."
The kid looked at his dad and when Mr. Harolds nodded Danny motioned for Dean to follow him. Danny glanced at Sam for a moment, unsure of something but he shook his head and led Dean to the basement.
As they descended the stairs, Dean saw a typical half finished basement with wall to wall carpeting and old lumpy sofas. It was a teen paradise. Or at least, it would have been Dean's idea of paradise when he was a teen. There were classic rock posters all over and a huge collection of albums on a shelf along the wall. A large flat screen television hung from another wall with a few different gaming systems underneath. Hell, it was Dean's idea of paradise right now. All it needed was a...
"Dude! Mini fridge? Awesome!" Dean said, smiling at the room.
"So, I'm right. You aren't really FBI," Danny said, looking uncomfortable and frightened. "Please, just don't hurt my dad, okay."
Dean blinked. "What makes you think we aren't FBI?"
Danny shrugged and motioned to the albums. "Nick Mason, Rick Wright? Pink Floyd. I'm just glad you didn't say Waters and Gilmore. That would've been really obvious." Even in the face of possible danger, the teen couldn't suppress an eyeroll.
Dean couldn't stop the smirk. "Smart kid. Like classic rock? The Floyd are awesome. Not my favorite. I'm all about Zeppelin but I can certainly dig The Wall."
Danny snorted. "Dude, that's so cliche. Animals and Atom Heart Mother are hands down the best Floyd. Of course, nothing compares to Piper at the Gates of Dawn or even Saucerful of...shit. Really, I'm talking Floyd with the guy who'll probably be killing me."
Shaking his head, Dean held up his hands. "Not here to kill you. We're the good guys." He moved over to sit down on one of the sofas and motioned for Danny to sit down as well. "We're here to help. We want to know what happened that night and see if there is some way we can help get your friends back to their families and stop whoever is taking kids."
Danny stood still for a moment, absorbing Dean's words. He seemed to come to a conclusion and moved to sit. "Fine. Tell me your real name first."
"Dean. That's my brother up with your dad. His name is Sam."
Danny seemed to find relief in that so he said, "What do you want to know?"
Dean smiled softly. "Tell me what happened the other night."
"Fine. Well, it was me and a few guys from my baseball team were just going to crash here. We do that sometimes 'cus my basement is obviously made of awesome. We stayed up watching Army of Darkness and then a few of us played GTA4 for a few hours. Nothing we haven't done before," he said with a shrug.
"Did you see anything odd or maybe some weird smells? Like eggs or something?" Dean asked.
Danny thought for a moment. "Well, Brandon brought his friend with him. Older kid. I'd never met him before. He-" Danny broke off snickering.
Dean felt his lips tug into another smile. "What?"
"Dude, the guy had the worst gas! Silent but deadly. It was horrible but none of us said anything because he was like four or five years older and we didn't want to get our asses kicked." Danny suddenly looked sad and uncomfortable.
Dean flipped through his notebook. "Brandon Slayter? He's one of the missing boys."
Danny nodded, silently. "So's his friend. Both of them and Charlie were gone."
"You guys just crashed then. When did you notice the other guys were missing?" Dean asked.
"Well, I woke up around 4am to pee. I saw their sleeping bags were empty. I thought maybe they were upstairs raiding the kitchen. I ran up and they weren't there. They wouldn't have just left. They wouldn't do that. So, I woke my dad and asked if he knew. That dude didn't have a car with him and we aren't even sure how he knew Brandon. Hell, none of us even knew his last name. The cops think he may have something to do with it and they told dad that this may not be related to the other kids going missing because we have a suspect. I don't know. What if he was taken too? I just don't know." Danny seemed to run out of steam. He took a deep breath and said, "After that...well it got crazy here." He wrapped his arms over his chest and shivered. "Dad's freaked. Won't let me out of his site. I'm surprised he's let me down here with you."
"I think the title FBI instills a bit of security in your dad's eyes." Dean stood up and stretched. "Danny, one more thing. Can you tell me what this guy looked like? The older one. What was his name? Maybe we can help find a family that he belongs to and see if he's missing or a suspect."
Danny nodded. "He had blue eyes and he was tall, thin. His name was Adam."
Dean felt his breath hitch but he quickly dismissed it. He always reacted that way to that name.
Clapping a hand on the boy's shoulder, he said, "Thanks, Danny. I really appreciate your help." He gave the kid a card and said, "If you think of anything or you need help, just call me. This is the type of thing my brother and I deal with so nothing is too weird for us."
Danny looked at the card, his finger tracing the word Winchester. "Thanks, Dean."
~*~
"Demons," Dean said around a mouthful of bacon cheeseburger.
