Disclaimer : I want to, but I don't.
Follows on from Full Moon by ncsupnatfan which should be read first.
FULLMOON(The Sequal)
Having buried his brother in the forest where he died, the last Winchester drives away, grieving
and facing an uncertain future. Back in the forest, a stranger comes to his brother's last resting place..
-oOo-
The silvered moon continued it's journey, it's light very slowly moving over the defined area of freshly turned earth, neatly framed by rocks and stones that had clearly been chosen and placed with care. Tempted into the pool of light by the green grass that covered the ground, a young tawny coloured rabbit emerged from the base of a holly bush at the clearing's edge, nose twitching, testing the air for danger. The small creature took two tentative hops into the clearing before sitting back on it's hind legs and scenting the air again. Feeling more confident, it headed toward the newly dug grave, drawn to it by the pungent, fungal smell of the rich soil that had been so recently dug over. Sniffing around at the edge of the grave, the animal soon lost interest in the patch of bare soil, moving off and focusing the whole of it's attention on the grass.
-o-
There was no sound to accompany the intense, blinding white light that suddenly filled the clearing, completely over powering the moon's light. And, as these animals do when caught in a bright light, the rabbit instantly became motionless, poised with it's head down, eyes closed and it's mouth open, freezing as it was about to take another bite at the delicious stalks of grass. Gradually, the brilliance of the light began to dim, until once more the full moon became the sole source of light in the clearing. The highly disgruntled rabbit fled, abandoning the clearing without sparing one glance for the figure that had materialised at it's centre.
-o-
Gazing around, the new-comer spotted the stone edged earth and moved towards it. Stooping down, he placed one hand, palm down, onto the surface of the slightly damp soil and remained in that position for a moment, his expression solemn as he considered the wisdom of what he had come to this place to do. It was Fate that had decreed that this human's life span would come to it's end in this place. But, he was the angel Marmaroth, and so the gift of being able to overcome what Fate had planned, was his.
-o-
Marmaroth knew of the two brothers of course, although he himself had not met them previously. He also knew of his own brother's...The rebellious Castiel...High degree of warmth towards them both. And, though he did not pretend to understand why, or how, his brother felt that way, it was the love which his brother had somehow developed for these two humans that had set him on the journey which brought him to this place, on this night.
-o-
Perhaps as a direct result of his frequent and longstanding interactions with the two humans, Marmaroth had witnessed a gradual but clear change in Castiel. So great was the change in him now that many other angels spoke derisively about Castiel seeming to be more human than their eyes, Castiel's sin was that he had learned to, and more importantly allowed himself to, begin to feel. Yet, while there were many who treat Castiel with distain for opening himself up to feelings and emotions; there were others, like Marmaroth, who continued to hold Castiel in high regard, seeing in him the possibility that they too might be able to do what he had, and be able to adjust and function within a world full of emotions. Marmaroth had noted and observed something else, it appeared to him that Castiel wasn't the only one. Marmaroth was sure there had to be others amongst his siblings who had born witness to the fact, but no one as yet was speaking out about it. Marmaroth shrugged off the thought, it had nothing to do with the reason for his presence at the edge of this forest grave in the pre-dawn dark. He had journeyed here tonight to to do one thing only. It was his intent to deny fate and, by doing so, he would save his Castiel from the awful pain and devastating emotions that he had witnessed humans suffering as they grieved. It suddenly occured to Marmaroth that the surviving Winchester brother would himself be feeling the pain and the sorrow right now. Marmaroth quickly knelt down by the graveside and, with care, began to roll up one sleeve of his white shirt as far as his elbow. That done, he flexed the fingers of his hand briefly, before curling them to form a fist. Leaning forward slightly, he positioned his fist against the surface of the soil, central to the grave.
-o-
The angel closed his eyes and instantly a soft golden glow surrounded his fist, from there spreading to encompass his wrist and then his forearm, going up as far as his elbow, then increasing in it's brightness. With a determined expression, Marmaroth pushed down into the soil, driving his clenched fist down and through the earth. Not far enough. Pausing, he methodically rolled his shirt sleeve as high up his arm as he could, and pushed down further into the earth. The folded edge of his shirt sleeve met black soil at the same time as the angel's knuckles touched against the cold, hard body hidden within the grave. Forcing his fist to unclench, Marmaroth spread his fingers and thumb so that all were in contact with the body, then he closed his eyes and willed the power contained in his hand to surge from himself, into the corpse beneath him., leaving himself trembling and perspiring as he gave up a part of himself to retract what fate had led the Hunter to, and to imbue him with healing, and life.
