[SPN] WTBIABA Ch. 12

Castiel stared at the landscape running before his eyes through the car window. By the driver seat Shane was telling him about a particularly fun hunt that had kept she and Richard busy a couple of years before, but he wasn’t really listening. His thoughts were elsewhere, occupied by an odd feeling he couldn’t work out and that made him restless. He wondered if it was some kind of foreboding, a warning that his fading Grace was trying to send him. It could have been, but he hadn’t been able to interpret those signals for some time by now, so it was impossible for him to grasp its real meaning.

“Cas? Are you alright?” Shane asked in that moment, snapping him out of his thoughts. She had to have noticed that he wasn’t listening to what she had been saying. “You’re even quieter than your usual self. Are you feeling uncomfortable for what happened yesterday?”

He narrowed his eyes in confusion. “What are you referring to?” He asked, sincerely puzzled, as he tried to scan the events of the previous days to find an explanation to the woman’s question.

She sighed shaking her head. “Me almost kissing you? Remember?” She answered, but then she shook her head. “Never mind. Apparently it’s not what’s troubling you. And I’m glad. I’d have never forgiven myself if I had ruined our friendship for something so stupid.”

“You don’t need to feel guilt or uneasy for your actions, Shane. I told you last night,” he reassured her calmly. Then he titled his head on one side. “Are we…friends?”

She glared at him. “Of course we are, you weirdo! Come on, I’ve been confiding you all my embarrassing secrets and we talked about lots of emotional stuff!” She answered firmly, half amused and half exasperate. Castiel was impossible at times. “That’s what friends do! You told me yesterday that you’d be glad to give me your friendship. But apparently you haven’t realised that you’ve already done it.”

“But there are so many truths about me that you don’t know, Shane,” the angel pointed out, looking away. He was sure that the woman wouldn’t have looked at him in the same way if she had known what he was and what he had done. “Truths that are essential to understand who I really am. You don’t know the wrongs that I have done, the sins that I have committed. How can you trust someone who has so many secrets?”

“You saved my life, Cas. That’s enough for me,” she pointed out, shrugging, her eyes looking for his. “I don’t know what you’ve done to think so low of yourself, but there’s something I know for sure: whatever you’re hiding won’t change that I’m alive thanks to you. Your secrets perhaps will explain why you’re so weird, but nothing more. One day you’ll tell me, I’m sure of it, but not yet. I’m a curious person, but I know when to mind my own business.”

Castiel nodded, even if it was clear that he didn’t agree with anything she had said, and went back to stare at the window, captured once again by his obscure presentiment. He had learnt how stubborn his companion could be and by now he knew that there was no use in trying to make her change her mind. She was so much like Dean in that. He frowned even more at the thought of the hunter. He wondered how he and Sam were. He was sure that Gabriel would do a good job watching over them, but he still felt longing for his friends’ company, Dean’s in particular. He forced himself to push that thought away. He couldn’t dwell on it, not until he had found what he was looking for.

The young woman sighed again seeing that the conversation was fated to stay one-sided and decided that she could as well just avoid talking. Maybe they both could use some alone time in their head, and some music too. Their destination shouldn’t be too far. She switched the radio on and grabbed her cell phone to look at the time, but it started ringing as soon as she touched it. She quickly lifted it up.

“Shane speaking,” she answered. She listened for a few moments and then her eyes widened in astonished horror. “What?! How…What happened?!” She exclaimed, her voice a bit more piercing than usual. “Bastards! I swear…Yes, sorry…About an hour. Sure…Got it. I’ll be as quick as possible. See you there, Uncle.” She put down the phone and frowned deeply, her lips close in a tight line as she sped up.

Castiel turned to look at her questioning. In her eyes he could see anger and especially worry, and maybe even fear. He could feel the tension that stiffened her shoulders spread in the air around them. Something had happened, something terrible, he could sense it clearly. The lines on her forehead deepened slightly as she silently turned slightly towards him.

“Shane,” he said simply, not feeling the need to add anything else. It wasn’t a question, but its meaning was crystal clear.

She stared at him for a moment and then spoke: “Richard’s been captured.”

 

The rest of the ride was spent in a tense silent. Shane drove fast, much more than it was allowed by the speed limits, but none of them cared about it in that moment and luckily for them the road was not busy, which made the ride even quicker. Castiel’s foreboding had got stronger and stronger since the news of Richard’s abduction and he couldn’t help thinking that they were about to throw themselves in whatever trouble was causing his nasty feeling. For a moment he thought about telling the young woman about it, but in the end he decided against it. He would have had to give too many explanations he couldn’t offer. So he remained silent and watched the countryside ran before his eyes for the next half an hour, until they reached the city.