Castiel winced at the disgusting sight but still asked, "Demons?"
Sam sighed, "Dude, chew your food."
Dean, glaring at his brother, made a point of chewing his mouthful forever before finally swallowing it, taking a pull off his beer and then looking at Castiel with an innocent smile. "Demons. The kid said there was an older boy that no one knew and that he kept farting rotten eggs."
Castiel crinkled his brow in confusion but Sam snorted and Tamara rolled her eyes.
"So, the demon is pretending to be friends with a bunch of fifteen year olds just to kidnap them? Seems like a lot of work for a demon," Tamara commented, munching on a French fry.
"Not really," Castiel said, "sometimes the demons like to play the long game. Think of the way Meg has always toyed with the both of you." He motioned to Sam and Dean before popping a fry into his own mouth.
He may not have to eat but Castiel really liked burgers and fries.
"So, do you think we should look for some demons and question them?" Tamara asked, looking at the three men.
Dean nodded. "Yeah. It's a start. We can-" He broke off as Sam held up a hand and made a call.
Lowering his hand, Sam said into the phone, "Hey Garth!" Dean felt his face crumple in confusion. "Yeah, I was wondering if you knew of any demon sightings? We're looking for a- Yeah, we did. It worke- No, I'm sorry. I- I didn't think- I'm-"
The broken conversation went on like this until Sam finally got louder. "Garth! Listen! We need help. Are there any demon sightings we should check out? It doesn't matter where. We're working on something and we need a-" Sam paused as he listened. "Great! Thanks! I'll let him know." He hung up with a weary sigh.
"What the Hell was that about?" Dean asked. "Please tell me you weren't talking to the Garth I'm thinking of."
"If you're thinking of Garth Fitzgerald IV, then yeah. He started contacting us with jobs about a month or so after Tamara and I started working together. Garth has sorta..." Sam trailed off looking at Tamara for help.
Tamara rolled her eyes. She looked at Dean and said, "He's picking up Bobby's work. Directing Hunters and basically keeping us in line." She lifted a hand to stop Dean's incoming argument before it could even begin. "Before you start, he's doing a fine job. He's not Bobby. He knows he isn't Bobby. What he does know is that we need the hub Bobby provided and Garth is good at keeping up the farce. He's organized and knows enough to back us when we need help. Also," she turned and glared at Sam, "someone must have forgotten to tell him you've been back for bit."
Sam ducked his head, sheepishly. "Yeah."
"I'm guessing he's not pleased with you," she said, tossing a fry at Sam.
Sam nodded and smiled at Tamara, shyly. "I was...preoccupied."
"Uh huh," she said, turning her attention back to Dean. "So, don't give Garth any of your shit."
Dean blinked. Shocked at how quickly Tamara could direct her focus from being annoyed at Sam and then calling Dean out. "Yes, ma'am."
Tamara seemed satisfied by that and turned back to Sam. "So, love. Where are we heading now?"
~*~
They arrived at the warehouse the next day. It is always an abandoned warehouse. It was so cliché that it hurt. They parked the Impala off the road and loaded up their weapons. The warehouse was set up on a hill with a forest of trees surrounding it. The dirt road that led up to it was unkempt and crumbling so Dean was pleased to not have to drive his baby up to it. Sam said it was because she made too much noise. She didn't make noise. She purred.
No one else agreed with him.
With weapons and supplies, they trekked up the hill through the woods and hid on its edge to scope out the building.
"There are three inside and two outside. There aren't any angel wards that I can feel," Castiel said, looking at the building as though he could see through it. He probably could, Dean thought. He probably had x-ray vision.
"Cas, do you have x-ray vision?" Dean asked, but Sam knocked him in the arm. "What?"
"Time and place, Dean," Sam chided.
"I just wanted to know. In case Cas is a peeping perv and likes to watch me in the shower," Dean retaliated, pulling out the demon knife and double checking his salt rounds.
Sam only rolled his eyes and Cas said, "I do not watch you in the shower. That would be counterproductive and silly. I'd much rather just join you in the shower. I watch you while you sleep."
"O-kay," Sam said, grabbing his gear. "Tamara and I will take the two outside."
Dean was still staring at Castiel and smirked. For some reason the idea of being watched, protected, in his sleep made him happy. Though, at one time it would have creeped him the hell out. He pulled his attention back to the present. They had work to do and couldn't afford to get lost in fantasy. "Yeah, me and Castiel, Creeper of the Lord, will take the three inside," he said as he turned back to Sam. "Let's go."
