Notes:Okay! Here we go on episode four! Wooo! And if you notice things are a little out of order, then it's intentional, I promise =) I was also super surprised that I only had to change River's rant a little bit to fit into Castiel's character. Yay convenience!
Disclaimer:I own nothing here! Nothing at all! I'm just a lowly student D'X
Honor Bound
CHAPTER 1
It's lunch time on the Impala. The area is bustling with energy as everyone is gathered together to share a meal. Bobby was happily whipping up some kind of stir-fry with the protein blocks and some canned veggies. The aromas that were floating through the air was making everyone's mouths water. The smell was mostly from the fancy spices Anna had donated to the cause and Balthazar kept on gushing about each spice in fond memory of some of the upscale food places he had once frequented. A smiling Chuck was at one corner of the room talking to Sam about the next chapter in his book. He had been struggling with it because he himself had never been to a fancy party and only had his neighbor's seventh birthday party to go by. Sam was just nodding along, mostly focused on the book on piloting that Gabe had given him.
The mentioned pilot was on the couch flicking bits of ripped up paper napkin into Sam's hair who had yet to notice and it was starting to look like Sam had a horrendous case of dandruff. Served him right for having his hair that long, thought Dean who was sitting nearby.
Even Meg had come to the room and was trying to steal bits of food out of the wok Bobby was cooking with every time he turned his back. She was doing pretty well; she had gotten four pieces so far with only two wrist slaps.
Cas was also moving around the room, inspecting this wall pattern or running his hands over that scratch in the furniture. He was humming that continuous note again, but it never actually seemed annoying. If it was anyone else, Dean would have probably slapped them upside the head. But Cas….from him it only seemed to relax Dean. Sam had mentioned once that it was probably a coping mechanism for Cas. A way to try and calm himself when he was stressed.
What was he stressed about now though? He followed Cas with his eyes, trying to see what might be agitating the young man.
Dean's thoughts were interrupted when Sam finally noticed that his hair had been littered with what looked like a bucket of confetti and was now chasing a laughing Gabriel around the room. The scene brought smiles to everyone's faces. Even Meg was smirking from over in the corner where she was able to grab another piece out of the wok while Bobby's eyes were following the running pair.
Cas had made his way over to the counter next to Bobby and was now looking through the crate of canned foods, humming sounding a little more frantic, but it couldn't be heard over the ruckus in the kitchen.
He picks up one can of peaches and fiddles with the label, and slowly ripping it off. He starts mumbling, "There it is. It's always there if you look for it. Everybody sees and nobody sees it...Can't always know what's inside. Surprises lurk…."
Sam had made a grab for Gabriel, but the smaller man twisted out of his grasp making Sam trip over his own too long legs and take down a chair. He still scrambles after Gabe once he finds his feet again. Everyone is cheering loudly.
Cas picks up the next can and removes the label frantically now and then moves on to the next can, his movements becoming more and more panicked. Still muttering under his breath, "These are the ones that take you! Little ones in the corner that you almost don't see. But they're the ones that reach in and do it. They're the ones with teeth and you have to smash them!"
By now he has six cans unlabelled and is smashing the last one upon the counter loudly. Everyone in the room finally notices him. Sam and Gabriel stop their antics and Bobby reaches over to try and pry the cans from Castiel's fingers and Dean darts over to pull Cas away from whatever was bothering him on the cans.
"A million things, and the little ends of the roots go everywhere but you don't see them because they are hidden as friendly mailboxes in a fancy neighborhood and then when they're there no one says it because, because sometimes they're afraid. And then….then they come..." Cas looks to Dean as if begging him to understand, but this time around, he really doesn't.
Balthazar steps forward to take his now trembling little brother from Dean. He leads Castiel towards the crew quarters, probably to Cas' nest where his plant is. Dean can hear Balthazar's low voice muttering comforting things to Cas as they move down the hall.
Turning back to his crew, he is met by many eyes looking at him. Bobby is putting away the de-labeled cans and Gabriel moves to help him. He looks like he feels guilty for some reason and the preacher notices.
"No harm done, son. We'll just have a few mystery meals. Add some excitement to the dining experience." This gets a small smile from the pilot.
Meg looks over to Gabriel, "You should probably see to that Gabe. Bad habit for a fugitive. He does something weird like that in public and he's going to get himself hauled away."
