The hot, Louisiana sun was just about 3 hours past its zenith, allowing it to cast the shadows of six figures standing expectantly in the backyard of the grand Miss Robichaux's Academy. Circled around Castiel were Sam, Cordelia, Kyle, and the two members of Cordelia's council, Zoe and Queenie. One could spy a number of spectators gazing out the windows in wonderment. From behind the walls, the chattering of confused and eager females commenced as they guessed what event could possibly be taking place. Though the happening was clearly conspicuous among the curious witches, no one dared go outside or interfere in anyway. Whatever was going on was momentous, and to risk interruption would be consequential.
In the center of the circle of people was a hole in the ground; one large enough to fit a casket inside, but far too shallow to actually accommodate for a burial. Once everything was ready, Cas stepped in front of the edge of the hole so he was opposite a displaced mound of dirt. Carefully, he removed the lid from the urn and bent over the hole. This had to be precise. Any ashes left behind could result in the process not working correctly. Slowly tipping the urn, Cas allowed Misty's ashes to flow freely into the hole, efficiently keeping them from landing anywhere outside of where they were supposed to go. He continuously banged on the bottom of the urn once it was empty to ensure that every last bit of the ashes had landed in the hole. He set the empty urn down on the ground and stepped back. Kyle stepped in to retrieve the urn while Zoe and Queenie pushed the mound of dirt forward. Once the ashes were completely covered in the topsoil and the witches returned to their spots in the circle, Cas was ready for the next step.
Thinking back to what Crowley had implanted in his mind, he began to recite the incantation. The five spectators watched motionlessly as Castiel perfectly spoke a mysterious, cryptic language, which Cordelia was able to decipher as ancient Aramaic. He stayed on his feet for about a minute as he delivered the chant, pausing only to bend down and place his hands over the spot where the ashes were buried. As he continued to speak, his eyes began to glow a vibrant blue color. What sounded like ominous, disembodied whispers could soon be heard, which brewed up looks of alarm on the faces of the younger three members of the group. Castiel shifted into a crouching position and, before delivering the final line, said, "I'd advise all of you to close your eyes now unless you want to be injured." No one hesitated to do this. Shouting the concluding line out into the sky, Cas was quickly enveloped in a blaze of white light. Once everything settled down, slowly and cautiously, the remaining members of the group opened their eyes. Castiel was gone. All they could do now was wait... and pray...
...
"Freak! You're a freak!" the kid named Bobby taunted for... it was impossible to count how many times he had done it by now. "Mr. Kringley, she did it again!"
Why did this boy have to be so vile? What had she ever done to him? Why was it so necessary for him to torment her like this?
Speaking of torment... "If you won't dissect a dead frog, then you'll dissect a live one." The biology teacher stuck the scalpel back in her hands and forced her to make the fatal incision.
"NOOOOOO!" she screamed as the other students snickered in the background. As soon as the teacher's back was turned, her hands covered the dead frog. With a single pulse, the frog was alive again.
"Mr. Kringley, she did it again!"
"If you won't dissect a dead frog, then you'll dissect a live one."
It was like clockwork, but it wasn't something she would ever get used to. Every single time she watched herself cut open that poor, innocent frog, Misty felt as though a piece of her soul were being torn off. It had happened so many times now, and each and every time, the pain worsened. By now, more tears had left her body than blood soaked her once gentle hands.
"Mr. Kringley, she did it again!"
"If you won't dissect a dead frog, them you'll dissect a live one."
What did she ever do to deserve such a fate? Why was this happening to her? Why did no one have any mercy?
"Mr. Kringley, she did it again!"
"If you won't dissect a dead frog, then you'll dissect a-" Mr. Kringley never finished the sentence. Instead, Misty looked up to see the man screaming in agony. Bright light was blazing through his eyes. Misty gasped as the light disappeared, revealing her teacher's eyes to have been burnt out, blood leaking steadily from the sockets. As he collapsed to the floor, a man stood in his place; a man whom Misty had never seen before. Was he a new addition to her torment? No, Misty didn't remember some tall, mysterious man in a tan trench coat and a blue tie. The gasps and looks of terror on the faces of her classmates confirmed that this was something out of the ordinary.