Once there, Shane slowed down a bit, attentively checking the road signs to find the motel where her uncle and her cousin were staying. It took them ten whole more minutes to arrive there and when they got off the car they found Thomas waiting for them outside the door of the room he and Richard had been occupying.

“Come in,” he ordered in a hurried tone. “I’ll bring you up-to-date and then we’ll go. I have already prepared whatever we could need.”

The other two obeyed and quickly got inside, and the older hunter closed the door after them. Castiel noticed that the room was kept much tidier than Dean’s and Sam’s usual ones. There were no empty food boxes or dirty clothes spread around. The weapons for their next mission were tidily set on one of the beds, just waiting for them to pick them up. He shot them a brief look, taking notice of the big amount of holy water, iron bullets and salt present. They were about to hunt a bunch of demons apparently.

Thomas took a few steps around the room, clearly trying to calm himself down and then started to talk. “We had just finished taking care of the killings. A weak pagan god, nothing complicated. We had gone to a bar to drink something to celebrate and that was when I overheard two men talking. One of them was insisting on the fact that he had seen five guys kidnapping a young woman the night before. His companion asked him why he hadn’t gone to the police and he answered that they wouldn’t have believed him because he had seen the men’s eyes turning black. The other had tried to make him admit that it could have been just because of the dark, but he never changed his version. We’ve approached them and asked some questions. The man had to be completely nuts or drunk because he had followed the group to their refuge. Luckily they hadn’t notice him.”

He made a small pause and ran his fingers in his greying hair, resuming his pacing too. “Rich and I decided that it was worth investigating. We got to the place, an old abandoned farm, and found it empty, so we went inside. And then we made a big mistake. We separated. He went looking for the girl, while I wandered around trying to find out what a bunch of demons could be doing there. I found some papers, but while I was going through them they came back. I manage to get out, Rich didn’t.” He ran a hand on his face and sigh. “He’s alive, I’ve stayed hidden for a while near the refuge. I saw them manhandling him into the barn. Maybe the girl is there too, if they haven’t already killed her. I couldn’t do anything. They’re expecting me to come back and I can’t deal with them all alone.”

“Have you managed to get some information out of the paper you have found?” Castiel asked, in a completely calm. He could see Shane’s same turmoil in the man’s eyes, but there was no time to be tactful. Demons were unpredictable and Richard was risking his life.

“They were looking for something or someone, I think,” the old hunter answered slowly, giving him a strange look. “They were tracking down specific signals, but I didn’t have the time to understand exactly what.”

“I see,” the angel nodded, still emotionless. He looked thoughtful for a moment. Maybe Crowley was planning something now that their deal had been broken. He wouldn’t have been surprised to find out that the King of Hell had a back-up plan. “We will figure it out once we get there. Our priority now is saving Richard.”

“Yeah, that’s the spirit, Cas! No more chatting. Let’s kick the bastards’ asses!” Shane exclaimed with determination, but her excitement was in part forced. She was still a bit pale and her lips were still strained in an unnatural way. “We need to get Rich back.”

Thomas nodded without a word and then they quickly carried what they needed to the car the car. The two humans loaded their guns, taking two each, and the older man offered one to the angel, who declined it saying that he would do fine with his blade. The answer earned him another suspicious glance and so he accepted without complaints the bottles of holy water that Shane gave him. He wasn’t good with fire weapons, but the water was much easier to use and could be a nice aid in a fight against multiple opponents. It could serve as a distraction.

While driving, Thomas explained the plan he had elaborated. Separating had been a horrible idea when he and Richard had gone to the farm the night before, but now they didn’t have an alternative. The demons outnumbered them and were surely patrolling the perimeter, waiting for the older man to show up. They wouldn’t let them in the barn easily and there was the risk that they decided to kill their hostages. A distraction was need, something that could keep most of their enemies busy while they freed Richard and the woman.

Castiel immediately took the opportunity, volunteering to conduct an attack on the other side of the farm to catch the demons’ attention. The demons would surely recognise him for what he was which meant that Shane and her uncle would have learnt the truth in turn if he battled with them. He couldn’t have that. Besides, even in his weakened state, he was still the one with more chances to be able to keep the creatures busy long enough.

