Unexpected Destinies Chapter 28
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: 3,460
Summary: Dean and Castiel deal with Michael's unexpected appearance.
PAST
Dean grabbed the Jewel of Abel and let himself roll off the bed on the other side in a controlled fall so he was out of sight of the two archangels and could put the weapon on undetected.
"You can't have him," Castiel declared angrily. "He's not yours to take."
"Castiel, Brother-" Michael began.
The words were followed by a crash and Dean winced though he approved of Castiel's tactics. As his lover had said before, he just didn't have the knowledge and experience when it came to fighting with his new abilities that the other archangels did, so he had to compensate by using every other trick in the book. If Michael wanted to give him that kind of opening, then it was his own fault for leaving himself vulnerable. His father had disabused him of the notion of 'fighting fair' early on, teaching him that when it came to the supernatural, there really was no fair as they tended to have all kinds of abilities humans didn't. Therefore it often came down to them using their knowledge and any opening they could find to defeat them.
The clash of metal on metal told Dean that the angel swords had come out and it made his heart leap into his throat. He wanted to tell Castiel to get the hell out of there, to run while he still could, but he knew his lover too well to think that he would leave him with Michael. God, this was exactly the situation he'd been hoping to avoid. His angel was strong enough to survive this Apocalypse as long as he didn't pull any stupid stunts like this, damnit.
"Castiel, stop, please," Michael pleaded. "I only wish to talk to you and Dean."
"What? Like the time you talked with him in the past?" Castiel demanded. "Trying to convince him that becoming your vessel was the sole purpose of his existence?"
It was odd for Dean to listen to someone fighting for him like this. At least this was not a time where he was helpless to help Castiel. The moment the Jewel of Abel slid into place in his palm, it activated, the strands coming to wrap around his wrist and the jewel glowing softly as he concentrated the energy there. So far so good, but they were about to enter unknown territory here. This was as far as he and Cas had ever gotten in their training session together. Oh well, it wasn't like they had much to lose here by giving it a go.
"No, that's not why I'm here," Michael denied.
"I will not let you have him!"
When Dean looked over the top of the bed, it was to find Michael with his back to him, shoving Castiel up against the wall. The sight caused fear to shoot through him as he saw the crossed swords between the two angels, far too close to his lover for his comfort.
"Castiel, enough of this! You will cease this ridiculous behavior at once!" Michael ordered.
Dean saw the intent in his lover's eyes a moment before Cas spoke and for once he knew what it was like to be in Sam or Castiel's shoes all those times he shot off his mouth to some creature far more powerful than himself.
"Make me!" Castiel challenged, meeting his brother's gaze head on.
"Such a foolish human sentiment, Castiel. I do not understand what Father was thinking."
Not one to waste such an opportunity, Dean rose to his feet and took aim with the Jewel of Abel, remembering to tilt his hand the way Castiel had shown him to. He frowned though as he found that he couldn't quite get a good lock on Michael that didn't also place his lover in the target area. Although he had no doubt that Cas would tell him to take the shot, he had no intention of doing so. Not only did he not know how much damage the Jewel could cause, but it was just a bad idea to take down his best hope of escaping this situation unscratched.
"Hey, Michael, leave Cas alone, it's me you want," Dean said, hoping to give Castiel a means of getting out of the way.
As expected, Michael twisted around to face him, the brief moment of inattention all his angel needed to twist out of the way. Not giving the archangel a moment to react, Dean shoved the energy at the Jewel and hoped like hell it would do more then it had in the Antarctic. The hum of the device quickly morphed into a high pitched whine before a pulse of... of light was all that he could call it, shot from his hand to hit Michael head on, sending him back against the wall with enough force to create an archangel sized dent in it. He winced, hoping no one was next door to complain to the front desk about the noise. The last thing they needed was for a motel clerk to come pounding on the door, demanding to be let in.
Then the world shifted around him and it took Dean a moment to realize that he was falling, though by then he'd been caught by his angel who was looking at him with worry written all over his face.
