[Fic] DCBB - Round Came the Magpie - Chapter Six
Chapter Six
January 10th, 2006
Bobby’s was a fair distance away and the car never failed to soothe either of them when they weren’t the one in charge of it. Dean had conked out hours ago and Sam felt his own eyes growing heavy with only the lights on the blacktop and Dean’s even breathing to keep him company. He yawned again for the fourth time in five minutes and was just about to give up and find a motel to crash in for the night when the ringing of a phone startled him. He patted his pockets down and pulled out his own quiet little device. It was Dean’s then.
“Dean,” Sam flicked his gaze over to his brother. “Dean. Phone.” He was out like a light.
Sam sighed and kept his gaze on the road while groping around in Dean’s pockets. He finally managed to dig the phone out of the inside pocket of Dean’s coat and flipped it open. “Hello?”
“Sam, is that you?”
Sam felt his breath catch at the voice, he could hardly believe it, after all this searching and chasing. “Dad? Oh my god. Dad, are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
“We’ve been looking for you everywhere. We didn’t know where you were, if you were okay.”
“Sammy, I’m all right. What about you, Dean and that pet angel of his?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Sam saw Dean stir and blink at him sleepily.
“Cas?” Dean mouthed.
Sam shook his head then answered his father’s question, “We’re fine. Dad, where are you?”
Dean sat up quickly at that question, his eyes wide, he moved to reach for the phone but Sam twisted away.
John said, “Sorry, kiddo, I can’t tell you that.”
“What? Why?” Sam asked.
“Sam, is that Dad?” Dean demanded, reaching again and glaring at his little brother. Sam glared right on back but refused to give over telephone rights.
“Look, I know this is hard for you to understand. You’re just gonna have to trust me on this,” John spoke again.
“Dad what the hell is going on? At Jericho, we saw that symbol. You left your journal… Dad, tell me what’s happening,” Sam said. “Dean and Cas said that it was a fricking angel banishing sigil.”
“Look, I can’t get into this right now,” John was beginning to get aggravated; Sam could hear it in his tone.
Sam slammed on the brakes and cranked the car onto the shoulder, tires skidding on gravel. “Dad, you can’t mess around with angels,” Sam shot back.
“Angels? Sam, dammit, what’s he saying? Give me the fucking phone,” Dean growled.
“I know that, Sam! Listen, Sammy, I also know what happened to your girlfriend. I’m so sorry, I would have been there to stop it if I had known sooner.”
“Do you know why they took her?”
John sighed. “I have an idea, yeah.”
“Dad, you have to let us help. I need to get her back,” Sam was speaking quicker now; from his father’s voice he knew his minutes in this conversation were numbered.
“No!” John said, his voice dark and gruff. “You and Dean can’t be any part of this.”
“What?” Sam’s own voice was rising out of frustration. “Why not?”
“Sam give me the fucking phone, or I swear to god, I will beat your ass,” Dean was out of his seatbelt now. Sam scooted further away, twisting around himself.
John continued, “Listen, Sammy, I’m calling to tell you that you and your brothers have gotta stop looking for me. I need Castiel to stick by and protect you two. All right? Now, I need you to write down these names.”
“Names? What names? Angels? Dad - talk to me, tell me what’s going on.”
“Look, Sam,” John’s voice was gruffer and angrier now, “we don’t have time for this. This is bigger than you think, they’re everywhere and that’s literal. Even us talking right now, it’s not safe. If you want to get Jessica back in one piece you will listen to me. Now I’ve given you an order. You stop following me and you do your job, understand? Take down these names.”
“Da-” Sam tried again.
“Give me the fucking phone, Sam,” Dean managed to snatch the little device away from his brother. Dean glared at Sam the entire time he listened to their father. Dean dug around in the glove box for a pen. He paused again and grimaced at something else their father had said, but Sam couldn’t tell what, the voice was just a tinny-sounding blip across the short space between them.
“Cas isn’t here right now,” Dean said quietly. “I’ll give him the message, just tell me what you need to ask… Because he isn’t, Dad… Sorry… Yes, I’ll ask him to call you when he gets back… No, he hasn’t been gone long. He’ll be back soon,” Dean grimaced at his own words then closed the phone with a snap.
“You lied,” Sam remarked in awe. “You never lie to Dad.”
“Shut the fuck up and drive, Sammy, I’m too pissed off to talk to you right now.”
Clearly, Bobby’s would have to wait.
“Dammit,” Dean said after a few moments of riding in silence.
“Oh, are we speaking now?” Sam asked sarcastically.
“Shut up. Burkittsville, Indiana sounds like a fun town. If I’m right, we’re probably dealing with some sort of deity. Annual cycle of killings, the fact that it’s always a man and a woman who disappear. The couple part is probably more out of convenience than necessity,” Dean sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “We’ll know more when we get there.”
“We aren’t going to Indiana,” Sam said carefully.
“I’m sorry, I thought I just heard you say we aren’t going to Indiana,” Dean replied, his tone deadly even.
“Well, I didn’t stutter,” Sam replied snidely. “Look, the number was a California area code - Sacramento, that’s where Dad is, that’s where we’re going.”
“Sam…”
“Dad’s got a lead on Jess, Dean, I don’t care if it’s demons, angels or the Sith. Any way you look at it, he needs our help. Besides, if he has a way to get her back, if he knows what took her and why. There is no way I’m sitting on the bench.”
“Dad doesn’t want our help, Sam. He specifically told us to stay away.”
“Yeah? That right? Does it sound like I give a fuck, Dean?”
“Dammit, Sam! He’s given us an order.”
“So? We don’t always have to do what he tells us to. What happened to you being a grown-ass man, huh Dean? Jesus, you’re married and you still don’t question anything Dad says? Seriously, I don’t understand the blind faith you have in the man. This is about Jessica, Dean. The girl I want to marry. Would you really buckle down like a good little soldier if it was Castiel who was missing? Or would you try and move Hell, Heaven and everything in between to find him?”
“Stop fucking comparing him to Jessica, Sam, he’s different!”
“Why?” Sam glared.
“Jessica’s just a girl, Sam, Cas is an angel.”
“Just a girl? Just a girl? So the fact that I love her and the fact that she’s in trouble because of me doesn’t matter? No, she’s just a girl. Well forgive me for being normal and falling for a human being. So, so sorry I didn’t have a pet angel to lap at my heels like you did.”
Dean gaped, not quite sure how to respond to that. Shocked that Sam would even say something like that to him. Castiel was family, he was important to them all. It really sucked what happened to Jessica and Dean hated the fact that it happened to her but if Dad thought he could handle it, he could handle it. If Sam had been honest with her in the first place, maybe she could have protected herself. But precious little Sammy tried so hard to be normal that he didn’t want to sully his image with the dark family secret.
Dean didn’t say any of this though, he just watched in silence as Sam pulled the car to the shoulder once again and got out. He began gathering his things together.
Dean rolled his eyes. “Sam, what are you doing?”
“I’m going to California.”
“Come on, Sam, you aren’t serious.”
Sam didn’t respond, just stared at his brother with a level-gaze and began to walk away.
“It’s the middle of the night! Hey, I’m taking off, I’ll leave your ass. Let you deal with the angels all own your own!”
Sam didn’t look back but he did flash his middle finger over his shoulder.
“Fuck you, Sam!”
Sam was only half surprised when he heard the tires spin on the gravel and the Impala tear away from the side of the road. His heart sank a little as he stared ahead at the empty darkness, but he was sick of being an obedient child. He was a man now, he could make his own decisions and Jessica’s life was on the line. There was no way he was going to walk away from that when he could do something to help save her. Like he told Dean, it was his fault Jess got into this mess in the first place.
Maybe if he had told her what was really going on in the dark. Maybe if he had opened up about his family and his past then together they could have prevented this, but he had been scared. Scared that at the first hint of his freakiness she would dump his ass faster than he could blink. He wouldn’t even blame her if she did.
