FIC: SPN - The Reborn - PG13
Dec. 31st, 2008 05:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
laniew1I don’t even…
The first time he sees him again, the one that is theirs, he’s a boy.
RATING: PG13
PAIRING: Vague allusions to Dean/Castiel, Dean/Castiel/Anna
Author: Melanie
DISCLAIMER: I don’t own them, but I’ll put them back in almost the same condition I found them in.
SPOILERS: Up to what we’ve seen of Season 4 Supernatural.
SUMMARY: The first time he sees him again, the one that is theirs, he’s a boy.
The Reborn
The first time he sees him again, the one that is theirs, he’s a boy.
The boy is scared and does not know what is happening around him. He doesn’t understand why his mother hasn’t come out of the house, doesn’t understand why his father hasn’t gone to get her.
The father is holding tight to the younger one (he’s already been tainted, the stench of Azazel’s presence is strong on him, the urge to put him down, to end it now is almost overpowering) the other one, the one that has been chosen for them and will be trained for them and will be theirs is leaning into his side.
He is young and impossibly small; it is hard to believe, then, that even with the reborn soul that is housed in the body, that this tiny little boy will grow into the man that will lead the armies of heaven against the armies of hell.
Castiel believes regardless.
Because Father believes and Castiel is nothing if not devoted and faithful.
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The boy doesn’t speak. For one year he is silent and watchful.
He tends to the younger one, watches over him as his father had directed him to. The father is busy training, questioning, he is consumed by his need to hunt and destroy that thing that has already destroyed him and the life that he knew before.
In a few years he will become proficient enough to train the one that is theirs.
That he will also train the one that has been tainted by Azazel is unfortunate, Father doesn’t believe that to be the case though, he speaks and says that it will make it a more even fight.
Castiel nods his agreement, as do his Brothers. He wonders why they don’t just remove the tainted one from the equation. Father says it is because he is still an innocent, there is still free will involved and he may (unlikely as it may end up being) decide to not stand beside Lucifer when the time comes.
The one that is theirs listens when they speak to him.
There are a select few that can hear their voices and not suffer unspeakable pain. Not suffer death. The one that is theirs can do so, there are others as well but they are unimportant for the time being.
Castiel whispers in his ear, as do his Brothers; Michael in particular has taken an interest in the child. This one that has been given his name.
Castiel can remember when the boy was born, when Mary had spoken his name out loud for the first time, sealing the pact made in an effort to undo the one made prior; Michael had glowed in satisfaction that their warrior would carry his name with him.
Castiel had recognized the soul even if the body was brand new.
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The boy is better then either of his parents. Devoted to hunting, devoted to saving lives.
The younger one has Mary’s urge for freedom, Dean has her passion for life and for saving those that are being harmed by things not easily explained away.
He is not a believer though. Mary’s death at Azazel’s hands, the things that he’s seen have obliterated that belief.
He keeps the cross that Pastor Jim had given him regardless, Castiel sees him take it out, sees him run his warrior fingers across it and he knows that the boy yearns to believe.
To have faith.
He doesn’t though. He hasn’t been able to hear them since he was an unspeaking child. Father assures them that it won’t always be the case, that there will come a day when Dean Michael Winchester will hear them and see them and once more believe in them.
Father utters those words and still looks sad at what should be a joyful thought of his chosen warrior regaining faith.
At one that was once theirs becoming theirs once more. The soul is still there, but its knowledge is buried under years of grief and anger.
Tears fall from Fathers eyes and it rains, Dean stands in the downpour and though he raises his eyes heavenward they are closed to them.
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When he makes the deal, seals it with a kiss, Castiel wonders if they’ve completely failed. When the gates open and Lilith escapes he wonders if they’re doomed.
It is the one time that he questions Father’s choice in his warrior even if he would never question the soul that inhabits the warriors body.
Dean kills Azazel, stares him directly in the eyes and Castiel doesn’t doubt any longer. This is the man that will lead them, he will stand in front of them and he will do so with fire in his eyes.
Except…
There is still the deal that he made to return his brother to his mortal form. Dean has one year, Castiel knows that Father will not interfere. Dean has made this choice, free will always wins out.
It works in their favor that Lilith is distracted from breaking the seals by her quest to destroy Samuel Winchester first.
Castiel and his Brothers take this small amount of time that Lilith’s distraction affords them to begin strengthening those seals that they can, defending them as much as they can and still remain within the dictates laid down. It won’t be enough.
He has no doubt that Dean will be called to Hell, dragged there by the hounds.
He knows that he will get out, he doesn’t know how, but he knows that it will happen. Father hasn’t fallen into complete despair at the thought of his chosen warrior being consigned to the pits after all.
The day that it happens they are there, watching in the wings, waiting for an opportunity to intervene if Lilith doesn’t abide by the letter of the laws that they exist by.
She doesn’t give them the chance, she follows them to a tee, and Dean Michael Winchester is gone from their line of sight.
His brother buries him, refuses to allow the other Hunter to salt and burn his bones. Insists that if they find a way to get him out of hell that he will need a body to return to.
Bobby gives in and they bury him in the ground. Pouring Holy Water and salt over the soil, Castiel and his Brothers perform their own rituals.