"Dean? What happened?" Castiel demanded.
"Whoa, crap!" Dean replied, shaking his head. "Careful, but the first step's a doozy!"
"I do not understand that reference."
A moan had Dean looking at Michael to see the angel seemed to be in a similar state as himself. Okay, great, the Jewel of Abel could clearly knock even an archangel for a loop, unfortunately it took far too much out of him to be used willy nilly. With Cas' help, he got back to his feet and was more or less able to stay there, though he made a mental note not to make any sudden movements or he'd probably do another swan dive.
"So, now what?" Dean demanded.
"I don't know," Castiel replied though he approached his brother.
Dean assumed it was to take Michael's sword from him, but just then, the archangel shifted enough to take hold of it once more.
"Careful!" Dean warned, bringing his right hand up.
He wasn't sure what using the Jewel again so quickly would do to him, but he could feel the energy thrumming through him and was more than willing to give it another go if he had to. Castiel stepped to one side, though he had his own sword out again, ready to use it if he had to. Instead of trying anything, though, Michael merely moved his hand and suddenly his sword was gone. Damn but he hated when they did that.
"I mean you no harm," Michael stated, really looking kinda pathetic where he was slumped against the crumbling plaster. "I just wish to speak with you."
"I say we go," Castiel said. "I am uncertain how he found you so quickly after getting out, but he won't be able to follow us now and the-"
"Wait," Dean interrupted. "If he's out, then is Lucifer out too?
"No, he's still locked up for now," Michael replied. "And he should remain that way for another two or three months."
"How?" Castiel demanded. "The cage was deteriorating much faster then that."
"With both of us in there. Now that I'm out, it will hold for longer then it would have before."
"Well at least that's some good news," Dean stated. "It's about high time we got some too."
"How is it that you managed to get out but Lucifer didn't?" Castiel demanded.
"I built that cage and therefore know its design and weaknesses better than Lucifer ever could despite having spent millennia in it."
"Cas?" Dean questioned.
"It's possible," Castiel responded, his head tilted in that particular way of his as he regarded his older brother.
Michael was returning Cas' gaze and they seemed frozen like that, almost like a living painting that Dean could have seen in that creepy ass green room of Zachariah's. The thought made him shiver, knowing now that the douchebag had intended for him to become Michael's vessel that day right after they were sure that Sam had released Lucifer from his prison. Would he have said yes if his lover hadn't come to his senses and told him the truth? He just very well might have if he'd thought the final seal had just been lost and that was the only way to ensure that the Devil himself wasn't unleashed on Earth. Back then he hadn't yet known enough to know how many people would likely die in the battle.
Then Michael was looking at him, gaze warily regarding the Jewel of Abel for a moment and Dean thought he could detect surprise and some admiration in that dark gaze of his aunt for a moment before it was gone. The archangel then looked up and met his eyes.
"You are not what you seem, Dean Winchester."
Dean arched an eyebrow. "I'm gonna take that as a compliment."
"Take it however you want as long as you listen to me."
"Dean," Castiel intoned. "Let me take you somewhere else that's safe so we can decide what to do next."
"Hang on a minute, Cas, let him have his say," Dean said.
"But Dean-"
"What can it hurt to listen to him?"
Although Castiel didn't say anything, the moment their eyes met, Dean could read the fear in his lover's blue gaze. The breath caught in his throat as he realized what Cas was afraid of. The last time they had words about Michael had been right before his angel had beat the crap out of him for trying to say yes to the archangel. He swallowed hard at the fear that stunt had obviously caused his lover and still managed to evoke within him even now. He imagined it probably wasn't that different to the terror he'd experienced when Sam had first mentioned the possibility of saying yes to Lucifer.
"Hey," Dean said softly. "I'm not gonna do something stupid here, Cas, I promise."
Some of the tension instantly vanished from his lover's shoulders and Dean returned his gaze to their captive, realizing that he probably should never have taken it off of him to begin with. Michael was watching them closely, clearly taking in all of the nuances of their interaction and he felt anger rise within him at the mere thought of the archangel trying to use it against them. Michael obviously noticed it as he focused his gaze on him.
