Never Sleep, Never Die
Fallen angels at my feet
Whispered voices at my ear
Death before my eyes
Lying next to me I fear
She beckons me shall I give in
Upon my end shall I begin
Forsaking all I've fallen for
I rise to meet my end.
- Evanescence, 'Whisper'.
Chapter 1
Maya stirred and woke. She lay on her side – staring at the wall and listening carefully – wondering what had roused her from her slumber. Her body still required sleep in a way that Castiel's did not, although the changes wrought as her angelic powers grew meant she was becoming less and less human. Already she only required half the amount of food and half the sleep of a regular person. Her body, already strong and lithe, was developing a super-human strength which awed Sam and annoyed Dean. And from what she understood of human reproduction, her body was no longer capable of such a thing.
Maya sighed and rolled onto her back, then froze, her eyes narrowed. The sound came again. A light scratching, as though rats were scurrying behind the walls. She glanced at the lamp on the nightstand, but the light remained constant. Then there was another sound.
She sat up, cocking her head to one side. Though she had never heard such a sound in her life, it sounded like the cry of a human infant.
Throwing off the covers, she padded around the room, listening carefully. At the door, she heard the scratching and the mewling again. She opened the door and smiled.
"Hey, kitty!" She whispered, crouching down and holding out her hand. A tiny tabby cat eyed her outstretched hand suspiciously, then craned its neck to sniff her fingertips. "Hey kitty," she said again. Apparently deciding the girl's hands were not dangerous, the cat rubbed its cheek against Maya's fingers and submitted to having its ears scratched. "Nice kitty," Maya said, running her palm down the little cat's body, noting its thin frame. Like a furry cell-phone set to vibrate, the cat's body began to thrum with a rusty purr.
Maya smiled and scooped up the animal, taking it back inside the motel room. She tucked it, still purring, under one arm as she checked the room's tiny fridge for milk. Moments later it was lapping from a clean ashtray set on the pock-marked formica table.
"What is that?"
Maya turned, still smiling. "It's a cat."
Castiel grimaced. "Well yes, I can see that," he told her. "What is it doing here?"
"Starving," said Maya.
"I don't like it."
"You don't like this cat or cats in general?"
Cas frowned. "I'm not sure."
Maya rolled her eyes. "Well, when you figure it out, let me know."
# # #
Maya had dozed off again. Carefully, so as not to wake her, Castiel eased his arm from underneath her, rolling her gently onto her side as he did so. She stirred and murmured unintelligibly, then settled into a deeper sleep. The angel tucked the duvet around her shoulders and stroked her cheek with one finger, smiling. She was still so human, so fragile. So beautiful.
With a sigh, he leaned over to retrieve his underwear and stood, drawing on the boxer shorts as he went. Then he froze. Across the room, the stray cat sat neatly as a package with its paws tucked under its body on the ugly armchair. In spite of the fact that its eyes were closed, Cas had the distinct and uncomfortable impression it had just witnessed what he considered a very private act.
He was torn between the urge to grab the furry interloper by the scruff of the neck and dump it unceremoniously on the wrong side of the motel door, or to simply leave it be. Maya obviously had some misbegotten affection for the little creature.
"What are you?" He murmured, running one finger over the cat's skull. It woke with a chirping noise and looked up. Grasping it gently, he lifted the cat and took a quick peek under the tail. "You're a Tom. You got a name?"
The cat made its half purr, half meow noise again.
Castiel snorted humourlessly and set the cat down again, rolling his eyes at his own foolishness. "I'm talking... to a cat."
Chapter 2
Dean persisted in refusing the teleport option, preferring to drive for hours on end rather than submitting to a mode of travel controlled entirely by the angel and his consort. His reasoning ranged from not having access to his car (which made precisely no sense to Maya – if you have access to a superior form of transport, why bother with something as outdated as an internal combustion engine?) to a cessation of bodily functions which appeared to be a side effect he and he alone suffered. Maya assumed that, like his aversion to flying, Dean was simply frightened by the concept of dematerialising in one location and rematerialising in another.
Sam, while open to being "zapped" from one spot to another, often preferred to accompany his brother on these superfluous road trips.
Maya took the liberty of securing rooms at the local motel – one less thing for the boys to worry about when they rolled into town. She took Castiel's hand, smiling cheekily, and started dragging him towards one of the rooms. The angel resisted.
"We really should conduct reconnaissance while we wait," he told her.
"We really should insist they travel with us so we don't have to wait," she countered. "But it ain't gonna happen."
"You sound more like your brothers every day." He narrowed his eyes and looked over his shoulder toward the town, then at the motel, then turned his gaze back on Maya. "Give me half an hour."
"Half an hour?" She moaned, slouching dramatically.
"I'll make it worth your while…"
"Promises, promises," she muttered, but she smiled as he disappeared.
# # #
Maya rolled over and gazed at Cas as he lay there, staring at the ceiling.
"You okay?"
"Mmm," he murmured.
"What are you thinking about?"
He rolled over to face her. "Amelia," he said. Immediately he realised this was entirely the wrong thing to say. He watched as Maya's pupils dilated and her mouth thinned.
"Excuse me?"
"Jimmy's wife," he told her. "Amelia Novak."
"And?"
"And..." he fumbled. "And I think about her sometimes," he finished lamely.
"I see."
I don't, thought Cas. Maya drew away from him as he reached for her. "Have I done something to upset you?" He asked.
"You think?"
"Tell me what I did..." she rolled her eyes at him. "No. Please. Tell me. You know I don't understand these things."
"You're in bed, with me..." Maya paused as he nodded. "Naked..."
"Yes..."
"And you're thinking about another woman."
Castiel processed this for a moment. "And that upsets you?" He guessed.
"Oh my God," Maya muttered, throwing back the covers and stalking across the room to her clothes.
"I don't understand."
"You just finished making love with me," said Maya, her voice rising. "And you're thinking about another woman."
"Umm," said Cas. "No?"
"Were you thinking about her while we were..."
"No!" Exclaimed Cas, his eyes wide and shocked. "She is another man's wife! Of course I wouldn't do that!"