They took off, splitting up as they drew closer to the doors. Sam and Tamara disappeared around the corner and Castiel and Dean skirted the building to locate an out of the way entrance. They came to a busted cargo entryway and squeezed inside. It was dark and Dean had to take a moment to let his eyes adjust. Castiel had no such issues and immediately began to move further into the building. They needed to keep at least one of the demons alive. The rest were fodder. As they slowly made their way through the halls, Dean would pop his head inside various rooms they would pass. They came to an office and Dean went inside. There was a PA system and Dean had an idea.
"Cas, can you tell if this place has working electricity?" Dean asked when Castiel caught up with him.
"Yes. It does. Why do you ask?" the angel replied, cocking his head with interest.
"Well, do you think you can catch one of the demons on your own while I set this up? Put a binding sigil on it so it can't leave its vessel?" he asked, dropping his weapons on the counter and pulling the microphone of the PA system up onto a nearby desk.
Castiel raised an eyebrow. "I can do that." He seemed to suddenly understand Dean's intent and disappeared in hush of feathers. Dean smiled at the sound as his hands quickly began to turn the PA on and make sure it was working in the rest of the warehouse. He would only know if the other speakers were working properly if he went out and checked every one but they didn't have time. Instead, he began to draw a devil's trap onto the floor, waiting for the angel to return.
When he did return, it was with a struggling blonde demon that looked fit to be tied. Especially when she realized she was trapped. Castiel grabbed her arm for a brief moment and the demon screamed in pain. He let her go and stepped outside the trap. He nodded to Dean. Dean flipped on the PA system and began to chant the Latin of the exorcism he'd memorized forever ago.
The blonde began to scream again but she couldn't leave her vessel. The sigil Castiel had burned onto her arm held her tight while the cries of the others could be heard echoing throughout the empty warehouse. Shortly after he was finished, Sam and Tamara came rushing in. "Dude, that was brilliant!" Sam said, smiling at his brother.
Dean nodded, "Yeah, sometimes I manage to get those two brain cells I've got left up there to produce something awesome."
Sam smacked him in the shoulder and Castiel glared. "You have more than two brain cells. You are not stupid, Dean."
"Ignore him, Cas," Sam said, securing the office with even more sigils. "He's just fishing for compliments."
Castiel held his glare on Dean while Dean smiled beatifically at the angel. "You love it."
Castiel closed his eyes in frustration and turned to face the demon. The blonde was crumpled in on herself in the middle of the trap. Even though she couldn't leave her vessel, that didn't mean the exorcism hadn't hurt.
"What do you know about the missing children?" Castiel asked, no longer waiting on the others.
"Like I'd tell you. I'd rather die."
Dean lifted the demon knife off the counter and said, "That could be arranged."
The blonde smirked. "Do it. You'll get nothing from me."
"I hate it when they're difficult," Tamara said, pushing past the men and ripping the knife from Dean's hand. She reached into the trap and grabbed the blonde by her hair. "Listen, bitch. I'm not afraid to hit a...whatever you think you are. This lot? They're all gentlemanly and like to think they're chivalrous. Me? I've watched your kind destroy my family. I have no love. I certainly have no qualms with carving you up nice and slowly until you beg me to let you speak. I may not have Dean's experiences," she said and didn't see Dean shoot a look to Sam, "but I have years of pent up anger that I'll be more than willing to take out on your sorry hide. Now, tell us anything you know about the missing children."
The blonde began to laugh and Tamara pushed the demon back and straddled her. She was only able to because of how weak it was from the exorcism. Slowly, and with a vicious smile on her face, she began to run the blade over the demon's neck, leaving small trails of blood. "You will tell me where those children are. You will do it or I will make sure you live a long and horrible existence. You think Hell is bad? You haven't met a person with nothing left to lose. Your kind are taking kids from their families, the same way you took my baby from me!" She moved the knife down to the demon's shoulder where she pushed the blade into the meat of her arm. It wouldn't kill but it would definitely hurt. She was rewarded by the demon's screams.
Sam had a look of horror on his face. He'd never seen this side of Tamara and it scared him to think she still had so much pain inside her to be capable of this kind of torture. Dean's face held a mixture of shock and respect. Castiel's face was not readable.
"Tell me!" Tamara demanded, her voice low and dangerous. She twisted the knife and leaned into it. The demon cried out but still said nothing. Tamara pulled the knife out and raised it high with the intention of driving it into another soft spot on the demon.
"Crowley! We're looking for something he lost," the demon said, eyes wide and full of fear. This was obviously one of the weaker ones as all of the hunters in the room had usually had to fight harder to get information from some other demons. Before it could say more, the demon screamed out and then made a choking sound as black smoke poured from its mouth before it crumpled to the floor.