Sam wasn’t lucky enough to fall in love with a supernatural being at thirteen. Dean didn’t realise how easy he had it. The world that most people thought was real was a scary one for people like him. Dean had never had to face the possibility of his heart breaking when he revealed the reality of the world, because Castiel had been more enmeshed in the world than either of them had ever been. Castiel had seen it all, he could handle it all. Though if Sam was given the choice of having what Dean had or Jessica, he’d pick Jessica every time. Love wasn’t about taking easiest route; Jess was just his perfect fit.
If Sam hadn’t been so furious, he would have reprimanded himself for thinking Dean had it easy. He had faced a whole other realm of prejudice after all and continued to face it every day but Sam was pissed and he didn’t care. He just wanted Jessica back. Unfortunately, California was a long way away and Sam was beginning to wish he’d never left it in the first place.
He had either been walking longer than he thought or it had been later than he thought, because after what seemed like no time at all he noticed that strange hovering rainy-dawn light had settled over the road. The sky was gray and bleak but brighter and he could see more than a few feet in front of him. The realisation of the hour made Sam notice a dull ache had settled in the balls of his feet and his legs felt shaky and overworked. Sam hadn’t seen another car for hours and the bus station still seemed to be miles away.
He walked a little further down the road and noticed a huddled brown shape solidify in front of him. Sam was startled to notice as he got closer that it was a petite, blonde young woman.
“Hey,” he tried to get her attention but noticed belatedly that she had headphones on. He reached out and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. She spun around quickly, tore her headphones away then seemed to relax fractionally.
“You scared the hell out of me,” she said with a quirky smile.
Sam smiled back, abashed. “Sorry, didn’t mean to. I just thought you might need some help.”
She settled back onto her luggage and grinned slowly. “Nope, I’m good.”
xx
Dean grumbled to himself; this town was all kinds of unhelpful but his deity theory seemed to be right on, unless there was a crazed psycho-killer around who got his rocks off by dressing his scarecrow up in human skin. He knew he wasn’t mistaken when he saw one of the missing men’s tattoos on the fugly-ass scarecrow’s arm. The only one he seemed to be able to get through to was the girl, Emily, who he ran into at the General Store shortly after his arrival. She was the only one who seemed to remember the couple that drove through last year.
Though Dean wasn’t buying the apparent memory loss of the other town-folk for one second, he wasn’t an idiot. Dean was really, really starting to miss Cas and Sam. Between the two of them they probably could have got some info out of these people. He pretty well had what he needed if he were being honest, but he figured there would be more to getting rid of the deity than getting rid of the effigy. Cas would know, and Sam could convince this new couple to get out of dodge before nightfall.
Dean was sitting at the small diner at a table next to the couple and tried one last ditch effort to get them to trust him. It was a gamble though and he didn’t make a habit of broadcasting his personal life in small Indiana towns. “Seeing you two makes me a little jealous,” Dean held up his left hand, flashing the wedding band. Both the woman and man seemed to relax fractionally when they saw it.
Dean continued, “This was supposed to be our big getaway, you know? Cas got called away on business at the last minute though. Told me to go it alone. I tell ya, Cas would have loved this town. That one is crazy about places like this. I tried to say no, but Cas can be pretty persuasive. Cas’ll hopefully meet up with me soon. I’m taking lots of pictures though, just in case.”
“Sorry to hear that,” the woman was sympathetic now, rather than faintly uncomfortable, as she had been before. “Have you two been married long?”
“Four years,” Dean replied. “You two?”
The woman blushed. “Three months.”
Dean winked. “Enjoy it. Sorry about earlier, the whole brake-line thing, I just couldn’t stand the thought of another couple’s vacation being ruined, you know? Dad owned a garage as I was growing up, taught me a lot, thought I could lend a hand. Cas would have done the same. He always likes to help.”
The woman was unfazed at the pronoun but her husband not so much, his face darkened, as did the face of the ever friendly Scotty who ran the café and who Dean first talked to when he arrived.
“Well, maybe you taking a look couldn’t hu-” the woman began.
“No,” the guy cut in, his lip curling. “I don’t think a person like you could handle that.”
Dean cursed himself for the pronoun slip and then cursed again when the sheriff walked into the restaurant. Scotty had a vindictive little gleam in his eye.
“Look, Man, I’m having a bad day already,” Dean groaned.
“Sheriff, I don’t think it’ll be necessary to-” the woman tried.
“Leave it,” her husband growled.
“Let’s have a talk, shall we?” the sheriff told Dean. “Not too keen on your kind in these parts. I think it’s time that you move on.”
The woman gasped a little. Dean tossed her a jaunty wink as he was led away.
xx
When Sam turned away from the ticket window to settle in for his long wait for the bus he was shocked to see the woman from the road sitting on the floor surrounded by her bags. Last he saw her she was getting a ride from a shady guy with a van. She had greeted him and introduced herself and now they were sitting at a small table, having eaten far too much greasy food from the chip truck outside, but hey, at least they served beer.
“So, you sure pick a strange way to go on vacation,” Sam remarked with a small grin.
Meg laughed and Sam thought it was a nice sound.
“Oh yeah, it’s all sitting poolside and sipping Cristal for me. Reality? I had to get away from my family.”
That surprised Sam a little bit. “Oh, why?”
“Suppose I just had to go out and live my own life, you know? I love my parents, I do, but sometimes they can be well… too parental. They want what’s best for me but what they think is best for me isn’t what I think is best for me, you know? So I decided to pack up and go out on my own instead,” she laughed awkwardly then and took a long draught of beer. “Wow, things you say to people you hardly know, huh?”
“No, no, I get it, it’s okay. Same sort of thing on my end. I think I mentioned my brother?” Sam waited for her nod of confirmation before he continued, “Well, he’s a great guy but he’s got life all figured out and thinks that gives him the right to dictate mine.”
“Well,” Meg held up her beer for an impromptu toast. “Here’s to us then, the food might be awful and the beds might be hard, but at least we’re living our own lives and no one else’s.”
Sam smiled and clinked his bottle against hers.
xx
Dean had managed to get to the couple just in time, regardless of the fact that the sheriff had quite literally run him out of town. When he got there, the girl was grateful without a question and Dean counted the fact that the guy no longer looked at him as if his gay was contagious as a win. It seemed he was bang-on with the pagan god theory after what he’d witnessed earlier today and he did the first thing that popped into his mind. He dialled Castiel’s number. The phone didn’t even ring; a small feminine voice told him that the customer he was dialling was out of their coverage zone. Dean grimaced. Yeah, way out of his coverage zone. Sam was next. Dean wanted to check in and make sure he was all right.
After Sam answered the phone, Dean opened with, “I’m awesome.”
“Dean?”
Dean told Sam the entire tale of what he had discovered so far.
“So you think the scarecrow is an effigy?”
“I know it,” Dean replied. “Figured it was the case right off, hence the ‘awesome’ but my theory was only confirmed when I noticed them fattening the couple up like a Christmas turkey.”
“Final meal given to sacrificial victims. So the god possesses the scarecrow…”
“Gets his tribute - wham, bam thank you ma’am - crops don’t wilt the town continues living on in its precious Stepford hell. As long as they keep it up each year that is.”
“So, any idea of what god it is?”
“Thinking Norse, not too sure exactly what though. I’m off to the local college to get some insight from a professor. Since my walking encyclopedia and my back-up reference abandoned me.”
“Dean…” Sam began, resigned. “Are you hinting you need my help?”
“Not hinting anything, Sammy, just teasing. I can cope without you two. You know I’m not actually an idiot, I just play one on TV.”
“Never thought you were, Dean.”
“Look, I just wanted… I… you know… That shit I said…”
“Yeah,” Sam sighed. “I’m sorry too, Dean.”
“I’m just saying, you were right: you gotta do what you gotta do to save the person you love and you gotta get a chance to do your own thing. I got mine, right? I got the fairy-tale, it’s your turn.”
“Lame, Dude,” Sam grinned into the phone.
“Shut-up, I’ve been hanging around Cas too much. Guy’s got a hard-on for Disney flicks. Weird as shit, if you ask me. Anyway, my point is, the one and only time I stood up to Dad was for Cas and if I don’t let you do the same thing for Jess then I’m being a hypocrite. So go get your girl, Sammy, go find Dad and give him hell. Just do one thing for me, all right?”
