Disclaimer: I own nothing, Supernatural belongs to Eric Kripke and large television corporations such as the CW. Any and all of the following is completely fictional and fan-made.
Author's Note: Hello, hello! I don't know how many of you take this upcoming holiday to heart, but Easter is just a really special time for me. So, I thought why not include Supernatural in some of the festive hype? Without anything further, please enjoy!!
The thick and gray cumulus clouds overhead split, allowing elusive rays of golden sunshine to pour down onto the Earth's surface. A cool and gentle breeze whipped through the trees of the surrounding woodland, causing the murky waters of the nearby pond to glide in a northbound direction. In the rolling hills beyond, which were toppled with delicate strands of fresh spring grass, shrill cries of rusty playground equipment could be heard accompanied by the laughter of small children.
Still, the Winchester brothers sat contently on an aluminum park bench, which overlooked the oval shaped body of water. Castiel meanwhile, was crouched not too far away, busily examining thin twinings of onion grass growing in a barren spot at the base of a Birch tree. Dean inhaled deeply, taking in the refreshing atmosphere which surrounded them. Sam, on the other hand, seemed pleased simply to stare at the captivating nothingness that lingered on the other side of the lake.
It had been the first time in months in which the trio was actually able to enjoy themselves and relax – after their run-in with Lucifer at Carthage, a blast back to the past, and of course their encounter with the three out of the four horsemen, fighting the apocalypse was definitely proving to be no picnic. Still, Dean leaned back slightly, spreading his arms widely over the backside of the bench they were seated upon. Turning his head to the side somewhat, Dean could see Castiel's tan trench coat flapping in the breeze beside him.
"What?" he asked simply, looking at the angel who appeared to be towering so highly above him from this angle.
Castiel's ocean deep eyes grazed over the tiny vine he held delicately in his hands, tilting his head awkwardly to see each and every perspective of the specimen. "This plant," he began, dusting a small amount of dirt from its base, "it seems so insignificant in comparison to the Birch it sits beside."
Dean arched his brow in confusion, not entirely seeing Castiel's point. He questioned, "So?"
"So," Castiel continued onward, "it is still undoubtedly my Father's creation. It serves a purpose, as it is pleasing to the eye as a minuscule food source." Looking down at the hunter who sat beside him, Castiel could see the perplexed expression upon Dean's face. He clarified, "It's fascinating to me, that's all."
Sam, in the mean time, had been listening to what Castiel was saying and seemed to find a deeper meaning masked within the angel's words. Keeping those thoughts to himself for the time being, however, he asked, "Cas, could I see that?" He pointed a finger to the small plant which Castiel possessed within his grasp.
"Of course," Castiel replied simply, outstretching his arm and lightly plopping it into Sam's palm. Sam examined it from afar, before raising the bulb to his nose to smell it. It wasn't a massive odor, but Sam could still smell the faint scent of onion from the tiny plant.
Interrupting his brother's thoughts, Dean cleared his throat, "I think you have a friend there, Cas." He nodded his head in the direction of another bench which was seated not too far to the right from their own.
There sat a little girl, only about four or five by the looks of it, seated beside the assumed mother. She was just contently looking at Castiel, a slight smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. She was dressed in a tiny plaid dress of mossy green, her vibrant ginger hair pulled up into a delicate little bun. And of course, she couldn't have been more complete without a cute button nose and freckles to match. Tucking a strand of her own fiery hair behind her ear, the mother smiled warmly at the trio of men before handing the girl a petite juice box. The little girl took a long sip of the yellow tinted liquid, presumably apple juice, before turning once more to gaze upon Castiel. As the mother turned to fidget with a bag at her side, the young girl hopped off the bench and promptly strode over to where the angel stood.
The two stood with a longing gaze for a moment, before Castiel broke the silence. "Can I help you, small one?" he asked simply, tilting his head in wonder.
Dean sighed and rolled his eyes simultaneously at Castiel's lack of know-how when talking to children. "Little girl," he began, "why don't you go drink your juice over there? Hmm, you're mommy is gonna worry."
But she was quite content on just ignoring Dean, a large smile spreading over her face as he continued to stare at Castiel. Wrapping her arms firmly around his leg, the little girl buried her face in his pant material inhaling deeply. "Abrar" the girl's mother gasped, quickly by Castiel's side to retrieve her daughter, "I'm terribly sorry."
Castiel studied over the woman before him, his head tilted slightly sideways in his typical manner. "Devoted to God," he muttered simply, watching as the child still clung heartily to his leg.
At Castiel's words, the woman's eyes widened in surprise. "Yes," she responded pleasantly, "Abrar – Arabic, meaning devoted to God. She's such a willful girl."
Castiel could feel a slight smile pulling at the corners of his mouth as he continued to examine to the small child. Dean and Sam, who still sat watching the situation, chuckled somewhat amongst themselves before Dean cleared his throat, "I think we can see that."
The woman smiled embarrassedly, running a hand quickly through her shoulder-length strands of hair. Sighing deeply she asked, her voice hushed, "I hate to ask this of you, but I left my phone in the car. Would – would you mind keeping an eye on her, just for a minute?" Pointing to a silver S.U.V. in the distance, Castiel nodded silently in agreement. "Thanks so much!" the woman exclaimed, "She seems rather fond of you anyway."