Sam grabbed Tamara. "What did you do?"
She looked at him, confused, dropping the blade. "Nothing. I- You saw what I did. I didn't kill it."
Castiel knelt down beside the empty vessel and lifted its arm. The sigil had been burned away.
"No, that would be me."
They all turned to see the King of Hell himself sitting at the desk with his feet up. He was holding the microphone to the PA system and tapping it with is finger. Popping noises could be heard echoing all over the warehouse. "Why let a peon tell you what you need to hear when you can get it from the horse's mouth?" he placed the microphone down and smiled at the four hunters.
"What did you lose?" Castiel asked, not bothering with any preamble.
Crowley steepled his fingers under his chin and said, "Hullo, Cas. So nice to see you back and not crazy."
"Answer the question, Crowley. What did you lose and what do you know about the missing kids?" Dean said as he rubbed a hand over his face.
Crowley shrugged. "Fine. There is a cult that is trying to raise an Eldritch God. Not sure which one. I don't care. They've been working on this for quite some time. They're actually at the final stages. The part where they are gathering the sacrifice."
"The kids," Sam said, holding Tamara close. She was trembling and he knew it was because of the way she had behaved with the demon. They would talk later.
Crowley tapped a finger to his nose. "The Moose gets it! They need two thousand children to raise this particular god. The one that they believe will rid them of Godstiel over there. They don't know you've gone impotent. They just think you're biding your time or off fighting Him," he pointed at the ceiling, "for the championship belt." Crowley smiled at Castiel, seeing the angel wince. "What? Truth hurts."
"That was almost two years ago," Castiel said in a soft voice. Dean took a slight step closer to Castiel, never taking his eyes off of Crowley.
"Again, it isn't as if God himself has been involved and then you disappeared from their radar. They just think you're the big deity in charge and are looking for a replacement." Crowley held his hands up in resignation. "What are they supposed to think? You didn't exactly explain yourself when you went all smitey on the world. Nor did you explain where you went afterwards, leaving them to deal with the Leviathan you set loose. Humans will do as they see fit, even if it is insane and will only cause more harm. Yay, free will!"
"But the Eldritch Gods were... how does that work?" Sam questioned.
"Oh Moose, I do love your inquisitive nature. It doesn't work. They're trading one evil for another. If it does happen -which, I'm holding hope that you morons will pull one of those valiant hero moments out of your collective arses and stop it from happening- we're all screwed. Heaven, Hell, Earth and everything in between will be decimated. Those gods have no love for any of us that was why they were banished. They've been living on another plane of existence since before the angels were created." He turned his eyes to Castiel. "Isn't that right, Cas?"
Castiel nodded slowly. "We are taught that there are other planes. When our Father created the Earth it was coveted by...others. Other gods that would have Father's creation for their own. Father created Leviathan, Behemoth, and Ziz to defend his creation from these gods, the angels were too weak to do so. The others succeeded in casting them out and back to their planes. However, Father's creatures began to terrorize the new humans and had to be sent to Purgatory."
"Wait, are these the H.P. Lovecraft Eldritch Gods?" Sam asked.
"No," Castiel and Crowley replied in unison.
"Lovecraft heard stories and borrowed ideas but his gods and the true Eldritch Gods are vastly different," Castiel explained.
"Just so I get it right, we're dealing with a crazy cult that is bent on bringing back a god using the blood of two thousand kids and, by the way, this god hates humanity. What does this have to do with you?" Dean asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"Ah, it can think!" Crowley exclaimed sarcastically as he stood up and moved closer to Dean. "See, that's the problem. This cult has also figured out how to summon demons and bind them to their will. You'd need a lot of manpower to steal as many children as they need and if you haven't noticed, the work is real neat. Not sloppy like a human would manage. These bastards are summoning whole sectors of my demons and binding them, having them kidnap for them."
"Wait, so this means the kids are still alive. They need to sacrifice them at once, right?" Sam asks.
"I would assume so. I think we would be seeing little bodies littering the countryside and clogging up the rivers if they were killing as they went," Crowley replied.
"What did you lose?" asked Castiel, his eyes narrowing suspiciously.
Crowley smirked. "Always on point, aren't you. Well, I have a rather special pendant. It was my mother's. When I was human. It is a large emerald with diamonds around it. I've had it with me forever and I like to take it out once in a while to look at it and remember how much I hated being human and how much I hated that bloody cow that shat me out." He shrugged at the looks he was receiving from the others. "What? I'm a demon."
Dean shook his head in disgust and Sam rolled his eyes.