“Yeah?”
“Take care of yourself. Don’t got my angel around to fix your broken ass.”
Sam laughed. “I will, you do the same.”
“Hey, you know me! Careful’s my middle name.”
“Funny, here I always thought it was ‘Moron.’”
“Goodbye, Sam.”
“See you, Dean.”
Meg had stirred from sleep and had come over to sit next to Sam. “Who was that?”
“My brother.”
“What did he say?”
Sam smiled sadly. “Goodbye.”
xx
Dean congratulated himself for his spectacular failure. He slammed his head back against the damp dirt of the root cellar, grumbling the entire time. How was he to know that nutty professor was working with the folks over at Burkittsville? Maybe if he’d done his research on the professor... Dean sighed at his idiocy and realised an angel up his sleeve would be real good right now. Cas was probably busy though, right in the thick of it. Dean had no idea how angels fought battles but he was pretty sure it wasn’t pretty. He just hoped Castiel was all right.
It wasn’t so bad though, he could figure this out. Besides if it was just him in trouble, at least it was better than some other poor sap.
The doors opened above his head and Dean geared up to fight. Any notion he’d had to do so deflated instantly. Emily, the girl from the gas station, was being forced into Dean’s pit. He listened as she begged her aunt and uncle to let her go and Dean felt sick inside.
The aunt apologised but it only seemed half-hearted to Dean, then the doors were closed and they were once again in the semi-darkness of the cellar. Things just got a whole lot messier.
“Don’t worry Emily, I’ll get us out of here,” Dean vowed.
“How?” she asked, her voice heavy and raw with tears.
“Working on a plan.”
xx
Sam gnawed his lip as he disconnected his phone for what had to be the tenth time. Dean was still not answering, what was worse was that the phone was going straight to voicemail. It meant one of two things: Castiel had come back and Dean was celebrating, or Dean was in trouble. Judging from what Dean told him about the town, Sam had a feeling it was more likely to be the latter. He tried Cas, but knew the action was futile.
“What’s wrong?” Meg asked.
“My brother, he’s not answering his phone,” Sam replied distractedly.
“So?”
“You don’t understand, I think Dean’s in trouble.”
“Why? Because he’s not answering his phone? Come on, Sam, our bus came in. Cali, LA, remember?”
“Right, you should catch it,” Sam replied.
“Sam, he’s probably found some chick or something, let’s go,” Meg encouraged.
Sam actually outright laughed at that despite his worry. “Believe me, Dean Winchester is the last person to run off with some chick. I don’t think his husband would appreciate it much. Besides, I don’t even think Dean would know what to do if he ever had the chance.”
“Oh,” Meg’s mouth fell open a little in surprise.
“I gotta go Meg, enjoy California. Take care,” Sam grabbed his bag
xx
“Who’s Castiel?” Emily asked, her teeth chattering.
“My ah… husband,” Dean replied quickly.
“Why do you keep saying his name?”
“I’m trying to get him here, but he’s… Caught up.”
“Wouldn’t a phone be more effective?”
“Nope, not where he is.”
“So, the plan?”
“Working on it.”
xx
Castiel cried out as a brother’s blade slid swiftly into him. Waves of Celestial intent or not, an angel blade could harm grace no matter the plane they were on. It was both an advantage and disadvantage. The wound would reflect in his human form in the tender skin of Castiel’s abdomen when he returned to Earth. If he returned to Earth, was his grim realization. Castiel’s followers were strong and were gaining ground, but the other angels had zealotry and determination behind them.
“Castiel!” Samandriel cried out, dismayed.
Castiel grimaced. Dean was in trouble. His voice had pulled the angel from battle and now he had a wound to show for it. Castiel cursed his own foolishness. In the days where he had been pure warrior, regardless of whose voice had whispered in his ear, he would not have allowed himself to be hurt. Balthazar had once accused him of going soft and Samandriel the same in not so blunt phrasing. The two younger angels had chortled over Castiel having too much heart but had also showed him that they respected him for it, despite their teasing.
“Dean’s in trouble,” Castiel said.
“Go,” Samandriel replied. “Inias!” The other young angel few forward and took Castiel’s position in the formation. Castiel retreated with regret. He couldn’t go there himself but he was sure Sam would make it in time. It was more difficult visiting the younger Winchester’s mind, but Sam was a part of Dean which meant it was possible.
xx
Sam’s head ached and it forced him off the road in his stolen car. He grimaced as he pressed a palm tight to his forehead, the road blurring in front of him. If there was ever a worse time… Sam shook his head, tried to ignore the pain.
“Sam.”
Sam’s eyes flew open. He was no longer in the stolen car but in the driver’s side of the Impala; there was nothing around him but white fog. He gasped looked around and then noticed he had company.
“Cas!”
“Dean’s in trouble,” the angel answered, his gaze kept flicking out the passenger window as if he were monitoring something.
“I know,” Sam nodded. “I’m on my way.”
“He’s about halfway into the orchard, ten yards away from the scarecrow on the cross - away from the road. He’s tied to a tree with a young girl. If you don’t get to him they will be sacrificed to Vanir. After you rescue him, the villagers will be waiting for you, you may have to fight them…” Castiel’s gaze flicked over again and he seemed to almost spring into action but he held himself still. “It’s a tree, the first tree, middle of the orchard. Burn it and the killings will finish. Go.”
Sam’s eyes burned as the light flared around him, only to settle into the headlights of an oncoming car. Sam shook his head and put the car back into drive. He pulled away from the shoulder, speeding for Burkittsville.
xx
Meg cocked her head at the slumped body of her driver. Human men were so, so easy. It was almost sad. She filled her bowl again and chanted the incantation. The surface of the bowl began to bubble.
“Hello Mother. The older brother has the angel, my charms will be lost on him…. The younger, Sam, has grief in his heart but there’s hope too… Yes, Mother… I will Mother. It won’t be long now… The girl, is she still alive? We can use her… Perhaps lure Sam? Yes Mother… I will.”
xx
Another day gone. Another hunt mostly successful. Dean felt a strange illness in his gut at the thought that Castiel hadn’t come, but Sam told him that Castiel gave him the instructions on how to find Dean. Dean supposed the battle upstairs was worse than he thought. He just hoped Castiel would be back soon. It was harder and harder to sleep with his bed so empty. God, he was pathetic. He didn’t need Castiel to function; he’d lived longer without him than with… Well actually that was not quite true. Castiel had been there for half his life, but it hadn’t been constant. He’d only been there constantly for ten years. Ten years was a long time.
June 30th, 1994
Dean was giddy with excitement when he felt the familiar tingle creep over his skin. He had only started noticing it the last few months or so. hell, he started noticing a lot of things a few months ago, and one of those things was that he now could sense when Castiel was about to visit. Another was how kissable Castiel’s lips looked. Especially last week when - as a treat - Dad had bought them strawberries (after Sam had begged). Dean had shared the fruit with Castiel. When Castiel bit into a berry, the juice made his lips glisten and tinted the already alluring pink a deeper shade. Dean had been unable to draw his gaze away.
Dean swallowed the memory away and turned around, shaking his head at his stupidity. Castiel was practically a grown-up; he’d have no interest in a scrawny fifteen year old, even if all Dean could really imagine doing was pressing his lips chastely against Castiel’s own… Well, maybe not only. Dean blushed.
“Dean, are you all right?” Castiel asked the moment he landed, walking close and taking Dean’s chin in hand without invitation. Dean’s skin flamed brighter and he was mortified.
“Are you ill?” Castiel added, concern layering his tone.
Dean shook his head. “I’m fine.”
“You seem flushed.”
“Really, I’m fine. It’s ah… a warm day.”
“Oh…” Castiel seemed unconvinced and voiced as much, “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, totally.”
It must have been warm in Pontiac, Illinois as well because all Jimmy had put on that morning were jeans that hugged his hips and thighs along with a thin gray t-shirt. Gone was the youthful boy Dean had first met and in his place was a fully formed, stunningly beautiful man. He had even taken to growing out his stubble slightly and it gave new definition to Castiel’s borrowed face. Dean was willing to admit now just how fucking sexy the angel of the lord was.