The two hunters protested loudly against it, but he calmly stated once again that their priority were the hostages and that they didn’t have the time to come up with a more complex plan. The young woman kept shooting him worried looks for the rest of the ride, but he ignored them, his face perfectly blank but determine. He had managed three demons in the desert and then four angels. He was fairly sure that he could do it again, even if this time the number of his opponents would be higher.

They left the car on the road near the farm and then carefully walked their way towards the building, stopping in a hidden spot among the trees that surrounded the place. Thomas turned towards them, a resolute look on his face.

“Here we are,” he whispered quietly. He pointed one of the buildings. “The barn is there. Castiel, you should circle the place keeping in the woods until you get on the other side. Shane and I will wait for the fight to start before moving. I counted eight demons last night. A couple should remain to watch the barn, but you’ll have at least six opponents.” His eyes searched the angel’s. “Are you sure you can manage?”

“Yes,” the creature replied without hesitation. A bunch of demons was nothing compared to stopping an Apocalypse and fighting a war in Heaven. “Do not fear for me. I can take care of them. Worry about Richard.”

Shane rested her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it. “Be careful, Cas,” she said, looking at him with concern. “If it’s too much, don’t overdo. Alright?”

He gave her a curt nod and turned around, walking away without looking back. He could feel the humans’ eyes on him, but he ignored the waves of worry that their stares were sending him. He briefly wondered if they would be as concerned as they were if they had known what he was. Dean used to worry about him before his betrayal, no matter how many times he had told him that he could manage himself. The thought brought him a new pang of guilt and melancholy, but he immediately chased it away, quickening his pace until he was sure that he reached a spot where the hunters could no longer see him. Once there he spread his wings and took off.

He noticed two demons watching the main entrance, as he landed just behind the corner, hidden in the shadows. While flying he had spotted other two patrolling each side of the perimeter. The other four had to be in the barn with the hostages. He should have the time to neutralise the first two before the others arrived.

He tightened his grip on his blade and stepped out from his hiding place, ready to fight. The two hellish creatures immediately turned, sensing his presence, but Castiel was on the closest one before they could do or say anything, his sword sinking in his chest.

“Angel!” The second roared as he watched his companion fall dead on the ground. “Son of a bitch! I’ll teach you a lesson now!”

His shouts attracted the others hellish creatures and without a warning the other members of the group materialized in clouds of black smoke, circling him. He counted six figures, seven with the already dead one. It meant that only a demon had stayed behind to watch the barn and surely Shane and Thomas could handle it.

“What’s an angel doing here?” A woman in her fifty growled, her voice full of hatred. “You featherheads should just learn to mind your own business!”

“Let’s say I have come to throw away the garbage,” Castiel stated, slowly turning to be able to watch all his opponents’ movement. His free hand closed around the cork of the bottle he had tied to his belt. “However, I have more important businesses waiting for me elsewhere, so I’d prefer if we could make this quick.”

“You should have gone straight to do what need to do, little angel,” a man said, mockingly. “Now it will wait for you forever, because you won’t get away alive! And I swear you that we won’t make it a quick death for you.”

“We will see that,” he answered and threw part of the holy water straight in his face.

The demon screamed in pain, caught off guard, and the angel quickly dashed forwards, slitting his throat as he passed him. He didn’t even try to banish them, knowing that it would be just a waste of time and powers. His Grace was already too weak.

The hellish creatures didn’t take well the fact that he had killed another one of them and immediately stroke back. He narrowly avoided a couple of knives, but in the end the woman who had spoken to him managed to grab him by the coat and slammed him on the ground. The impact made him lose the grip on his blade, which rolled away from him before he could catch it. He made a move to go after his weapon, but something sharp was plunged deep in his back, tearing a groan of pain from his lips. Someone stepped on him, pressing his ribs hard under his feet and he let out a scream as some bones broke with a nasty crack under the violent pressure. The pain exploded in his chest, flooding along his vessel’s nerves and blurring his sight for some moments. He fought it back, trying to keep his mind focused on the fight. He couldn’t give up or allow himself any sort of break or he would risk succumbing to his enemies.

With a great effort he twisted his arm grabbed the ankle of his aggressor, pulling hard enough to make him fall. He then jumped on his feet, ignoring the pain and the blood running down his back, and looked around.

“Are you looking for this?” One of the demons asked in a mocking tone, showing him the angel blade. Her vessel couldn’t be older than seventeen. “What a pity. I pick it up first. So now it’s mine. And you’ll die, little one.”