"I'm not here for that, Dean."
Briefly Dean wondered how the archangel could possibly have guessed what he was thinking, but then realized it boiled down to good strategy to assess your enemy and figure out their weaknesses. "Oh yeah? Then what are you here for, Mikey?"
The exasperated look he got from Castiel alone made the new nickname worth it to Dean. Michael's expression, though, would also have made it worth it. It was some strange mixture between confusion, distaste and disapproval. It nearly made him frown, wondering why the archangel seemed so much better with understanding human interaction then his angel had been. Was that purely because Michael'd had more experience dealing with humans or was there another reason?
"Do not call me that," Michael ordered. "My name is Michael."
"I'll call you whatever the hell I damn well please, Mikey," Dean retorted, waving his hand and the Jewel of Abel a little. "You're in no position to make any demands here."
Michael's eyes narrowed and Dean could feel Castiel tensing beside him before his lover stepped closer to him. It was probably a good idea for them to be close together so Cas could zap them out of there at a moment's notice should things go south all of a sudden. They were dealing with what could possibly be the strongest of the archangels here.
"Look, either say what you want or we're outta here," Dean continued.
"I want to know why," Michael stated.
"Why what?"
"Why Father chose to bring Castiel back, not once but twice, and why He chose to make him more than he was before the second time."
"That's easy, it's 'cause Cas had the backbone to stand up to the rest of you lot do what was right while you guys were fucking things up."
"You don't understand and how could you? You're just a human."
The Jewel of Abel nearly discharged again as anger surged within Dean. As it was, the humming picked up and the Jewel glowed brightly before he could reign it back in again. Much as he'd like to zap the douchebag again, he was in no condition to do so just now.
"That is part of your problem," Castiel explained, placing a hand on Dean's shoulder. "You view humans as beneath us, as tools to be used and discarded when you're done, instead of as the greatest of Father's creations."
"Cas-" Dean began.
"Shush, Dean."
The response caught Dean so off-guard that he obeyed, his scowl vanishing as he blinked in surprise. For Castiel that was as good as telling him to shut up. He really was a bad influence.
"We were meant to look after and protect them," Castiel continued. "Not carelessly waste their lives and bring about the deaths of millions just so we could have Paradise."
"They would get it too," Michael countered.
"Yeah, well maybe we don't want it, did you ever stop to consider that?" Dean demanded.
"It's Paradise, how could you not want it?"
"Because the price is too high, nothing worth having costs that much."
"You were also going to force it upon them," Castiel added. "Humans were given free will for a reason, Brother, to take that away from them is unacceptable. Attempting to do so only makes them resist you."
"Big time," Dean confirmed. "Which Cas knows very well from experience."
"You don't want Paradise," Michael repeated in disbelief.
Dean snorted. "If your idea of Paradise is anything like Heaven, then you can shove it. I don't want any part of it."
Michael stared at him in astonishment, apparently speechless at the fact that someone could not want Heaven. What did he expect though? After Zachariah's little stunt, he was never going to be able to think of Heaven the same way again. Not that he'd ever particularly thought much of it to begin with, always suspecting that it was too good to be true anyway. He just wished he could have been proven wrong another way, as it was he could still see his mother's hate filled face spewing venom at him in his dreams on a regular basis.
Then Michael turned his attention back to his brother. "This is why you changed the human portion of Heaven?"
"Yes, Heaven should not be a place people dread going to, it should be a reward."
"Just because one human disliked it does not mean all of them do."
"He was not alone in his assessment. Were you aware that several dozen groups of souls had started to find means to circumvent the way things were run in an attempt to change the way they spent their time there?"
"Why?"
"Because we're not pets to be kept in little cages," Dean snapped. "And some of us would rather not relive the same crap over and over again."
