Bass and Cas bond! and butt heads a little! Read on and I'll see you at the end.
Bass was nearing the end of his rope with this pain in the ass in Charlie's body. He'd tried ignoring him at first, responding only when spoken to, but he was finding it unnerving having someone who looked like Charlie beside him and not talking to them. The other thing that was bothering him was this guy was just so damn literal all the time, it's like he had no idea how a joke worked or why.
So here they are walking down the road, enough space between them to put an elephant and enough tension on Bass' part to set said elephant on fire.
They'd been walking for three days now and it finally occurred to Bass that he should probably ask what happened to Castiel that he needed to use Charlie like this.
"So I gotta ask, what happened?" Bass asked glancing over at Castiel.
"With what?" He said turning Charlie's head, her hair flipping in the breeze.
Bass closed his eyes and tried to focus on the words and not the person forming them, this was seeming to be the biggest problem of all. He just couldn't seem to separate Charlie from Castiel and it was absolutely unnerving. "You, why you're here. What happened to... your original vessel?" He asked awkwardly.
"Oh." Castiel said screwing his face up. "I was captured, I was in the middle of hunting and I was ambushed. The ones who took me have my body, they said something about using me but I can't recall how. They expelled me from my own body and 'Angel Proofed' the building. I can't get back in."
"Angel proofed?" Bass asked confused, he drifted closer. He was curious now, how had they gone this far and never encountered angels before?
"Wards mostly, some how they have managed to get there hands on celestial blades, makes it difficult to get anywhere near them."
"Why?"
"Celestial blades are the only weapons that can kill an Angel." Charlie's shoulders shrugged.
Bass pondered Castiel's words for a moment before speaking again. "How is it we've never encountered Angels before?"
Castiel dropped his head as he looked sadly at the ground. "As far as I can tell I'm the only one left on earth."
Bass stopped. "Your the only angel on the planet? How can that be?"
"We locked the gates to heaven. I chose to stay on this side." Castiel looked back at Bass who was still standing a few feet behind him. "It was a choice I do not regret. I chose to stay because someone needed me."
Bass looked at him curiously. "Who would ask an Angel to stay here? That doesn't seem very fair." Bass almost winced at his own words. He was never one to talk about fair.
"They did not ask. I made the decision without them." Castiel said simply.
"They better be worth it." He said as they started walking again.
Castiel smiled fondly at nothing. "Very much so."
"Ok I have another question. What about these men you want to find, Why them and who are they?"
"Sam and Dean Winchester. They are brothers I have been assisting for many years." Castiel explained.
Bass nodded minutely. "Ok, but why are they so important?"
"They're hunters." Castiel said as if it explained everything.
"So? Charlie is a hunter." Bass was getting annoyed, it seemed like every question he asked he needed to ask at least three more before he got a decent answer.
"They are... not that kind of hunter. They battle more... demonic beings." Castiel said carefully.
Bass gave him a sceptical look. "Right. Demons."
"You do not believe me." Castiel didn't sound disappointed, just questioning.
"Why on earth would I believe that?" Bass asked adjusting his pack.
"Why would you not? As I said when I come to you, I have no reason to lie to you." He said looking up at Bass. "Demons are as real as I am, and they are far more dangerous then any human on this planet."
"Yah, I'm still having a hard time with you, let alone adding demons to this mix. Is this why we need to find these Winchester guys? Demons?"
Castiel made a very human move then, he shrugged his shoulders, it seemed rigged and like he himself was unsure it was move he should make, but it conveyed what he needed to say. "I am unsure. The ones who captured me could be demonic but I cannot be sure until we find my body."
"My head is starting to hurt." Bass said rubbing his fingers against his temples. "We need to find something to eat, maybe a place to stay. I think we're about an hour outside of a town, we can ask about these guys there."
"I'm not in need to food or sleep, neither of these things are necessary for me." Castiel said tilting his head in what Bass was finding to be an infuriating gesture of innocence.
