Unexpected Destinies Chapter 19
Title: Unexpected Destinies
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 1,919
Summary: Just another day trying to prevent the restarting of the Apocalypse.
PAST
Dean sighed as he rubbed his eyes, the small text getting to him once more. The torrential downpour outside had dissuaded him from going out to the local graveyard like he'd originally planned to do and he'd decided to use the time to do some more research instead. Castiel had left a number of the books behind and he had nothing better to do. His current hunt wasn't much of a priority, just something he'd heard about by accident. Apparently every decade, on the dot, a young woman would vanish in the nearby woods, never to be seen or heard from again. They'd been talking about it at a bar he'd been at, drunkenly speculating who would vanish next year. He'd decided there wouldn't be a next one if he could help it. But that could easily wait until tomorrow.
The flutter of wings was a welcome distraction from the philosophical ramblings on the creation of demons he was presently reading. It was interesting on some level, but the author's style was boring and longwinded and he found himself skimming it as much as he could afford to, looking for any bits on Lucifer.
"Hey, Ca-" Dean began and broke off when he saw that it wasn't Castiel standing there. "Xarael."
"Dean Winchester," Xarael replied, approaching the table.
"It's just Dean."
"Excuse me?"
"My name, it's just Dean."
"But-"
"Winchester is my last name, you don't normally use it when addressing someone."
"Oh, my apologies."
"That's okay," Dean leaned back in his chair, noting that she had stopped exactly six inches from him and he rolled his eyes. "What can I do for you?"
"Castiel is not here?"
"Nope, haven't seen him at all today."
Xarael frowned. "He told me he was coming to see you."
"What?" Dean demanded, getting to his feet. "How long ago was this?"
What the hell could have happened to his angel? Ever since his resurrection and promotion, Castiel had seemed nigh on unstoppable. It had been amazing to watch on the hunts they'd done together and if it wasn't for the looming threat of the Apocalypse or the fact that he'd seen archangels caught and trapped before, he'd have felt completely sure that Cas was safe. The fact, however, was that he had seen bad things happen to archangels. Heck, Castiel and his little stunt with Raphael proved that you didn't need to be stronger or faster than one of God's most powerful, you just had to be smart about how you went about it.
"Not even an hour ago," Xarael replied, backing up in confusion.
Less than an hour, Dean felt himself relax immediately, that was okay. Castiel had probably just decided to check on a few things first, like the condition of the cage for one. As he relaxed, he noted Xarael's behavior and bit his lip to keep from laughing at her. When he'd gotten to his feet, he'd stepped towards her as if that would help him get the answers he wanted and, not being human, it had confused her. He was half tempted to take another step forwards, just to see if she'd step back again, clearly trying to do as Castiel had told her to and keep a minimum of six inches between them. But he still didn't know why she was here in the first place.
"So you were looking for Cas?"
"Yes, the Virtues are restless again."
"Shit," Dean groaned, dropping back into his chair. "I don't suppose they know why this time?"
"No, it would appear that something big is about to happen soon, but they can't see what yet."
"So how do they know it is coming?"
"Because the life energy is shifting. Someone, somewhere, has made an important decision, something that has affected the future significantly."
"Well that's just great."
There were times when Dean really wished he could just bury his head in the proverbial sand and pretend that none of this was happening. He'd never really do it, he couldn't ever really do it, but it was a nice little fantasy nonetheless. The thing was, he didn't really know what to do with this information, yes it was good to know that something big was in the works, but now what? Besides, he had no real reference for how well these Virties worked.
"Xarael, tell me, has their been a recent decision that has caused a similar impact? Something that's now past?"
"Yes, your decision to let your brother go to Detroit to face Lucifer caused a similar ripple effect," Xarael replied, smiling slightly. "Or your refusal to become Michael's vessel once Zachariah informed you of your intended destiny. It caused quite the uproar."
"Yeah, I'll bet it did," Dean stated a bit viciously.
The thought of the chaos and disorder he'd caused the bastard made him smile, but then it transformed into a far larger smile as a flutter of wings announced the arrival of another angel and he turned to find his friend in the room with them. "Hey, Cas."
"Dean, Xarael."
He could tell Castiel was surprised to see his sister with him, but Dean was pleased to see none of the what he now realized had been jealousy from before. His thoughts were quickly distracted, though, by the phenomenal smell that wafted from the box Castiel held.
"Dude, did you bring me pizza?" Dean demanded.
"Yes."
The angel stepped forwards and handed him the box just as Dean's stomach growled. His breakfast had consisted of some junk from the vending machine down the hall as he hadn't wanted to venture out in the downpour then either. One look at the box, though, had him staring in shock.