“Here, Jimmy wanted me to give you this as a gift for graduating middle school. It’s from the shop he works in. Remember the record store I told you about?” Castiel handed Dean a canvas bag and Dean looked inside. It held Zeppelin IV - the original vinyl.
“No way!” Dean crowed. “That’s awesome.”
“He said I’d like it too,” Castiel smiled.
Over the last couple of years, Castiel had really changed to the point that it was noticeable. He wasn’t that awkward, unsure creature who had saved Dean from the angels two years ago. He was more relaxed in speech, action and had become surprisingly familiar with popular culture references. Castiel had explained to Dean that for most of the time he let Jimmy take control and he sat back and observed.
Jimmy too wasn’t as shy any longer. When Castiel sensed Jimmy needed a break from his tiny apartment that he could barely afford, he would take Jimmy to Dean and demand that the two of them have fun. Jimmy had confessed to Dean on one such occasion that if he hadn’t met Dean and if he hadn’t been the recipient of Dean’s kindness then he probably still would have been that mousy kid who hid in the stacks at the local library, shelving books. He had always had a fondness for all sorts of music but his group home had only allowed him to listen to gospel, which he hadn’t really minded. He had been content with the status quo until he met Dean and Castiel. The record store was a dream. Even if it was crappy hours and minimum wage, at least he loved it.
“Make sure I thank him later,” Dean told Cas, tucking the record back in the bag. He had a small portable player on the dresser and he’d play it later for Castiel. Right now though he wanted to catch up.
“Of course. Are you excited to be out of school for the summer?”
“Duh! I hate that place, you know? The teachers always treat me like I’m dumb or slow, and half the time I find I’m falling asleep in class because they talk about the same thing over and over again. What really pisses me off is that people ask so many questions that by the time the teacher finally gets to the new information, I’ve slept through it. I don’t know how Sammy puts up with that shit, but school to him is a dream. He’s still in elementary though, so I guess it’s different.”
“I suppose not everyone is as quick to learn as you and your brother,” Castiel smiled fondly.
Dean caught himself staring at Castiel’s lips again - the quietly content expression looked good on him. Dean licked his own lips, then shot his eyes back to Castiel, fighting against the blush that threatened to rear its ugly head again. “They just say I’m lazy and stupid. Probably right.”
“Dean!” Castiel chastised firmly, startling Dean when the angel grabbed at his arms. “Don’t you dare say that! You are not stupid and you are certainly not lazy! They just don’t get the time to get to know you, to understand you. You’re one of the brightest boys I know.”
Castiel hadn’t meant anything by it. He would never willingly say an insulting word against Dean but that casually mentioned ‘boy’ made Dean flinch and want to recoil and hide. He was right, Castiel saw him as nothing more than a kid. He felt ashamed for thinking that Castiel would imagine him as anything more.
“Did I say something wrong?” Castiel asked after a few seconds of watching Dean’s downcast expression.
“No.”
“Dean.”
“No, you didn’t say something wrong… Just ah… can I ask you something?”
“I do believe you just did,” Castiel teased.
Dean’s eyes flashed. “I’m serious, Cas!”
Castiel was taken aback; he nodded uncertainly then followed it up with, “Of course, Dean, I’m sorry. Anything.”
“Anything?”
“I swear.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
Dean swallowed, completely aghast that he was about to ask this, was about to even broach the subject. But he thought he had noticed things the past few months - Castiel’s gaze lingering, a touch a little heavier, a little warmer, a little longer. The way Castiel would smile at him sometimes or the way he would swallow and lick his lips when he was watching Dean but would always try to hide it or cover it up with another action.
“What do you think of me, Cas?”
“I’m sorry?” Castiel furrowed his brow.
“What do you think of me? How do you feel about me?”
“I think you’re incredible. Brave, strong, cunning, witty, intelligent and you have such a big heart, so much devotion to your family. I admire that, it’s a rare quality in a human, let alone one your age.”
There it was again, like a punch in the gut or a smack in the face.
“You think I’m just a kid, don’t you.” Dean phrased the question as a statement. He couldn’t look at the angel and he couldn’t cover up his gloomy tone.
“I’m not sure I understand, Dean.”
“I’m just some snot-nosed brat you’re forced to babysit! Isn’t that it? You just see me as a boy, a kid! Not something else, not something more.”
“Dean! I… I don’t… You’re my friend.”
“No! Something more! I guess I am an idiot! I thought I noticed things, but maybe I’m just too young and stupid.”
“Dean-”
It was probably wrecked now anyway, but he wasn’t a kid, he was a young man. He was old enough to know what he wanted, old enough to understand. He probably got this stuff more than the kids in his class. He’d been taking care of his family for years and years, that’s not something a kid did. The old woman who used to look in on them from time to time had always said he was more mature than children his age. Maybe Dean knew he wasn’t ready for everything, but just once - just once - he wanted to feel lips pressed against his own - Castiel’s lips. He needed to learn the taste that he had been wondering about for months now.
He lunged forward. It was messy and awkward and the angle wasn’t right, but he did it anyway, eyes squeezed shut as he pressed his mouth against Castiel’s, or at least he tried to. Castiel stopped him with a firm hold on the young human’s arms, eyes wide and verging on panicked.
Dean’s heart sank to his gut, shame flooded through him, and he pulled away, scooting back along the bed on the other side, eyes cast down.
“Dean…” Castiel spoke up softly.
“Forget it, I got my answer now. Maybe you should go,” Dean muttered.
“Dean, you didn’t get an answer. I didn’t give you one.”
“Whatever, Man, the message was pretty clear just now. I get it, okay?”
“Dean, would you listen to me?” Castiel came around the bed and crouched in front of Dean, trying to catch the green eyed boy’s gaze. Dean didn’t reply either way and Castiel foraged on.
“Dean, I want you to understand, all right? I was playing dumb, I knew what you were asking of me but things are a little complicated. Not only is this form eighteen, nearing nineteen but I’m also not alone in here. I want you to understand that I, as myself, feel the same way, but I can’t in good conscious consent for two. Not to mention that seeing as this body is legal adult there are limits to what… what would be acceptable with a minor. Not only by law but societal views as well. Besides, what would your father think?”
Dean blanched.
“I’m not sure if it’s even the age that would bother him, perhaps not even the gender aspect, but I’m not… I’m not human. This isn’t my body, I can’t just-”
Dammit Castiel! Kiss him already! I’m saying yes, yes, yes.
Jimmy?
It’s okay. Look at him. Look at how sad he is. I can’t stand to see him so sad. He knows his limits and boundaries. A kiss never hurt anyone. He’s old enough to know he wants that. Hell, fifteen year olds do a lot worse that just kiss.
“Cas, are you okay?” Dean noticed that the angel had drifted away for a second, eyes going blank as he did that weird far-off stare thing, like he was in a trance or trying to think really hard. When Dean opened his mouth again the question never made it past his lips because suddenly Castiel was kissing him. Not quite chaste, but nothing more than a firm press of lips on lips that sent a spark through Dean’s entire body, only to come at rest in his chest.
When Castiel pulled their lips apart he rested his forehead against Dean’s, closing his eyes. “I tried for a long time to pretend that there wasn’t something here. I didn’t think you’d ever feel the same way and maybe I did try to hide behind your age when I should know better than anyone how capable a young man like you can be when it comes to his own mind and heart. I suppose I was scared.”
“Scared?” Dean asked, disbelieving.
“Yes, Dean, angels can feel fear, especially when it comes to these matters. We aren’t supposed to feel at all, though with you, I can’t help it. But I need you to understand that nothing can happen until you’re sixteen. I’ll kiss you and hold you but please do not push for more.”
Dean nodded quickly. “Of course, Cas, I ain’t ready for that other stuff yet anyway.”
Castiel smiled. “Good, because I don’t think I am either.”
Dean snorted. “Dude, you’re a gazillion years old. Are you seriously-”
Castiel cut him off by kissing him again.