Okay, so he was letting his resentment really color his tone but he couldn't help it. The mere thought of spending eternity like that horrified him. It was definitely more then enough to make him wish there were a third option other than Heaven and Hell. He knew Castiel hated it, but he couldn't help but see Heaven as nothing more then the lesser of two evils instead of something to look forward to with anything other then dread. He'd also started to wonder what happened to those souls who hardly had two good memories to cycle through, the vast majority of his had since been tainted by Sam and Bobby's betrayals.
"So what happens now?" Michael questioned.
"Those souls that liked the way things were can remain like that," Castiel explained. "The others can now spend their time with those they like and love."
"I see." A few moments of silence. "I still do not understand why Father made you an archangel, though." Dean opened his mouth to defend his lover but Michael continued on before he could say anything. "You do not understand, Dean, Father has never done anything like this. Ever."
"Because I did what He wanted."
"He is the one who created the prophecies that Raphael and I were following," Michael countered.
"Look, I don't know much about these prophecies, but I doubt they involved you guys jumpstarting the freaking Apocalypse," Dean interjected.
"Exactly," Castiel agreed, a speculative look crossing his face. "You do not understand why you were punished, why Father left you in the cage with Lucifer."
The wounded look on the downed angel's face told Dean that his lover had gotten it right. He frowned as he suddenly wondered for how long the Jewel of Abel was able to knock an angel out for. Was it possible that Michael was even now playing possum, trying to lull them into a false sense of security?
"Do you want to find out?"
"Cas, what are you doing?" Dean asked, a bad feeling rising within him.
"Yes," Michael replied.
"Are you sure you want to? Enough to listen to myself and to Dean?" Castiel questioned.
The latter clearly made Michael pause and Dean sent him a dark look. Oh this was getting off to a great start already.
"Dean is the whole reason that I did what I did," Castiel stated. "If you are not willing to listen to him, then you might as well leave now."
"Cas."
What the hell are you doing, Dean wanted to ask, but he didn't think questioning his lover like that in front of Michael was a particularly great thing to do.
"Fine," Michael gave in ungracefully.
Castiel regarded his brother for a few moments, assessing him before turning back to Dean. "Dean, I think we should give him a chance to prove himself and his willingness to see why what he did was so displeasing to Father."
"And I thought you were afraid that I'd be the one to make a stupid decision here."
Well, so much for not questioning his lover.
"Please, Dean."
Dean scowled, surprisingly unable to say no in the face of that expression from his lover. Christ, but it was like Sammy's old puppy dog expression, the one he'd never been able to resist worth a damn either.
"He wants to wear me to the prom, have you forgotten that?"
"No, but he cannot do that as long as you refuse to give him permission."
"That rule didn't help my aunt any."
At those words Castiel's eyes shot back to his brother, assessing him. "What?"
"Apparently being brain dead is enough for you guys not to need permission if the body is still alive."
"Michael?"
"I found her this way, Castiel. I promise in the name of our Father that I had nothing to do with her coming to be in this condition."
Even Dean'd had enough experience with angels to know a vow like that was not made lightly. Still, it seemed damned coincidental, but sometimes coincidences did happen. Didn't mean he couldn't be suspicious about the whole situation though. One look at Castiel was all he needed to see that his angel still wanted to try.
Dean pointed a finger at his lover. "This is a bad idea."
The small smile Castiel gave him nearly made it worth it. "Thank you, Dean."
"As for you," Dean continued, turning his attention to Michael. "I'm gonna be watching you closely, very closely, pal. You set one foot out of line or I even think you're going to double cross us that's it, got it?"
The whole situation was almost worth it just to see that expression on Michael's face. It was the most peculiar mixture between self-righteous anger, resignation, confusion and resentment that Dean had ever seen. Well, if the archangel didn't like it, then he could just flit off to wherever it was that angels went to lick their wounded egos.
Dean still couldn't believe that he was agreeing to this in the first place. This was a phenomenally bad idea and coming from him, that said a lot. He was sure that they were going to regret this. Who'd have thought he'd cave for a pair of blue eyes?
