Hi folks!
Wow, thanks so much for all the wonderful reviews, alerts, favorites, etc for this story. Knowing how many people are enjoying it, makes it that much more fun to write.
I know I've said it before, but I also want to say again how much I appreciate all the support I've gotten from y'all. Without you guys and your wonderful encouragement, I would never have had the guts to pursue a writing career. This week was especially exciting as I had my first big assignment – travelling to Atlanta, Georgia for a visit to the set and interviews with the cast of USA's new show, Necessary Roughness. I just got back a couple days ago and I'm still writing up everything but it will all be posted at Daemon's TV within the next week or so (just in time for the series to premiere later this month). This coming week, I am off to Toronto to visit the sets of both Covert Affairs and another new show, Suits.
Fanfiction gave me the guts to dive into this new career so every time something new happens, I always feel the need to thank you guys so again, thank you!
FYI – if you want to read any of my reports, see the pics I took from the sets, or read any of my other articles (including those for my Supernatural column), reviews, etc, then head on over to my profile page and there you will find links to my Twitter, Facebook page and Daemon's TV page – which is where all will be posted.
And now, on with the story! :o)
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Chapter 2
After deciding first and foremost that they were in deep trouble, the second thing the trio decided was to move the ailing angel to Bobby's room since it had the only bed (other than the rickety cot in the panic room) in the house. Though the elder hunter's home was fairly large, most of it was taken up by various books, objects, herbs, weapons, and everything else he used in his line of work. After his wife had died, Bobby had hated how empty the place felt and did everything he could to fill it up with as much crap as possible.
In more recent years, he had even made one of the upstairs rooms into a supernatural lockdown, similar to the one John had created in a storage unit years ago. It held dangerous artifacts that couldn't be destroyed, all in a variety of lock boxes, protected by charms and sigils to keep them from getting out and doing harm to the unwary.
When the Winchesters had been kids visiting the place with their father, John had slept in the one spare room Bobby still had back then. Sam and Dean argued over the couch, though Dean usually took the floor anyways, always willing to do anything to keep his little brother from whining all night. They had gotten so used to the sleeping arrangements that it didn't faze them one bit when, as adults, they found that Bobby didn't have a spare room any longer. Even if he had, they would have just had to argue over who would have slept there. Sleeping in the living room as they always had, one on the floor and one on the couch, just seemed like the simpler option.
Claiming that he hated research anyway, Dean volunteered to sit with Cass once they had the angel settled in Bobby's room. That wasn't really the reason why he opted for nurse duty and they all knew it, but neither Sam nor Bobby commented as they both went to work. Dean may tease the "nerdy angel" within an inch of his life, but from him that was a sign of affection. The eldest Winchester had taken the angel under his own wing, adopting him as another brother. One thing Dean took extremely seriously was the protection of his family. If Sam were in the same plight, Dean would be by his side. He saw no reason not to do the same for Cass.
Dean had already filled a basin with cool water. Pulling up a chair, he sat beside the old iron bed where the angel lay. Wringing out a wash cloth, Dean put it on Cass' forehead. Over the years, he had learned one major rule about supernatural illnesses: if you don't know what it is, treat the symptoms. Cass was suffering from an unknown poison and even though none of them had a clue what it could be, one thing Dean knew he could do was try to keep the angel's fever down. Considering the fact that they were dealing with something that was currently kicking the ass of one of the strongest beings he'd ever encountered, Dean couldn't help but to feel a bit foolish. Still, it was better than sitting on his hands or trying to concentrate on a dusty old book when all of his attention would be on Cass anyway. Might as well make himself useful.
Suddenly Cass shifted on the bed, flinging his head so violently that the cloth dropped to the floor beside him with a wet sound.
"Hey, easy there buddy. You know, I gotta wash these every time they land on the floor and you wouldn't believe how picky Bobby can be about his delicates. Give a guy a break, will ya Cass?" Dean said jokingly to the angel, a part of him hoping that Cass would wake up, even if it was just to argue with him about wash cloths not actually being a delicate. Yeah well, tell Bobby that, Dean thought.
Before he could wet another cloth, Cass moved violently again, nearly sitting up. His eyes stayed tightly closed, but it looked to Dean like maybe he was trying to speak. No words came though and the angel continued to twist and turn on the sheets, as if fighting an unseen force.
"Cass, come on, don't make me tie you down," Dean joked again, a little sadly this time. Tying down Sam during his demon blood incidents had been one of the hardest things he'd ever had to do. Sure it had been for his brother's own good, but it didn't mean the older Winchester had liked it. Doing the same for Cass would suck just as hard and he really hoped it wouldn't have to come to that. Though if the angel was in danger of hurting himself, it was an option they would have to think about.
"Dammit Cass," Dean said quietly, struggling to hold the flailing angel down. For a relatively puny little guy (at least when compared to the Winchesters), he sure had a lot of spunk. After getting a particularly good knock on the nose though, Dean wisely grabbed Cass' hands and held them at his sides until the episode ended.