Castiel and Gabriel keep the body safe, warding it from the view of demons that would seek it out to do unspeakable things to it.
Michael plunges his hand into the ground and sets his cross on the top of the coffin.
******************************************************************************
He is called before Father and told to retrieve Dean from hell months later.
They’ve been battling Lilith on all fronts; the human Hunters have been ignoring the signs of the seals being broken.
Or maybe they can’t see them, distracted by the uprising of the pestilence that walks amongst them.
He is given the means and Father blesses him, tells him to hold Dean tight to him, to not let him go no matter what. To keep him safe and bring him home.
He finds Dean and he’s not strung up on the rack, he's not being tormented and burned. He’s standing over a body and it’s obvious that in this instance he’s the tormentor. Castiel stops, unable to believe what he sees.
When Dean’s eyes turn to him though, there is suffering there, he looks weary, worn, older then Castiel would have thought possible. There is still fiery defiance in those eyes; he doesn’t look as if he’s enjoying what he’s doing. He looks like a man that has resigned himself to his fate knowing that no other choice was available to him.
Dean stares at him and Castiel knows that he expects him to strike him down. He doesn’t know what his expression looks like but he knows it must look fierce.
Dean is afraid of him, though his features do not betray him.
He expects to be struck down, he does not expect Castiel to grip him tightly and pull him free. He goes to the air, Dean held tight to him.
“Why?” he asks. He struggles weakly in Castiel’s grip, there will be marks on his skin, they will be Castiel’s marks though so Castiel doesn’t mind.
Castiel leans close, allows his wings to shield them both as they move through the dimensions, out of hell, back to the mortal realm.
Not to Heaven, not to home, not yet.
“Because you are ours,” Castiel says. “Not theirs.”
Not his either, not yet.
******************************************************************************
Dean cannot hear him in his true form. He shields his eyes and ears and bleeds when Castiel attempts to offer comfort, help.
He finds a willing host, the only type that they are allowed to take. The man is praying for forgiveness and guidance, Castiel offers both and sends him to Father.
The body is his for the time being.
When he goes to Dean the first time, his brother is not there. It is just Dean and the older man that had helped Samuel bury Dean's body, a quick brush of Dean’s thoughts show that Dean thinks of him as family.
They summon him and they attack him and he knows that Dean doesn’t believe him when he tells him what he is.
It doesn’t matter. Dean has family walking on earth that has more claim to him then the one that is his by blood.
Castiel doesn’t offer the truth as to where that brother by blood is.
Samuel Winchester is walking a dangerous path. His brother might be able to pull him back from the edges that he’s slipping off of, but Castiel doesn’t think that Samuel Winchester wants to be saved.
Not really, not anymore.
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The tasks they give him are tests.
He passes them and he fails them. They lose seals when he fails; they lose seals when he passes too.
His emotions, his love for those around him are a detriment and Castiel wonders if it would just be easier to remove him from those that he has emotional connections to.
He begs for forgiveness even though Uriel voices the same thought.
They are ordered to not make a move in that direction. Dean needs the support and guidance that Bobby Singer and Ellen Harvelle afford him. They are Hunters as well and they are Hunters that aren’t blinded by the ties of blood and family. They can see things that Dean can’t.
They can see that Samuel is becoming more and more dangerous and they shelter Dean from having to make decisions about his brother and they make them instead.
Ruby sneers at him when she thinks no one of importance is looking and it takes a lot of prayer for Castiel to turn the other cheek, to not return her from where she came. Her day will come.
Sooner then she would like, Lilith will not allow her to remain where she is when things reach their endgame.
Ruby has her role to play, they all do.
Hers was to turn Samuel slowly, day by day. Castiel’s is to protect Dean until he can protect himself.
Then stand beside him while the legions of Heaven and Hell attempt to destroy the world they walk upon.
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The only person surprised by Samuel’s betrayal is Dean, and maybe Samuel himself.
Castiel and Uriel had known. Bobby and Ellen had known. Even Ruby had known.
Samuel’s descent is so slow that Castiel believes that Samuel hadn’t even known that he was falling until it was too late to do anything about it.
Dean goes silent the minute that Samuel is gone, doesn’t utter a word or sound. Castiel remembers a small child that did the same thing.
They make plans regardless. Most of their plans are to protect Dean and they move three times before they settle somewhere that Castiel feels confident that Samuel won’t find.
Bobby and Ellen are contacted, though Castiel doesn’t bring them in. They are far too easy for Samuel to find, better for them to stay where they are. They begin bringing those Hunters that remain alive together.
When they are ready they will be a united front.
It will be a while, right now their general is catatonic.
******************************************************************************
Uriel is the one that finds out that Dean can hear them in their true forms.
He is conversing with Father, Castiel is giving him privacy that he hopes will be returned when he feels the need to do the same.
Dean appears in the doorway and he looks infuriated.
“Where is he?” he snarls and Castiel is taken aback momentarily. Last he’d seen Dean, ten minutes prior, he’d been lying on a bed, staring at the ceiling with his eyes wide open. He hadn't responded to Castiel's queries.
“Who?” he responds.
Uriel appears suddenly from the room that he and Castiel are sharing, they never sleep at the same time, one of them is always on guard.