Chapter 29
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: up to and including Exile on Main St., AU from the end of season 5
Warnings: AU, slash
Word Count: 3,460
Summary: Dean and Castiel deal with Michael's unexpected appearance.
PAST
Dean grabbed the Jewel of Abel and let himself roll off the bed on the other side in a controlled fall so he was out of sight of the two archangels and could put the weapon on undetected.
"You can't have him," Castiel declared angrily. "He's not yours to take."
"Castiel, Brother-" Michael began.
The words were followed by a crash and Dean winced though he approved of Castiel's tactics. As his lover had said before, he just didn't have the knowledge and experience when it came to fighting with his new abilities that the other archangels did, so he had to compensate by using every other trick in the book. If Michael wanted to give him that kind of opening, then it was his own fault for leaving himself vulnerable. His father had disabused him of the notion of 'fighting fair' early on, teaching him that when it came to the supernatural, there really was no fair as they tended to have all kinds of abilities humans didn't. Therefore it often came down to them using their knowledge and any opening they could find to defeat them.
The clash of metal on metal told Dean that the angel swords had come out and it made his heart leap into his throat. He wanted to tell Castiel to get the hell out of there, to run while he still could, but he knew his lover too well to think that he would leave him with Michael. God, this was exactly the situation he'd been hoping to avoid. His angel was strong enough to survive this Apocalypse as long as he didn't pull any stupid stunts like this, damnit.
"Castiel, stop, please," Michael pleaded. "I only wish to talk to you and Dean."
"What? Like the time you talked with him in the past?" Castiel demanded. "Trying to convince him that becoming your vessel was the sole purpose of his existence?"
It was odd for Dean to listen to someone fighting for him like this. At least this was not a time where he was helpless to help Castiel. The moment the Jewel of Abel slid into place in his palm, it activated, the strands coming to wrap around his wrist and the jewel glowing softly as he concentrated the energy there. So far so good, but they were about to enter unknown territory here. This was as far as he and Cas had ever gotten in their training session together. Oh well, it wasn't like they had much to lose here by giving it a go.
"No, that's not why I'm here," Michael denied.
"I will not let you have him!"
When Dean looked over the top of the bed, it was to find Michael with his back to him, shoving Castiel up against the wall. The sight caused fear to shoot through him as he saw the crossed swords between the two angels, far too close to his lover for his comfort.
"Castiel, enough of this! You will cease this ridiculous behavior at once!" Michael ordered.
Dean saw the intent in his lover's eyes a moment before Cas spoke and for once he knew what it was like to be in Sam or Castiel's shoes all those times he shot off his mouth to some creature far more powerful than himself.
"Make me!" Castiel challenged, meeting his brother's gaze head on.
"Such a foolish human sentiment, Castiel. I do not understand what Father was thinking."
Not one to waste such an opportunity, Dean rose to his feet and took aim with the Jewel of Abel, remembering to tilt his hand the way Castiel had shown him to. He frowned though as he found that he couldn't quite get a good lock on Michael that didn't also place his lover in the target area. Although he had no doubt that Cas would tell him to take the shot, he had no intention of doing so. Not only did he not know how much damage the Jewel could cause, but it was just a bad idea to take down his best hope of escaping this situation unscratched.
"Hey, Michael, leave Cas alone, it's me you want," Dean said, hoping to give Castiel a means of getting out of the way.
As expected, Michael twisted around to face him, the brief moment of inattention all his angel needed to twist out of the way. Not giving the archangel a moment to react, Dean shoved the energy at the Jewel and hoped like hell it would do more then it had in the Antarctic. The hum of the device quickly morphed into a high pitched whine before a pulse of... of light was all that he could call it, shot from his hand to hit Michael head on, sending him back against the wall with enough force to create an archangel sized dent in it. He winced, hoping no one was next door to complain to the front desk about the noise. The last thing they needed was for a motel clerk to come pounding on the door, demanding to be let in.
Then the world shifted around him and it took Dean a moment to realize that he was falling, though by then he'd been caught by his angel who was looking at him with worry written all over his face.