"Castiel, you're wearing Jimmy Novak like a suit – for all intents and purposes, she's your wife!"
"Maya, she's Jimmy's wife. Jimmy's widow."
"And who am I to you?" Maya asked softly.
"What sort of question is that? You are my guardian. My mate. My lover."
"Lover," Maya echoed. "Do you love me?"
"You know that I do." He got out of bed and crossed the room to her, taking the clothes out her hands. "'For all intents and purposes', as you put it, you are my wife." He stroked her hair. "Come here," he said. "Are you hungry?"
"What? No... don't change the subject..."
"Are you hungry?" He repeated, firmly.
"No."
"When was the last time you ate?"
"I don't know... yesterday? The day before?"
"Are you tired?"
"I slept last night..."
"And you won't need to sleep again for a while."
"What's your point, Castiel?"
The angel gave her one of his rare smiles. "Your body is becoming more... angel. But your mind is becoming more human," he told her. "You're a human... angel."
"Your point?" She reminded him.
"A month ago, my thinking about Amelia would not have bothered you. A month ago you would have asked questions, and been curious about the answers."
"Castiel..."
"You are jealous."
Maya blinked. "I am not!" She retorted. Cas raised an eyebrow at her and she looked away, flushing in annoyance.
"I think about Amelia sometimes, and Clare," he told her. "Were it not for me taking over Jimmy's body, their lives would not have been turned upside down." He looked up to see her expression had softened in understanding.
"You worry about them."
"I am in awe of their strength, and their beauty and courage. What the angels and demons have done to them..." he shook his head. "But they keep on going. They live their lives honouring Jimmy's memory."
Maya slid her hand into his and squeezed.
"I could not take another vessel, knowing the damage it causes." Castiel chuckled mirthlessly. "Perhaps I am becoming more human, too."
"Perhaps," Maya murmured. "Come on..."
"Where are we going?"
"Back to bed."
"But I don't need to sleep."
"Good," said Maya. "Because that wasn't what I had in mind."
She pressed her palms to his smooth chest, dragging her fingertips down until they skimmed over his dark nipples, his flat belly and beyond, cupping him firmly yet gently with one hand. He moaned and closed his eyes as she began to stroke him rhythmically.
"More human, less human, doesn't matter," she whispered in his ear. "This is still the best part of being human."
"Maya..." He reached for her but she caught his hands.
"Uh-uh!" She said, pressing them to his sides. "Hows about I do you for a change?" The angel opened his eyes, a half smile tugging one corner of his full lips. "I just need..." she cast around the room until her eyes fell on his blue tie, carefully draped over the doorknob. "Don't move." She ordered, and darted across the room.
"That's there to let people know the room is in use," Cas told her.
"It should probably go on the outside of the door, then, shouldn't it?"
"Oh... right."
"I have a better use for it, anyway..." Maya knelt on the bed behind him, dropping the tie over his eyes and knotting it at the back of his head.
"Maya..."
"No peeking," she told him, swatting his hands away. Pressing herself against his firm back, she ran her hands up his arms to his shoulders, breathing in his scent and feeling him shudder as her breath tickled his neck. She trailed her hands down his chest as far as they would go, and back up again and kissed the nape of his neck. As he reached backwards to encircle her with his arms, she skittered out of his way. "Don't make me spank you..."
Climbing off the bed, she circled around as he stood obediently, chin lifted and mouth firm as though awaiting punishment. Maya leaned forward and pressed her lips to his breastbone, trailing her mouth downwards over his navel to slide her lips over the part of him that would bring the most pleasure. His sharp intake of breath and his hands clenching into fists told her this was a new experience for him; as it was for her. Gently, her passion and enthusiasm making up for her lack of expertise, she took as much of him into her mouth as she could manage, sucking and licking until his breath came in ragged gasps. She pulled away before her mouth tipped him over the edge, satisfied with the experiment and his reaction.
"Oh God, Maya, don't stop..." he rasped, reaching blindly for her. This time, she allowed his hands to find her, exploring her face, her shoulders, her breasts – his thumbs circling her taut nipples – before pressing him down onto the bed and crawling up to impale herself on him.
Castiel moaned again, reaching to grasp her buttocks as she slid herself over him. Maya took his hands and pressed them over his head, holding him entirely at her mercy as she rode him slowly, nipping at his open mouth with her lips as she slid herself up and down, up and down in a deliciously excruciating rhythm until he was crying her name, his biceps bulging in an effort to hold them where she wanted, and she could stand it no longer, grinding her pelvis against his as she came.
Spent, Maya flopped down onto his chest, snuggling in closer as his arms wrapped around her and held her tight. They stayed that way for a while before Maya lifted herself, gently disengaging and settling herself onto the mattress next to him. Castiel rolled onto his side and pushed the tie up with the heel of his hand, his blue eyes burning into hers.
"That was..." He paused, his eyes wide. "I have no words for what that was," he finished.
Chapter 3
Catch me as I fall
Say you're here and it's all over now
Speaking to the atmosphere
No one's here and I fall into myself
This truth drives me into madness
I know I can stop the pain if I will it all away
- Evanescence, 'Whisper'.
Maya sauntered out after Cas as the Impala pulled into the parking lot.
"Took your time," she called to her brothers.
"Yeah, well, I'm sure you found a way to amuse yourselves," Dean smirked.
"Mmm, we sure did," she replied, grinning at his expression.
Sam rolled his eyes. "Well, we'd better get over to that demon nest and have a look around..."
"Already done it," said Cas.
Dean raised an eyebrow, leaning into the trunk for his duffel bag. "You had time for recon and..." he gestured suggestively. "Cas, dude, might wanna work on your, you know..." he pumped his fist in the angel's direction "... staying power."
"Oh, because your 'staying power' is so much better?" Scoffed Maya.
"It probably is."
"Prove it..."
"Ew, Maya!" Sam winced.
"What?" She glanced at Castiel, who shrugged. Then her eyes widened. "Ohhh, right. Wincest not cool. Gotcha."