Dean is across the room and in Uriel’s space before Castiel can blink.
“You will not touch him,” he growls. Uriel’s eyes narrow and he attempts to shake Dean off but he is not moveable.
It takes a second for it to sink in, for Uriel to grasp what Dean is snapping at him. When it does his face clears, he reminds Castiel of Uriel as he was years prior, before the war started to take its toll.
Before he became the bitter man that he is now.
“You heard me,” Uriel says, his eyes are bright. They look odd in the face of the body that Uriel inhabits.
Castiel starts violently. He has been so used to Dean not hearing them in their true form that he hadn’t even thought to protect against it during his conversations with Father or even his Brothers.
“You will not touch Sammy,” Dean snarls, his hands grip Uriel’s collar.
“He needs to be dealt with,” Uriel says. Castiel nods his agreement. The tainted one should have been dealt with before it even became an issue.
“He’s my brother, if anyone is going to deal with him it’ll be me,” Dean snaps. He releases his grip on Uriel and makes a point of meeting each of their eyes. “That is not negotiable.”
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With Dean walking and talking and being extremely angry all the time again they begin to make their move.
They schedule a meeting with Bobby and Ellen and their group of Hunters. They have to move it twice before they find a location that hasn’t been compromised.
They’ve made a lot of progress, though both Bobby and Ellen look more pleased about seeing Dean then the any progress made in the war against Hell.
Castiel and Uriel allow them a few moments to rebond before pushing the meeting forward.
Ellen’s daughter is there and she makes eyes at Dean that Dean doesn’t even appear to notice.
“Sam is holed up somewhere in Arizona,” Bobby says. “No one get can close enough to him to find out for sure, but he doesn't appear to be doing anything. He's just sitting there waiting.”
Dean runs a hand over his head, sighs a lot. They know where Samuel is, Castiel knows that Samuel is waiting for them to make their presence known, to allow Dean to be seen. They can't allow that.
Castiel exchanges looks with Uriel and Dean glares at both of them a moment later.
******************************************************************************
Ruby comes to them.
She is bloodied and bruised and the body that she wears will almost certainly die as soon as she vacates it. That the girls’ soul is still trapped within it is a cruelty that Castiel has a hard time accepting.
Lilith has displaced her at Samuel's right hand, their battle had been hard and she'd been left for dead.
"He laughed," Ruby says. Her voice is soft and quiet, even with the demon holding the body together it is still weak.
"Sam wouldn't..." Dean starts. He's leaning against the doorway. He refuses to come into the room, one of the Hunters is grudgingly tending to her wounds, Bobby and Ellen both have guns pointed at her.
Ruby looks at him, stares at Dean like she's never seen him before, even though he was the one that allowed her to enter their safe haven, even though they fought side by side until Samuel had turned on the side of light and embraced the darkness within him.
"He's not Sam anymore," she says softly. "He's not your brother; he hasn't been for a while."
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The spells are complicated, the witches balk at doing them considering who they will be protecting, Dean asks them to do them with a coy smirk and they smile and flirt with him then perform the spells. They manage to hide Ruby's presence but Castiel knows that it is already too late.
Samuel is on the move, heading in their direction. He'll know where to go even though they've managed to erase her presence from their haven.
"We should think about leaving," Uriel says. Castiel nods, Bobby and Ellen offer their agreement.
"I won't run," Dean says firmly. His tone leaves no room for disagreement. His tone is one that Dean Winchester has never spoken with; it's one that Castiel hasn't heard for more years that he cares to count.
"We'll die if we stay here," Bobby says. Castiel would tell him that he's wasting his breath but he's pretty sure that the older man knows that.
"We'll die anyway," Dean says. "We're not running," he says, Castiel follows his line of sight to where Ruby is sitting pale and still broken at the table, Jo is standing at her shoulder, gun on her hip.
"I'm tired of running, if they want a fight, we'll give them a fight." Dean looks around the room, Castiel watches him meet the eyes of every Hunter they could scrounge, he knows what Dean is seeing. These men and women are all tired, most have lost people on the way to them. They're all prepared to die in order to make sure the world doesn't get overtaken.
He can feel Father's approval like a warm caress and he watches Dean leave the room with a small smile on his lips.
"He glows," Ruby says softly once the room has emptied, once it's just him and Uriel and two Hunters that Dean considers surrogate parents, a girl that he considers a sister.
She looks up at him and her gaze is knowing.
"He doesn't have any clue what he is, does he."
It's a statement, Castiel doesn't respond.
"He doesn't need to," Uriel says. "He'll know when the time is right."
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When they come they nearly overpower the house. The witches have set multiple wards, each one falls like it's nothing but a sheet of paper.
Castiel and Uriel stand on either side of Dean. His protectors, his honor guard.
Their Brothers lay in wait, when the humans have done all they can do, when they've exhausted the tools at their use Dean can call them into battle.
Not until.
The first wave is easily battled, lower level demons that don't really have that much fight.
It's the second wave that contains their biggest threat.
Samuel Winchester is barely human any longer, Lilith is at his right hand and she's given up taking young girls as her hosts and instead is in the body of young blonde woman. She resembles, slightly, Samuel's dead girlfriend.