"Who... Who are you?" Misty questioned nervously, but the actions of the mysterious man, or whatever he was, were somewhat rushed.
"There is no time to explain," he answered, tone void of any emotion. "Now come here. We need to have physical contact for this to work."
Misty hesitated. This was all happening so fast. She had no way of knowing what this being was trying to do! However, it seemed she had no choice in the matter. Without warning, he stepped forward and grabbed ahold of her right shoulder. All of the lights overhead suddenly popped, and yet the room was much brighter than it had been before. Misty watched in astonishment as they appeared: two large, terrifying wings unfolded from the back of the man's jet-black shadow. Was she encountering a real angel? She didn't have time to comprehend before the blinding light engulfed her vision. All she could hear was wind and the terrorized screams of her classmates before she felt a sudden tug. The last thing she heard was the flapping of colossal wings before she passed out into oblivion. When she would wake up next, she would be covered in soil...
...
Only a few years prior, Dean had woken, confused and disoriented, in the dimness of a pine box. Previously, upon losing his life after a gruesome spar with hellhounds, his body had been left in shreds. His innards were paste, his skin mutilated, his bones snapped. In this grotesque state, the Winchester brother's corpse was given a decent amount of time to fester six feet under within the wooden confines of the pine box; decomposing well more than enough to prevent even the powerful swamp witch from being able to revivify him. Yet with all these factors, when the angel swooped down and pulled him from the fiery grasp of Hell, Dean awoke to an almost perfectly restored body. If anything, the scar in the shape of Castiel's hand on his left shoulder was the only flaw. It was almost as if nothing had ever happened.
If all that had been possible, then it wasn't exactly a surprise when the spot on the ground where Cas had buried the ashes began to shift. From the soil, a woman's hand began to emerge, followed by a second hand, two arms, and finally a face. The utter shock linked to what had just happened to her was not yet as serious a concern as the desire to yank herself completely out of the earth. After a few moments of brushing dirt away, with some help from Sam and Cas, she stood in glory over the spot she had risen from. Just like a phoenix, Misty Day had reanimated from her own ashes. Like Dean had been, she was fully clothed in the outfit she wore last. The elegant shawl given to her by Stevie Nicks effortlessly masqueraded the handprint on her shoulder; an identical handprint to the one left on Dean, only on the right shoulder rather than the left.
No one seemed to know how to react to Misty's reappearance, especially after believing she was gone for good. Misty herself appeared to be pretty disoriented. It felt like she hadn't set foot on the earth in years... centuries even. She was in the middle of the circle now, and no one moved a muscle as she slowly surveyed the people surrounding her... She recognized Zoe... then Kyle... Queenie... Had she seen the noticeably tall man before? No, and next to him... Her heart leaped. It was the angel. Her gaze froze right there, and she remained petrified until a voice pierced the silence. A voice she had truly longed to hear...
"M...Misty..."
She stood next to the angel, radiating splendid health and a heartfelt smile. Suddenly, everything that was wrong before had lifted from her shoulders. For the first time in a while, Misty felt happy.
"Miss Delia!"
With the speed of a cheetah, Misty sprinted in Cordelia's direction, throwing her arms around the Supreme and sobbing into her shoulder. "Oh, I thought I'd never see you again!" Cordelia cried, holding her fellow witch closer than she ever had before. Her heart felt as though it could burst any minute. Having Misty return created such an overwhelming sense of joy that could never be explained, even if one were to try. The sight of her and Cordelia back together moved her other three companions. Unable to hold back, Zoe, Kyle and Queenie joined in, creating an immense group hug. It was enough to make Sam laugh a little. It was such a beautiful sight.
"Enough of this." Perhaps not everyone was moved. "Her return doesn't change the fact that Dean is still in trouble. We need to get to saving him immedi-"
"Cas..." Sam interjected, shooting the angel a look. "Lighten up. I want him back too, but let them have their time first."
Whatever time he was speaking of, however, was cut short when, all of a sudden, Misty's legs began to wobble, and the witch collapsed to the ground. Cordelia gasped and Cas rushed to the scene immediately. He picked up Misty's head examining her. "She's okay, just under the pressure of what she's experienced. She's going to need a little time to rest and recuperate."