Soon enough the woman was striding speedily over to her vehicle. Castiel in the mean time, lifted Abrar from her place at his shin, taking a seat on the nearby bench. Carefully he rested her on the edge of his knee, keeping her steady and balanced. Abrar's eyes, which were also a stunning blue, never left Castiel's eyes for an instant. At last he spoke, his voice light bearing a new warmth and happiness. "Tell me what you know of God," he said softly.
"God the daddy of the world, and the daddy of Jesus," Abrar squeaked in a high pitched voice.
Castiel grinned somewhat at the child's innocent, but rightfully true words. "What does Jesus do?" he asked, curious just how much knowledge Abrar knew of religious affairs.
Abrar searched the nearby area, as if her next response were painted on the side of a tree. "Jesus loves me," she began, her voice still high but melodic, "this I know, for the Bible tells me so. Little ones to him belong, they are weak but he is strong."
"That's right," Castiel choked, feeling a strong wave of emotion wash over him. Seeing crystal tears beginning to prick at the edges of his eyes, Abrar shifted in his lap, moving in closer to give him a hug. Wrapping her arms around the back his neck, Abrar was just barely able to connect her tiny hands together. Castiel cradled her head ever gently in his hands, closing his eyes in contentment of the child's warm embrace.
At last when their hug had ended, Abrar still leaned close on Castiel, her head lying snuggly beneath his chin on his chest. She inhaled him deeply as once before, sighing in relaxation as she did so. At last Abrar's mother returned, chuckling somewhat over the sight before her. "Abrar, what are you doing?" she asked curiously, watching as her daughter lifted her dazzling eyes up towards her.
"Just smelling," Abrar replied simply, dimples creasing in her cheeks as she smiled.
"Oh I see," the mother laughed, taking a few steps closer, "and just what would he smell like?"
Turning back to face Castiel, Abrar inhaled deeply once more, studying what seemed to be the very depths of his soul all the while. "Like warm rain and fluffy clouds," Abrar beamed, "Like sunny days and daffodils. Castiel smells like the angels."
Hearing just what Abrar had said, both hunters swung their around vigorously – if they hadn't been paying attention before, well they sure as hell were now. Castiel's face fell flat as Abrar spoke, not in horror or disgust but in a rather peaceful shock you might say. "Wow," the mother murmured quietly, as Castiel returned Abrar to the ground once more.
"Your daughter has much potential," Castiel said simply, patting Abrar gently on the head, "I have a feeling religion will drive her life for a much stronger purpose."
"You know what?" the mother mused, smiling widely, "I think you're right. Would you like to walk back with us, Cas- Castiel, was it?"
Castiel paused for a brief moment, ocean deep eyes flashing between mother and child. "Thank you kindly, ma'am," he nodded, taking hold of one of Abrar's small hands as the three began to venture towards the car which was settled across the gravel parking lot.
"What do you think all that was about?" Dean pondered aloud, watching the group go.
Sam smiled, his hands still clasped around the small onion bulb. "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven," Sam quoted simply. Examining the perplexed look upon his brother's face, he clarified, "Matthew, chapter eighteen."
"Oh," Dean nodded wearily, clearing his throat awkwardly, "so what is that, a wild onion?"
Sam glanced at the tiny plant nestled lightly in his palm. There was still a hint of dirt covering its tip, but otherwise it was completely pure and white. "I guess so," Sam replied at last, lifting the onion to eyelevel, "You know, Dean, Cas had a point about what he said earlier."
"He did?" Dean shrugged, watching the soft waves move gracefully over the surface of the water.
Sam fidgeted with the curly green grass between his fingers. "You're an onion bulb."
Dean swung his head around at his brother, one eyebrow arched in utter confusion. "Come again?"
"Look at it as a metaphor," Sam urged, trying to get his point across, "You, Dean, are like this onion bulb, small and insecure. Hell, you're nothing compared to life, the Birch tree over there."
Dean's expression became dull and unenthused. "Gee thanks, Sam. Never really considered myself much of the metaphor guy though honestly," he retorted, his voice rather flat.
"You're still a creation of God," Sam continued, ignoring his brother's sarcasm, and staring him firmly in the eye, "I just think Cas wants you to realize that no matter how crappy things may seem, He's got a higher purpose for you."
Dean turned away from Sam's piercing gaze, feeling a slight color flourish to his cheeks – religion really wasn't his gig, much less discussing it with Sam, who suddenly decided to become Bible freak extraordinaire over here. Clasping his hands together, Dean chose to stare at them, still unwilling to make direct eye contact with his brother. "I guess you're right," he cleared his throat awkwardly, realizing that there was indeed some truth to Sam's words, regardless of how little wished to believe it.
Suddenly, a warm breeze drifted across the land, bearing a slight tint of rain. "Hey, you smell that?" Sam asked, lifting his nose to the wind.
Dean breathed deeply, enjoying the scent most thoroughly. "Does it smell like the angels?" Dean teased, nudging Sam ever lightly with his elbow.
Sam chuckled somewhat, his face falling serious as he pondered upon Dean's words. "Yeah," he sighed contently at last, "it's the scent of the angels."
Well there you have it – my best attempt at wrapping the true meaning of Easter and the exhilaration of the spring season into one complete package. I was actually sitting in the park while writing the very beginning of this, so most of the setting is based off my hometown… how ironic ^_^
I hope you all enjoyed this, just a little break from the norm to welcome the new month of April. Thanks for reading!!