Castiel reached behind himself, extracting the knife that was still plunged in his back, his eyes narrowing in concentration as he let it fall on the ground. One moment later he appeared behind the girl, his hand going to rest on her forehead. The shock of power wasn’t enough to banish her, but it threw her on the ground, stunning her and allowing him to get his weapon back, which he use to finish her before turning towards the others.

The battle got messier and messier, but in the end the angel managed to kill the demons one by one. When the last body fell down he was panting, blood running down his chin and temple, and his sight kept getting blurred. His coat was ripped in many places and stained in red in several spots. The wound on his back was still bleeding and so did the cuts on his hands and the deep slash that run on his chest under the torn cloth of his shirt. He glanced quickly at the corpses, to make sure that they were all dead, and then stated to walk towards the barn, ignoring the dull pain coming from his broken ribs. His sternum had to be cracked too, considering the twinges coming from the centre of his chest. It would take him a good while to heal fully.

The farm was quiet as he passed the old building. The wood of the walls was already deteriorating and gave forth a damp smell. He crossed the space that divided the barn from the rest of the constructions and entered the opened door. Shane was kneeling besides a body, most likely the demon they had fought, checking his pulse. He was still breathing, which meant that they had managed to exorcise him.

She young woman lifted her eyes on him as he stepped closer, her hand running to her gun, but she stopped her movements once she recognised him. “Oh my God!” She exclaimed seeing his poor state. “Cas! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine enough. I should probably change my clothes,” he answered studying without concern the blood on his hands. “They are all dead. Where is Thomas?”

“In the next room,” she answered and he could see that she was struggling with the need to check his wounds. “With Rich and the girl.”

“So she is alive.”

“Apparently. Come on, let’s join them.”

The young woman got up and led him among the haycocks to the second part of the barn. Thomas was standing in the middle of the room, his hands on Richard’s shoulders, speaking softly to him. The other hostage was a few steps away from them, her back to the entrance. Shane crossed the threshold to join her family, but Castiel froze on the doorstep, his eyes locked on the other woman. She turned around, sensing his intense gaze on her, and the astonished expression she gave him quickly turned into a malicious smile.

“Oh, look at who’s here! Isn’t it the Winchesters’ pet?” She commented in a mocking tone, running a hand in her messy black hair. “It’s been a while, honey! How’s that you have new playmates now? Got tired of the old ones?”

“Meg,” Castiel said, his voice dark and dangerous. “What are you doing here?”

“You know her?” Shane interjected surprised, her eyes wandering between the two.

Meg ignored her, her gaze never leaving the angel. “Crowley’s after me, you should know that. Those idiots you and your little friends killed had the order to bring me to him. Apparently I owe you my life, Clearance. Again,” she explained, never stopping smiling. She held out a hand towards him. “I know that Crowley is after you too. Why don’t we join force? And I heard that you’re having troubles with Raphael. Together we could find a way to get rid of them both.”

Castiel stared at her even harder, but made no move to accept her offer. “I don’t work with demons,” he stated coldly, starting the three hunters who turned towards the woman, a look between astonishment and distaste on their faces.

“Oh, is that so? You’re being a real hypocrite, angel. I’m disappointed with you. Have you already forgotten your little deal with the current King of Hell?” She mocked, crossing her arms. This time the humans turned towards Castiel, and he couldn’t say if they were more shock about by the fact that he was no human or by the said deal. “Besides, after what happened during our last encounter, I thought you had a soft spot on me.”

He slightly grimaced at that. “I acted instinctively. It meant nothing.”

“Oh, you really know how to break a girl’s heart, don’t you?” She said in a fake hurt tone, bringing a hand to her chest. Her smile became cruel. “And not only girls’. Your dear Dean must be really hurt by your betrayal, isn’t he? You ruined everything, Clarence! What a pity.”

Castiel felt a pang of guilty rage flaring up inside him at those words. His blade suddenly appeared in his hands. “Don’t you dear to mention Dean! You know nothing!” He exclaimed, his eyes shining brightly and a power he didn’t know he still had rushing through his body. The light of the barn went off and after a second of darkness a flash lit up the room again, showing the shadow of the angel’s wings.

The demon took a step back, her expression filling with tension. “Susceptible, aren’t we? I must have hit a nerve,” Meg tried to mock as the lights came back, but her voice was shaking slightly. She hadn’t expected him to be still so powerful. “There’s no need to get so angry.” She did her best to pull herself together, straightening her back. “Anyway, fine, suit yourself. Deal with your troubles alone. Even if I can’t really see what a little fallen angel like you can do so far away from home and from his precious friends.”