"Anywho, this little demon managed to steal it from me. This same little demon who also managed to get summoned by the cult and bound to them. Now I can't find him and I want my emerald back!" He was furious now. He leaned in close and poked Dean in the chest. "I want you to find him for me. I want you to bring him back so I can tear him apart."
"What makes you think we give a shit about your domestic issues and some jewelry?" Dean replied.
"Because, if you find him, you'll find the cult. Or vice versa. Either way, you pull this off and I'll help you stop them from summoning the god. Those bastards hated us too so I can promise you I don't want these morons to succeed. You find my pendant, I'll take care of the rest." Crowley glared at Dean, their noses practically touching.
"What is this demon's name?" Dean growled, not backing down.
Sam glare at his brother. "Dean! Don't you think we should talk about this before you make a deal? It isn't like all our deals with him haven't been a bit-"
"I'm not making a deal," Dean spat, cutting Sam off. "I'm asking a question. What is the demon's name?"
"Adam," Crowley replied. Dean flinched. "You know him?" Crowley asked, smugly.
Dean moved away, slowly shaking his head. "No. I don't know no demon named Adam. Not personally. I just know where he hit last. Took a couple kids from a sleep over an hour or so from here."
Sam reached over and clapped a hand onto his brother's shoulder for support. He knew Dean hated when kids were involved. Dean shrugged him off.
Crowley watched them with a smirk on his lips. "Right. Well, that's good. You lot do your duty and find him and in doing so you'll locate the cult. I'll swoop in and finish those posers and we'll all live like happy families again."
"And you'll have your pendent," Castiel added.
Crowley looked at him for a moment. Blinked. Then smiled. "Ah yes, I'll have my beloved pendent. You'll get all those brats and the world will keep on a-spinnin'."
"Why can't you locate the cult yourself?" Sam asked, still clutching Tamara tightly. She didn't seem too keen on letting go.
Crowley smiled. "Funny thing, being a demon up against a group of people that hate demons and yet are willing to use them for their own nefarious deeds, they freak me out. I have to stay hidden. They get wind of me and try to bind me, well, I fear for all your sakes. I'm a bit unstoppable and if they figure out what they have in me I can't promise that any of this won't fall to shit in our laps. I am capable of much more than just a few kidnappings and if they figure that out they will be ruthless and we really don't want that, do we? I didn't think so. So, I'll go and hide in my little underworld office. They seem to be taking demons from the Earth and not from Hell so I should be safe there. I can only give you a hint. Look into some militia's up in Montana. Especially ones that were started about two years ago. That should give you a good starting point. That won't be where they're keeping the kids, though. Too obvious." With that, he disappeared.
"Shit!" Dean exclaimed, punching the air and kicking at the counter. "He always does this to us! Leading us around by the balls because he knows he can. Fuck! I hate him so much."
"I would be concerned if you didn't hate him. Being the King of Hell," Castiel said as he watched Sam and Tamara leave the office. Tamara had tears in her eyes and Castiel knew Sam would help her. She held so much pain and Sam understood that kind of guilt and sadness. He turned his focus on Dean.
"I know, Cas. It's just that he knows what we need and he knows what we're capable of accomplishing so he uses it for his own good. It's so tiring being someone's ass monkey all the time. Demons and angels alike. Present company, excluded."
Castiel smirked and moved closer to Dean. He knew his human wasn't too happy with public displays of affection but they were alone in a room with a closed door. Nothing public about it at the moment. So Castiel wrapped his arms around him and molded himself to Dean's back. Dean melted against him. The stress of the past hour or so falling to the side. "There is more to this than you're telling me. You're upset, Dean. Let me help you."
Dean rested his head on Castiel's shoulder and held the arms that wrapped around hm. "It's Adam. This demon thing keeps me thinking that there had to have been something we could have done to save him. We might've had different moms but he's still my brother and I failed him. I couldn't get him out of the Cage. Death said it was either Adam or Sam's soul. I- I couldn't do that to Sammy. Now I just feel like shit every day that we're alive and Adam is stuck down there with the douche brothers. God only knows what they're doing to him. If he's even conscious of it or if he's just alone. He was just a kid. Even if he can't be alive he should at least be in Heaven with his mom."
Castiel turned his face to leave a soft kiss on Dean's neck. "I'm sorry, Dean," he whispered. "I wish there was something I could do. I was barely able to get Crowley to do a good job getting Sam out and I doubt he would risk getting that close to the Cage again. I'm sorry this demon is raking up such bad memories for you." He hated seeing Dean hurt. Which happened more times than not but it didn't change how Castiel felt.
