In Good Hands
Okay, I'm not going to lie, but this story came to me in a dream. I still can't get over the fact that Uriel was the evil angel. I guess that I want to rewrite history. Call this an AU if you must. Also, you have to read my other story 'Thoughts Results of Static Cling' to understand. This will probably tie into 'Everybody Look Down' later on.
Summary: You haven't been as strong as you should be since you pulled Dean from Hell. Why? AU for 4x16
Disclaimer: The title comes from the AllState commercial. It was playing as I was thinking of a title so, that is what it comes from (I know, pretty lame). All I own is the idea behind the story. The angels are real, but molded to my purposes. Everything that isn't mine is from the episode.
Castiel watched as Sam dropped his hand to his side. The angel stared at him, wide eyed, in awe of what he had just witnessed. Castiel made his way to the body that Alastair was using. He searched for any sign of life, but he knew that he would find none. The body was a bloody mess.
His attention was pulled away when he heard the sound of someone having a difficult time breathing. He saw Sam kneeling next to his brother. "Dean," Castiel whispered. He walked over to the brothers, wanting to reach his hand out to touch Dean. Sam looked up and glared at the angel. "Sam, take your brother and get him to a hospital. I'll come and heal him when I can."
"Where are you going?" The statement was supposed to be biting, and angry, but Sam was terrified for his brother.
"I promise I'll fix this Sam," Castiel whispered. "I'll be following you, making sure you two are safe. I—" Castiel was interrupted when he felt a strong pull on his coat.
Sam looked around and saw the angel had disappeared from the room. "Cas!" he yelled. "Damnit!"
LRLRLRLRLRLRLR
Castiel was dropped unceremoniously on the ground. He landed and caught himself on one knee. "Castiel," he heard someone say his name.
The young angel looked up and saw his brother staring at him. "Uriel? Why?" He looked around and saw that he was standing in the middle of an empty playground. "I need to—"
"You need to be healed," Uriel interrupted.
"You can't heal."
"Brother," two voices said from behind which caused Castiel to spin around.
He saw his brothers standing and waiting. "Raphael. Gabriel. What are you doing here?"
"I am here to heal you," Raphael said, stepping forward.
Castiel stepped back. He knew that something else was coming because Gabriel was there also. If he were just supposed to be healed, Raphael would've been enough. Castiel looked at Gabriel, and Gabriel sighed. Gabriel could read the concern on his brother's face. "And Father wants you back in Heaven."
"Why?"
"Because he won't risk you."
"Risk me?"
Gabriel stepped toward his brother. Castiel couldn't find the strength to step back. "You aren't strong enough on this plane. You were almost defeated my Alastair, twice. If the Winchester boys hadn't intervened—"
"That wasn't my fault, Gabriel."
"You are supposed to be strong enough. Father doesn't like hearing about you getting injured," Gabriel added.
"It really isn't my fault, Gabriel."
"Sit," Gabriel said.
The youngest brother knew better than to disobey Gabriel when he was trying to take care of him. Castiel looked around and saw a bench a few feet away. He walked over to it and sat down. The archangels followed him to the bench. Raphael sat next to him and put his hand to Castiel's face. Castiel leaned into the warmth that was coming from Raphael's hand as the wound closed. "I hate seeing you like this, brother," Raphael whispered, sad.
"It won't be the last time," Castiel whispered back.
"You haven't been completely healed, have you?" Gabriel said.
"Gabriel."
"You haven't been as strong as you should be since you pulled Dean from Hell. Why?" Gabriel asked.
"It doesn't matter."
"Castiel. You are my brother. I care about you and I can see why this fight is important to you. But I will not sit by and watch while you keep getting hurt. Tell me why you keep getting defeated, and I will send someone else to watch you. And I can tell Father to stop worrying about you." Gabriel looked to Castiel for any sort of sign that his brother heard him. He received none. "Castiel, are you listening to me?"
"I heard you, Gabriel."
"Leave him alone, Gabriel," Raphael said. He turned Castiel's chin toward him and healed his nose.
"What do you know?" Gabriel asked the healing angel. "What are you hiding, Castiel?" Castiel looked away when he felt the vessel's nose heal.
Raphael pushed Castiel to lean against the back of the bench. He put a hand on his younger brother's chest and closed his eyes. Castiel found himself also closing his eyes, wanting to rest for a moment. "It was really close, Castiel," Raphael whispered. He concentrated on making sure Castiel's form was still bound to the vessel. "You almost had to find another vessel."
"Well, then I guess it's a good thing that I chose a strong one the first time."
Castiel tried to sit up, but Raphael kept his hand on his chest to keep him from moving. "Lucky you," he said.
"Castiel, what are you hiding from me?" Gabriel repeated.
"I'm jut weary. It is nothing you have to worry about."
Gabriel sighed. He knew that his brother wasn't telling him the complete truth. "Castiel, I will go into your thoughts if I need to."
Castiel's eyes shot open and he sat up quickly. Raphael was not quick enough to stop his brother's movements. "Don't you dare."
"Then tell me."
Castiel looked to Raphael who gave him a nod. It was subtle that the other two archangels didn't realize its significance. "I'm not complete," Castiel whispered.
"What?" Michael and Uriel said.
"I haven't been for some time."
"Since when?"