"Is that Italian?"
"Yes, I have been told that they make the best pizza in Italy."
Dean goggled at Castiel for a moment before he smiled broadly. "You're awesome!"
He hesitated briefly, keenly aware of Xarael's presence before he decided, screw it, and reached for Castiel's tie, using it to pull the angel closer to him. Then Dean leaned forwards and kissed Cas. The angel responded instantly and Dean opened his mouth enough to lick his lips and tug lightly at the angel's lower lip with his teeth before he pulled back. Castiel looked like he wanted to follow him, though he refrained, licking his lips instead and looking at him in confusion and intrigue. Oh yeah, he was teaching the angel to French next as soon as they were alone together.
Then Dean's stomach rumbled again and Castiel smiled.
"You should eat."
"You don't have to tell me twice!"
Dean carefully moved the books well to one side before putting the pizza box on the table and opening it. Cas had gotten him what looked like a supreme of some kind and it had the works, though it lacked olives and that made him smile. Castiel had been paying attention all of those times they were in dinners or restaurants together. He grabbed a slice and took a big bite, making a very appreciative noise as the flavor hit his tongue. This was to die for!
"You guys want any of this?" Dean asked, looking at the two angels.
He was sorely tempted to just forego the offer as he was sure he could finish the pizza himself even though it was a large. It was just that good and the base was extremely thin, but Castiel had gotten it for him in the first place and Xarael was not only Cas' sister, but one he liked and seemed to get along with. That made her okay as far as he was concerned even if he didn't know her all that well just yet. His offer became more than just friendliness when she stepped forward and looked at the pizza as if she'd never seen one before. It hit him all of a sudden that Xarael may well have never really interacted with a human before and that this could be her first encounter with food.
"Look, here," Dean said, grabbing the smallest slice. "Why don't you try this and if you don't like it, then no harm done."
That seemed to convince her and Xarael stepped close to accept the slice, though Dean noticed her glancing at her brother before she did so. It would take a while, but she would learn what was appropriate, given his angel's new found penchant for jealousy, though, it was probably a very good thing she was erring on the side of caution. And, speaking of Castiel, he turned to smile at him as the angel stepped close. He'd expected the angel to reach past him for his own slice, but instead he lifted the one Dean had already started from his hand and bit into it.
The protest that automatically rose within him died on Dean's lips at the obvious pleasure on Castiel's face as he chewed. This was the first time he'd seen his angel eat anything since the Famine incident and he was just thankful that it hadn't put Cas off food forever. Plus the thought of Castiel taking food from what essentially passed as his plate at the moment was hot.
Yeah, screwed, that's what he was.
He grabbed himself another slice and listened while Xarael caught Castiel up on the reason for her visit.
"Who's currently important enough to be able to cause that kind of effect?" Dean asked.
"I do not understand," Xarael replied.
"Well, you said earlier that I'd caused those types of ripples."
"Yes."
"So can anyone do that or do they need to be a major player?"
"I see what you're saying," Castiel said. "It's a good point. Although, conceivably, anyone could do it, the likelihood of it being a random person is low."
With that, Castiel handed him back what was left of his pizza slice and vanished. Dean blinked, looked at the slice, nonplussed and slightly bemused before he shrugged and finished it. If Cas wanted more, he could always take another slice.
"Did you like it?" Dean asked Xarael who was starting at him once more.
"It was... peculiar."
"Peculiar's not bad, I guess. That was the first time you've tried food, right?"
"Yes," she replied. "I should probably go back to Heaven."
"Yeah, okay. Oh, wait, you can take those two books over there?"
"You have looked at them?"
"Yeah and no go," Dean said, then saw that he had to clarify. "They contain nothing of interest for us."
And just like that, she was gone.
Dean snorted. "I guess a general inability to say goodbye is an angel thing."
With a shrug, he turned back to the pizza and proceeded to devour most of it, savoring every delicious bite. It was absolutely amazing, definitely better than any pizza he'd ever had before even if he would have preferred a thicker base. He tried not to think too closely about where Castiel might be right now, though he had a sneaking suspicion that he knew. When he thought of other people whose decisions could significantly influence the outcome of the Apocalypse, his thoughts inevitably went to Sam. He was just glad that he didn't need to be the one to go check up on him.
The ringing of his cell interrupted his thoughts and he fished it out of his coat pocket where he'd put it that morning before seeing the weather. He glanced at the caller ID and winced.
"Hello, Bobby," Dean greeted, voice carefully neutral.