Dean squeezed Castiel tightly and sighed. "It's all good." He turned in Castiel's arms and kissed the angel, softly. "I'll deal."
Castiel kissed him back. This wasn't the time or the place to deepen the kiss even if Castiel wanted to. Instead, he moved away from Dean and helped him gather their weapons.
"I guess we're heading to Montana," Dean said, giving the office one last look before holding the door for Castiel and finding his brother and Tamara.
~*~
Castiel and Dean were sitting at the table in their motel room staring blankly at the table in utter exhaustion when there was a knock on the door. Castiel stood and opened the door to find Sam standing there looking just as worn and tired. "Hey, Cas," he said as the angel opened the door for him to enter.
They had gotten rooms nearby and decided to wait till morning to travel to Montana. They were still in North Carolina so they had a long trek ahead of them.
"How is Tamara?" Castiel asked and followed Sam to the table.
Sam sighed. "She's sleeping." He rubbed a hand over his face. "I haven't seen her so upset since Isaac died. It's like she broke. I asked her what happened back there but she said she didn't know. I think all the missing kids are dredging up memories she had thought she'd buried."
Dean handed his brother a beer from the six-pack sitting on the table. "Sounds about right. I mean, I know how this is messing with me and I never had a child to lose."
"But you did, Dean," Castiel said, his head cocked to the side as he looked at Dean intently. "You raised Sam and you had Ben." Sam flinched at the second name. Dean scowled. "You may not be their actual father but you love them both as though you were. I believe that is part of why this case is upsetting you."
Dean took a pull from his beer before he said anything. "Still not the same thing. I didn't give birth to a child and have it killed in front of me. That messes a person up."
Sam raised his eyebrows incredulously and said, "Yeah, because a demon deal to bring me back from the dead was the work of a person thinking clearly." Then he quickly hid behind his beer as Castiel nodded, agreeing with him.
Dean stood up, slamming his beer down and walking to the far side of the room. "Whatever!"
"Dean, I don't understand what is so upsetting. You were made to nurture. It is who you are and it's quite all right if you feel strongly about this situation and can relate to it." Castiel watched Dean pace. "For what it's worth, you were a fantastic father for Sam."
"Yeah, man. Dad was never there and when he was there he was always preoccupied," Sam said and Dean shot him a glare. "I'm not saying he didn't try but think about it, Dean, who made sure I had lunch every day for school? Who checked my homework? Who made sure we had a nice Christmas? My best memories growing up aren't all us as a family. It's you and me, shooting fireworks in a field or sleeping on a beach or even that time you showed me how to make s'mores. Dean, you were my dad in all the ways it mattered."
Dean's face softened as Sam spoke, remembering the moments Sam spoke of with fondness. He hated to think about their dad being such a crap father but in reality, that was exactly what he was, though Dean would never admit it. He would sooner say that Crowley was the perfect role-model. "I guess I didn't do too bad," he said, quietly. He sat down on the bed with his back to the others.
Sam smiled. "Nope. Not too bad. Though, I could have done without your version of sex ed."
Castiel asked, "What is that?"
Dean groaned and flopped backwards onto the bed as Sam twisted in his chair to look at him. "He tossed a box of condoms at me and said, and I quote, 'Sometimes people have it off.' Then you left. I think you even got that line from Ab Fab."
Looking at Sam upside down, Dean pointed a finger at him. "Hey, we were watching that marathon and that was a great line. It worked. Who needs the big talk?" Dean rubbed his hands over his face. "It's better than dad's talk to me."
"Which was?" Sam asked. He'd never heard of dad telling Dean anything about sex so he was utterly interested in what the man had to say.
"Nothing." Dean stood and stretched before walking back to the table. "He said nothing and when he found me in the back of the Impala with Kitty Andrews he still said nothing but that night he asked if I needed condoms because he said he was too young to be a grandfather and, oh yeah, glad it wasn't a guy." Returning to his seat, Dean reclaimed his bottle and saluted the air with his beer. "My dad: not worried about disease or if maybe being 15 was too young for sex. He was happy just as long as I didn't make him a grandpa before his time and that I wasn't banging a dude. Love ya, dad." He necked back the rest of his beer.
"Dad really said that?" Sam shook his head disbelievingly before finishing his own beer. "What a dick!"
"Sam! That's your father. You shouldn't speak ill of him," Castiel chided and turned his attention back to Dean. "Dean does enough of that already."
The two just looked at him. "Did- did you just make a joke, Cas?" Dean asked.
There was a slight curl to the corners of Castiel's lips before he turned his head to look out the window. He looked smug.