The demons that he commands are fighters, Castiel and Uriel are caught in the fray and there are long moments where Castiel doesn't have Dean within his sights.
When the chaos settles slightly he sees Samuel had headed directly for Dean. The two young men are fighting, Dean is taking care to not hurt his brother, Samuel on the other hand has no such qualms.
Dean takes two hard hits, one to his back, one to his side. He's on the ground and unprotected, Samuel preparing to strike his fatal blow. Castiel knows he will never get there in time.
He doesn't need to.
Dean looks up at his brother, tears in his eyes and screams.
It is the holiest of sounds and the subsequent flash of light drives all on the battlefield to their knees. The human Hunters have been well trained by Castiel and Uriel they go to the ground, covering eyes and ears where possible.
His Brothers arrive, sweeping onto the battlefield and killing those that stand in their way, the pestilence that thought that Father would leave the place that he created unprotected.
Castiel can see Michael heading towards Samuel and Dean, Dean is still on the ground. Samuel still stands above him and his expression is infuriated.
"This is our world," he screams.
"No, it's not," Dean whispers.
In the end it is not Dean, or Michael only steps away, or Castiel that arrives there seconds later, that puts a knife in the young man that had been Samuel Winchester.
Ruby is there, barely alive, bleeding from her eyes. Castiel can feel the tiniest hint of the soul of the girl that once inhabited that body, can feel the fast fading energy of the girl that was once Ruby.
She plunges her enchanted blade into Samuel's back and they fall together. Michael catches the girl, Dean catches his brother.
"It's done, right? It's done?" she asks, she stares up at Michael with unseeing eyes. Blood tears stream down her cheeks.
"It's done child," Michael says. He lays a hand over her face and Ruby's body goes still, the energy holding it together vanishes.
Castiel looks over at where Dean is cradling his brother's body to him. Samuel is dead. There is no movement; there is no pulse of life, of energy from the tainted soul within.
"Dean?" he queries. Dean doesn't look up, doesn't relinquish his hold on his brothers body.
"He should have known better," Dean says finally. "A woman scorned, it's a dangerous thing."
******************************************************************************
They salt and burn Samuel's body. Dean doesn't help, though he doesn't stop them either. There will be no deals made to bring his brother back this time, he seems to know this.
The Hunters all disappear back to their homes and lives. Bobby and Ellen and Jo are the last to leave and they all make Dean promise to not be a stranger, to not stay away. Dean says the words, Castiel knows them for the lie that they are. He's sure the humans do as well.
"Shouldn't you have gone home already?" Dean asks, he leans against his car, Castiel stands beside him as they watch those that Dean considers family pull away. He glances over at Castiel. "Or are you still on babysitting duty?"
"No, I have one remaining task to complete and then I will return home."
Dean nods, smiles. Castiel looks at him and notes that the smile doesn't reach his eyes.
They stand there in silence for long minutes.
"You need help with it?" Dean asks.
"With what?"
Dean looks at him amused, rolls his eyes at him.
"Dude, your task, you know, the thing keeping you here when everyone else has flown the coop, literally in some cases."
Castiel shifts on his feet; he is uncomfortable and doesn't know why. It takes him but a second to pull the vial from his pocket. Anna had slipped it to him as she was leaving; Dean hadn't even recognized her in her true form. Castiel had felt some small amount of satisfaction in that. He'll be paying penance for years; it'll be worth it he thinks.
Dean's eyes widen at the sight of the vial, he knows what it is.
"Dude you didn't..." he waves his hand in the air and looks agitated for some reason. It takes Castiel a moment to place why.
"It is not mine," he says and he is puzzled by the relief on Dean's face. "It is yours."
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Dean takes a step back, though he doesn't go anywhere since he's already leaning against the car.
"That is not mine," he says. His voice sounds very sure about that fact, though his face speaks of indecision. Castiel looks at the vial in his hand, looks back over at Dean.
"I think I would know," Castiel says, he knows his voice sounds as sure at Dean's did about it not being his. Castiel has the advantage of having known the soul in question (he'd had Anna look at it to be sure, just in case, Father sometimes likes to throw them curveballs to keep them on their toes).
Anna will be waiting when Castiel is able to bring him home, Castiel is undecided as to whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. He'll remain undecided until he is not cast aside as he was once before.
Dean's eyes seem glued to the vial, he can't seem to take his eyes from it, though he tries to look away periodically his eyes are always drawn back.
Castiel reaches out and takes Dean's hand, places the vial in it and closes his fingers around it. Dean clenches it in his fist reflexively when Castiel lets go of his hand.
He doesn't move when Castiel reaches up and pulls his head down, kisses his forehead. He leans close to him, cheek to cheek and Dean doesn't pull away. Doesn't move a muscle.
"We'll be waiting for you," Castiel whispers and then turns and goes home.
******************************************************************************
Anna is waiting, bright and fierce. She is no longer his superior, knocked back down to equal level with him due to her disobedience. It makes things easier that way for them all.
She looks at him and her wings droop slightly when there is no one behind him. He knows that his mirror hers. They always seem to be waiting.
He gathers her in his arms and holds her tight. There are other, stronger arms that are missing. They'll arrive eventually. Until then it is the two of them, still, again.