Previous | Masterpost | Next
January 10th, 2006
Bobby’s was a fair distance away and the car never failed to soothe either of them when they weren’t the one in charge of it. Dean had conked out hours ago and Sam felt his own eyes growing heavy with only the lights on the blacktop and Dean’s even breathing to keep him company. He yawned again for the fourth time in five minutes and was just about to give up and find a motel to crash in for the night when the ringing of a phone startled him. He patted his pockets down and pulled out his own quiet little device. It was Dean’s then.
“Dean,” Sam flicked his gaze over to his brother. “Dean. Phone.” He was out like a light.
Sam sighed and kept his gaze on the road while groping around in Dean’s pockets. He finally managed to dig the phone out of the inside pocket of Dean’s coat and flipped it open. “Hello?”
“Sam, is that you?”
Sam felt his breath catch at the voice, he could hardly believe it, after all this searching and chasing. “Dad? Oh my god. Dad, are you hurt?”
“I’m fine.”
“We’ve been looking for you everywhere. We didn’t know where you were, if you were okay.”
“Sammy, I’m all right. What about you, Dean and that pet angel of his?”
Out of the corner of his eye, Sam saw Dean stir and blink at him sleepily.
“Cas?” Dean mouthed.
Sam shook his head then answered his father’s question, “We’re fine. Dad, where are you?”
Dean sat up quickly at that question, his eyes wide, he moved to reach for the phone but Sam twisted away.
John said, “Sorry, kiddo, I can’t tell you that.”
“What? Why?” Sam asked.
“Sam, is that Dad?” Dean demanded, reaching again and glaring at his little brother. Sam glared right on back but refused to give over telephone rights.
“Look, I know this is hard for you to understand. You’re just gonna have to trust me on this,” John spoke again.
“Dad what the hell is going on? At Jericho, we saw that symbol. You left your journal… Dad, tell me what’s happening,” Sam said. “Dean and Cas said that it was a fricking angel banishing sigil.”
“Look, I can’t get into this right now,” John was beginning to get aggravated; Sam could hear it in his tone.
Sam slammed on the brakes and cranked the car onto the shoulder, tires skidding on gravel. “Dad, you can’t mess around with angels,” Sam shot back.
“Angels? Sam, dammit, what’s he saying? Give me the fucking phone,” Dean growled.
“I know that, Sam! Listen, Sammy, I also know what happened to your girlfriend. I’m so sorry, I would have been there to stop it if I had known sooner.”
“Do you know why they took her?”
John sighed. “I have an idea, yeah.”
“Dad, you have to let us help. I need to get her back,” Sam was speaking quicker now; from his father’s voice he knew his minutes in this conversation were numbered.
“No!” John said, his voice dark and gruff. “You and Dean can’t be any part of this.”
“What?” Sam’s own voice was rising out of frustration. “Why not?”
“Sam give me the fucking phone, or I swear to god, I will beat your ass,” Dean was out of his seatbelt now. Sam scooted further away, twisting around himself.
John continued, “Listen, Sammy, I’m calling to tell you that you and your brothers have gotta stop looking for me. I need Castiel to stick by and protect you two. All right? Now, I need you to write down these names.”
“Names? What names? Angels? Dad - talk to me, tell me what’s going on.”
“Look, Sam,” John’s voice was gruffer and angrier now, “we don’t have time for this. This is bigger than you think, they’re everywhere and that’s literal. Even us talking right now, it’s not safe. If you want to get Jessica back in one piece you will listen to me. Now I’ve given you an order. You stop following me and you do your job, understand? Take down these names.”
“Da-” Sam tried again.
“Give me the fucking phone, Sam,” Dean managed to snatch the little device away from his brother. Dean glared at Sam the entire time he listened to their father. Dean dug around in the glove box for a pen. He paused again and grimaced at something else their father had said, but Sam couldn’t tell what, the voice was just a tinny-sounding blip across the short space between them.
“Cas isn’t here right now,” Dean said quietly. “I’ll give him the message, just tell me what you need to ask… Because he isn’t, Dad… Sorry… Yes, I’ll ask him to call you when he gets back… No, he hasn’t been gone long. He’ll be back soon,” Dean grimaced at his own words then closed the phone with a snap.
“You lied,” Sam remarked in awe. “You never lie to Dad.”
“Shut the fuck up and drive, Sammy, I’m too pissed off to talk to you right now.”
Clearly, Bobby’s would have to wait.
“Dammit,” Dean said after a few moments of riding in silence.
“Oh, are we speaking now?” Sam asked sarcastically.
“Shut up. Burkittsville, Indiana sounds like a fun town. If I’m right, we’re probably dealing with some sort of deity. Annual cycle of killings, the fact that it’s always a man and a woman who disappear. The couple part is probably more out of convenience than necessity,” Dean sighed and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “We’ll know more when we get there.”
“We aren’t going to Indiana,” Sam said carefully.
“I’m sorry, I thought I just heard you say we aren’t going to Indiana,” Dean replied, his tone deadly even.
“Well, I didn’t stutter,” Sam replied snidely. “Look, the number was a California area code - Sacramento, that’s where Dad is, that’s where we’re going.”
“Sam…”
“Dad’s got a lead on Jess, Dean, I don’t care if it’s demons, angels or the Sith. Any way you look at it, he needs our help. Besides, if he has a way to get her back, if he knows what took her and why. There is no way I’m sitting on the bench.”
“Dad doesn’t want our help, Sam. He specifically told us to stay away.”
“Yeah? That right? Does it sound like I give a fuck, Dean?”
“Dammit, Sam! He’s given us an order.”
“So? We don’t always have to do what he tells us to. What happened to you being a grown-ass man, huh Dean? Jesus, you’re married and you still don’t question anything Dad says? Seriously, I don’t understand the blind faith you have in the man. This is about Jessica, Dean. The girl I want to marry. Would you really buckle down like a good little soldier if it was Castiel who was missing? Or would you try and move Hell, Heaven and everything in between to find him?”
“Stop fucking comparing him to Jessica, Sam, he’s different!”
“Why?” Sam glared.
“Jessica’s just a girl, Sam, Cas is an angel.”
“Just a girl? Just a girl? So the fact that I love her and the fact that she’s in trouble because of me doesn’t matter? No, she’s just a girl. Well forgive me for being normal and falling for a human being. So, so sorry I didn’t have a pet angel to lap at my heels like you did.”
Dean gaped, not quite sure how to respond to that. Shocked that Sam would even say something like that to him. Castiel was family, he was important to them all. It really sucked what happened to Jessica and Dean hated the fact that it happened to her but if Dad thought he could handle it, he could handle it. If Sam had been honest with her in the first place, maybe she could have protected herself. But precious little Sammy tried so hard to be normal that he didn’t want to sully his image with the dark family secret.
Dean didn’t say any of this though, he just watched in silence as Sam pulled the car to the shoulder once again and got out. He began gathering his things together.
Dean rolled his eyes. “Sam, what are you doing?”
“I’m going to California.”
“Come on, Sam, you aren’t serious.”
Sam didn’t respond, just stared at his brother with a level-gaze and began to walk away.
“It’s the middle of the night! Hey, I’m taking off, I’ll leave your ass. Let you deal with the angels all own your own!”
Sam didn’t look back but he did flash his middle finger over his shoulder.
“Fuck you, Sam!”
Sam was only half surprised when he heard the tires spin on the gravel and the Impala tear away from the side of the road. His heart sank a little as he stared ahead at the empty darkness, but he was sick of being an obedient child. He was a man now, he could make his own decisions and Jessica’s life was on the line. There was no way he was going to walk away from that when he could do something to help save her. Like he told Dean, it was his fault Jess got into this mess in the first place.
Maybe if he had told her what was really going on in the dark. Maybe if he had opened up about his family and his past then together they could have prevented this, but he had been scared. Scared that at the first hint of his freakiness she would dump his ass faster than he could blink. He wouldn’t even blame her if she did.