“I could kill you as a start,” he stated, in a threatening tone, lifting his swords.

“Touché,” she answered, raising her hands in surrender. Then she shot him a defiant look. “But it’s not over. I’ll see you soon, Clearance.” And she was gone before he could do anything.

An awkward silence fell on the room. The angel could feel the three hunters staring at him, so he put his blade away and turned slowly towards them. Shane was looking at him still in shock but mostly in disbelief, while her cousin wore a confused expression, as if he didn’t know how to react to the news. Thomas was calmer and he was studying him, deep in thoughts.

In the end it was Richard who broke the silence. He cleared his throat, clearly nervous, and offered the shadow of a smile to Castiel. “So…Angel, uh?”

“Yes,” he answered simply.

“Well, son, you have a lot of things to explain to us,” the older hunter interjected. He stepped closer to him and examined his state, lifting the hem of his coat. “But first we all need a shower and lunch. And a change of clothes.”

 

The motel room grew silent again once Castiel had finished his monologue. He had explained the basics of Heaven to the hunters, briefly mentioning Lucifer’s Fall and God’s disappearance. Then he had summed up the Apocalypse starting from him rescuing Dean in Hell and arriving to his oldest brother’s defeat. He had kept most of the information for himself, giving out only the most significant facts. Telling them everything would take hours and besides he was convinced that what had happened behind the scenes concerned only his family and the Winchesters. After that, he talked about the civil war that was going on among the angels and explained what had happened between him and Crowley, skipping the part of Sam’s lost soul and almost all the details about how he had found Purgatory. They didn’t need to know about those issues either.

Once he had been done, he had sat still on Shane’s bed, holding his ruined trench coat in his hands, his eyes fixed on the torn cloth. He didn’t have enough power to remake it, not while he was still healing. He would take care of it once he would feel better. Richard was leaning against the wardrobe, watching his cousin pacing around the room, while Thomas was seated in one of the armchairs. He was the only one who was still watching the creature.

“Well, this explains why you’re so fucking weird. You’re a freaking angel!” Shane spoke after many minutes of silent, stopping her tracks. “And also why you feel so guilty. You haven’t told us what you’ve done to poor Sam, but if Dean got so angry it must be something really nasty. You’re an idiot. You’ve harmed your friends! How could you?!”

Castiel lowered his head, feeling ashamed, and Richard tried to intervene: “Shane, it’s not our place to judge…”

“Shut up, Rich! I’m not done!” She cut him off, glaring at him hard. Then she turned back towards the angel. “You’re an idiot,” she repeated in a quieter tone. “But still…I can’t ignore the fact that you had the best intention of the world. You surely need to feel bad for what you’ve done, but I’m still persuaded that if Dean doesn’t forgive you he’s the most stupid person in this world.” Castiel lifted his head incredulous at that, but she went on before he could spoke. “All you’ve done for him…If I was in his place, I would have punched you and then asked you to marry me, not chased you away. He really doesn’t see how much you love him.”

“I failed him. And Sam, and all my siblings who believed in me,” the angel stated quietly, shaking his head. “I deserve this sorrow.”

“We all pay for our mistakes, but burdening ourselves even more on purpose doesn’t help us finding a solution,” Thomas stepped in, his voice calm and warm. “You’ll get nowhere until you forgive yourself, Castiel. Even if your friend did, you still wouldn’t be able to start again. It’s your guilt that’s preventing you from finding your way. It’s consuming you slowly, destroying you piece by piece. You state that you’re looking for redemption, but what I think is that you’re persuaded that you don’t deserve to be forgiven.”

Those words hit the angel like a shock. They were so similar to the ones he had told Dean the day of their first encounter on Earth. The hunter was so filled with guilt and hatred for himself that he couldn’t believe in himself, he couldn’t see how bright and beautiful his broken soul was. And Castiel hadn’t been able to just stand and watch him denigrating himself and wasting his potential. If Dean wasn’t able to see it by himself, then he would have shown him. Because every scar, every sin, every stain was what made him so special. If those marks hadn’t been there, he would have never decided to take the fall for that odd human’s sake. Angels had been taught since the day of their creation to love God and nothing else. But when one of them, for some reason, opened his or her essence to something else, nothing could kill the devotion that would blossom inside them. That was what had happened to him when he had chosen to fall for humanity, for Dean. He knew that Thomas was right, but it was that same commitment that didn’t allow him to forgive himself for what he had done to the being that mattered the most to him.