Gabriel can only nod in absent agreement. Sam rests a hand on his shoulder in comfort.
"Is he getting worse?" Anna said this to Gabriel, but she was looking at Dean, as if also asking for his opinion.
But Gabriel was the one to answer, "You have all seen that he can be fine one moment and then drop the cookies the next. But I don't think he's actually getting worse. He has too many lucid moments now for me to think that."
"Maybe he's getting cabin fever?" Suggested Chuck.
Gabriel looks up sharply at this. "You know what, Chucky-Cheese? You might just be right. Cascade might just need to spread his wings, so to speak. Last time he was outside for real, not just a hood ornament on the ship, but actually outside…it might be that it's been years. The Host wasn't too keen on out of classroom experiences."
"But we can't be sure that he would be able to handle the outside world. It could help or it could hinder him. I mean, he's obviously more sensitive to the…bad parts of people. If we expose him to some place crawling with low-lives…." Sam trailed off, not wanting to elaborate on how it might hurt Castiel.
Sam's comment brought a ridiculous image to Dean's head where Sam would wrap Cas up in his freakishly long arms, hugging him far too tightly and cradling Cas' head and whispering, "You're far too precious for this 'verse". It almost made Dean laugh out loud, almost. But he understood where Sam was coming from, and he agreed whole heartedly. Cas might not be ready, no matter how cooped up he might feel.
"Well, perhaps it's best to let the chick leave the nest eventually. Won't learn to fly otherwise," mumbled Bobby where he was still stirring the food.
The crew all seemed thoughtful at this, but Dean could only imagine a blue jay spiraling down towards the ground.
Later that day found Gabriel and Sam in the bridge after a much less eventful dinner. Castiel had emerged again for the meal and seemed to have centered himself again and even cracked a wide grin when he saw that Chuck had made some sort of sick imitation of a burger with the ground protein. To him the twisted burger was gourmet.
Sam could see the difference in Gabe now that Castiel was stable again. He was relaxed, leaned back in his pilots chair and one lazy hand on the control stick. The sight warmed Sam. He had been seeing the same haunted look in Gabe's eyes that Sam had seen far too many times on Dean's face. It was too familiar, and it was wrong. Sam would do anything to erase that look from their faces.
But now Sam could be content sitting here with the lounging Gabe. Out the window in front of them a planet came into view with its sun peeking out from behind it. It was sunset for that part of the planet. The sun lit up the bridge, casting Sam and Gabe in its glow instantly warming them.
"So Dean says that we'll be staying in Lawrence for a week," mentioned Sam while stretching his long frame like a cat in a sunbeam.
Gabriel made a happy sound next to him, "Shiny!"
Sam looked over at the pilot, "Yeah? I thought you might get land-crazy, being in port that long. I mean, you have the attention span of a three year old."
"Probably, but I've been sane a long time now and change is good," purred Gabe glancing lazily over to Sam.
Somewhere behind them they heard Dean enter the bridge.
"Well now. Isn't that a pretty sight," Dean commented on the view out the window.
"Gotta love a sunset, Captain!" remarked Gabe, not taking his own eyes off the view.
"And we've stopped here enough that it sort of feels like a second home, almost," joked Sam.
Dean didn't agree entirely. "Lawrence isn't home. Too many people and places we have to avoid. We re-supply, look for work, and move along. We sniff the fresh air, we don't kiss the dirt." Dean stated firmly.
But Dean's gruff attitude towards the place wasn't enough to bring down Sam and Gabe's happy mood.
"Wasn't planning on kissing the dirt, Dean." Snorted Sam while glancing Gabe's way. Dean's face scrunched up in disgust.
Gabriel picked up from Sam, "Yeah. I wouldn't stand for it anyway. Jealous man like me…" He winked at Dean. And Dean made a mental note to bleach his brain later.
"Closing in on the planet now," Gabriel noted, while sitting up to get a better handle on the controls, he may have waited a bit too long to start piloting.
Sam piped up next to him sounding mildly concerned, "Um, Gabe? Planet's coming up a bit fast, don't you think?"
"That just means I'm going down too quick. Likely crash and kill us all," said Gabriel cheerfully.
Dean chooses to leave then, "Well if that happens let me know." And he moves out from the room.
Woooo! Hope y'all liked the first chapter! Next one up tomorrow! :D