Sam wasn’t lucky enough to fall in love with a supernatural being at thirteen. Dean didn’t realise how easy he had it. The world that most people thought was real was a scary one for people like him. Dean had never had to face the possibility of his heart breaking when he revealed the reality of the world, because Castiel had been more enmeshed in the world than either of them had ever been. Castiel had seen it all, he could handle it all. Though if Sam was given the choice of having what Dean had or Jessica, he’d pick Jessica every time. Love wasn’t about taking easiest route; Jess was just his perfect fit.
If Sam hadn’t been so furious, he would have reprimanded himself for thinking Dean had it easy. He had faced a whole other realm of prejudice after all and continued to face it every day but Sam was pissed and he didn’t care. He just wanted Jessica back. Unfortunately, California was a long way away and Sam was beginning to wish he’d never left it in the first place.
He had either been walking longer than he thought or it had been later than he thought, because after what seemed like no time at all he noticed that strange hovering rainy-dawn light had settled over the road. The sky was gray and bleak but brighter and he could see more than a few feet in front of him. The realisation of the hour made Sam notice a dull ache had settled in the balls of his feet and his legs felt shaky and overworked. Sam hadn’t seen another car for hours and the bus station still seemed to be miles away.
He walked a little further down the road and noticed a huddled brown shape solidify in front of him. Sam was startled to notice as he got closer that it was a petite, blonde young woman.
“Hey,” he tried to get her attention but noticed belatedly that she had headphones on. He reached out and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. She spun around quickly, tore her headphones away then seemed to relax fractionally.
“You scared the hell out of me,” she said with a quirky smile.
Sam smiled back, abashed. “Sorry, didn’t mean to. I just thought you might need some help.”
She settled back onto her luggage and grinned slowly. “Nope, I’m good.”
xx
Dean grumbled to himself; this town was all kinds of unhelpful but his deity theory seemed to be right on, unless there was a crazed psycho-killer around who got his rocks off by dressing his scarecrow up in human skin. He knew he wasn’t mistaken when he saw one of the missing men’s tattoos on the fugly-ass scarecrow’s arm. The only one he seemed to be able to get through to was the girl, Emily, who he ran into at the General Store shortly after his arrival. She was the only one who seemed to remember the couple that drove through last year.
Though Dean wasn’t buying the apparent memory loss of the other town-folk for one second, he wasn’t an idiot. Dean was really, really starting to miss Cas and Sam. Between the two of them they probably could have got some info out of these people. He pretty well had what he needed if he were being honest, but he figured there would be more to getting rid of the deity than getting rid of the effigy. Cas would know, and Sam could convince this new couple to get out of dodge before nightfall.
Dean was sitting at the small diner at a table next to the couple and tried one last ditch effort to get them to trust him. It was a gamble though and he didn’t make a habit of broadcasting his personal life in small Indiana towns. “Seeing you two makes me a little jealous,” Dean held up his left hand, flashing the wedding band. Both the woman and man seemed to relax fractionally when they saw it.
Dean continued, “This was supposed to be our big getaway, you know? Cas got called away on business at the last minute though. Told me to go it alone. I tell ya, Cas would have loved this town. That one is crazy about places like this. I tried to say no, but Cas can be pretty persuasive. Cas’ll hopefully meet up with me soon. I’m taking lots of pictures though, just in case.”
“Sorry to hear that,” the woman was sympathetic now, rather than faintly uncomfortable, as she had been before. “Have you two been married long?”
“Four years,” Dean replied. “You two?”
The woman blushed. “Three months.”
Dean winked. “Enjoy it. Sorry about earlier, the whole brake-line thing, I just couldn’t stand the thought of another couple’s vacation being ruined, you know? Dad owned a garage as I was growing up, taught me a lot, thought I could lend a hand. Cas would have done the same. He always likes to help.”
The woman was unfazed at the pronoun but her husband not so much, his face darkened, as did the face of the ever friendly Scotty who ran the café and who Dean first talked to when he arrived.
“Well, maybe you taking a look couldn’t hu-” the woman began.
“No,” the guy cut in, his lip curling. “I don’t think a person like you could handle that.”
Dean cursed himself for the pronoun slip and then cursed again when the sheriff walked into the restaurant. Scotty had a vindictive little gleam in his eye.
“Look, Man, I’m having a bad day already,” Dean groaned.
“Sheriff, I don’t think it’ll be necessary to-” the woman tried.
“Leave it,” her husband growled.
“Let’s have a talk, shall we?” the sheriff told Dean. “Not too keen on your kind in these parts. I think it’s time that you move on.”
The woman gasped a little. Dean tossed her a jaunty wink as he was led away.
xx
When Sam turned away from the ticket window to settle in for his long wait for the bus he was shocked to see the woman from the road sitting on the floor surrounded by her bags. Last he saw her she was getting a ride from a shady guy with a van. She had greeted him and introduced herself and now they were sitting at a small table, having eaten far too much greasy food from the chip truck outside, but hey, at least they served beer.
“So, you sure pick a strange way to go on vacation,” Sam remarked with a small grin.
Meg laughed and Sam thought it was a nice sound.
“Oh yeah, it’s all sitting poolside and sipping Cristal for me. Reality? I had to get away from my family.”
That surprised Sam a little bit. “Oh, why?”
“Suppose I just had to go out and live my own life, you know? I love my parents, I do, but sometimes they can be well… too parental. They want what’s best for me but what they think is best for me isn’t what I think is best for me, you know? So I decided to pack up and go out on my own instead,” she laughed awkwardly then and took a long draught of beer. “Wow, things you say to people you hardly know, huh?”
“No, no, I get it, it’s okay. Same sort of thing on my end. I think I mentioned my brother?” Sam waited for her nod of confirmation before he continued, “Well, he’s a great guy but he’s got life all figured out and thinks that gives him the right to dictate mine.”
“Well,” Meg held up her beer for an impromptu toast. “Here’s to us then, the food might be awful and the beds might be hard, but at least we’re living our own lives and no one else’s.”
Sam smiled and clinked his bottle against hers.
xx
Dean had managed to get to the couple just in time, regardless of the fact that the sheriff had quite literally run him out of town. When he got there, the girl was grateful without a question and Dean counted the fact that the guy no longer looked at him as if his gay was contagious as a win. It seemed he was bang-on with the pagan god theory after what he’d witnessed earlier today and he did the first thing that popped into his mind. He dialled Castiel’s number. The phone didn’t even ring; a small feminine voice told him that the customer he was dialling was out of their coverage zone. Dean grimaced. Yeah, way out of his coverage zone. Sam was next. Dean wanted to check in and make sure he was all right.
After Sam answered the phone, Dean opened with, “I’m awesome.”
“Dean?”
Dean told Sam the entire tale of what he had discovered so far.
“So you think the scarecrow is an effigy?”
“I know it,” Dean replied. “Figured it was the case right off, hence the ‘awesome’ but my theory was only confirmed when I noticed them fattening the couple up like a Christmas turkey.”
“Final meal given to sacrificial victims. So the god possesses the scarecrow…”
“Gets his tribute - wham, bam thank you ma’am - crops don’t wilt the town continues living on in its precious Stepford hell. As long as they keep it up each year that is.”
“So, any idea of what god it is?”
“Thinking Norse, not too sure exactly what though. I’m off to the local college to get some insight from a professor. Since my walking encyclopedia and my back-up reference abandoned me.”
“Dean…” Sam began, resigned. “Are you hinting you need my help?”
“Not hinting anything, Sammy, just teasing. I can cope without you two. You know I’m not actually an idiot, I just play one on TV.”
“Never thought you were, Dean.”
“Look, I just wanted… I… you know… That shit I said…”
“Yeah,” Sam sighed. “I’m sorry too, Dean.”
“I’m just saying, you were right: you gotta do what you gotta do to save the person you love and you gotta get a chance to do your own thing. I got mine, right? I got the fairy-tale, it’s your turn.”
“Lame, Dude,” Sam grinned into the phone.
“Shut-up, I’ve been hanging around Cas too much. Guy’s got a hard-on for Disney flicks. Weird as shit, if you ask me. Anyway, my point is, the one and only time I stood up to Dad was for Cas and if I don’t let you do the same thing for Jess then I’m being a hypocrite. So go get your girl, Sammy, go find Dad and give him hell. Just do one thing for me, all right?”