"Dean? What happened?" Castiel demanded.
"Whoa, crap!" Dean replied, shaking his head. "Careful, but the first step's a doozy!"
"I do not understand that reference."
A moan had Dean looking at Michael to see the angel seemed to be in a similar state as himself. Okay, great, the Jewel of Abel could clearly knock even an archangel for a loop, unfortunately it took far too much out of him to be used willy nilly. With Cas' help, he got back to his feet and was more or less able to stay there, though he made a mental note not to make any sudden movements or he'd probably do another swan dive.
"So, now what?" Dean demanded.
"I don't know," Castiel replied though he approached his brother.
Dean assumed it was to take Michael's sword from him, but just then, the archangel shifted enough to take hold of it once more.
"Careful!" Dean warned, bringing his right hand up.
He wasn't sure what using the Jewel again so quickly would do to him, but he could feel the energy thrumming through him and was more than willing to give it another go if he had to. Castiel stepped to one side, though he had his own sword out again, ready to use it if he had to. Instead of trying anything, though, Michael merely moved his hand and suddenly his sword was gone. Damn but he hated when they did that.
"I mean you no harm," Michael stated, really looking kinda pathetic where he was slumped against the crumbling plaster. "I just wish to speak with you."
"I say we go," Castiel said. "I am uncertain how he found you so quickly after getting out, but he won't be able to follow us now and the-"
"Wait," Dean interrupted. "If he's out, then is Lucifer out too?
"No, he's still locked up for now," Michael replied. "And he should remain that way for another two or three months."
"How?" Castiel demanded. "The cage was deteriorating much faster then that."
"With both of us in there. Now that I'm out, it will hold for longer then it would have before."
"Well at least that's some good news," Dean stated. "It's about high time we got some too."
"How is it that you managed to get out but Lucifer didn't?" Castiel demanded.
"I built that cage and therefore know its design and weaknesses better than Lucifer ever could despite having spent millennia in it."
"Cas?" Dean questioned.
"It's possible," Castiel responded, his head tilted in that particular way of his as he regarded his older brother.
Michael was returning Cas' gaze and they seemed frozen like that, almost like a living painting that Dean could have seen in that creepy ass green room of Zachariah's. The thought made him shiver, knowing now that the douchebag had intended for him to become Michael's vessel that day right after they were sure that Sam had released Lucifer from his prison. Would he have said yes if his lover hadn't come to his senses and told him the truth? He just very well might have if he'd thought the final seal had just been lost and that was the only way to ensure that the Devil himself wasn't unleashed on Earth. Back then he hadn't yet known enough to know how many people would likely die in the battle.
Then Michael was looking at him, gaze warily regarding the Jewel of Abel for a moment and Dean thought he could detect surprise and some admiration in that dark gaze of his aunt for a moment before it was gone. The archangel then looked up and met his eyes.
"You are not what you seem, Dean Winchester."
Dean arched an eyebrow. "I'm gonna take that as a compliment."
"Take it however you want as long as you listen to me."
"Dean," Castiel intoned. "Let me take you somewhere else that's safe so we can decide what to do next."
"Hang on a minute, Cas, let him have his say," Dean said.
"But Dean-"
"What can it hurt to listen to him?"
Although Castiel didn't say anything, the moment their eyes met, Dean could read the fear in his lover's blue gaze. The breath caught in his throat as he realized what Cas was afraid of. The last time they had words about Michael had been right before his angel had beat the crap out of him for trying to say yes to the archangel. He swallowed hard at the fear that stunt had obviously caused his lover and still managed to evoke within him even now. He imagined it probably wasn't that different to the terror he'd experienced when Sam had first mentioned the possibility of saying yes to Lucifer.
"Hey," Dean said softly. "I'm not gonna do something stupid here, Cas, I promise."
Some of the tension instantly vanished from his lover's shoulders and Dean returned his gaze to their captive, realizing that he probably should never have taken it off of him to begin with. Michael was watching them closely, clearly taking in all of the nuances of their interaction and he felt anger rise within him at the mere thought of the archangel trying to use it against them. Michael obviously noticed it as he focused his gaze on him.