"He'll come," he whispers and her arms clutch him back as tightly as he holds her.
"He'll come," she murmurs.
They wait.
The first time he sees him again, the one that is theirs, he’s a boy.
RATING: PG13
PAIRING: Vague allusions to Dean/Castiel, Dean/Castiel/Anna
Author: Melanie
DISCLAIMER: I don’t own them, but I’ll put them back in almost the same condition I found them in.
SPOILERS: Up to what we’ve seen of Season 4 Supernatural.
SUMMARY: The first time he sees him again, the one that is theirs, he’s a boy.
The Reborn
The first time he sees him again, the one that is theirs, he’s a boy.
The boy is scared and does not know what is happening around him. He doesn’t understand why his mother hasn’t come out of the house, doesn’t understand why his father hasn’t gone to get her.
The father is holding tight to the younger one (he’s already been tainted, the stench of Azazel’s presence is strong on him, the urge to put him down, to end it now is almost overpowering) the other one, the one that has been chosen for them and will be trained for them and will be theirs is leaning into his side.
He is young and impossibly small; it is hard to believe, then, that even with the reborn soul that is housed in the body, that this tiny little boy will grow into the man that will lead the armies of heaven against the armies of hell.
Castiel believes regardless.
Because Father believes and Castiel is nothing if not devoted and faithful.
The boy doesn’t speak. For one year he is silent and watchful.
He tends to the younger one, watches over him as his father had directed him to. The father is busy training, questioning, he is consumed by his need to hunt and destroy that thing that has already destroyed him and the life that he knew before.
In a few years he will become proficient enough to train the one that is theirs.
That he will also train the one that has been tainted by Azazel is unfortunate, Father doesn’t believe that to be the case though, he speaks and says that it will make it a more even fight.
Castiel nods his agreement, as do his Brothers. He wonders why they don’t just remove the tainted one from the equation. Father says it is because he is still an innocent, there is still free will involved and he may (unlikely as it may end up being) decide to not stand beside Lucifer when the time comes.
The one that is theirs listens when they speak to him.
There are a select few that can hear their voices and not suffer unspeakable pain. Not suffer death. The one that is theirs can do so, there are others as well but they are unimportant for the time being.
Castiel whispers in his ear, as do his Brothers; Michael in particular has taken an interest in the child. This one that has been given his name.
Castiel can remember when the boy was born, when Mary had spoken his name out loud for the first time, sealing the pact made in an effort to undo the one made prior; Michael had glowed in satisfaction that their warrior would carry his name with him.
Castiel had recognized the soul even if the body was brand new.
The boy is better then either of his parents. Devoted to hunting, devoted to saving lives.
The younger one has Mary’s urge for freedom, Dean has her passion for life and for saving those that are being harmed by things not easily explained away.
He is not a believer though. Mary’s death at Azazel’s hands, the things that he’s seen have obliterated that belief.
He keeps the cross that Pastor Jim had given him regardless, Castiel sees him take it out, sees him run his warrior fingers across it and he knows that the boy yearns to believe.
To have faith.
He doesn’t though. He hasn’t been able to hear them since he was an unspeaking child. Father assures them that it won’t always be the case, that there will come a day when Dean Michael Winchester will hear them and see them and once more believe in them.
Father utters those words and still looks sad at what should be a joyful thought of his chosen warrior regaining faith.
At one that was once theirs becoming theirs once more. The soul is still there, but its knowledge is buried under years of grief and anger.
Tears fall from Fathers eyes and it rains, Dean stands in the downpour and though he raises his eyes heavenward they are closed to them.
When he makes the deal, seals it with a kiss, Castiel wonders if they’ve completely failed. When the gates open and Lilith escapes he wonders if they’re doomed.
It is the one time that he questions Father’s choice in his warrior even if he would never question the soul that inhabits the warriors body.
Dean kills Azazel, stares him directly in the eyes and Castiel doesn’t doubt any longer. This is the man that will lead them, he will stand in front of them and he will do so with fire in his eyes.
Except…
There is still the deal that he made to return his brother to his mortal form. Dean has one year, Castiel knows that Father will not interfere. Dean has made this choice, free will always wins out.
It works in their favor that Lilith is distracted from breaking the seals by her quest to destroy Samuel Winchester first.
Castiel and his Brothers take this small amount of time that Lilith’s distraction affords them to begin strengthening those seals that they can, defending them as much as they can and still remain within the dictates laid down. It won’t be enough.
He has no doubt that Dean will be called to Hell, dragged there by the hounds.
He knows that he will get out, he doesn’t know how, but he knows that it will happen. Father hasn’t fallen into complete despair at the thought of his chosen warrior being consigned to the pits after all.
The day that it happens they are there, watching in the wings, waiting for an opportunity to intervene if Lilith doesn’t abide by the letter of the laws that they exist by.
She doesn’t give them the chance, she follows them to a tee, and Dean Michael Winchester is gone from their line of sight.
His brother buries him, refuses to allow the other Hunter to salt and burn his bones. Insists that if they find a way to get him out of hell that he will need a body to return to.
Bobby gives in and they bury him in the ground. Pouring Holy Water and salt over the soil, Castiel and his Brothers perform their own rituals.