“I can’t,” he let out in a whisper in the end, shaking his head. “My mistakes have been to great this time. I can’t let them go.”

“You must try. If not for yourself, do it for your loved ones,” Thomas stated, firm and severe. Then he got up. “We should leave. Our job here is done. Castiel, you’re welcome to stay with us as long as you need to. If you wish to leave, you’re free to go, but I’d advise you to wait at least until your wounds are healed.”

The angel bowed his head. “Thank you, Thomas,” he said in a sincere tone. He knew that he should leave, especially after the massacre he had done among the demons. Maybe Crowley had sent some of his minions after him as he had done with Meg and he didn’t want to put the Bales in danger. He was already risking attracting his brothers’ attention on them and it was more than enough. On the other hand he knew that with his wounds he wouldn’t be able to face another serious fight for a while and he didn’t have somewhere safe where he could go. The only good place for hiding he knew was at Bobby’s, but he couldn’t go back. Not yet. “I think I’ll take you suggestion.”

“Good. Some back up is always welcomed. And you have proved to be an excellent partner,” the man nodded, sounding satisfied. “Let’s pack then. Lawrence called me. Something strange is going on in South Dakota.”

Richard immediately started to help his father with the luggage, while Shane grabbed Castiel’s arm and pulled him in the bathroom. “Off with that shirt, angel boy,” she ordered, taking out disinfectant and a needle. “Superpowers or not, we can’t let those wounds get infected.”

“You don’t have to do this, Shane,” Castiel pointed out, but obeyed and stripped anyway. “I am not weak enough yet to be bothered by human illnesses.”

“I know I don’t have, but I want to.” She offered him a small smile as she started to carefully wash the dried blood off his skin. “That’s what friends do. They take care of each other.”

He stared at her, incredulity filling his eyes. “You still want to be called my friend? After all I have told you?”

“Of course I do. I told you this morning. I won’t change my mind on you. You saved me and you stood against a bunch of demons to save Rich. That’s what matters to me,” she answered firmly, pouring the disinfectant on the wounds. “The difference is that now I know why you’re so weird. Besides, having an angel friend is lots of fun. And who can boast about having one? Winchesters aside. You’ll make me super popular!”

“No one has ever told me that I’m fun or popular,” Castiel mattered, titling his head. He could feel his wounds burn under the woman’s treatment, but it wasn’t as bad as when he had received them. “Gabriel’s the one with the sense of humour. Even if it’s very questionable.”

“The brother who’s staying with you? You’ll have to introduce me to him one day,” Shane stated, grabbing the thread to start with the stitches. She didn’t even try to explain what she had meant, because with Castiel it would have been just a waste of breath. “Oh, by the way. What happened with that bitch?”

He frowned in confusion. “I am sure I have never had anything to do with a female dog, Shane.” He answered, turning his head to look at her.

She ran a hand on her face, exasperated. “Are you angels always so literal? No, don’t tell me. I bet it’s just you,” she commented with a sigh, but there was a hint of amusement in her tone. “I meant “bitch” as “whore”. And I was referring to that demon girl. ‘Cause she is a bitch, figuratively speaking at least.”

“Oh. Meg is a bitch,” Castiel mumbled pensively, too busy with considering the statement to notice the look of pure satisfaction that had appeared on Shane’s face as he spoke those words. “I kissed her,” he stated matter-of-factly after a moment. “Or rather, she kissed me to steal my sword and so I kissed her back.”

The young woman stopped what she was doing and looked at him astonished. “What?! Why did you do something like that?” She exclaimed almost horrified. “And you refused to kiss me! Have you look at her? I’m much prettier than that bitch! Ah, what’s wrong with you, Cas?”

“It’s what I saw in the film that Dean gave me to watch. I just copied it. I thought it was how I should act,” he explained frowning. Everyone had stared at him astonished after he had released the demon from his embrace and it had made him feel even worse. “It felt…empty. I have been told that that kind of acts should demonstrate love or bring pleasure to one, but it didn’t for me. I didn’t like it, not as I should have at least. The sensation itself wasn’t unpleasant, but it felt hollow. I assumed that I had made a mistake and I decided not to repeat the experiment. I felt deeply uncomfortable.”

Shane looked pensive for some moments. “I think I see your point,” she mumbled, slowly. “It happens to humans too, you know? There are some of us who don’t enjoy intimate contact with strangers or people they aren’t interested in. You didn’t get anything wrong. You haven’t felt anything because you don’t like her. That’s it.”