Sam snorted, shaking his head. "Oh man, Becky would have had a field day with you!"
"Who?"
"Becky Rosen," Cas told her. "A kind of... false prophet..."
"Who was very much in the 'Wincest cool' camp," Dean finished for him.
"But this Becky Rosen has never met me, what could she have possibly prophesised about... ohhh." Maya trailed off, glancing from Sam to Dean, then back to Sam again. "Ew, seriously?"
"Seriously." Dean grimaced. "Some of the stuff she wrote. Man. Not cool."
"Totally not cool," Sam agreed.
"Huh," said Maya. She glanced at Castiel, who shrugged again.
"False prophets," he said by way of explanation.
"And 'false prophet' is being way too kind," said Dean. "The crap she was writing – just plain bog-stock god-awful fan-fiction."
Maya frowned. "What's fan-fiction?" She whispered to Cas.
"I have no idea," the angel whispered back. "You might try googling it though, that's what I usually do..."
Maya nodded and turned follow the boys, digging the key out of her pocket. She looked up as Dean cursed.
"Son of a bitch!" He cried, staggering forward and dropping the duffel bag.
Unperturbed by the much larger creature who'd tripped over it, the cat sat in the middle of the walkway, washing its paw. Maya narrowed her eyes and crouched down to take a closer look.
"Tom?" She held out her hand and the cat rubbed its cheek over her fingers, presenting its ears for scratching. "I thought we left you back in Kansas!"
"Friend of yours?" Dean asked, rolling one ankle experimentally and wincing.
"That's not possible," Castiel breathed, stooping down next to Maya.
"He must have stowed away in the car," said Maya, scooping the cat into her arms.
"Wait, you're not bringing that thing into my room!" Dean pointed accusingly at the cat.
"Why not?"
"I'm allergic to cats!"
"You just spent 6 hours in the car with him!"
"Yeah... well..." Dean spluttered. "I wondered why my eyes were itching!"
Maya rolled her eyes. "Fine!" She said, turning on her heel. "He can stay in my room."
Dean started picking up the scattered contents of his bag. "Maya, did you take my holy oil?" He asked.
"What? Oh yeah, it's in my room, come on..." She slung the cat over her shoulder like a furry scarf and wrestled the door open.
"Seriously, you can shazzam yourself over to Jerusalem any time you like, why do you have to borrow my stuff all the time?"
"Geez, don't be so precious," she retorted. "I'll bring you back a barrelful next time okay? And shut that door, the cat'll get out."
Dean snorted. "We wouldn't want that." He reached for the door as it swung shut of its own volition. "Huh," he murmured. "Must be a draft."
"I just had it right... here it is," she held up the flask. "Think quick!" She said, tossing it to her brother.
Dean fumbled the holy oil to the floor and Maya chortled. "Very funny," he snapped, reaching for the flask. "Hey, what gives?" He frowned, pulling his hand away. Reaching for the flask again, it shimmered before his eyes as his hand seemed to pass right through it.
"Boy are you clumsy," Maya said, sauntering over.
"What did you do to it?"
"I didn't do anything to it! I can't help it if you have butter-fingers!"
"Oh yeah? You try and pick it up then!"
Maya rolled her eyes and stooped down, overbalancing as her fingers grasped thin air. "What the hell?" She muttered. She repeated her action, moving her hand slowly towards the flask. She caught her breath as they slipped through the metal casing and her eyes widened as she pushed her hand through the other side and into the floor. Snatching her hand away, she turned it over in front of her eyes, inspecting the unbroken skin. "What's going on, Dean?"
"I don't know but it's nothing good."
"We'd better show the others."
"You're right..." He stopped in his tracks as the door handle melted through his hand.
"Open the door, Dean."
"I can't."
As she watched, her brother pressed his palm against the cheap wooden door. The hand disappeared, the wrist, the forearm, the elbow, all the way up to his shoulder. He shot her a look.
"Don't..."
Then he was gone.
"Dean!" Maya squeaked in terror. He reappeared through the door. In spite of the gravity of the situation, he was grinning.
"This is too weird," he said. "But you have got to try it!" He disappeared again.
"Not good, this is really not good," Maya muttered. She reached for the door, holding her breath as her fingertips disappeared. She closed her eyes and took a step forward...
When she opened her eyes, she was standing on the other side of the door. "That's not possible," she whispered.
"Come on!"
Maya watched as Dean took a run-up and dove through the door into the next room. She stepped through the seemingly non-existent wood in time to witness her brother tucking into a roll and springing to his feet.
"Ta dah!"
She rolled her eyes and shook her head... then frowned. Sam and Castiel were poring over a book on the other side of the room, oblivious to Dean's dramatic entry. Sam looked up into the middle distance distractedly.
"Wonder what's taking them so long," he murmured.
"What are you, blind?" Dean spluttered. "I just warped through the frigging door!"
"I'll fetch them and we'll get going," said Cas, disappearing.
"Fetch... we're right here, dude!"
An unpleasant idea was forming in Maya's mind. "I don't think they can hear us," she said softly.
The angel reappeared next to Sam. "They're not there," he told him.
"No, because we're right here!" Dean exclaimed. He waved his hands in front of Castiel's face.
"They can't see us, either," Maya went on.
"What do you mean... they left without us?" Sam asked.
"No..." Castiel frowned and pressed his palm to his heart. "I can't..." he turned in a slow circle, his expression darkening. "I can't feel Maya anymore."
Dean's head whipped around, his eyes wide and shocked. "He can always feel you," he said, his voice low. "Why can't he feel you?"
"It's like we're... not really here." Maya looked up at her big brother. "Where are we, Dean?"
Castiel's form flickered out of existence, then returned a moment later. He turned in a full circle again.
"Cas?"
"She's gone... she's just... gone..." He disappeared and reappeared again, running his fingers through his hair, his eyes wide shiny and his chest hitching like a small child. "I can't..."
With a start, Sam realised the angel was close to panic... and close to tears. "We'll find her, Cas. We'll find both of them," he told him. "Just... calm down, okay?"
"Why can't I...?"
