Title: Takin' Care of Business
Rating: PG
iCharacters:/i Castiel, several surprise guests
Summary: Castiel has to "deal with" a group of humans who aren't staying in their own private heavens. His method of "dealing with" the issue isn't exactly what other angels would expect. Another story in the Heaven, Hell, and a Mechanic series.
Spoilers/Warning: Spoilers for the first five seasons, none for anything else.
AN: This is another story in the Heaven, Hell, and a Mechanic verse. In this universe, Sam is Lord of Hell, Castiel is an archangel and is keeping order in heaven, and Dean is a mechanic. Yeah. It's a bit of a crack series, but it's fun (and has a lot less angst than the show).
Castiel smiled slightly as he entered the human area of heaven. His siblings had finally realized that some humans were able to leave their own private heavens and meet with each other. They'd brought their observations to Castiel, who told them to wait a day.
After spending the day in the heavenly archives, he told his siblings that he'd take deal with the matter.
Castiel stopped just outside of the area he knew to be the gathering place for those humans who had learned to travel outside of their own heavens. The well-warded representation of Harvelle's Roadhouse loomed over him, and he nodded once.
He eyed the warding, but decided that, although he could easily break through it, he didn't want to.
So instead, he knocked on the door. There was a very long pause before the door opened. "Can I... Ellen!" he cut himself off in pleased surprise.
"Cas?" Ellen Harvelle replied.
He nodded, a small pleased smile on his face. "It is... it is good to see you again, Ellen," he said. "I couldn't find you, and I feared that the hounds had dragged you and Jo down, no matter how Sam reassured me that wasn't the case..."
She stepped out and hugged him. "We're both fine," she said.
"I'm glad Ash was able to find you," Castiel replied.
She stepped away. "You knew?"
"Of course I knew. I've known about Ash since the last time Dean and Sam returned to Earth. May I come in? I have to talk to you, and it would be better if I did it where my siblings can't hear."
She frowned. "Let me check," Ellen said before disappearing back into the building. Castiel settled in to wait.
It was a very short wait. Less than a minute later, the door flew open and Jo Harvelle ran out and embraced him. "Cas!" she said.
"Jo," Castiel said as he returned the hug. He'd learned a lot about human forms of affection in the last few years and he'd found he enjoyed it. "It is good to see you again."
"Come on in," she said. "Ash says we can knock out some of the warding."
"That won't be necessary," Castiel replied. "I can..." he paused, trying to think of how to explain. "I will be able to pass the wards. I'm not sure how to explain to you, but I can."
Her eyes widened. "You can do that?"
Castiel nodded. "Don't worry," he added as they entered. "There's really only one other angel who could, and I doubt he would even think to try. Thanks to Sam and Dean, I have... picked up a few bad habits, I suppose you could say."
Jo chuckled. "Good habits," she corrected.
"My siblings would disagree."
He looked around. To his surprise, there were nearly a dozen people waiting in the building. He was met with mostly unfriendly, suspicious faces. Inwardly, he sighed, though outwardly he just flicked a glance at Jo.
Ellen was already behind the bar, opening a bottle of beer. She passed it to him and he took a drink. It was the same brand Sam and Dean preferred.
"So, what are you doing here, Cas?" Jo asked
He smirked and took another drink. "My siblings have finally noticed that some humans have been..." he paused. "Visiting each other," he finally concluded. "I said I would take care of it." Everyone but Ellen and Jo tensed. Castiel could only guess that they didn't want to return to simple memories.
He pulled a piece of paper out of his coat pocket and handed it to Ash. "So I'm taking care of it. Use these equations and sigils when you travel. Only myself and Raphael can see through them, and he won't be looking." His smirk widened into a grin. "None of my siblings will suspect that humans would be able to understand these, but I know you can."
Slowly, Ellen began to smile. "You are taking care of it by telling us how to hide?"
Castiel nodded, still smiling. "Ellen, humans should be free to do as they please here. I don't understand why you aren't. This at least, is a start, until I can change things."