Castiel and Gabriel keep the body safe, warding it from the view of demons that would seek it out to do unspeakable things to it.
Michael plunges his hand into the ground and sets his cross on the top of the coffin.
He is called before Father and told to retrieve Dean from hell months later.
They’ve been battling Lilith on all fronts; the human Hunters have been ignoring the signs of the seals being broken.
Or maybe they can’t see them, distracted by the uprising of the pestilence that walks amongst them.
He is given the means and Father blesses him, tells him to hold Dean tight to him, to not let him go no matter what. To keep him safe and bring him home.
He finds Dean and he’s not strung up on the rack, he's not being tormented and burned. He’s standing over a body and it’s obvious that in this instance he’s the tormentor. Castiel stops, unable to believe what he sees.
When Dean’s eyes turn to him though, there is suffering there, he looks weary, worn, older then Castiel would have thought possible. There is still fiery defiance in those eyes; he doesn’t look as if he’s enjoying what he’s doing. He looks like a man that has resigned himself to his fate knowing that no other choice was available to him.
Dean stares at him and Castiel knows that he expects him to strike him down. He doesn’t know what his expression looks like but he knows it must look fierce.
Dean is afraid of him, though his features do not betray him.
He expects to be struck down, he does not expect Castiel to grip him tightly and pull him free. He goes to the air, Dean held tight to him.
“Why?” he asks. He struggles weakly in Castiel’s grip, there will be marks on his skin, they will be Castiel’s marks though so Castiel doesn’t mind.
Castiel leans close, allows his wings to shield them both as they move through the dimensions, out of hell, back to the mortal realm.
Not to Heaven, not to home, not yet.
“Because you are ours,” Castiel says. “Not theirs.”
Not his either, not yet.
Dean cannot hear him in his true form. He shields his eyes and ears and bleeds when Castiel attempts to offer comfort, help.
He finds a willing host, the only type that they are allowed to take. The man is praying for forgiveness and guidance, Castiel offers both and sends him to Father.
The body is his for the time being.
When he goes to Dean the first time, his brother is not there. It is just Dean and the older man that had helped Samuel bury Dean's body, a quick brush of Dean’s thoughts show that Dean thinks of him as family.
They summon him and they attack him and he knows that Dean doesn’t believe him when he tells him what he is.
It doesn’t matter. Dean has family walking on earth that has more claim to him then the one that is his by blood.
Castiel doesn’t offer the truth as to where that brother by blood is.
Samuel Winchester is walking a dangerous path. His brother might be able to pull him back from the edges that he’s slipping off of, but Castiel doesn’t think that Samuel Winchester wants to be saved.
Not really, not anymore.
The tasks they give him are tests.
He passes them and he fails them. They lose seals when he fails; they lose seals when he passes too.
His emotions, his love for those around him are a detriment and Castiel wonders if it would just be easier to remove him from those that he has emotional connections to.
He begs for forgiveness even though Uriel voices the same thought.
They are ordered to not make a move in that direction. Dean needs the support and guidance that Bobby Singer and Ellen Harvelle afford him. They are Hunters as well and they are Hunters that aren’t blinded by the ties of blood and family. They can see things that Dean can’t.
They can see that Samuel is becoming more and more dangerous and they shelter Dean from having to make decisions about his brother and they make them instead.
Ruby sneers at him when she thinks no one of importance is looking and it takes a lot of prayer for Castiel to turn the other cheek, to not return her from where she came. Her day will come.
Sooner then she would like, Lilith will not allow her to remain where she is when things reach their endgame.
Ruby has her role to play, they all do.
Hers was to turn Samuel slowly, day by day. Castiel’s is to protect Dean until he can protect himself.
Then stand beside him while the legions of Heaven and Hell attempt to destroy the world they walk upon.
The only person surprised by Samuel’s betrayal is Dean, and maybe Samuel himself.
Castiel and Uriel had known. Bobby and Ellen had known. Even Ruby had known.
Samuel’s descent is so slow that Castiel believes that Samuel hadn’t even known that he was falling until it was too late to do anything about it.
Dean goes silent the minute that Samuel is gone, doesn’t utter a word or sound. Castiel remembers a small child that did the same thing.
They make plans regardless. Most of their plans are to protect Dean and they move three times before they settle somewhere that Castiel feels confident that Samuel won’t find.
Bobby and Ellen are contacted, though Castiel doesn’t bring them in. They are far too easy for Samuel to find, better for them to stay where they are. They begin bringing those Hunters that remain alive together.
When they are ready they will be a united front.
It will be a while, right now their general is catatonic.
Uriel is the one that finds out that Dean can hear them in their true forms.
He is conversing with Father, Castiel is giving him privacy that he hopes will be returned when he feels the need to do the same.
Dean appears in the doorway and he looks infuriated.
“Where is he?” he snarls and Castiel is taken aback momentarily. Last he’d seen Dean, ten minutes prior, he’d been lying on a bed, staring at the ceiling with his eyes wide open. He hadn't responded to Castiel's queries.
“Who?” he responds.
Uriel appears suddenly from the room that he and Castiel are sharing, they never sleep at the same time, one of them is always on guard.
Dean is across the room and in Uriel’s space before Castiel can blink.