Chapter 20
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 1,919
Summary: Just another day trying to prevent the restarting of the Apocalypse.
PAST
Dean sighed as he rubbed his eyes, the small text getting to him once more. The torrential downpour outside had dissuaded him from going out to the local graveyard like he'd originally planned to do and he'd decided to use the time to do some more research instead. Castiel had left a number of the books behind and he had nothing better to do. His current hunt wasn't much of a priority, just something he'd heard about by accident. Apparently every decade, on the dot, a young woman would vanish in the nearby woods, never to be seen or heard from again. They'd been talking about it at a bar he'd been at, drunkenly speculating who would vanish next year. He'd decided there wouldn't be a next one if he could help it. But that could easily wait until tomorrow.
The flutter of wings was a welcome distraction from the philosophical ramblings on the creation of demons he was presently reading. It was interesting on some level, but the author's style was boring and longwinded and he found himself skimming it as much as he could afford to, looking for any bits on Lucifer.
"Hey, Ca-" Dean began and broke off when he saw that it wasn't Castiel standing there. "Xarael."
"Dean Winchester," Xarael replied, approaching the table.
"It's just Dean."
"Excuse me?"
"My name, it's just Dean."
"But-"
"Winchester is my last name, you don't normally use it when addressing someone."
"Oh, my apologies."
"That's okay," Dean leaned back in his chair, noting that she had stopped exactly six inches from him and he rolled his eyes. "What can I do for you?"
"Castiel is not here?"
"Nope, haven't seen him at all today."
Xarael frowned. "He told me he was coming to see you."
"What?" Dean demanded, getting to his feet. "How long ago was this?"
What the hell could have happened to his angel? Ever since his resurrection and promotion, Castiel had seemed nigh on unstoppable. It had been amazing to watch on the hunts they'd done together and if it wasn't for the looming threat of the Apocalypse or the fact that he'd seen archangels caught and trapped before, he'd have felt completely sure that Cas was safe. The fact, however, was that he had seen bad things happen to archangels. Heck, Castiel and his little stunt with Raphael proved that you didn't need to be stronger or faster than one of God's most powerful, you just had to be smart about how you went about it.
"Not even an hour ago," Xarael replied, backing up in confusion.
Less than an hour, Dean felt himself relax immediately, that was okay. Castiel had probably just decided to check on a few things first, like the condition of the cage for one. As he relaxed, he noted Xarael's behavior and bit his lip to keep from laughing at her. When he'd gotten to his feet, he'd stepped towards her as if that would help him get the answers he wanted and, not being human, it had confused her. He was half tempted to take another step forwards, just to see if she'd step back again, clearly trying to do as Castiel had told her to and keep a minimum of six inches between them. But he still didn't know why she was here in the first place.
"So you were looking for Cas?"
"Yes, the Virtues are restless again."
"Shit," Dean groaned, dropping back into his chair. "I don't suppose they know why this time?"
"No, it would appear that something big is about to happen soon, but they can't see what yet."
"So how do they know it is coming?"
"Because the life energy is shifting. Someone, somewhere, has made an important decision, something that has affected the future significantly."
"Well that's just great."
There were times when Dean really wished he could just bury his head in the proverbial sand and pretend that none of this was happening. He'd never really do it, he couldn't ever really do it, but it was a nice little fantasy nonetheless. The thing was, he didn't really know what to do with this information, yes it was good to know that something big was in the works, but now what? Besides, he had no real reference for how well these Virties worked.
"Xarael, tell me, has their been a recent decision that has caused a similar impact? Something that's now past?"
"Yes, your decision to let your brother go to Detroit to face Lucifer caused a similar ripple effect," Xarael replied, smiling slightly. "Or your refusal to become Michael's vessel once Zachariah informed you of your intended destiny. It caused quite the uproar."
"Yeah, I'll bet it did," Dean stated a bit viciously.
The thought of the chaos and disorder he'd caused the bastard made him smile, but then it transformed into a far larger smile as a flutter of wings announced the arrival of another angel and he turned to find his friend in the room with them. "Hey, Cas."
"Dean, Xarael."
He could tell Castiel was surprised to see his sister with him, but Dean was pleased to see none of the what he now realized had been jealousy from before. His thoughts were quickly distracted, though, by the phenomenal smell that wafted from the box Castiel held.
"Dude, did you bring me pizza?" Dean demanded.
"Yes."
The angel stepped forwards and handed him the box just as Dean's stomach growled. His breakfast had consisted of some junk from the vending machine down the hall as he hadn't wanted to venture out in the downpour then either. One look at the box, though, had him staring in shock.