"To bad for you, I need it. Won't Charlie's body need the rest and food?" Bass asked getting more irritated.
"Not while I occupy her. My grace will sustain us both."
"Your grace? No wait, never mind don't answer that. let's just play the quiet game until we get to town and I can have a drink." Bass sighed, he was exhausted and constantly annoyed, he just wanted to get this over with and have Charlie back.
An hour later with unbroken silence they finally make it into town, Bass stumbling from the heat and exhaustion, Castiel looking like nothing had happened at all in the last three days. The first thing Bass did was find the local bar, he explained it was the best place in these towns to gather information, Castiel as usual seemed unfazed by this revelation of info.
Bass tosses his bag on the floor next to his chair as he flops himself rather ungracefully into it. "Would you just sit." He says glaring at Castiel, he knows he's being rude, being a down right asshole really, but he can't bring himself to be okay with this whole situation.
Castiel seated himself across from Bass and looked around the bar. "I should speak to one of these patrons, they may have heard something about Dean and Sam."
Bass sighed and leaned back in his chair. "You can go talk all you want, I'm going to sit here and have myself a drink."
Castiel turned his piercing blue eyes on Bass then and he could have sworn Castiel was trying to burn a hole through his skull. "You seem to have some problem with me." He said softly causing a shudder to run through Bass' spine.
"Damn right I do." He said leaning across the table. "You came out of know where and demanded to use me as your play thing. and Charlotte out of the goodness of her stupid heart volunteered herself and you didn't question it." Bass said angrily. "She was impulsive and you took advantage of that. She's just a kid she shouldn't have said yes to you."
Castiel blinked at him and tilted his head, the effect was less quizzical then he had intended, with her long hair and soft features the look just came across as being innocent and playful. "She seems to have the frame of mind to know what she wants. She does not seem to be a child to me." He said blinking at Bass. "I took no advantage of her, she knew what I was asking and in your refusal she stepped forward."
Bass glared at the girl across from him. "So you would have just used who ever said yes?"
"My intention is not to use, I need permission to enter a vessel. Jimmy knew what he was getting into and he gave willingly, just as Charlie did." Castiel sighed, he was clearly getting exhausted trying to explain himself. "The sooner we find Dean the sooner you can have Charlie back."
Castiel then left the table, Bass watched him walk around the bar asking various drunk patrons questions, it wasn't until Castiel reached a particularly drunk and apparently flirty man that he thought he should help.
Castiel was pushed against the counter, the large man was running his fingers through Charlie's long hair, Castiel seemed unsure of what to do, he'd never been in this position when he was in Jimmy's body. His eyes slid past the large man to Bass who had stepped up behind the offending man.
"I believe the lady not interested." Bass said crossing his arms as the man turned glowering.
"Oh yah? I disagree, we were just having a lovely conversation."
Bass rolled his eyes, he couldn't believe what he was about to do, he reached past the drunk man and pulled Castiel into his arms. "She's here with me, ask them they saw us come in together." He said jerking his thumb over he shoulder to the table by the door.
Castiel stood rigidly pressed against Bass' side, he looked up and noticed the anger radiating off of Bass. He loved this girl how did he not notice it before, his protective behaviour and anger to Castiel made more sense now.
The drunk man ambled off in a growling mood, and Bass extracted himself from Castiel. "You need to be more careful who you talk to, clearly your not used to being a girl, but Charlie is an attractive young woman and men tend to prey on that." Bass sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Go sit, I'll bring you a some food and I'll go get some info."
Castiel tilted his head and looked at Bass. "Alright." He turned and went to seat himself at the table they were at before. He sat ram-rod straight and looked around the bar. Bass watched him for a minute before ordering food for Castiel.
A few minutes later Bass was placing a plate of food in front of Castiel and slid in to the seat opposite of him with his own plate of food. "So what are these guys like? What do they look like?"