Everyone seemed to understand. Turning to Kyle, Cordelia ordered, "Take her to my room. I need to be able to keep an eye on her and make sure everything is okay."
Kyle nodded, easily scooping the body of the gypsy witch in his arms. With Zoe at his side, he entered the building and made his way up to Cordelia's room, where he lied Misty down on the bed. "She'll probably be out for a while. She's literally been to Hell and back," Zoe noted. She removed the woman's shoes and set her accessories on a night table. Then, to save Kyle some work, she used telekinesis to drag the blankets out from under Misty and preceded to tuck her in. "It's almost shocking. She looks surprisingly peaceful..."
"Let's be grateful for that," Kyle added. Taking Zoe's hand, he started for the door. He allowed it to gently swing shut, but not before looking back for a moment and whispering, "Welcome back, Misty."
...
"You know, I'm in no way supportive of hunters or anything like that, but you gotta admit, that tall guy was pretty fine," Queenie snickered as she took a handful of popcorn from a bowl sitting on the coffee table. She and the happy couple were staying up late tonight, as usual. Now that there were so many other witches at Miss Robichaux's, they didn't seem to get to hang out as just a group of three anymore, so they often stayed up and headed to the living room while the others were sleeping. They enjoyed this quite a bit, as it allowed them to become closer; not to mention Queenie truly respected the couple's ability to actually not make her feel like a third wheel.
"It's kind of hard to think like that when his brother's dead corpse is upstairs..." Zoe remarked as she took some popcorn. They were all informed of the plan to resurrect Dean, but Zoe was the only one who actually saw the two men carrying his body to the guest room. She stared intently at the popped kernels, looking at them as though they had minds of their own and she was trying to read their thoughts. Kyle sat next to her, idly stroking her long, chestnut hair.
"Oh come on, girl. You just won't admit it since you already have a man," Queenie joked, casting a glance at a radio on the other side of the room to make it turn on. As if to confirm this, Zoe held the popcorn in front of Kyle's face, prompting him to open his mouth. She giggled a little when he caught on and she gently placed the kernels inside. He beamed playfully at her as he chewed on the snacks, resulting in an long, exaggerated eye roll from Queenie. "My god, get a room you two!" she laughed.
Suddenly, they all went silent when they began to recognize what was playing on the radio. The sound of Fleetwood Mac filled the room once the previous song ended. The band brought up one thing, and only one thing to their minds: Misty.
"So do you think she's back for good?" Queenie questioned.
"Well... I mean... technically once you're a member of this coven, you're practically family," Zoe claimed. "I wouldn't be surprised if she stayed."
"I would be," Kyle stated, to which the two young women stared curiously in his direction. "I mean, think about all the shit that happened to her once she came here. She seemed to be living a pretty peaceful life in the swamps when I first met her. Then when she came here that first time and after, what happened? She failed the Seven Wonders and went to Hell, she was ran out of her home by some asshat witch hunter, she got into a huge fight with Madison..."
"Speaking of which, what happened to that stone-cold bitch anyway? I feel like I never actually saw her leave," Queenie questioned as she went in for more popcorn.
The witch had barely finished her sentence when Kyle answered her in an uncomfortable tone. "She packed super fast and transmutated before anyone could see her." The girls gave him a funny look, but dismissed his peculiar response as a result of whatever scars that narcissistic bitch had left on him.
"Anyway," Zoe started, bringing everyone back on topic, "Kyle's right. It's isn't unlikely that Misty might not feel safe here anymore... In fact, she'd probably feel more secure if she were somewhere else... But in the end, I think we can respect whatever decision she makes. After all she's been through, the least we could do is be understanding."
The others nodded in agreement, but once the song ended, the radio was silenced. "People are trying to sleep after all," Queenie said with a light shrug.
...
"Cas, say something." Castiel had been standing by the bedroom window, focusing on the horizon that lay behind tall trees and expensive looking houses. He had been silent ever since they entered. Though not exactly out of character, it was... unsettling.
Cordelia didn't seem to be paying too much attention when she granted the two of them permission to stay at the academy for the night. She was too focused on Misty to remember that she didn't have full trust in them. The guest room had one bed, and if angels slept, Cas would have been sleeping on the couch where Dean's body was set down, covered in a thin sheet. Neither of them really trusted leaving the man's body anywhere else at this time. It was best to be able to keep an eye on him, but at the same time, it was pretty unbearable.