"Is that Italian?"
"Yes, I have been told that they make the best pizza in Italy."
Dean goggled at Castiel for a moment before he smiled broadly. "You're awesome!"
He hesitated briefly, keenly aware of Xarael's presence before he decided, screw it, and reached for Castiel's tie, using it to pull the angel closer to him. Then Dean leaned forwards and kissed Cas. The angel responded instantly and Dean opened his mouth enough to lick his lips and tug lightly at the angel's lower lip with his teeth before he pulled back. Castiel looked like he wanted to follow him, though he refrained, licking his lips instead and looking at him in confusion and intrigue. Oh yeah, he was teaching the angel to French next as soon as they were alone together.
Then Dean's stomach rumbled again and Castiel smiled.
"You should eat."
"You don't have to tell me twice!"
Dean carefully moved the books well to one side before putting the pizza box on the table and opening it. Cas had gotten him what looked like a supreme of some kind and it had the works, though it lacked olives and that made him smile. Castiel had been paying attention all of those times they were in dinners or restaurants together. He grabbed a slice and took a big bite, making a very appreciative noise as the flavor hit his tongue. This was to die for!
"You guys want any of this?" Dean asked, looking at the two angels.
He was sorely tempted to just forego the offer as he was sure he could finish the pizza himself even though it was a large. It was just that good and the base was extremely thin, but Castiel had gotten it for him in the first place and Xarael was not only Cas' sister, but one he liked and seemed to get along with. That made her okay as far as he was concerned even if he didn't know her all that well just yet. His offer became more than just friendliness when she stepped forward and looked at the pizza as if she'd never seen one before. It hit him all of a sudden that Xarael may well have never really interacted with a human before and that this could be her first encounter with food.
"Look, here," Dean said, grabbing the smallest slice. "Why don't you try this and if you don't like it, then no harm done."
That seemed to convince her and Xarael stepped close to accept the slice, though Dean noticed her glancing at her brother before she did so. It would take a while, but she would learn what was appropriate, given his angel's new found penchant for jealousy, though, it was probably a very good thing she was erring on the side of caution. And, speaking of Castiel, he turned to smile at him as the angel stepped close. He'd expected the angel to reach past him for his own slice, but instead he lifted the one Dean had already started from his hand and bit into it.
The protest that automatically rose within him died on Dean's lips at the obvious pleasure on Castiel's face as he chewed. This was the first time he'd seen his angel eat anything since the Famine incident and he was just thankful that it hadn't put Cas off food forever. Plus the thought of Castiel taking food from what essentially passed as his plate at the moment was hot.
Yeah, screwed, that's what he was.
He grabbed himself another slice and listened while Xarael caught Castiel up on the reason for her visit.
"Who's currently important enough to be able to cause that kind of effect?" Dean asked.
"I do not understand," Xarael replied.
"Well, you said earlier that I'd caused those types of ripples."
"Yes."
"So can anyone do that or do they need to be a major player?"
"I see what you're saying," Castiel said. "It's a good point. Although, conceivably, anyone could do it, the likelihood of it being a random person is low."
With that, Castiel handed him back what was left of his pizza slice and vanished. Dean blinked, looked at the slice, nonplussed and slightly bemused before he shrugged and finished it. If Cas wanted more, he could always take another slice.
"Did you like it?" Dean asked Xarael who was starting at him once more.
"It was... peculiar."
"Peculiar's not bad, I guess. That was the first time you've tried food, right?"
"Yes," she replied. "I should probably go back to Heaven."
"Yeah, okay. Oh, wait, you can take those two books over there?"
"You have looked at them?"
"Yeah and no go," Dean said, then saw that he had to clarify. "They contain nothing of interest for us."
And just like that, she was gone.
Dean snorted. "I guess a general inability to say goodbye is an angel thing."
With a shrug, he turned back to the pizza and proceeded to devour most of it, savoring every delicious bite. It was absolutely amazing, definitely better than any pizza he'd ever had before even if he would have preferred a thicker base. He tried not to think too closely about where Castiel might be right now, though he had a sneaking suspicion that he knew. When he thought of other people whose decisions could significantly influence the outcome of the Apocalypse, his thoughts inevitably went to Sam. He was just glad that he didn't need to be the one to go check up on him.
The ringing of his cell interrupted his thoughts and he fished it out of his coat pocket where he'd put it that morning before seeing the weather. He glanced at the caller ID and winced.
"Hello, Bobby," Dean greeted, voice carefully neutral.
Chapter 20