“You will not touch him,” he growls. Uriel’s eyes narrow and he attempts to shake Dean off but he is not moveable.
It takes a second for it to sink in, for Uriel to grasp what Dean is snapping at him. When it does his face clears, he reminds Castiel of Uriel as he was years prior, before the war started to take its toll.
Before he became the bitter man that he is now.
“You heard me,” Uriel says, his eyes are bright. They look odd in the face of the body that Uriel inhabits.
Castiel starts violently. He has been so used to Dean not hearing them in their true form that he hadn’t even thought to protect against it during his conversations with Father or even his Brothers.
“You will not touch Sammy,” Dean snarls, his hands grip Uriel’s collar.
“He needs to be dealt with,” Uriel says. Castiel nods his agreement. The tainted one should have been dealt with before it even became an issue.
“He’s my brother, if anyone is going to deal with him it’ll be me,” Dean snaps. He releases his grip on Uriel and makes a point of meeting each of their eyes. “That is not negotiable.”
With Dean walking and talking and being extremely angry all the time again they begin to make their move.
They schedule a meeting with Bobby and Ellen and their group of Hunters. They have to move it twice before they find a location that hasn’t been compromised.
They’ve made a lot of progress, though both Bobby and Ellen look more pleased about seeing Dean then the any progress made in the war against Hell.
Castiel and Uriel allow them a few moments to rebond before pushing the meeting forward.
Ellen’s daughter is there and she makes eyes at Dean that Dean doesn’t even appear to notice.
“Sam is holed up somewhere in Arizona,” Bobby says. “No one get can close enough to him to find out for sure, but he doesn't appear to be doing anything. He's just sitting there waiting.”
Dean runs a hand over his head, sighs a lot. They know where Samuel is, Castiel knows that Samuel is waiting for them to make their presence known, to allow Dean to be seen. They can't allow that.
Castiel exchanges looks with Uriel and Dean glares at both of them a moment later.
Ruby comes to them.
She is bloodied and bruised and the body that she wears will almost certainly die as soon as she vacates it. That the girls’ soul is still trapped within it is a cruelty that Castiel has a hard time accepting.
Lilith has displaced her at Samuel's right hand, their battle had been hard and she'd been left for dead.
"He laughed," Ruby says. Her voice is soft and quiet, even with the demon holding the body together it is still weak.
"Sam wouldn't..." Dean starts. He's leaning against the doorway. He refuses to come into the room, one of the Hunters is grudgingly tending to her wounds, Bobby and Ellen both have guns pointed at her.
Ruby looks at him, stares at Dean like she's never seen him before, even though he was the one that allowed her to enter their safe haven, even though they fought side by side until Samuel had turned on the side of light and embraced the darkness within him.
"He's not Sam anymore," she says softly. "He's not your brother; he hasn't been for a while."
The spells are complicated, the witches balk at doing them considering who they will be protecting, Dean asks them to do them with a coy smirk and they smile and flirt with him then perform the spells. They manage to hide Ruby's presence but Castiel knows that it is already too late.
Samuel is on the move, heading in their direction. He'll know where to go even though they've managed to erase her presence from their haven.
"We should think about leaving," Uriel says. Castiel nods, Bobby and Ellen offer their agreement.
"I won't run," Dean says firmly. His tone leaves no room for disagreement. His tone is one that Dean Winchester has never spoken with; it's one that Castiel hasn't heard for more years that he cares to count.
"We'll die if we stay here," Bobby says. Castiel would tell him that he's wasting his breath but he's pretty sure that the older man knows that.
"We'll die anyway," Dean says. "We're not running," he says, Castiel follows his line of sight to where Ruby is sitting pale and still broken at the table, Jo is standing at her shoulder, gun on her hip.
"I'm tired of running, if they want a fight, we'll give them a fight." Dean looks around the room, Castiel watches him meet the eyes of every Hunter they could scrounge, he knows what Dean is seeing. These men and women are all tired, most have lost people on the way to them. They're all prepared to die in order to make sure the world doesn't get overtaken.
He can feel Father's approval like a warm caress and he watches Dean leave the room with a small smile on his lips.
"He glows," Ruby says softly once the room has emptied, once it's just him and Uriel and two Hunters that Dean considers surrogate parents, a girl that he considers a sister.
She looks up at him and her gaze is knowing.
"He doesn't have any clue what he is, does he."
It's a statement, Castiel doesn't respond.
"He doesn't need to," Uriel says. "He'll know when the time is right."
When they come they nearly overpower the house. The witches have set multiple wards, each one falls like it's nothing but a sheet of paper.
Castiel and Uriel stand on either side of Dean. His protectors, his honor guard.
Their Brothers lay in wait, when the humans have done all they can do, when they've exhausted the tools at their use Dean can call them into battle.
Not until.
The first wave is easily battled, lower level demons that don't really have that much fight.
It's the second wave that contains their biggest threat.
Samuel Winchester is barely human any longer, Lilith is at his right hand and she's given up taking young girls as her hosts and instead is in the body of young blonde woman. She resembles, slightly, Samuel's dead girlfriend.
The demons that he commands are fighters, Castiel and Uriel are caught in the fray and there are long moments where Castiel doesn't have Dean within his sights.