"How is he?" Sam said just then, walking into the room followed closely by Bobby.
"Just peachy," Dean grumbled. "Got anything?"
"Yeah, at least I think I figured it out," Sam replied, pulling open the book he had with him and opening it to the page he had marked. "And there's good news and bad news."
"C'mon Sam, you know I hate that game."
"Sorry. It's kinda complicated. What I mean is that the first thing we found out was that it may not be fatal."
Dean brightened up immediately. "Awesome. So what's wrong with him?"
Sam swallowed. "Demon blood."
"What do you mean demon blood? How can demon blood be wrong with him?" Dean had sudden visions of Sam slicing into demon flesh and sucking at the wound; of his brother picking up a jug of demon blood out of the Impala's trunk and begging Dean not to watch him drink. Shaking his head, he willed the images from his mind.
"He means that whoever gave Cass a poke made sure to dip their blade in some demon blood before they did it," Bobby answered for Sam, eyeing Dean carefully. Demon blood was a bit of a touchy subject with the elder Winchester.
"Okay, but you said it can't kill him, right? So what's the bad news?"
Sam sighed and looked quickly over at Bobby before answering. "What you have to understand Dean, is that demon blood is pernicious. Just a small amount is apparently all that is needed to get this result," Sam jutted his chin at Cass, who was currently showing every sign of being in pain, despite his unconsciousness. "The demon blood attacks the angel blood, just like a normal virus in a human."
"But you said…," Dean began again.
"I know," Sam held up a hand. "I'm just trying to explain what's going on."
"Dean, we can't be sure," Bobby cut in, "but we think that if Cass leaves the vessel, there's a good chance that will cure it. At that point there won't be any angel blood for the demon blood to fight with and it'll just go dormant."
"So, what?...all Cass has to do is leave his vessel for a little while and he'll be fine?" Dean asked. It couldn't be that simple, could it? "Then let's wake his ass up and get him outta there."
Before Sam or Bobby could answer, someone else did it for them.
"No."
Sam, Dean, and Bobby turned as one at the weak voice. Castiel was awake and watching them all, his eyes glistening brightly from fever. He tried sitting up, but quickly gave up when his body wouldn't cooperate. Staying where he was, the angel struggled to speak and Dean went to his side, bending down to hear the soft words.
"What, Cass?"
"Cannot….leave….vessel."
"Why?" Sam asked, walking up to the other side of the bed and kneeling down to hear the angel's words. "Won't that fix this? Can't you just let Jimmy have his body back for a little while?"
"Yeah Cass, we won't let him escape this time. We swear." Dean said with a small grin.
"Demon infection will only grow stronger…..will not affect Jimmy…...but contaminate the vessel," Cass paused to cough wetly. "If I leave...can never return to this body."
Dean was nearly afraid to ask his next question. "And there's no other vessel for you except Jimmy's daughter, is there?"
Cass shook his head. "Only lesser ones…..can't do…..what I need to do…...in a lesser vessel."
Those in the room that were still on their feet stared at each other, digesting Cass' words. When he'd been tossed out of Jimmy's body in a fight, Cass had come back just in time to enter the man's daughter and take a mortally wounded Jimmy to heaven. Until the loving father had begged the angel not to subject his little girl to a life strapped on the (literal in Cass' case) coattails of such a powerful being. Granting the man's wish, Castiel had left the girl and re-entered his original vessel. The angel had no intentions of going back on that promise, but nor could he take on a lesser vessel; as Lucifer had been forced to do while waiting for Sam, his true vessel, to say yes. They had all seen how a lesser vessel broke apart when occupied by an angel and, even in his weakened state, Cass was fully aware he could not take that chance. Not with what needed to be done.
"Well then I guess that's it, then," Bobby said, crossing his arms at the foot of the bed. "Looks like he's just gonna have to ride it out."
Dean looked down at the figure lying in the bed, unsure if that was possible. Exhausted by the few short sentences he'd managed to croak out, Cass appeared to be out cold again. Taking Sam and Bobby by their arms, Dean led them both out into the hallway.
"Do you think he can?" Dean began in a fierce whisper. "Ride it out I mean? He doesn't exactly look like a guy who's up for it. Besides, the only possible cure you guys found was for him to leave that body. How the hell do we know if he can survive at all?"
Bobby shrugged his shoulders. "You heard him, clear as I did."
"Look man, Bobby's right," Sam added. "It's not like we can force him out of there. If Cass has decided to try and stick it out, there's nothing we can do except try and help him."
Dean wanted to argue, he wanted to scream and holler and yell until his face was blue and someone agreed with him. But the only person whose opinion mattered was Cass, and besides the fact that he was currently taking a demon blood-induced nap, Dean was fully aware that one of the many things that his adopted brother had gotten from him was stubbornness. If Cass wanted to wait it out, then that's what Cass was going to do; there was very little that Dean or anybody else could do about it.
Looking back at the bed, Dean sighed resolutely.
"Crap."