"Dad would have hated Cas," said Sam, softly. Castiel's head whipped back to face Sam. "I mean, he would have loved your usefulness and your protective nature but...this," he said, motioning between his brother and the angel. He reached for another beer and opened it on the edge of the table as he said, "This he would have hated."
Castiel's eyes narrowed. "Was your father homophobic?"
Dean shook his head. "Nope. At least not with the rest of the world. That's the funny part. He just wanted his boys to be manly-men."
Castiel nodded slowly. "Ah, I see. So, he must have been upset by your open sexuality."
Sam choked on his mouthful of beer. "Really? Dean never showed any interest in anyone male until you, man. Dean is Castiel-sexual."
Castiel narrowed his eyes and looked from Sam to Dean. "Never showed any interest before me?" He glanced at Dean with a suspicious look on his face.
Dean blushed and looked away. Sam's eyes widened. "Really? Who, Dean?"
Dean coughed. "No one. I- I'm- looking doesn't count." His brother started to laugh as Dean defended himself by saying, "Cas isn't really a dude, anyway. Right Cas?"
Castiel said, "I'm genderless, yes. My vessel, however, is completely male. This bothers you?" His face scrunched in confusion.
Dean opened his mouth but Sam cut him off. "No, it really doesn't bother him. He is just still brainwashed by the way our dad thought so it's his gut reaction to live in denial. He loves you, Cas. Don't let him tell you anything different."
Glaring at his brother, Dean slammed his hands down on the table and stood. "I'm hungry. I'm going to get food."
Castiel stood up as well. "I'll go with you."
Sam finished his beer. "I'll go check on Tamara and see if she wants to eat. See you guys in a bit."
There were a couple of fast food places a few blocks over so Dean opted to walk. He needed to get away from the motel room and the way the conversation had been leaning. What did it matter? What did any of it matter? Why do people always have to label things? Couldn't he just be happy? Did it matter who or what made him happy? It shouldn't. So, his dad had wanted his sons to be men but what exactly did that mean? Responsible? Dean was utterly responsible. Sammy was right, Dean had made sure he was always fed and clothed and taken care of even if it meant that he, Dean, had to do without. Sammy always came first. Did being a man mean to protect? His dad said to protect Sam and Dean did, to a fault. He even protected Castiel even though the angel could surely protect himself. Did his father mean that by being a man he had to be strong? Dean was strong, even when he felt weak. He only caved when his brother or his angel were involved. He would always cater to them. They were his world. He was exactly what his father made him and he couldn't be faulted for that, right? So then, why did he feel as though he was such a disappointment? He always felt as though he was never good enough for John Winchester. No matter how hard he tried.
Castiel was silent beside him. Cas was good at that, being silent when you needed to think yet you didn't want to be alone. It was definitely one of the many things Dean liked about him. He cast a side-long glance at Castiel and smiled. Castiel was looking at the trees that hung over their heads and had a look of complete joy on his face. Dean could only assume he was thinking of his Father's wonders. Funny how the two of them both had absentee fathers and yet loved them both so differently. Both trying so hard to make them proud and yet feeling like they were always coming up short.
"I do not believe your father would be disappointed with you, Dean," Castiel said, as if reading Dean's thoughts. He turned his head and smiled at Dean. The corners of his lips tugging upwards, slightly. "You took his instruction, his beliefs, and you followed them to a fault. You have always strived to follow his rules and you were never found lacking."
Dean snorted. "Oh, I was found lacking plenty of times." He shoved his hands in his pockets to stop himself from kissing Cas to shut him up. He really didn't want to have this conversation, even if he was already thinking it in his head.
"No, that was just typical teenage rebellion. He was never disappointed in the man you became," he said, turning his attention back to the passing tree branches and the occasional bee.
Dean shook his head. "You say this as though you've spoken with him personally. I could never live up to my dad's standards. He was a Marine, he served his country. I could only hunt. When Sam went to Stanford, I was to blame because I had always told him that he could be anything he wanted to be and dad wanted us both to be like him."
Castiel stopped walking and tugged on Dean's arm, pulling him to a halt. "I have spoken with him. In heaven. John is very proud of you both. He is also full of guilt. Guilt for not being there and for being so obsessed that he neglected his boys. He has pain inside him from holding you back. He knew you were a good man and he takes no credit for it. He wants you to be happy and to be what you want to be even if that means you hunt or you don't. You are so very much like him and it scares him. He's afraid you will be consumed as he was and never live." Castiel reached out and brushed his fingers against Dean's stubbled jaw. "I don't think he's right, though. I know you better than that. You are strong yet yielding. You did want Sam to be whatever he had wanted and you always put him first." Castiel's face softened and he looked sad. "Someday, when you have children of your own you will be a wonderful father."