"Cas!" Sam grabbed his shoulders, shaking him. Castiel blinked and focused on his face.
"I can't lose her," he whispered.
"Castiel..." Maya sobbed, staggering two steps in his direction before Dean stopped her.
"Don't," he advised. "It might not be safe."
She shrugged away his hands and took another step. Sam was talking, telling him to calm down, telling him anything to make him stop, take a breath, but she tuned him out. She reached between man and angel and pressed her hand to Castiel's chest, where his heart would be. As she'd feared, her hand passed right through him as though he were made of smoke – or she was – but as she did it, his breathing slowed and he appeared to collect himself. He pressed his palm to his chest, right over the spot Maya was touching, and his eyes cleared.
"I'm okay," he told Sam.
"You sure?"
"Yes. I apologise." He stepped away from Sam and straightened his tie. "You can't know what this feels like..."
"Okay, number one? They're my brother and sister, you're not the only one who cares about them. And number two? A demon gutted my girlfriend like a fish then barbequed her on the ceiling of our apartment. So don't tell me I 'can't know what this feels like', okay?"
"You're right. I'm sorry."
"Look... whatever," said Sam, turning away. "Okay, think. Where could they be?"
"They're not here, at Bobby's house, or in heaven," said Cas, counting on his fingers.
"You already checked Bobby's and heaven?"
"Well, not all of heaven, Sam, but I checked the usual places... the waiting room. Maya's old cell..."
"When?"
"Just before..." he caught Sam's astounded expression. "I'm fast."
Maya shot a look at Dean. "That's how he had time to recon before we..."
"Yeah, yeah, nuff said!" Dean held up one hand, grimacing with distaste.
"Okay," Sam was saying. "Who could have taken them? These local demons?"
Cas shook his head. "I don't believe any demons are powerful enough to hide an angel's mate. Unless..." He narrowed his eyes, looking thoughtful, then reached out and pressed his fingertips against Sam's forehead. They disappeared.
"Unless what?" Dean asked, staring at the empty space they'd left behind. "Unless what?" He turned on Maya.
"How the hell am I supposed to know, Dean?"
"You tell me, he's your angel!"
"I can't read his mind any better than you can!"
"Okay, then just... I don't know, zap us to wherever they just went!"
"Really?" Maya raised her eyebrows. "You're volunteering?"
"You got a better idea?"
"Not really," Maya muttered, pressing her fingertips to Dean's forehead. Nothing happened. She frowned and stared at her hands, turning them over. "Huh," she murmured, shrugging. She tried again. Nothing.
"So..." said Dean, looking unimpressed. "Lost your gnarly powers as well?"
"Seems like it."
"Well that's just great."
"Yeah, yeah, I know. Sucks to be me."
Chapter 4
"Goddamnit, Cas, do you mind?" Bobby bellowed.
"My apologies," said Castiel, moving to tidy the mess he'd created arriving without warning in Bobby Singer's study for the second time in five minutes.
Sam frowned. "I thought you said they weren't here?"
"They're not," said Bobby and Cas in unison. The angel grimaced and the old man motioned for him to continue.
"They're not," Cas said again, turning to Bobby. "What do you know about the demon nest we were looking into?"
"Not much," said Bobby. "Just that the usual signs were pointing towards increased demon activity in the area… you think they had something to do with Dean and Maya suddenly going AWOL?"
"I'm not sure," said Cas.
"Wait a minute; you just said demons couldn't hide Maya from you?" Said Sam.
"They couldn't," Cas agreed. "But if they were working for someone… or something more powerful than me…" he shrugged.
"Such as?"
"Such as Lucifer?" Cas looked at Bobby, who nodded slowly.
"That could work…"
"What would Lucifer want with Dean and Maya – I'm supposed to be the vessel," said Sam.
"A reluctant one," said Cas. "What better way to convince you than by holding your siblings hostage?"
"Your right," said Sam, running his fingers through his hair. "We need to check out that nest."
"Not without appropriate weaponry," said Cas. He turned to Bobby. "Do you still have my sword?"
"No, I sold it on ebay," said Bobby, rolling his eyes. "Of course I still have it, you dope. It's in the armoury, where you left it." He continued muttering to himself. "Freaking pretty-boy angel, dumb as a post…"
Castiel frowned, then followed Sam down the stairs to the basement. "What's ebay?" He asked.
"Never you mind."
# # #
"Do you even know where you're going?" Dean asked.
"Yes, Dean, we're following the yellow brick road and pretty soon we're going to arrive at the Emerald City!" Maya shot him a scathing look. "Castiel conducted reconnaissance, not me. I'm just making an educated guess based on what he told me."
Following an abortive attempted to get a beer from the fridge, and realising he couldn't use his beloved Impala, Dean was already in a foul mood when Maya suggested they hike out to the suspected demon nest. Even if she didn't know exactly what he'd had in mind, Castiel had clearly hit upon something to do with the local demons right before he'd disappeared with Sam. Logically, the nest was the next best port of call.
However, what would have meant at best an instantaneous teleport or at worst a 10 minute road trip had turned into a three-quarters of an hour trudge through to the other side of town listening to Dean bitch and moan about everything from how hungry he was to how much his feet were hurting. The words "toughen up, princess" popped into mind and the urge to simply deck him and be done with it was strong. However, if Maya had lost her ability to travel in an angelic manner, it was possible she'd lost her other powers as well and she didn't fancy breaking her knuckles on Dean's thick skull.
"We'll be there when we get there," she told him.
"I think we just did."
Maya eyed Dean askance, then followed his gaze. Ahead in the distance was an old barn, unremarkable except for the dark malevolent energy which crackled around it. As they drew closer, they could hear the shouts of battle and recognising the voices of Castiel and Sam, Maya and Dean broke into a run.
# # #
Stepping through the walls of the barn, Dean and Maya watched as Sam turned in a circle, knife at the ready. Only one demon remained. It grinned at him. It applauded.
"Something funny?" Sam snarled.
"Oh, you are too good!" The demon enthused. "Bravo! Really! Love your work!"
"Something's not right here," said Cas.