“I understand…” The angel let his voice trail off for a moment. “So had it been someone else, would have been different?”

“Maybe. If you like the person.” Shane played a little with the needle. She was trying to explain love to an angel. It surely ranked among the craziest things she had done in her life. “Is there someone you like?”

Castiel kept quiet for a moment, lost in his thoughts. “I like Dean. He is my best friend. Or at least he was before,” he answered in the end. “However I believe that the one you are talking about is a different kind of like.”

The young woman smirked. “You believe, uh?” She repeated in a slightly malicious tone. “Why don’t you try to kiss him when you go back to your friends?”

He frowned at her. “It would be highly improper, Shane,” he disagreed, shaking his head. “And Dean is interest in women. My vessel is a male. He wouldn’t enjoy it.”

“That’s because he’s an idiot” she mumbled rolling her eyes. Lately that seemed to have become her favourite sentence. “Well, you can always give it a try. I’m sure he won’t hate you for that. Come on! If it doesn’t work, no tragedy. It’s just a kiss. At times friends kiss each other, it’s not so unconventional! I kissed Rich too a couple of times, and he is my cousin.” They had been drunk back then, but her companion didn’t need to know it.

Castiel titled his head, reflecting on her words. She was not completely wrong. If Dean forgave him for betraying him, he would surely close his eyes on a mere display of affection, no matter how unconventional it could be. “I still think that it is an awful idea, but I want to trust you, Shane. I owe it to you.”

“That’s my angel!” The woman cheered, finally starting to stitch the knife wound in his back. “I promise that no harm would come to you. And if he freaks out, call me and I’ll kick his ass.”

“I think Gabriel would take care of that without the need of your intervention,” the angel said, absent-mindedly. He had never really thought about the nature of his relationship with Dean. They shared a deep connection, that was evident, but he had never stopped to analyse it. He knew that he had given up everything for him and that he would do it again, without hesitation. That had always been enough for him. “Human emotions are so complex and inconvenient.”

“And angels are so fucking weird,” Shane talked back with a snort. “Now keep still, I’m trying to patch you up here.”

“Sorry.” Castiel turned towards the wall once again. “Shane?”

“What now?”

“Thank you.”

Her expression softened. “You are welcome, Cas.”

 

ж ж ж ж ж

 

Charlie fidgeted in the chair where Roman’s secretary had told her to wait. She had had so much fear of being late that she had arrived almost twenty minutes earlier and now she was considering biting her nails, something she hadn’t done in months, to pass the time and especially to calm herself a bit. She had to admit that she wasn’t as nervous as she had been standing in front of the summoning sigil, reciting a spell to have a face to face meeting with a creature that wanted her dead, but the feeling was pretty much close to that in the scale.

She took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. If she was so agitated just at the thought of meeting a Leviathan, she didn’t really want to imagine how she would feel once in front of him. And she would have to shake his hand. The prospect made her shiver. Crowley could say whatever he wanted about the fact that they expected her to be nervous, she was sure that her almost panicked state would most likely give her away. Or make her look like a freak, which, in this case, was definitely better. She couldn’t help a small grin remembering the conversation they had had the day before. That demon was a huge asshole, but he had been almost nice, in his bitch-like way. She could see them becoming a couple of fucked-up friends, a thought that was light years behind what she had expected from their relationship the day she had met the Devil.

“Miss Bradbury?” The secretary’s voice called in that moment, making her start. “Mr Roman will see you now.”

She jumped on her feet, her bag falling off her legs and hitting the floor. She cursed under her breath and bent down to pick it up. “Yes, thank you,” she nodded, her voice a bit too piercing than her usual. “I…I’m coming!”

The older woman smiled her indulgently and led her along the small corridor to the office. Once there she knocked and announced Charlie, leaving her standing in front of the polished wooden door without a clue of what she was supposed to do. The IT employee took another deep breath and pushed it opened, clearing her throat to announce her presence. “May I come in?” She asked, trying to keep her voice from faltering.

“Of course, Miss Bradbury,” a warm voice answered from inside the room. “I was just about to take a coffee. I’ve ordered one for you too. I hope you don’t mind.”

Charlene stepped in, slowly closing the door behind her. Roman was seated at his desk, one of his hands resting on the keyboard of his laptop, while the other was holding the pen he had been using to sing what looked like reports. He was wearing a fine light gray suite and a dark red tie that made the colour of his eyes stand out. Those dark irises, which shone with brilliance and intelligence in a way that was almost disquieting, were fixed on her and he was offering a sharply charming smile. There were two steamy cups on the desk right before him.

