The night was hot, the hottest night so far this May, and nothing moved in the darkness. There was no breeze to relieve the heat, but leaves that should have been still and silent now rustled. A young woman wearing a white hooded cloak emerged from the trees and strode quietly to a small cabin. She climbed the stairs, reached out a hand and knocked softly on the wooden door, the pale moonlight illuminating her milky skin.
Someone inside moved; you could hear them knocking things over in the dark of the house and cursing in low whispers. The woman heard the click of the gun and the creaking of the door as it was cautiously opened. The woman could just barely make out the outline of the man's features: a slightly pointed nose, thin lips, and dark hair tousled from sleep.
"Can I help you?" he grumbled, his words slurred.
"I need to see Castiel. Please, it's urgent." she pleaded in a low voice.
This seemed to wake the man up. His features became hard and his jaw set, "What do you want with him?"
"My business is my own. Please, I need to see him." Her voice became more desperate and she glanced around behind her.
The man nodded and opened the door just wide enough to let the girl through. She looked behind her once again before hurrying in the house. The man clicked on a lamp and both he and the woman squinted, waiting for their eyes to adjust to the light. He shuffled over to a figure curled up on the small couch and shook it rather violently. Another man stirred and jumped up to face the other.
"Go get Cas." the first man ordered. He was clearly older than the other because the latter nodded quickly and went off without question.
The older then turned to the woman. "Who are you?" he demanded.
Before she could answer, they both turned towards the sound of quick, soft footsteps thudding down the small flight of stairs. The woman rushed to meet the man that those footsteps brought and threw her arms around his neck.
"Danika? What are you doing here?"
"Cas, I had to see you. I had to make sure you were okay and I figured better late than never. Father wouldn't let me out after you- well…" she trailed off. He nodded his head, then looked at her, worry in his eyes.
"Father doesn't know you're here?"
She shook her head. "He thinks I'm out delivering a message to someone, which technically I am."
He gave her a firm look, "Danika, you're already on the list. You can't go around lying to Father or you'll end up just like me."
The older man stepped up from where he was lounging on the couch. "Wait a second! She's an angel? And what the hell's the list? Cas, please explain what the hell is going on here!"
Cas sighed and looked at both of the other men. "Danika, this is Dean," he gestured to the older of the two, "and Sam." the younger one who was now wiping sleep out of his eyes. Danika nodded to both of them, and Cas continued. "Yes, Dean, she's an angel, and the list… well the list is for angels who are at risk of falling, and I put her there."
Danika gave him a harsh look and punched his arm. "Cas, don't say that. It wasn't your fault, and don't even try to say that it was."
Cas' head hung slightly as he muttered, "If I hadn't have-"
"Cas!" Danika interrupted.
"Dani it's the truth!"
She rolled her eyes and snorted. "Whatever. Just let me make sure you're okay."
He quirked an eyebrow, "I'm fine, Dani, seriously."
Danika sighed. "I mean your body, Cas. I want to examine you just in case."
Cas hesitantly held out his arms at her command. She gingerly ran her fingertips up his forearms and hands, turning them over and looking closely at them. She had to pull up his shirtsleeve to look at his upper arm and shoulder, and when she had finished she, without even looking at him, said, "Shirt. Off."
He started to protest, but thought better about it, and instead pulled his black t-shirt over his head, playfully throwing it in Dean's face. It caught Dean off guard and when he pulled it off of his head, his eyes were squinted in a challenge. Danika laughed and turned Cas around so she could examine his back. Everyone's expressions became more serious when she did so, and both she and Cas winced; Cas from the memory and Danika from the sight. Where smooth skin should have been on his shoulder blades, Cas' was red, patchy, and stiff. Danika pressed her palms flat over the damaged skin and mumbled something inaudible. A faint glow emitted from her hands and when it had gone, she pulled away and gasped for air.
Once she had caught her breath, she pointed upstairs. "Go back to sleep, Cas. It'll be much easier to heal you once you've gotten good rest."
Cas nodded, once more not questioning her, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Goodnight, sis." then he tipped his head to both Sam and Dean and hurried up the staircase.
"Can I get you anything?" Sam asked, "I'm going out to the store anyway."
A small smirk twitched onto Danika's lips. "Cookies maybe? Anything with chocolate would be great actually." Sam nodded, slipped on a pair of beat up flip-flops and ran out the door, leaving Danika and Dean in the main room alone.
Dean spoke, hesitantly at first, to break the silence that hung between them. "So… how do you know Cas?"
Hello there! I had kind of a weird idea for a story, so I'm testing it out. I really hope you guys like it! ~Kendall