"Thank you, Captain Obvious," muttered Dean, and Maya shushed him.
The angel approached the demon, sword at the ready. "Lucifer?" He asked it. "Show yourself."
The demon rolled its eyes and changed form.
"Gabriel?" Sam choked.
"Son of a bitch," swore Dean, and the archangel shot him a look.
"Oooh, language!" He minced, then turned back to Castiel. Dean's eyes widened and he glanced at Maya. His sister was equally shocked.
"So you're in league with demons now?" Cas asked him.
"What? No, of course not, I hate demons as much as you do!" Said Gabriel. "I mean it though, good job! Demon nest like this causes all sorts of problems with the locals..."
"What have you done with my brother and sister?" Sam cut him off.
"I haven't done anything to them," Gabriel told him. "They're close by, anyway..." he glanced at Dean and Maya again. "Yes, I can see you," he said.
Lightening fast, Castiel put Gabriel into a headlock, sword to his throat. "Start talking," he growled.
"Really, they're fine!" Gabriel assured him. "They're locked into some sort of dimensional loop. They're on a slightly different plane of existence, just out of sync with the rest of the world. You can't see them, but they can see you... and hear you. You can hear them too, if you concentrate."
"Bullshit!" Snapped Dean.
"Bullshit!" Sam echoed.
"You see what I mean?" Gabriel grinned at Dean and Maya.
Maya glanced at Dean. "Castiel?" She called tentatively. Cas jerked and narrowed his eyes.
"They're here?" He asked. "They're safe?"
"That's what I'm trying to tell you."
"But if you didn't do this to us, who did?" Dean asked.
"Well, that I can't tell you."
"What?" Asked Sam.
"Dean wants to know who did this to them..."
"Can't or won't?" Dean cut in.
"Can't, Dean. Can't interfere more than I am already – I'm walking a fine line just talking to you!" He paused and rolled his eyes up at Cas. "Look, can you put that thing down already? You're making me very nervous."
Castiel pressed the sword against Gabriel's throat for a moment longer, then stepped away. The archangel breathed a sigh of relief.
"Not Lucifer, then," said Sam.
"No," Gabriel agreed. "Not him."
Castiel turned in a slow circle, searching the barn. He shook his head. "I can't..."
"Of course you can't, that's the point," said Gabriel.
"They can see and hear us?" Asked Sam. "What else?"
"That's about it," said Gabriel. "They can't interact in any other way. They can't touch anything, they can't eat..."
"I'm starving..." muttered Dean.
"Dean says he's starving," Gabriel translated.
"Maya," Castiel called. "Can you travel?"
"I can't..."
"She says she can't..." Gabriel started.
"I really can't, Gabriel. Believe me, I've tried."
"She says she's tried."
"And I've tried to eat," Dean put in.
"Maya will be fine, she doesn't need to eat or drink anymore, but Dean will die of thirst in a matter of days without access to water."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence, chuckles."
"Just telling it like it is," said Gabriel with a shrug.
"What's the point, though?" Castiel asked.
"Simple," said Gabriel. "Divide and conquer."
"Divide by whom, though?"
"Nothing is what it seems," said the archangel. "Trust nothing, trust no-one and don't take every... Tom, Dick and Harry at face value." He smirked, then snapped his fingers, disappearing from sight and sending them away from the barn and back to their motel in the centre of town.
# # #
"Well, that was super-helpful," said Dean. He aimed a kick at an empty soda can before remembering he couldn't even vent his spleen in this one tiny way. "At least we didn't have to walk back…" he muttered.
"What did he mean by 'don't take every Tom, Dick and Harry at face value'?" Sam asked Cas.
"I... don't..."
"Tom!" Exclaimed Maya.
"Tom," Cas echoed, almost to himself.
"Yeah: Tom, Dick and Harry, it's a human expression, it just means every other guy in the street," said Sam.
"Unless it doesn't," said Cas, turning around to scan the bushes which bordered the motel's front garden. He stooped down, his arm flashing out into the bushes, dragging a growling tabby cat out of hiding. He held the angry cat up to his eyes. "Tom," he murmured. The cat flattened its ears and hissed at him. Castiel jerked and dropped the animal on the ground. He paled.
"What?" Sam asked.
"Raphael," whispered Cas.
"That's not possible," breathed Maya. "A cat... it's not even an adequate vessel for the lowest order of angel! Never mind an archangel!"
"It's not Raphael's vessel," said Castiel as though he'd heard her. "It's just his eyes!"
Chapter 5
I'm frightened by what I see
But somehow I know that there's much more to come
Immobilized by my fears
And seem to be blinded by tears
I can stop the pain if I will it all away
- Evanescence, 'Whisper'.
Dean paced around in circles, pensive, watching his feet carefully as he placed them one in front of the other. "Hey, Maya, check this out," he said.
Maya watching him pace out another solemn circle around the courtyard and shook her head. "What am I supposed to be looking at?" She asked him.
"Look at my feet," he said. "Usually, when you walk over thick grass, your feet sink into it a little, right?"
"Right..."
"And leave footprints," he went on. "But look at my feet. The grass might as well be made of concrete for all I'm leaving an impression."
"What your point?"
"We can't touch or grab anything. Nobody can see or hear us..."
Maya shook her head again, raising an eyebrow.
"We can walk through walls," he said, placing particularly emphasis on the last three words. "So why aren't we just sinking into the earth."
"We're still subject to gravity?" Maya guessed.
"Exactly!" Said Dean, pointing at his sister triumphantly. "They can't see us, we can't interact with everyday objects... but the earth itself still knows we exist!"
"That's, uh... deep... Dean," said Maya. "But how does that help us?"
Dean opened his mouth... paused... then closed it again. "I don't know," he admitted finally. "It just makes me feel better."
"Well, good for you," said Maya drily. She glanced over at the closed motel room door. "Look, maybe we should..." She stopped, cocking her head and listening. "Is that...? Motorhead?"
Dean patted at his jacket and pulled out his ringing cell phone. He shot a puzzled glance in Maya's direction, they accepted the call.
