A/N: Thank you to all who have read, reviewed, alerted, and favorite this story, I love you guys! So here is the next installment of "Angel Of Mercy", I hope you guys love it! (Note: Chapter title from the One Republic song of the same name….I listened to it on repeat while writing this chapter, really captures Dean's character in my opinion, you should listen to it!)
Disclaimer: Do I own Supernatural? Maybe I do and the angels made me forget! (but probably not)
Chapter 3: We all Fall Down
His sleep was fitful, laced with nightmares some silent, others not so much. He had assumed that it had to do with where exactly he was sleeping, it was nothing special, just the couch where he normally slept when he crashed at Bobby's, but it also came equipped with fresh memories, (and guilt) of his angelic brother. After about three hours of attempting to sleep peacefully, Dean gave up, and began to strategize, while Sam snored nearby.
He knew that he had made a mistake in his approach yesterday of convincing them that Cas was alive, and in trouble. He came off as grief-stricken in the denial phase; obviously they weren't going to take his word for it. He thought to himself seriously, no what he needed was a reason, an indicator that maybe- just maybe, Cas was alive. The assumed lack of wings were not going to make them lead a full on inquisition, what he needed to do, he snapped his fingers in accomplishment, was to prove that there were no wing marks.
By the time Bobby and Sam lumbered into the kitchen, Dean had a pot of coffee ready, and was pacing the room anxiously.
"Whoa Dean, someone had too much caffeine this morning," Sam remarked blearily as he took in his brother's jittery demeanor. He walked over to the coffee, and cocked his head to see how much was left. "You had nearly half the pot single handedly."
"That's just because, I've been awake, making plans while you two were getting your beauty sleep, Dean explained off handedly, casually throwing supplies in a duffel. "By the way, it's not working."
"Plans?" Bobby questioned slowly, "what kind of plans?"
"Plans on how to prove that Cas is alive." He answered, waiting for Bobby's expected reaction.
"Dean" Bobby sighed wringing his hands wearily, "I thought we discussed this already-"
"No" Dean cut in, "we discussed that we would discuss this in the morning", he paused from his preparations to turn and look at Bobby. "Look, I know you guys think, I'm consumed by so much grief that it's compromising my judgment…and I don't know maybe it is to some degree, but Cas is alive, and I can prove it."
"Alright, Dean, I'll bite, what's the proof?" Bobby drawled, unconvinced, staring at Dean critically.
"Well, we just have to go back to the reservoir, and find a way to drain it." He answered nonchalantly, "If wing marks are there, I'll drop it, Cas is dead, you win" he paused for a second "but, when we see that there are no wing marks scorched into the bottom, you two will quit your complaining, and help me save Cas, from those Leviabitches." Bobby opened his mouth to protest, but was curtailed by Sam's reply.
"Okay Dean" he said sympathetically. "If you really believe in this, then we'll do it". He looked to Bobby whose face was displaying abject disbelief, "at the very least it will help him to move on" he quietly explained to Bobby. Dean decided to ignore Sam's reasoning, and just be grateful that Sam was on board, and by default, Bobby.
"Alright", Dean said swiftly, "now I just have to put this last bag in the car, and we can get this show on the road." He ambled around the room quickly, assessing in his mind, any supplies he might have forgotten, and upon uncovering none, went out to the car, leaving Sam and Bobby alone in the kitchen.
"Sam!" Bobby yelled lowly, "I know that your mind aint exactly what we call stable at the moment, but you could even know that entertaining this idea, isn't going to help Dean."
"No Bobby, one way or the other it will help him." Sam answered simply "I gave this a lot of thought last night, you know Dean, he's stubborn, once he gets an idea in his head, he won't drop it. We have to let him play it out."
"But Sam, when Dean sees those wing marks-it's going to break him." Bobby said slowly, his eyes filled with worry.
"He's broken either way" Sam said regretfully, "seeing those wings will start the process of fixing him, I know it seems horrible, but he needs to know the truth." The loud bang of the door slamming, breaks them out of their conversation, and Dean appears back at the kitchen doorway.