"You say that as if I'll leave you for someone else," Dean whispered, taking Castiel's hand in his own.
Castiel turned his head as he looked across the street clutching Dean's hand tight. "I hold no false hope that I can give you everything you want, Dean. I know that you wish to have a family and I can't give that to you."
Dean squeezed Castiel's hand. "Too late. You already have. You are my family, Cas. You and Sammy and I guess Tamara as well if Sam makes an honest woman out of her. We'll just have to adopt."
Castiel looked back at Dean and blinked. His face was full of shock and wonder. "Adopt? Dean, are you saying you want to raise children with me? I'm- I'm still an angel. I'm still immortal."
Dean shrugged, releasing Castiel's hand. "So, we have a lot to explain to the kids." He smiled and turned to continue their trek for food.
Castiel watched him for a moment, watched him walk away. He was full of awe towards this man, this simple human who loved him beyond all reason even if he had never said the words. Castiel knew what was in his heart. He felt his lips twitch into a smile but it fell into confusion when a hand landed on his shoulder, knotted itself into his borrowed plaid shirt and twisted him around.
The angry face of the stranger before him only confused Castiel even more. "You're him! You're that god that killed all those folks."
Castiel furrowed his brow. "I was him. I'm not anymore."
"That doesn't even make sense. Either you are or you aren't!" The man growled in his face.
"I gave up my powers because I was hurting people. I don't want to hurt people," Castiel pleaded. He could easily fly away or even use his strength to free himself from this man but he didn't want to hurt him. He was tired of hurting.
"Yeah, that still makes no sense," he said and punched Castiel in the face. Castiel collapsed into himself as Dean turned to see the confrontation. He hadn't realized the silent angel hadn't followed him and when he did he turned to see the man strike Castiel down.
Dean ran to Castiel as the man and few others began to kick his angel. "The hell do you think you're doing?" he screamed at them. More people had begun to wander closer to see what was going on.
He knelt down beside Castiel and checked him. His nose was bleeding but not broken. That or Cas had already fixed it.
"That...thing...he killed all those people. He's a monster!" Another man said, running forward and kicking Castiel in the ribs. Dean was appalled. Castiel wasn't even defending himself. "He's probably the one stealing all those kids."
That thought spread through the crowd like wildfire. Fucking universal mind. Suddenly there was a rush of bodies closing in on the two of them. Dean couldn't fight them off and Castiel seemed incapable. Dean had no other choice but to draw his gun. He stood and pulled his Colt 1911 and fired it into the air. The crowd gasped and pulled back.
"Does he look like a god to you?" he said, pointing down at Castiel's crumpled form. "Does he seem all that powerful? Do you honestly think he'd let you hurt him if he was that god? I suggest you all get the fuck back or I may have to show you my power," he said, waving his gun a bit.
The crowd seemed to take that into consideration but it was the sound of the sirens that convinced them to move along. Dean quickly tucked his gun away and pulled Castiel to his feet. They hadn't gotten too far from the motel so Dean led Castiel back. Thankfully, the cops went past and didn't stop them and they made it back to their room in peace. Sam was gone so the room was blissfully empty. Dean sat Castiel on the bed and went to get a washrag and the first aid kit. He came back to find Castiel still sitting in the position he'd left him. He was staring at his hands and Dean began to mumble, "...the hell you were thinking. Freakin' angel and you got your ass handed to you by a couple yokels."
Castiel looked up from his lap and said, "I didn't want to hurt them."
Dean stared at his bruised face for a moment. "But they hurt you. You could have at least flown away."
"And what, Dean?" Cas spat, "Prove to them that I am a threat? That I could still have the power to destroy them? Why propagate such a lie? They wouldn't understand the difference between the powers I have and the powers I had. The only answer was to-"
"To let them turn you into chop meat," Dean said, surrendering. He understood, he really did. "I just hate seeing you like this. It reminds me of how the Leviathan hurt you. I never want to see you like..." Dean trailed off, sinking into himself.
Castiel blinked and healed himself. "I never want to cause you that kind of pain." He leaned forward and captured Dean's lips. Slow and soft, the kiss was meant to speak the words they usually never said, however, Castiel felt that was stupid and pulled away to whisper against Dean's mouth. "I love you, Dean."
Dean froze. Castiel looked up into his eyes, fear filling his own as he realized he had just destroyed everything. Dean stared at Castiel for a moment before his face softened and he said, "I know, Cas." He claimed Castiel's lips, deepening the kiss and showing Cas how he felt with his body where he couldn't with words.
Sam ended up calling for take-out.
Three Times a Charm