"Hello?"
"Forgot to tell you," said the voice on the other end.
"Who is it?" Maya whispered.
"It's Gabriel!" Dean told her, holding the phone away from his mouth a little. Into the mouthpiece he said: "forgot to tell me what?"
"Dumbass," the archangel said. "You're lucky you're pretty."
Dean blinked in surprise. "Uh..."
"Your cell phone works..."
The line went dead.
"What did he say?" Maya asked.
"'Your cell phone works'," Dean repeated, frowning.
"Your cell phone..." she started. Then a light dawned on her face. "Your cell phone works!"
"Yeah, I got that..."
"Well, try calling Sam!"
Dean smacked his forehead. "I am a dumbass," he muttered. He started scrolling through his contacts list as he broke into a run, heading for the motel. As they dashed through the door, Maya automatically ducked her head as if expecting a blow.
"It's not working," she said, staring down at Sam's silent iphone.
"Great," said Dean, snapping his phone shut. "Fat lot of good that was, Gabe."
"Wait a minute," said Maya. "Castiel has a cell. Maybe it only works with angel's phones."
"Worth a shot..." Dean muttered. He scrolled until he hit upon 'Cas', glanced at Maya, took a deep breath, and hit send.
Across the room the angel's iphone burst into life in an irritating flurry of marimba notes. Castiel frowned at the display and showed it to Sam.
"What the hell...?"
"Oh, just answer it, numb-nuts!" Dean growled.
As though he'd heard the insult, Castiel answered the call. "Dean?"
"Hey Cas," said Dean, grinning at Maya.
"Where are you?"
"Standing right in front of you, dude... oof!" He stumbled sideways as Maya crash-tackled him, wrestling the cell from his grasp.
"Castiel?" She squeaked.
"Hey, boo!" The angel cooed. The brothers watched, incredulous, as a completely unfamiliar expression of beatific joy transformed Castiel from an alabaster statue to a head-over-heels-in-love human. "Are you okay?"
"Boo?" Sam and Dean choked out in unison.
"I'm okay, baby, I'm right here, I can see you but I can't touch you, it's killing me..."
"I know..."
"What if something happens? I couldn't do anything to protect you, I'm completely powerless..."
"It's okay. It's going to be okay, we'll figure something out..."
"I love you..."
"I love you, too..."
"Okay, that's enough," said Dean, yanking the phone from his sister's hand. "Give me that before I OD on soppiness, will you?" Into the phone: "Cas? Put me onto Sam."
The angel frowned at the phone and handed it over.
"Dean?"
"Sammy? Thank God we have a way of communicating now."
"Thank Gabriel you mean," Maya muttered, glaring at her brother.
"Why didn't we think of this, man?" Sam was saying.
"Nothing else works, why should the phones?"
"Why does your phone work?"
"How should I know?"
"You had it on you when this started," Maya suggested.
Dean looked at her with new respect. "You're right," he said. He noted Sam staring around the room and figured he'd heard Maya's voice in the background. "She said it's because I had it on me when this started."
"Switch to speaker-phone," said Sam.
Dean pulled the phone away from his ear and stared at it. "I have speaker-phone?"
Maya rolled her eyes. "Here," she said, pressing a button on the side of the display. "Can you hear me now, Sam?"
"Loud and clear, Maya," said Sam, grinning at Cas.
The angel lifted his chin the phone Sam was holding. "Does mine have speaker-phone?"
"Should do..." He swept the pads of his fingers over the screen until he found the speaker function.
"Can you hear me now, Maya?" Castiel called into the phone.
Maya grinned and shook her head. "I could always hear you, Castiel, and see you. Point is now you can hear me!"
"Oh," said the angel, flushing. "Right."
"Okay, trans-dimensional conference call," said Dean. "We're all reading each other loud and clear? What next?"
"Maya, you said something about Dean having his cell-phone on him when all this started," said Sam.
"Yeah..."
"So when did it start?" He asked. "Exactly when?"
"When..." Maya glanced at Dean, frowning. "When we went into my room for the holy oil."
"And you took that cat with you," said Castiel. "The Tom."
"You said he was Raphael's eyes," said Maya, looking at Cas but directing her words into the phone.
"Yeah, what did you mean by that?" Asked Dean.
Cas thought about it for a moment. "Do you remember when we spoke of angel mating sigils, Dean?"
"How could I forget?"
"You asked if it was like CCTV and I told you it was more like GPS." He glanced at the closed bathroom door. "That cat is like... Raphael's CCTV. What the cat sees, he sees."
"You think it's also some sort of... voodoo cat? Like a warm furry hex bag he used to cast a spell on us?" Asked Dean.
"It's possible," said Cas, running his fingers through his hair. "In fact, it's probable."
"To divide and conquer," said Maya. "That's what Gabriel said."
"Well, he's certain separated us into our weakest links," said Sam. "Me and Cas. Dean and Maya." He grimaced apologetically at the angel, and Dean and Maya shared a similar glance.
"How would one break such a spell?" Maya asked, eventually.
"Take it to the source," Sam answered.
"Find Raphael, you mean?"
"Yup, find Raphael, whoop his ass..." Dean trailed off, looking pale. Twice he'd gone up against the archangel and twice he'd walked away with his hide intact. He didn't believe he'd dodge that same bullet a third time. He glanced at Castiel. "We tried summoning Raphael once, through his vessel. Could we do that with the cat?"
"I'm not sure it works that way," said Cas. "If he's using that cat as his eyes, he wants to remain in a remote location. He's not going to come to us."
"What if the door swings both ways?" Asked Sam.
"I don't follow," said Cas.
"What if we could get to him though the cat? It's possible it didn't just hitch a ride in Dean's car from Kansas. What if Raphael sent it here directly? We might be able to, I don't know, hold on and ride it straight back to Raphael."
"Like a port-key," murmured Maya. She gazed off into the middle distance.
"A what?" Asked Sam. "Speak up, Maya, I didn't catch that."
"A port-key... like in Harry Potter!"
"Not Harry Potter again," moaned Dean. "What is it with you chicks and Harry Potter? First whore-crutches now port-keys?"