The gathered hunters were silent for a moment before one Castiel hadn't noticed stood up. "Why?"
Castiel turned to the man, and then froze in shock. "John Winchester?" he asked. His gaze shifted to the woman still sitting at the table with him. "And Mary Winchester."
He took a deep breath. "Because of your sons," he said. "Dean and Sam taught me." He shook his head. "They taught me what it means to be human, to have free will, and all that comes with it."
Mary gasped. "You are the angel that helped my boys?" she asked. "We never heard what happened at the end. Can you tell us? Are my boys ok?"
Castiel glanced around before nodded. "Sam and Dean are fine," he said. "Or, they were yesterday when I had lunch with them. And I would have heard if something had happened in the last day. And we won. Sam overcame Lucifer and threw both Lucifer and Michael into the pit. He and Adam..."
"Adam!" John interrupted.
Castiel nodded. "Adam, too, is doing well. He's helping Sam." He glanced around. "I'd like to talk with you privately, if I may."
"Use the back room," Ellen said.
Mary led them to the back room and closed the door.
Castiel traced around the edge of the doorway. "No one can hear us," he said.
"What happened to Sam?" John asked.
"When Sam threw Lucifer and Michael into the pit... he had taken control of his own body from Lucifer, and Michael had taken Adam as his vessel." Castiel paused. "They are fine," he said, because he knew that they would need to hear it. "They are fine," he repeated.
"They had to make their way through Hell. I'm not sure how- Sam has not told me- but they ended up in an area of Hell known as the Gauntlet."
John paled.
"They made it through," Castiel continued. "And Sam found himself as the Lord of Hell. Adam is his second in command."
John slumped back in his seat. "I... I tried so hard..."
"John," Castiel said. "You succeeded. Sam is not evil." He paused, eyeing John for a second. "He isn't. He has to keep the demons under control, but he is still Sam. I promise you. Azazel and Lucifer did not turn him. He's too stubborn."
Mary reached out and gently took John's hand. "You're sure?"
"I'm positive," Castiel said. "He is still Sam. He is still a good man, and he hasn't turned. He had enough strength of will and his innate goodness to overcome Lucifer himself. And he has already had me take several innocent souls from Hell to Heaven."
John sighed. "But Hell- it changes people, Castiel."
Castiel nodded. "It does. And Sam has changed. But he is still Sam. He is still the man who showed me friendship when I couldn't see past his supposed destiny."
"And Dean's alright?"
"Dean only Hunts if he has no other choice, now," Castiel said. "He is doing very well."
Mary sighed. "Are the boys happy?"
Castiel nodded. "They're happy, as they never have been before."
"Then that's all I need to know."
Castiel smiled. "Is there anything you want me to tell them when I see them again? I should see them in a couple of days."
John and Mary glanced at each other. "Just tell them we love them," Mary said.
"And we're proud of them," John said. "Tell all of them- even Adam- that I'm sorry."
"They have forgiven you," Castiel said.
"Still..."
Castiel nodded. "I'll tell them."
Mary smiled. "Thank you. And thank you for letting us keep meeting."
"Sam and Dean would just yell at me if I did not," Castiel admitted.
"You're an archangel, can't you just ignore them?" John asked.
"No- they are my friends," Castiel said.
Mary smiled. "I'm glad they have such a good friend."
Castiel leaned back in his chair. "Unfortunately, I can't stay for long, and I don't know if I'll be able to come back any time soon. But I will let your sons know that you are safe and happy now. And that you love them."
"Tell Bobby thanks, too," John said. "I bet he's been looking after them."
"I will," Castiel said.
He and the Winchesters left the small room. "Good luck," he told Ellen- and by extension, everyone in the Roadhouse. "Though I don't think you'll need it."
Ellen grinned at him. "We'll do fine, Cas," she replied.
Castiel nodded and walked out of the Roadhouse. He watched for a few minutes, then the building seemed to waver in his eyes before stabilizing. Ash had put the new equations and wards into place, and the hunters were free to continue visiting. Castiel smirked and headed back to the angel area of heaven. He had work to do.