When the chaos settles slightly he sees Samuel had headed directly for Dean. The two young men are fighting, Dean is taking care to not hurt his brother, Samuel on the other hand has no such qualms.
Dean takes two hard hits, one to his back, one to his side. He's on the ground and unprotected, Samuel preparing to strike his fatal blow. Castiel knows he will never get there in time.
He doesn't need to.
Dean looks up at his brother, tears in his eyes and screams.
It is the holiest of sounds and the subsequent flash of light drives all on the battlefield to their knees. The human Hunters have been well trained by Castiel and Uriel they go to the ground, covering eyes and ears where possible.
His Brothers arrive, sweeping onto the battlefield and killing those that stand in their way, the pestilence that thought that Father would leave the place that he created unprotected.
Castiel can see Michael heading towards Samuel and Dean, Dean is still on the ground. Samuel still stands above him and his expression is infuriated.
"This is our world," he screams.
"No, it's not," Dean whispers.
In the end it is not Dean, or Michael only steps away, or Castiel that arrives there seconds later, that puts a knife in the young man that had been Samuel Winchester.
Ruby is there, barely alive, bleeding from her eyes. Castiel can feel the tiniest hint of the soul of the girl that once inhabited that body, can feel the fast fading energy of the girl that was once Ruby.
She plunges her enchanted blade into Samuel's back and they fall together. Michael catches the girl, Dean catches his brother.
"It's done, right? It's done?" she asks, she stares up at Michael with unseeing eyes. Blood tears stream down her cheeks.
"It's done child," Michael says. He lays a hand over her face and Ruby's body goes still, the energy holding it together vanishes.
Castiel looks over at where Dean is cradling his brother's body to him. Samuel is dead. There is no movement; there is no pulse of life, of energy from the tainted soul within.
"Dean?" he queries. Dean doesn't look up, doesn't relinquish his hold on his brothers body.
"He should have known better," Dean says finally. "A woman scorned, it's a dangerous thing."
They salt and burn Samuel's body. Dean doesn't help, though he doesn't stop them either. There will be no deals made to bring his brother back this time, he seems to know this.
The Hunters all disappear back to their homes and lives. Bobby and Ellen and Jo are the last to leave and they all make Dean promise to not be a stranger, to not stay away. Dean says the words, Castiel knows them for the lie that they are. He's sure the humans do as well.
"Shouldn't you have gone home already?" Dean asks, he leans against his car, Castiel stands beside him as they watch those that Dean considers family pull away. He glances over at Castiel. "Or are you still on babysitting duty?"
"No, I have one remaining task to complete and then I will return home."
Dean nods, smiles. Castiel looks at him and notes that the smile doesn't reach his eyes.
They stand there in silence for long minutes.
"You need help with it?" Dean asks.
"With what?"
Dean looks at him amused, rolls his eyes at him.
"Dude, your task, you know, the thing keeping you here when everyone else has flown the coop, literally in some cases."
Castiel shifts on his feet; he is uncomfortable and doesn't know why. It takes him but a second to pull the vial from his pocket. Anna had slipped it to him as she was leaving; Dean hadn't even recognized her in her true form. Castiel had felt some small amount of satisfaction in that. He'll be paying penance for years; it'll be worth it he thinks.
Dean's eyes widen at the sight of the vial, he knows what it is.
"Dude you didn't..." he waves his hand in the air and looks agitated for some reason. It takes Castiel a moment to place why.
"It is not mine," he says and he is puzzled by the relief on Dean's face. "It is yours."
Dean takes a step back, though he doesn't go anywhere since he's already leaning against the car.
"That is not mine," he says. His voice sounds very sure about that fact, though his face speaks of indecision. Castiel looks at the vial in his hand, looks back over at Dean.
"I think I would know," Castiel says, he knows his voice sounds as sure at Dean's did about it not being his. Castiel has the advantage of having known the soul in question (he'd had Anna look at it to be sure, just in case, Father sometimes likes to throw them curveballs to keep them on their toes).
Anna will be waiting when Castiel is able to bring him home, Castiel is undecided as to whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. He'll remain undecided until he is not cast aside as he was once before.
Dean's eyes seem glued to the vial, he can't seem to take his eyes from it, though he tries to look away periodically his eyes are always drawn back.
Castiel reaches out and takes Dean's hand, places the vial in it and closes his fingers around it. Dean clenches it in his fist reflexively when Castiel lets go of his hand.
He doesn't move when Castiel reaches up and pulls his head down, kisses his forehead. He leans close to him, cheek to cheek and Dean doesn't pull away. Doesn't move a muscle.
"We'll be waiting for you," Castiel whispers and then turns and goes home.
Anna is waiting, bright and fierce. She is no longer his superior, knocked back down to equal level with him due to her disobedience. It makes things easier that way for them all.
She looks at him and her wings droop slightly when there is no one behind him. He knows that his mirror hers. They always seem to be waiting.
He gathers her in his arms and holds her tight. There are other, stronger arms that are missing. They'll arrive eventually. Until then it is the two of them, still, again.
"He'll come," he whispers and her arms clutch him back as tightly as he holds her.
"He'll come," she murmurs.
They wait.
(no subject)
Date: 2009-01-03 03:30 am (UTC)