"Whore-crutch... do you mean horcrux?" Asked Maya.
"Horcrux, right, I kept messing that up..."
"How do you know about horcruxes?"
"It's a long story," cut in Sam. "In Harry Potter mythology, how did a port-key work."
"It was... programmed, no... had some sort of spell cast so that it acted as a teleport at a predetermined time, and anyone touching it when it became operational would be teleported along with it."
"Like the way angels travel, only using inanimate objects," finished Cas. He caught Sam's raised eyebrow. "What? I've seen Harry Potter. Maya and I got it on pay-per-view. All eight movies, all night marathon."
"Dude, pay-per-view is for porn," said Dean.
"We don't really understand pornography, Dean," Castiel told him.
"We don't see the point of it either, when we can just get naked ourselves and..."
"Woah! Way too much information!"
"Okay, back to the topic at hand..." said Sam. He turned to Cas. "Want to go get the furry hex bag?" He asked.
"Do you have a pair of welding gloves?" The angel shot back sourly. He disappeared into the bathroom and came out a few minutes later, holding the cat.
"I wondered why you kept looking over there," said Maya.
"How do we even know we can touch it?" Asked Dean.
As if in answer, the cat executed an acrobatic twist and slashed at Castiel's wrist. Dropping to the carpeted floor, the animal shook itself to settle its fur, then made a bee-line for Maya, twining itself around her legs and purring for all its worth.
"Well," said Dean. "That answers that question."
"What's it doing?" Asked Sam. "Hey..." He watched in astonishment as the cat appeared to levitate. "Maya, please tell me that's you."
Maya chuckled, stroking the purring cat. "It's me, Sam."
"So now what, we each grab a handful?"
"I guess so..." Sam reached for the cat. It twisted in Maya's arms and hissed at him. Sam paused, then grabbed its tail. He smiled apologetically at Cas. "This end doesn't bite," he said.
Maya gripped the cat by the scruff of the neck, preventing it from doing further damage to anyone. Dean and Cas each grabbed a handful of fur.
"Umm..." said Dean. "So when is this port-key supposed to leave?"
"I don't exactly have the kitty-express time-table on hand, Dean," said Maya.
"Hang on," said Castiel. He leaned over and spoke rapidly in Latin into the cat's ear. "I just sent it back to Raphael."
They stood in silence for a moment, holding onto the growling cat.
"Is that it?" Maya asked.
"It took a while with his vessel, too," Dean told her.
Chapter 7
They staggered as their feet hit the floor, dropping the cat. It flattened itself to the ground and scuttled for cover. As they watched, it stopped dead – its fur standing on end. It uttered a low growl before its head twisted sharply to the left, snapping the neck.
Maya spun around and glared at the handsome dark-skinned man. A cruel smile twisted his lips.
"You didn't need to kill it!" She hissed at him.
"Neither did I need it alive," Raphael countered. "The same goes for you and your brothers, for that matter…" He snapped his fingers, sending them away and leaving him alone with Castiel.
The angel watched Raphael warily. He had heard the archangel's response but not the original statement, nor who'd said it. He couldn't sense Maya one way or the other, but Sam was no longer with him.
"What have you done with them?"
"I didn't kill them if that's what you're thinking," said Raphael. "Last thing I need are my brothers breathing down my neck because I disposed of their vessels."
"Where are they?"
"Oh, I don't know, what does it matter?" Snapped the archangel. "I have unfinished business with you, it is hardly my fault if you can't bear to travel without an entourage of… humans." He spat the last word as though it tasted filthy in his mouth. "You place them in danger so you can't get all huffy when they wind up as collateral damage, can you?"
"Raphael, if you have harmed them, I swear I'll…"
"You'll what, Castiel?" Raphael offered a condescending smile. "Now, let's get down to business, shall we…?"
In the blink of an eye the archangel crossed the room and planted a fist in Castiel's mid-section.
# # #
"Oh no you don't!" Maya muttered fiercely. Sensing the path she'd just travelled, she closed her eyes, concentrated, and sent herself on a return journey.
"Maya, wait…!" Dean cried, reaching for his sister's arm and grasping only air. "Great," he muttered. "Got your gnarly powers back, then."
"Maya?" Sam called, turning in a slow circle. "Dean? You still with me?"
"Hang on dude…" Dean scrolled through his contacts list, praying his brother had the foresight to pocket Castiel's phone. "Yes!" He whispered as Sam began patting his jacket, looking for the angel's iphone.
"Dean?"
"Sam, we lost Maya…"
"Oh God, is she…?"
"Sorry, no, I mean she shazzamed herself back to Raphael… at least I assume that's what she did," said Dean. "She said 'oh no you don't' and disappeared."
"Right," said Sam. "She's throwing off whatever hex Raphael put on us."
"Probably because the dick killed his furry hex-bag."
"So why are we still conference-calling?"
"Something to do with being human?"
"Probably…" Sam turned another slow circle. "Where are we?"
"No freaking idea… but I'll bet that's where they are…" Dean trailed off and rolled his eyes as he realised Sam couldn't see where he was pointing. "Dude, about face… see the lightening?"
"Got it…" Sam broke into a run with Dean hot on his heels.
Chapter 8
The archangel turned and smiled coldly at Maya. "My dear," he said, inclining his head in greeting. "Throwing off the restrictions of your dimensional bond, I see. Well done."
"Maya!" Castiel called, staring around the room. "You leave her alone!" He snarled at Raphael.
"Oh hush," said Raphael, gesturing at Cas in an offhand way. The angel's head rocked back as though he'd been slapped.
"Castiel...!" Maya took a step forward and was brought up short by the archangel.
"You can't interfere," he told her mildly. "I can touch you..." he flicked his fingers at her and she sailed across the room. "But you can't do anything to me... or for him."
"Maya, get away from here! Far away!" Castiel ordered, still staring around the room. Still unable to see his lover.
"I'm not going anywhere!" Maya cried, scrambling to her feet.
"And as if I couldn't find you," Raphael put in. "No, I think you can stick around for the fun."