“Uh, sure,” the young woman stuttered, sitting down in one of the chairs set in front of the desk and taking the mug she was offered. “Thank you, Mr Roman.”

“Dick, please, Charlie” he corrected her, his smile widening slightly. “You don’t mind if I call you Charlie, do you?”

For a brief second she wondered if the man was flirting with her, but she immediately remembered that the guy in front of her, under his pleasant manners and gallantry, was no human at all. She forced herself to smile back, shifting on her seat. “Yeah, of course. I mean, you can, it’s fine,” she managed to say, looking down at her lap.

“Good. Now, down to business,” the Leviathan stated, folding his hands in front of him. “I’d like to exchange more pleasantries with the smart person you are, but I have a meeting that I need to prepare.” His expression became more serious, but it didn’t lose its weird welcoming warmth. “So, Charlie. I’ve called you because I’ve been watching you for a while. The rare spark you possess couldn’t go unnoticed, it’s that thing that makes humans so special, even if not everyone has the privilege to possess it. Those who don’t are replaceable, but the few lucky ones, people like you, can’t be copied.”

Charlie couldn’t help making a face at those words, not exactly getting what the man was implying. Maybe Leviathans didn’t possess a vessel as demons and angels did, the simply took the form of the person. But if that was true, where was the human Dick Roman now? Most likely dead, a voice in her head whispered, and she shivered slightly. She tried to hide her confusion by sipping her coffee. “Thank you for…the compliment?”

“It is a compliment indeed,” Dick answered with a small nod. “You see, Charlie, I’m getting closer and closer to my dream. I have worked hard for what could be an eternity to fulfil it and I can’t let anything jeopardise it. That’s why I need your help. I’ll soon get my hands on some material from a man called Frank Devereaux.” He joined his fingertips. “He is threatening my company, thinking he can bring it down, but I will prove him wrong. He is a maniac of technology and informatics, so I will need someone as brilliant, if not even more, to decrypt it. And you are the right person for this job.”

“Uh, yeah, I think I can do it,” she answered, a bit puzzled. That wasn’t exactly what she had expected to be asked, even if she couldn’t have guessed considering what her speciality was.

Roman seemed satisfied by her answer. “Good. You’ll receive the hard disk in a couple of days. Susan, my assistant, will deliver it to your desk. After that, you’ll have three days of time. If you don’t make it, you are fired.”

Charlene almost choked in her coffee hearing the last sentence. The bastard hadn’t changed his tone slightly and was still smiling at her. Creepy, that was the right word to describe him. She cleared her throat nervously. “I’ll make it in time. This is my field after all.”

“That’s exactly what I wanted to hear.” The man stood up and offered her his hand. “I’ll see you once you are done, Charlie. Good talk.”

She got up quickly, almost knocking out her empty cup, and shook it. “Yeah, sure. See you then,” she moved back towards the door, without turning her shoulder to him. “Have a nice day…Dick. And good luck for your meeting. And, uh, thank you.”

Dick smiled again and this time she had the impression that his teeth were a bit too sharp than they should. “You are welcome.”

The young woman nodded quickly and she literally fled from the office. When she passed the secretary, Susan, she grinned at her and she couldn’t help noticing how similar to Roman’s her expression was. Could she be a Leviathan too? It would make sense. She was the great boss’s personal assistant. She waved at the woman, trying not to look at her in a weird way and walked quickly along the corridor, stopping only when she was alone in the elevator. Just then she remembered to breath.

She leaned against the glass wall. The tension had almost killed her, she could still hear her heart beating hard. She really needed to start asking some kind of salary for all that. At least she was alive and still safe. She pulled out her cell phone to let Crowley know that for now his business was not in danger. She knew that the demon was coming over in the evening, but right now she needed to do something to distract herself from the unpleasant feeling that had sunk inside her. She hadn’t liked meeting Roman. He looked at you as if he could read your mind and that was very, very bad. She made a mental notice to ask her partner about the Leviathans’ powers, assuming that he knew something on the subject. Crowley had seemed pretty clueless himself on them, and it wasn’t reassuring.

She left the elevator and headed out of the building. The sensation of the sun on her skin made her feel a little better. Once at home she would have watched some episodes of her favourite series and would have hacked some too full back accounts to donate the money to a no-profit animal-rights association. That would surely cure her mood and especially make her forget about monsters and anything related for a while.