“Yeah?”
“Take care of yourself. Don’t got my angel around to fix your broken ass.”
Sam laughed. “I will, you do the same.”
“Hey, you know me! Careful’s my middle name.”
“Funny, here I always thought it was ‘Moron.’”
“Goodbye, Sam.”
“See you, Dean.”
Meg had stirred from sleep and had come over to sit next to Sam. “Who was that?”
“My brother.”
“What did he say?”
Sam smiled sadly. “Goodbye.”
xx
Dean congratulated himself for his spectacular failure. He slammed his head back against the damp dirt of the root cellar, grumbling the entire time. How was he to know that nutty professor was working with the folks over at Burkittsville? Maybe if he’d done his research on the professor... Dean sighed at his idiocy and realised an angel up his sleeve would be real good right now. Cas was probably busy though, right in the thick of it. Dean had no idea how angels fought battles but he was pretty sure it wasn’t pretty. He just hoped Castiel was all right.
It wasn’t so bad though, he could figure this out. Besides if it was just him in trouble, at least it was better than some other poor sap.
The doors opened above his head and Dean geared up to fight. Any notion he’d had to do so deflated instantly. Emily, the girl from the gas station, was being forced into Dean’s pit. He listened as she begged her aunt and uncle to let her go and Dean felt sick inside.
The aunt apologised but it only seemed half-hearted to Dean, then the doors were closed and they were once again in the semi-darkness of the cellar. Things just got a whole lot messier.
“Don’t worry Emily, I’ll get us out of here,” Dean vowed.
“How?” she asked, her voice heavy and raw with tears.
“Working on a plan.”
xx
Sam gnawed his lip as he disconnected his phone for what had to be the tenth time. Dean was still not answering, what was worse was that the phone was going straight to voicemail. It meant one of two things: Castiel had come back and Dean was celebrating, or Dean was in trouble. Judging from what Dean told him about the town, Sam had a feeling it was more likely to be the latter. He tried Cas, but knew the action was futile.
“What’s wrong?” Meg asked.
“My brother, he’s not answering his phone,” Sam replied distractedly.
“So?”
“You don’t understand, I think Dean’s in trouble.”
“Why? Because he’s not answering his phone? Come on, Sam, our bus came in. Cali, LA, remember?”
“Right, you should catch it,” Sam replied.
“Sam, he’s probably found some chick or something, let’s go,” Meg encouraged.
Sam actually outright laughed at that despite his worry. “Believe me, Dean Winchester is the last person to run off with some chick. I don’t think his husband would appreciate it much. Besides, I don’t even think Dean would know what to do if he ever had the chance.”
“Oh,” Meg’s mouth fell open a little in surprise.
“I gotta go Meg, enjoy California. Take care,” Sam grabbed his bag
xx
“Who’s Castiel?” Emily asked, her teeth chattering.
“My ah… husband,” Dean replied quickly.
“Why do you keep saying his name?”
“I’m trying to get him here, but he’s… Caught up.”
“Wouldn’t a phone be more effective?”
“Nope, not where he is.”
“So, the plan?”
“Working on it.”
xx
Castiel cried out as a brother’s blade slid swiftly into him. Waves of Celestial intent or not, an angel blade could harm grace no matter the plane they were on. It was both an advantage and disadvantage. The wound would reflect in his human form in the tender skin of Castiel’s abdomen when he returned to Earth. If he returned to Earth, was his grim realization. Castiel’s followers were strong and were gaining ground, but the other angels had zealotry and determination behind them.
“Castiel!” Samandriel cried out, dismayed.
Castiel grimaced. Dean was in trouble. His voice had pulled the angel from battle and now he had a wound to show for it. Castiel cursed his own foolishness. In the days where he had been pure warrior, regardless of whose voice had whispered in his ear, he would not have allowed himself to be hurt. Balthazar had once accused him of going soft and Samandriel the same in not so blunt phrasing. The two younger angels had chortled over Castiel having too much heart but had also showed him that they respected him for it, despite their teasing.
“Dean’s in trouble,” Castiel said.
“Go,” Samandriel replied. “Inias!” The other young angel few forward and took Castiel’s position in the formation. Castiel retreated with regret. He couldn’t go there himself but he was sure Sam would make it in time. It was more difficult visiting the younger Winchester’s mind, but Sam was a part of Dean which meant it was possible.
xx
Sam’s head ached and it forced him off the road in his stolen car. He grimaced as he pressed a palm tight to his forehead, the road blurring in front of him. If there was ever a worse time… Sam shook his head, tried to ignore the pain.
“Sam.”
Sam’s eyes flew open. He was no longer in the stolen car but in the driver’s side of the Impala; there was nothing around him but white fog. He gasped looked around and then noticed he had company.
“Cas!”
“Dean’s in trouble,” the angel answered, his gaze kept flicking out the passenger window as if he were monitoring something.
“I know,” Sam nodded. “I’m on my way.”
“He’s about halfway into the orchard, ten yards away from the scarecrow on the cross - away from the road. He’s tied to a tree with a young girl. If you don’t get to him they will be sacrificed to Vanir. After you rescue him, the villagers will be waiting for you, you may have to fight them…” Castiel’s gaze flicked over again and he seemed to almost spring into action but he held himself still. “It’s a tree, the first tree, middle of the orchard. Burn it and the killings will finish. Go.”
Sam’s eyes burned as the light flared around him, only to settle into the headlights of an oncoming car. Sam shook his head and put the car back into drive. He pulled away from the shoulder, speeding for Burkittsville.
xx
Meg cocked her head at the slumped body of her driver. Human men were so, so easy. It was almost sad. She filled her bowl again and chanted the incantation. The surface of the bowl began to bubble.
“Hello Mother. The older brother has the angel, my charms will be lost on him…. The younger, Sam, has grief in his heart but there’s hope too… Yes, Mother… I will Mother. It won’t be long now… The girl, is she still alive? We can use her… Perhaps lure Sam? Yes Mother… I will.”
xx
Another day gone. Another hunt mostly successful. Dean felt a strange illness in his gut at the thought that Castiel hadn’t come, but Sam told him that Castiel gave him the instructions on how to find Dean. Dean supposed the battle upstairs was worse than he thought. He just hoped Castiel would be back soon. It was harder and harder to sleep with his bed so empty. God, he was pathetic. He didn’t need Castiel to function; he’d lived longer without him than with… Well actually that was not quite true. Castiel had been there for half his life, but it hadn’t been constant. He’d only been there constantly for ten years. Ten years was a long time.
June 30th, 1994
Dean was giddy with excitement when he felt the familiar tingle creep over his skin. He had only started noticing it the last few months or so. hell, he started noticing a lot of things a few months ago, and one of those things was that he now could sense when Castiel was about to visit. Another was how kissable Castiel’s lips looked. Especially last week when - as a treat - Dad had bought them strawberries (after Sam had begged). Dean had shared the fruit with Castiel. When Castiel bit into a berry, the juice made his lips glisten and tinted the already alluring pink a deeper shade. Dean had been unable to draw his gaze away.
Dean swallowed the memory away and turned around, shaking his head at his stupidity. Castiel was practically a grown-up; he’d have no interest in a scrawny fifteen year old, even if all Dean could really imagine doing was pressing his lips chastely against Castiel’s own… Well, maybe not only. Dean blushed.
“Dean, are you all right?” Castiel asked the moment he landed, walking close and taking Dean’s chin in hand without invitation. Dean’s skin flamed brighter and he was mortified.
“Are you ill?” Castiel added, concern layering his tone.
Dean shook his head. “I’m fine.”
“You seem flushed.”
“Really, I’m fine. It’s ah… a warm day.”
“Oh…” Castiel seemed unconvinced and voiced as much, “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, totally.”
It must have been warm in Pontiac, Illinois as well because all Jimmy had put on that morning were jeans that hugged his hips and thighs along with a thin gray t-shirt. Gone was the youthful boy Dean had first met and in his place was a fully formed, stunningly beautiful man. He had even taken to growing out his stubble slightly and it gave new definition to Castiel’s borrowed face. Dean was willing to admit now just how fucking sexy the angel of the lord was.