"Maya, go!"
"I will not leave you!" Maya screamed at him, and Castiel flinched.
Raphael chuckled. "You heard that, didn't you?" He asked. "Your bond is strong. Now let's see..." The archangel turned his palms to the ceiling and raised them, as though conducting an invisible orchestra. Castiel's body went rigid as his arms were splayed as though he were being crucified on thin air. Raphael stepped closer to inspect Cas's left palm. "Sigils of Bonding," he murmured. "How crude..." He produced a sword and in a single silvery flash, severed the hand from the arm.
Castiel howled in pain and Maya screamed in sympathy.
Raphael released his hold on the angel and Castiel cradled the stump to his body, breathing hard. He glared at Raphael in defiance.
"It does not change anything," he rasped.
Raphael shrugged. He brought the tip of his sword to Castiel's face, carving a gash in one cheek slowly. The flesh sizzled and sparks flew as the archangel sword seared the angel's flesh.
"Stop!" Maya sobbed. "Please!"
"He has defied heaven," Raphael told her. "He deserves to be punished." With a flick of his wrist, he gouged out Castiel's right eye in a flash of light.
The angel screamed, throwing himself backwards and pressing his hand to his ruined face. He looked up through a screen of red, his remaining eye beholding the triumphant archangel as he stalked back and forth, enjoying the punishment he was meting out. Through the roaring of blood in his ears, he could hear the soft heartbreaking sound of sobbing, the sound of his name being called as if from a great distance.
"Maya..." he whispered
Behind Raphael the air shimmered, and a figure flickered in and out of existence.
"Castiel..." The voice was a whisper on the wind.
"Maya..."
"Oh, she's around here somewhere," said Raphael, stepping into Cas's line of sight. He stood over the angel and pressed the point of his sword against Castiel's chest. "She can watch me end your life." He thrust the sword forward.
"Noooo!"
As Castiel's vision turned to white, Maya's image shimmered and solidified in the room, pushing through the dimensional loop which held her captive. She held up one hand to display a perfectly carved banishing symbol on her palm.
"Raphael!"
The archangel turned as Maya slapped her hands together, banishing him in a flash of light.
As her vision cleared, Maya fell to her knees and crawled towards Castiel.
"Castiel, no no, Castiel..." she moaned, gathering his limp form into her arms. She yanked the sword from his chest, throwing it across the room and pressed her palm to the torn flesh, trying to heal him. "Please," she murmured. "Please, no..." The charred image of his wings was tattooed across the floor and walls and his one good eye was wide and staring: a perfect blue jewel beginning to fade. "Please..." she smoothed his hair as her tears rained down on his face, mixing with his spilled blood. Her face crumpled in agony as she held him close, rocking him like a baby. She howled.
Over her bowed head, two sets of eyes met.
"Raphael."
"Sir..."
Maya looked up. The archangel had returned from his banishment as quickly as Castiel ever had following one of Dean's tantrums, and he faced a bearded figure in white, looking chastened and humble as a child.
"Raphael," the man said again, shaking his head. "I would expect this behaviour from Lucifer, not from you."
"Sir, the girl..."
"Is far more important than you could possibly imagine," he finished for him. "She wasn't yours to raise, although I'll admit you've done a fine job..."
"Thank you, sir..." He trailed off as the man raised his hand.
"And this was not your life to take," he went on; gesturing to Castiel's limp and bloodied form.
"No sir." He shuffled his feet. "I will make restitution, and I beg your forgiveness."
"Of course. You will leave this child, and her family, in peace."
"Yes sir."
"I'm watching you Raphael. This is very disappointing." The man watched the archangel nod, then dismissed him with a wave of his hand.
# # #
"Dean!" Exclaimed Sam as his brother popped into existence in front of him.
"You can see me?"
"I can see you!"
"That house? At the end of the block…?"
"Yeah, I think so too…"
# # #
Maya held the broken body of her angel tighter as the man in white hunkered down. He smiled kindly at her.
"Hello, Maya."
"Hello..."
"Do you know who I am?"
Maya swallowed, beginning to tremble. She nodded.
The man reached out and touched Castiel gently. "I need to take him now."
"No!" She whispered, shaking her head.
"Yes."
"No," said Maya again. She pressed her lips to the angel's bloodied forehead and laid him on the floor, staggering to her feet and placing herself between him and the man in white. "Please," she begged. "Take me instead! I am Castiel's guardian, I willingly sacrifice myself!"
"I can't allow you to do that."
Her mouth – set in a stubborn line – trembled as she lifted her chin, forcing through a lifetime of training and obedience to defy him. "Why?" She demanded.
He touched her forehead, projecting images into her mind. Images of a swollen belly, a slime-covered newborn, a fuzzy-headed infant suckling at a breast, a breathtakingly beautiful child with dark curls and fathomless blue eyes. Hers.
"How is that possible?" She whispered.
He smiled. "Through me, all things are possible."
"Then you can bring Castiel back," Maya told him. "You have to bring him back."
"I don't have to do anything." He watched as her grief swallowed her, eclipsing her faith. "But you can ask me to bring him back."
She raised her head slowly, blinking away her tears. "Please," she said. "Please bring him back."
"Maya..."
She turned, then scrambled to her feet and threw herself into Castiel's arms. Healthy and whole, the angel enfolded Maya in his arms and buried his face in her hair.
The man in white watched as the two embraced, smiling, and turned to leave.
As the angel opened his eyes, the bearded vision of his Father appeared to vanish into thin air as he walked out the door.
Dean and Sam dashed into the room, weapons drawn and looking in every direction at once.
"Cas!" Said Dean. "What are you, some sort of angel boomerang?"
"Can't get rid of me," Castiel agreed.
"Wait, was that Chuck I just saw leaving?" Asked Sam.
"Yes," said Cas. "He had somewhere else he needed to be..."
Don't turn away
Don't give into the dark
Don't try to hide
Though they're screaming your name
Don't close your eyes
God knows what lies behind them
Don't turn out the lights
Never sleep, never die
- Evanscence, 'Whisper'