Castiel didn't respond, he just looked at him through Charlie's eyes with a quizzical look on his face.
Bass sighed for what felt like the millionth time. "I need to know what I'm asking about. How old are they? Where did you see them last? Do you know what they're doing now?"
"Dean is about forty-five, six foot one. Sam is thirty-six, six foot four. Last I saw them they were in New Vegas, they caught wind of something they were hunting, to make money they usually gamble or challenge pool, I was separated from them two months ago."
Bass sorted through the info in his head, trying to see how he was going to find two men he'd never heard of or seen before in his life. "Stay here." Bass said standing up. "You move from this spot and your on your own." His voice was hard and unwavering, he wanted this shit over with.
Bass wandered his way over to the most likely of people to give him info and sat at their table. "I need information and I'm willing to give two diamonds each if I get what I want." He said leaning back in his chair. The two men sitting at the table exchanged a wary glance before looking back at Bass.
"Alright." The first man said leaning on the table. "What are you looking for."
"Two men, brothers actually. About forty-five and thirty-six. They have something I need and from what I've heard they wander, probably working as poolsharks." Bass face was hard an unreadable, he didn't want to give away how important these men were to him. "Last I heard they were in New Vegas, but that was two months ago."
Man number seemed to remember something and opened his mouth before closing it again, he seemed to be contemplating whether this info was worth giving up. "What do they have that you need to find them?" He asked suspiciously.
"The girl over there. They know where her brother is, it's of value to me to find him." Bass was still unwavering. "You know something or not?" He asked leaning across the table.
Man number one was the one who broke. "I know who you're looking for, there actually not far from here. probably about three hours by horse. They have a camp in the woods north of here, you've gotta be careful though, they are the sneakiest and most ruthless bastards I've heard of since Sebastian Monroe." He breathed sounding terrified.
"Thanks." Bass said standing, he tossed the diamonds on the table and walked back to Castiel. "Come on, we're leaving." Castiel looked up at him puzzled. "I know where they are." He said grabbing his bag.
"You do?" Castiel said standing up slowly while he grabbed Charlie's bag.
"Yes, we're not going tonight though, I'm not going head long into the forest in the middle of the night, We'll go at dawn." Bass explained as they exited the building. "I need the rest, you may not, but I'm not as young as I used to be and I need to sleep."
Castiel opened Charlie's mouth to protest when Bass rounded on him, her eye's going wide at the sudden stop.
"If you say anything about not requiring sleep and wanting to leave right now I swear to God I will tie you up and throw you in a closet I don't care if you are wearing Charlie." He looked on the verge of beating Castiel out of Charlie's body.
"As you wish." He said still staring at Bass wide eyed.
Bass got them a room and he thumped his way into the room and threw himself on the bed. "If your not going to sleep that's fine, but don't leave this room." He said his eyes already closed. "If I wake up and you're not here you will regret it."
Castiel nodded even though Bass was not looking at him. Moving over to the desk he pulled up the ratty bible that sat on it, he touched the cover with Charlie's delicate fingers, he knew the book cover to cover, he was there when it was written but it had been so long he figured he would pass the time reading.
When Bass woke the next morning he found Castiel curled up in the large chair in the corner, Charlie's head nodded forward the Bible Castiel had been reading slipping from her fingers. He took the book from her hands and her head snapped up a frown creasing her features.
"Apparently you do need to sleep." Bass said smugly.
"I shouldn't, this is not good." Castiel said worry in his voice for the first time.
Bass frowned. "Let's go then, we'll need horses if we want to get there today."
Three hours later Bass and Castiel hopped off their horses and made their way into the dense forest on foot. "Do you have any idea if there is something we should be looking for?" Bass asked eyeing up the trees. When Castiel didn't answer he turned and found him staring past Bass. He turned back to look at what Castiel was looking at and found the barrel of a double shot gun in his face.
"Shit." He said his eyes going wide in surprise.
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