"All right, guys all packed up, let's go." Dean tells them, not waiting for a reply before running back to the car, with Sam and Bobby following behind him at a slower pace. The ride back to the water plant was as quiet as the ride back from it had been, the only thing different was Dean's emotions. The abject grief and desolateness had been replaced by hope, and a twinge of anxiety. Dean knew that Cas was alive, he had to be, but still what would happen if he saw wings? He shook his head violently, making Sam raise an eyebrow at him from the backseat, he couldn't even think about that possibility, Cas was alive, he wouldn't see wings, he couldn't see wings-. The duration of the ride was filled with Dean's inner conflict with himself, a conflict which he set aside once they reached their destination.
"Dean, did you figure out exactly how, we're going to get the water drained?" Sam asked as he stepped out of the car. Dean smirked, and handed them both an ID, which he had packed. "CDC?" Sam asked in disbelief, "what are we going to tell them, a dead angel is contaminating the water, and we need to drain it?"
"Leave the talking to me Sam", Dean answered as he motioned them over to a small office situated a few yards away from the water. They walked in, and were instantly met by a middle aged man.
"I'm sorry sirs this is a restricted building, you're going to have to lea-" He began but was interrupted by Dean displaying his badge.
"I'm Dean Perry, from the Center for Disease control, that's my partner Sam Tyler." He said crisply, "we're here due to some recent illness which we have reason to believe are correlated with the water you are currently processing. Now I need to know, who's in charge here?"
"I am" the man answered skeptically, "and I haven't heard about any illness". He assessed them critically "don't you guys work in pairs, who's that?" He asked pointing to Bobby.
"Due to the severity of the situation, our supervisor" he gestured at Bobby, "Robert Plant, decided to accompany us…now I'm going to need you to drain and filter the water, all the way. Not a trace can be left in that lake" Dean said gruffly.
"This is a joke isn't it?" the man asked staring at Dean in disbelief, "I mean you guys are not even dressed professionally, what was it casual Friday at the CDC?"
"Well I'm sorry to disappoint sir," Dean began sternly, "but we had to remove our suits when we came into contact with a flesh eating virus, and these were all that we had in our lockers, before coming here. Don't worry though we were given the ok, to go back in the field" He explained seeing the man's skepticism turn into fear, and deciding to play it up. "However, they did say that we could be carriers for the contagion for as many as 28 hours." The man attempted to backed away subtly, but failed in that endeavor by colliding with a chair. "If you don't believe us, we can field a few calls with our agency, and have them send the vans over, we'll just utilize your office as a command center for a few hours." He coughed loudly, "do you mind if I use your desk?"
"Uhmm no-no there's no need, I believe you." The man said hurriedly, eyes bugged out in fear, "let me um just um run the draining equipment, and then you guys can go outside and assess the lake.
"Thank you very much" Dean said turning to walk back outside, with Sam and Bobby following behind. "We'll just be outside" Once directly out of earshot, Dean turned and grinned triumphantly at Sam, "see?"
"Dude, I don't know how that even worked….a flesh eating virus?" Sam remarked skeptically "where'd you think of that?"
"I don't know, moment of inspiration….." Dean replied as they ambled over to the water front. The moment he made it to the edge of the water, he sighed involuntarily, becoming barraged by memories of the day before. It wasn't real he thinks to himself, he didn't die, so just calm down Dean. The water started to recede, being pumped into the filtration system, and Dean could slowly see a murky visage of the bottom. The seconds grew longer, for Dean, it felt as if millennia had passed and only a few inches of water, had been drained, Sam and Bobby stoically next to him; Sam standing close enough to him, to be ready to give him strength, in the case of an adverse outcome. Slowly the water receded, until Dean could clearly see what lay below. His breath hitched in his throat, at the image that lay before him, and he felt as though he could not stand. Eyes welled with tears, and only one word escaped his lips, "Cas."
A/N: I know, I know, a cliffhanger…I'm evil! So what do you think Dean has seen at the bottom of the lake, wings or no wings? Let me know, leave a review! And maybe you'll get a resolution to this cliffie a little sooner than normal!