-o-
Hot, feel hot, c'n hardly breathe...Crushin', trapped. Somethin' weighin' me down? Havt'a fight, make it let go, ...What the...? Soil?...Covered in... No! NO... Fear, desperation, confusion; they all combined into one sudden explosion of movement as the panicking Hunter fought to free himself from the earth's cold grip.
-o-
Sat on the grass beside the grave, Marmaroth looked to see whether the grubby area on his shirt sleeve showed up when it was rolled back down. Satisfied that it didn't, he fixed his attention on the grave, and waited. It simply never occurred to him that it might be helpful if he began shifting soil from the grave's surface. As far as he was concerned, he had done what he came here to do. The human was now alive.
-o-
While the angel watched, pockets of soil lying directly on top of the grave began to form funnels, which grew in size in response to the activity beneath the surface. Marmaroth continued waiting, pondering the complex web that made it his fate to finally meet one of the renowned, often despised, and yet favoured by Heaven, Winchester brothers by virtue of having journeyed to this place specifically to over rule this one's demise. Marmaroth knew this wasn't the first, or even the second time, that the finale which fate had prepared for one brother or another, had been undone. He considered briefly whether Fate had ever felt like giving up on the pair and just letting them carry on? Marmaroth's train of thought was soon derailed by the appearance of a human hand thrust out of the soil and then waved around as if it was searching for something. He smiled to himself when he made the decision to "..give the hand a hand", telling himself that when next he saw Castiel, he must inform his brother that he had created his own joke. Reaching out with one arm, Marmaroth grasped the searching hand tightly in his own and stood up, effectively hauling the rest of the human clear of his burial place, and placed him down on to solid ground. He watched the human try pulling huge amounts of air into his lungs, while at the same time coughing and spitting soil out of his mouth. When his need for oxygen settled somewhat to more normal levels, the Hunter stared openly at Marmaroth.
"Don't think we've met before. I assume it's you that, you know, brought me back?...Why? I mean, I'm grateful but, most angels would love to see my brother an' me both dead n' buried."
-o-
In the time needed for the Hunter to regain his full strength and movement, the angel and he talked together and, during that period, something happened that showed Marmaroth he had been right to intervene in this human's fate, and which gave him some understanding of the warmth that Castiel felt towards the brothers, along with why he wished to protect them. As human and angel spoke, Marmaroth himself was startled to find he was developing a proportion of the same warmth and concern for the well-being of this human. It occurred to to him that he had begun to develop a liking for the Hunter and so, it was with some regret that Marmaroth touched two fingers to the human's forehead, and returned him back to his home and his brother.
-o-
The sudden switch in sensations from the depths of grief to the exultation of reunion was as dizzying, heart pounding, knee weakening, word defying and tear inducing as it had been on prior occasions. To be able to wrap his arms around his brother in a hug, sense the warmth given off by his living body, feel the rise and fall of his chest with each breath he took, and to be hugged by his brother in return, was the very greatest of gifts. Sure, they would quickly get back to hunting, pranking, laughing, protecting, sulking, dumb disagreements, loud arguments and, on occasion, physically fighting. They would do all of that, because his brother was here, and that meant they could.
-o-
For a while, Marmaroth remained within the forest, sitting himself down with his back against the slender trunk of a graceful tree. He took a moment to gaze around and savour this small part of his Father's creation. His eyes were drawn to an area where the huddled silhouettes of trees were pierced through here and there by narrow shafts of moonlight. Shortly, those same trees would sit amongst shafts of golden sunlight. His eyes tracked one of the moonbeams upwards, until he was gazing at the moon itself, hanging full and bright in the night sky, and he marvelled at how beautiful it looked when viewed from down here, on earth. His thoughts drifted back to the Hunter, and Fate. He soon found himself wondering, what actually had been Fate's design this night? Had it been that the human should die, and remain dead? Or had it been already set that he, Marmaroth, should come to this place and save the human? Or, had Fate all along planned this, bringing him and the Hunter together, in order that Marmaroth could, for the very first time, experience actually feeling something? and, in doing so, become willing to learn how to allow feelings back into his life, just as Castiel had done.
-oOo-
END
Chick xx