“Here, Jimmy wanted me to give you this as a gift for graduating middle school. It’s from the shop he works in. Remember the record store I told you about?” Castiel handed Dean a canvas bag and Dean looked inside. It held Zeppelin IV - the original vinyl.
“No way!” Dean crowed. “That’s awesome.”
“He said I’d like it too,” Castiel smiled.
Over the last couple of years, Castiel had really changed to the point that it was noticeable. He wasn’t that awkward, unsure creature who had saved Dean from the angels two years ago. He was more relaxed in speech, action and had become surprisingly familiar with popular culture references. Castiel had explained to Dean that for most of the time he let Jimmy take control and he sat back and observed.
Jimmy too wasn’t as shy any longer. When Castiel sensed Jimmy needed a break from his tiny apartment that he could barely afford, he would take Jimmy to Dean and demand that the two of them have fun. Jimmy had confessed to Dean on one such occasion that if he hadn’t met Dean and if he hadn’t been the recipient of Dean’s kindness then he probably still would have been that mousy kid who hid in the stacks at the local library, shelving books. He had always had a fondness for all sorts of music but his group home had only allowed him to listen to gospel, which he hadn’t really minded. He had been content with the status quo until he met Dean and Castiel. The record store was a dream. Even if it was crappy hours and minimum wage, at least he loved it.
“Make sure I thank him later,” Dean told Cas, tucking the record back in the bag. He had a small portable player on the dresser and he’d play it later for Castiel. Right now though he wanted to catch up.
“Of course. Are you excited to be out of school for the summer?”
“Duh! I hate that place, you know? The teachers always treat me like I’m dumb or slow, and half the time I find I’m falling asleep in class because they talk about the same thing over and over again. What really pisses me off is that people ask so many questions that by the time the teacher finally gets to the new information, I’ve slept through it. I don’t know how Sammy puts up with that shit, but school to him is a dream. He’s still in elementary though, so I guess it’s different.”
“I suppose not everyone is as quick to learn as you and your brother,” Castiel smiled fondly.
Dean caught himself staring at Castiel’s lips again - the quietly content expression looked good on him. Dean licked his own lips, then shot his eyes back to Castiel, fighting against the blush that threatened to rear its ugly head again. “They just say I’m lazy and stupid. Probably right.”
“Dean!” Castiel chastised firmly, startling Dean when the angel grabbed at his arms. “Don’t you dare say that! You are not stupid and you are certainly not lazy! They just don’t get the time to get to know you, to understand you. You’re one of the brightest boys I know.”
Castiel hadn’t meant anything by it. He would never willingly say an insulting word against Dean but that casually mentioned ‘boy’ made Dean flinch and want to recoil and hide. He was right, Castiel saw him as nothing more than a kid. He felt ashamed for thinking that Castiel would imagine him as anything more.
“Did I say something wrong?” Castiel asked after a few seconds of watching Dean’s downcast expression.
“No.”
“Dean.”
“No, you didn’t say something wrong… Just ah… can I ask you something?”
“I do believe you just did,” Castiel teased.
Dean’s eyes flashed. “I’m serious, Cas!”
Castiel was taken aback; he nodded uncertainly then followed it up with, “Of course, Dean, I’m sorry. Anything.”
“Anything?”
“I swear.”
“Promise?”
“Yes.”
Dean swallowed, completely aghast that he was about to ask this, was about to even broach the subject. But he thought he had noticed things the past few months - Castiel’s gaze lingering, a touch a little heavier, a little warmer, a little longer. The way Castiel would smile at him sometimes or the way he would swallow and lick his lips when he was watching Dean but would always try to hide it or cover it up with another action.
“What do you think of me, Cas?”
“I’m sorry?” Castiel furrowed his brow.
“What do you think of me? How do you feel about me?”
“I think you’re incredible. Brave, strong, cunning, witty, intelligent and you have such a big heart, so much devotion to your family. I admire that, it’s a rare quality in a human, let alone one your age.”
There it was again, like a punch in the gut or a smack in the face.
“You think I’m just a kid, don’t you.” Dean phrased the question as a statement. He couldn’t look at the angel and he couldn’t cover up his gloomy tone.
“I’m not sure I understand, Dean.”
“I’m just some snot-nosed brat you’re forced to babysit! Isn’t that it? You just see me as a boy, a kid! Not something else, not something more.”
“Dean! I… I don’t… You’re my friend.”
“No! Something more! I guess I am an idiot! I thought I noticed things, but maybe I’m just too young and stupid.”
“Dean-”
It was probably wrecked now anyway, but he wasn’t a kid, he was a young man. He was old enough to know what he wanted, old enough to understand. He probably got this stuff more than the kids in his class. He’d been taking care of his family for years and years, that’s not something a kid did. The old woman who used to look in on them from time to time had always said he was more mature than children his age. Maybe Dean knew he wasn’t ready for everything, but just once - just once - he wanted to feel lips pressed against his own - Castiel’s lips. He needed to learn the taste that he had been wondering about for months now.
He lunged forward. It was messy and awkward and the angle wasn’t right, but he did it anyway, eyes squeezed shut as he pressed his mouth against Castiel’s, or at least he tried to. Castiel stopped him with a firm hold on the young human’s arms, eyes wide and verging on panicked.
Dean’s heart sank to his gut, shame flooded through him, and he pulled away, scooting back along the bed on the other side, eyes cast down.
“Dean…” Castiel spoke up softly.
“Forget it, I got my answer now. Maybe you should go,” Dean muttered.
“Dean, you didn’t get an answer. I didn’t give you one.”
“Whatever, Man, the message was pretty clear just now. I get it, okay?”
“Dean, would you listen to me?” Castiel came around the bed and crouched in front of Dean, trying to catch the green eyed boy’s gaze. Dean didn’t reply either way and Castiel foraged on.
“Dean, I want you to understand, all right? I was playing dumb, I knew what you were asking of me but things are a little complicated. Not only is this form eighteen, nearing nineteen but I’m also not alone in here. I want you to understand that I, as myself, feel the same way, but I can’t in good conscious consent for two. Not to mention that seeing as this body is legal adult there are limits to what… what would be acceptable with a minor. Not only by law but societal views as well. Besides, what would your father think?”
Dean blanched.
“I’m not sure if it’s even the age that would bother him, perhaps not even the gender aspect, but I’m not… I’m not human. This isn’t my body, I can’t just-”
Dammit Castiel! Kiss him already! I’m saying yes, yes, yes.
Jimmy?
It’s okay. Look at him. Look at how sad he is. I can’t stand to see him so sad. He knows his limits and boundaries. A kiss never hurt anyone. He’s old enough to know he wants that. Hell, fifteen year olds do a lot worse that just kiss.
“Cas, are you okay?” Dean noticed that the angel had drifted away for a second, eyes going blank as he did that weird far-off stare thing, like he was in a trance or trying to think really hard. When Dean opened his mouth again the question never made it past his lips because suddenly Castiel was kissing him. Not quite chaste, but nothing more than a firm press of lips on lips that sent a spark through Dean’s entire body, only to come at rest in his chest.
When Castiel pulled their lips apart he rested his forehead against Dean’s, closing his eyes. “I tried for a long time to pretend that there wasn’t something here. I didn’t think you’d ever feel the same way and maybe I did try to hide behind your age when I should know better than anyone how capable a young man like you can be when it comes to his own mind and heart. I suppose I was scared.”
“Scared?” Dean asked, disbelieving.
“Yes, Dean, angels can feel fear, especially when it comes to these matters. We aren’t supposed to feel at all, though with you, I can’t help it. But I need you to understand that nothing can happen until you’re sixteen. I’ll kiss you and hold you but please do not push for more.”
Dean nodded quickly. “Of course, Cas, I ain’t ready for that other stuff yet anyway.”
Castiel smiled. “Good, because I don’t think I am either.”
Dean snorted. “Dude, you’re a gazillion years old. Are you seriously-”
Castiel cut him off by kissing him again.
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