Raphael put a hand on Castiel's shoulder and pushed him forward to lean on his legs. He put a hand between his brother's shoulder blades and on the jagged cut. "Since I pulled Dean from Hell," Castiel said after he groaned, when he was use to the warmth he felt from his brother's hand.
"But you were fine. When I pulled you out you were injured, but that was it. Your grace was still in tact."
"It was."
"Then."
"When you healed him," Raphael whispered, answering for his brother.
"What? How," Uriel asked. "The mud monkey has your grace?"
"Some of it," Castiel whispered.
Castiel sat up and wanted to say something, but Raphael spoke up first. "Stop yelling at him, Uriel," Raphael said. "It's obviously been awhile since you've healed anyone."
"What does that mean?"
"When you heal a charge," Raphael started.
"You take their scars," Uriel continued.
"And you give a small portion of your grace to heal them."
"But you're supposed to get it back," Uriel said.
"Not if you are interrupted," Gabriel whispered.
"I wasn't able to finish," Castiel said in the same volume.
"I pulled you up too soon," Gabriel said. His brothers could hear the guilt in his voice. "That's why you—"
"Gabriel, do not blame yourself."
"I didn't allow you to take your grace back. I thought that I was helping you."
"You were."
"Just take it back," Uriel said, after being quiet for some time.
"No," he said, adamantly. "It's keeping him safe, for now."
The archangels backed off, knowing that their youngest brother's mind was made up. Castiel stood up from the bench while Raphael stayed seated. Gabriel and Uriel stood back to give their brother space as he spread his wings. Gabriel looked to the sky as if he were listening in on something. "Castiel, your wings," Raphael said, standing from his seated position.
"They'll heal," he said. "They'll be healed when Dean wakes up. Just give him time."
"I really think—"
"Are we done here?" Castiel said, interrupting Raphael. "I need to go and heal Dean." He turned away from his brothers.
Gabriel looked to Castiel. "You aren't allowed to," Gabriel said.
Castiel turned back around slowly. "Why not?"
"He will heal fine without your help."
"And because you aren't healed yourself," Raphael said.
"Just take back your grace," Uriel huffed. "That way, you can heal him, demons won't be hard to defeat, and Father won't have to worry about you."
"I won't take it back. Not until I know he'll be safe without it."
"So, you're willing to risk your safety, over and over again. For this boy?" Gabriel asked.
"Yes," Castiel answered without hesitation. "He continues to put his life in danger and I cannot always be there."
"And you wonder what we were talking about when we said you were getting too attached. I'm telling you now, brother, you are not allowed to heal him."
"Why not?"
"Because if you heal him, we don't know what will happen to you."
"Gabriel."
"What do you want me to tell Father, Castiel?"
"The truth. He'll understand."
"He will say that I'm right. Do not heal him," he said, stressing every word of the last sentence, almost as a threat.
"Just ask Father what will happen."
"You are so stubborn, Castiel. Just leave it alone. Don't heal him. If he has some of your grace, like you say, then he should be fine."
"It isn't your responsibility to heal him every time he gets hurt," Uriel added.
"It's my responsibility to keep him alive," Castiel said.
"Careful, Castiel," Gabriel warned. "We are on your side, believe that."
Castiel sighed and rubbed his hands up and down his face. He was tired, and his brothers could see it. They didn't approve of how ragged he was running himself. "I know," Castiel said. He sighed. "I won't heal Dean. Go talk to Father. If he thinks it's necessary to have someone else watch over me with Uriel, I'm fine with that." Gabriel nodded. "I need to go see Dean. And do not try to pull me way," he said, glaring at Uriel.
"Go," Raphael said. "Clean yourself up, first." Castiel ran his hand over the bloodstains and tears on his clothes and they disappeared. He turned around and Raphael brought a hand up and it ghosted over the blood on Castiel's back. "Okay," he said when he was done. Castiel disappeared from their sight. "Be safe," he whispered to the air.
"You knew about all of this," Gabriel said.
Raphael looked at his brother sadly before he disappeared, just as his brother did.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLR
Castiel flew to the outside of the hospital. He didn't want to cause any commotion by appearing in the middle of Dean's room without an explanation. He walked up the stairs and closed his eyes. He followed his grace to Dean.
He walked to Dean's room and saw Sam sitting at his bedside. He really wished that Dean was alone, but he knew that Sam wasn't going to leave his brother. Not in the condition he was in. He understood though, because he would do the same for any of his brothers and his brothers would do the same for him.
He stood in the doorway for a second before passing the room. "Sam," Castiel said when he saw the youngest Winchester follow behind him.
"Get in there and heal him," Sam said, angrily. "Miracle, now."
Castiel wanted more than anything to heal Dean. He felt guilty knowing that it was his fault that Dean was lying in the hospital bed. It would be easy. All he had to do was walk into the room, put his hand on Dean's arm and close his eyes for a moment. Everything would be fine.
But he couldn't disobey Gabriel. He couldn't give his brothers and his Father a reason to pull him from the fight. "I can't." Even though he wanted to.
Dream story, done. Seriously though, it's really bothering me that Uriel turned out to be bad. This story probably will not fit with the show and how it's going. But that's okay. So, if this doesn't make sense, it was me trying to sort through my dreams. I don't know how well that went. Well, here it is. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading. Please review. Lil-Rock