"I'm not here for that, Dean."
Briefly Dean wondered how the archangel could possibly have guessed what he was thinking, but then realized it boiled down to good strategy to assess your enemy and figure out their weaknesses. "Oh yeah? Then what are you here for, Mikey?"
The exasperated look he got from Castiel alone made the new nickname worth it to Dean. Michael's expression, though, would also have made it worth it. It was some strange mixture between confusion, distaste and disapproval. It nearly made him frown, wondering why the archangel seemed so much better with understanding human interaction then his angel had been. Was that purely because Michael'd had more experience dealing with humans or was there another reason?
"Do not call me that," Michael ordered. "My name is Michael."
"I'll call you whatever the hell I damn well please, Mikey," Dean retorted, waving his hand and the Jewel of Abel a little. "You're in no position to make any demands here."
Michael's eyes narrowed and Dean could feel Castiel tensing beside him before his lover stepped closer to him. It was probably a good idea for them to be close together so Cas could zap them out of there at a moment's notice should things go south all of a sudden. They were dealing with what could possibly be the strongest of the archangels here.
"Look, either say what you want or we're outta here," Dean continued.
"I want to know why," Michael stated.
"Why what?"
"Why Father chose to bring Castiel back, not once but twice, and why He chose to make him more than he was before the second time."
"That's easy, it's 'cause Cas had the backbone to stand up to the rest of you lot do what was right while you guys were fucking things up."
"You don't understand and how could you? You're just a human."
The Jewel of Abel nearly discharged again as anger surged within Dean. As it was, the humming picked up and the Jewel glowed brightly before he could reign it back in again. Much as he'd like to zap the douchebag again, he was in no condition to do so just now.
"That is part of your problem," Castiel explained, placing a hand on Dean's shoulder. "You view humans as beneath us, as tools to be used and discarded when you're done, instead of as the greatest of Father's creations."
"Cas-" Dean began.
"Shush, Dean."
The response caught Dean so off-guard that he obeyed, his scowl vanishing as he blinked in surprise. For Castiel that was as good as telling him to shut up. He really was a bad influence.
"We were meant to look after and protect them," Castiel continued. "Not carelessly waste their lives and bring about the deaths of millions just so we could have Paradise."
"They would get it too," Michael countered.
"Yeah, well maybe we don't want it, did you ever stop to consider that?" Dean demanded.
"It's Paradise, how could you not want it?"
"Because the price is too high, nothing worth having costs that much."
"You were also going to force it upon them," Castiel added. "Humans were given free will for a reason, Brother, to take that away from them is unacceptable. Attempting to do so only makes them resist you."
"Big time," Dean confirmed. "Which Cas knows very well from experience."
"You don't want Paradise," Michael repeated in disbelief.
Dean snorted. "If your idea of Paradise is anything like Heaven, then you can shove it. I don't want any part of it."
Michael stared at him in astonishment, apparently speechless at the fact that someone could not want Heaven. What did he expect though? After Zachariah's little stunt, he was never going to be able to think of Heaven the same way again. Not that he'd ever particularly thought much of it to begin with, always suspecting that it was too good to be true anyway. He just wished he could have been proven wrong another way, as it was he could still see his mother's hate filled face spewing venom at him in his dreams on a regular basis.
Then Michael turned his attention back to his brother. "This is why you changed the human portion of Heaven?"
"Yes, Heaven should not be a place people dread going to, it should be a reward."
"Just because one human disliked it does not mean all of them do."
"He was not alone in his assessment. Were you aware that several dozen groups of souls had started to find means to circumvent the way things were run in an attempt to change the way they spent their time there?"
"Why?"
"Because we're not pets to be kept in little cages," Dean snapped. "And some of us would rather not relive the same crap over and over again."
Okay, so he was letting his resentment really color his tone but he couldn't help it. The mere thought of spending eternity like that horrified him. It was definitely more then enough to make him wish there were a third option other than Heaven and Hell. He knew Castiel hated it, but he couldn't help but see Heaven as nothing more then the lesser of two evils instead of something to look forward to with anything other then dread. He'd also started to wonder what happened to those souls who hardly had two good memories to cycle through, the vast majority of his had since been tainted by Sam and Bobby's betrayals.
"So what happens now?" Michael questioned.
"Those souls that liked the way things were can remain like that," Castiel explained. "The others can now spend their time with those they like and love."
"I see." A few moments of silence. "I still do not understand why Father made you an archangel, though." Dean opened his mouth to defend his lover but Michael continued on before he could say anything. "You do not understand, Dean, Father has never done anything like this. Ever."
"Because I did what He wanted."
"He is the one who created the prophecies that Raphael and I were following," Michael countered.
"Look, I don't know much about these prophecies, but I doubt they involved you guys jumpstarting the freaking Apocalypse," Dean interjected.
"Exactly," Castiel agreed, a speculative look crossing his face. "You do not understand why you were punished, why Father left you in the cage with Lucifer."
The wounded look on the downed angel's face told Dean that his lover had gotten it right. He frowned as he suddenly wondered for how long the Jewel of Abel was able to knock an angel out for. Was it possible that Michael was even now playing possum, trying to lull them into a false sense of security?
"Do you want to find out?"
"Cas, what are you doing?" Dean asked, a bad feeling rising within him.
"Yes," Michael replied.
"Are you sure you want to? Enough to listen to myself and to Dean?" Castiel questioned.
The latter clearly made Michael pause and Dean sent him a dark look. Oh this was getting off to a great start already.
"Dean is the whole reason that I did what I did," Castiel stated. "If you are not willing to listen to him, then you might as well leave now."
"Cas."
What the hell are you doing, Dean wanted to ask, but he didn't think questioning his lover like that in front of Michael was a particularly great thing to do.
"Fine," Michael gave in ungracefully.
Castiel regarded his brother for a few moments, assessing him before turning back to Dean. "Dean, I think we should give him a chance to prove himself and his willingness to see why what he did was so displeasing to Father."
"And I thought you were afraid that I'd be the one to make a stupid decision here."
Well, so much for not questioning his lover.
"Please, Dean."
Dean scowled, surprisingly unable to say no in the face of that expression from his lover. Christ, but it was like Sammy's old puppy dog expression, the one he'd never been able to resist worth a damn either.
"He wants to wear me to the prom, have you forgotten that?"
"No, but he cannot do that as long as you refuse to give him permission."
"That rule didn't help my aunt any."
At those words Castiel's eyes shot back to his brother, assessing him. "What?"
"Apparently being brain dead is enough for you guys not to need permission if the body is still alive."
"Michael?"
"I found her this way, Castiel. I promise in the name of our Father that I had nothing to do with her coming to be in this condition."
Even Dean'd had enough experience with angels to know a vow like that was not made lightly. Still, it seemed damned coincidental, but sometimes coincidences did happen. Didn't mean he couldn't be suspicious about the whole situation though. One look at Castiel was all he needed to see that his angel still wanted to try.
Dean pointed a finger at his lover. "This is a bad idea."
The small smile Castiel gave him nearly made it worth it. "Thank you, Dean."
"As for you," Dean continued, turning his attention to Michael. "I'm gonna be watching you closely, very closely, pal. You set one foot out of line or I even think you're going to double cross us that's it, got it?"
The whole situation was almost worth it just to see that expression on Michael's face. It was the most peculiar mixture between self-righteous anger, resignation, confusion and resentment that Dean had ever seen. Well, if the archangel didn't like it, then he could just flit off to wherever it was that angels went to lick their wounded egos.
Dean still couldn't believe that he was agreeing to this in the first place. This was a phenomenally bad idea and coming from him, that said a lot. He was sure that they were going to regret this. Who'd have thought he'd cave for a pair of blue eyes?
Chapter 29