"Cas, I get it. I'm aware it isn't exactly comforting to have him in here with us, but I know that's not the only thing that's bothering you." Sam approached the angel, but managed to keep a bit of distance between each other.
"How many times..." Cas finally started, "...will something like this happen before it truly becomes impossible to save one of you?"
Sam took a step closer. "...What?"
"I'm not always the best with feelings..." Cas slowly began to turn around to face Sam, "...but every time this happens... every time I come close to losing you or Dean forever... I feel like something inside me dies as well..." He cast a somewhat woeful glance at the elder Winchester's body before gazing solemnly at the ground.
"Cas..."
"I went down to Hell today, but it wasn't just Hell. Something was different." He paused a moment at the sound of muffled music coming from the floor below, allowing his words to float in the air for a little while. "It was that girl's personal Hell, and I saw everything she did, but somehow, even though they weren't my memories, I felt the effects. Just by being down there, I was given a feeling of what my personal Hell would be like. By being down there, I realized what my greatest fear was, and Sam..." He suddenly made eye contact, "...that's losing you and Dean for good."
Sam said nothing at first. His response was a melancholic nod. Castiel turned to the window again to gaze out into the night. "We aren't losers, Cas," Sam remarked, though there was no visible reaction from the angel. "We look after each other. We protect one another, and you know we would be damned before we'd let one of us die like that." He finally permitted himself to go forward, placing a hand on Castiel's shoulder. "We're family. All three of us. We stick together because it's what we do. Don't you forget that."
The younger Winchester brother gave the angel a reassuring pat before returning to bed. He didn't see the warm smile form on Castiel's face as he pulled the covers over his head.
...
A gasp, a shout, a cry. "Misty! Misty, it's alright, I'm here!" Cordelia stood by her bed, taking ahold of the younger witch's hands. The poor thing was having a nightmare, which was to be expected. It was sad; Cordelia wondered if her friend would ever be the same again. She spent a few minutes mollifying the woman before speaking. "Nothing else will happen. You're safe now."
"B-But, Miss Delia... I... I ain't..."
Cordelia looked puzzled. "Misty... What do you mean?"
"I mean... What I'm tryna say is... I ain't safe... here I mean. I ain't safe here."
Cordelia shook her head, smiling uncomfortably. "W-What are you saying? Of course you're safe here, we're not going to let anything happen to you! No no, never again!"
"Miss Delia, you don't understand..." Misty rapidly shook her head, causing one of the feathers she decorated her long, blonde waves with to dance its way down to rest on the quilt. "Ever since I came to this place the first time... I had bad vibes... very bad vibes... and they di'n get any better the longer I stayed..." Her eyes seemed to open a bit wider, as if she were physically experiencing a revelation. "And I realize... they ain't gonna get any better... s'long as I'm still here..."
Cordelia was still for a few moments. Misty's words played like a sad melody in her mind as she determined what the witch was trying to say. "Misty, you aren't saying... You want to leave?"
"It's nothing 'gainst you or the girls, Miss Delia, but after what happen'd, I just... I can't stay... I need to go..."
"Misty please..." Tears were forming in the corners of Cordelia's eyes. "I don't want to risk losing you again... It was hard enough knowing you were down there the first time! And now with Myrtle gone I just can't handle that kind of loss on my own!"
That was bad news. Misty was wondering where Myrtle Snow was. The woman had so much confidence in her and, quite frankly, it wasn't hard for Misty to respect the whimsical woman who had been Cordelia's true maternal figure. She wished she could comfort Cordelia in a similar way... For the time being, she offered the woman her arms, which she accepted gratefully.
"You won't lose me again, Miss Delia," Misty whispered reassuringly. "After all, you always told me that all I needed was stronger intent."
The weeping woman sniggered into Misty's shoulder at the memory. After holding her close for a few moments, she drew herself away. "I guess I've forgotten how strong you are..." She wiped her nose and stood up straight. "You just do what you need to do to feel safe, but don't expect to not see me again later."
Misty giggled a little bit. "I'll be prepared." She pulled the covers up a bit, smiling. "Thanks, Miss Delia."
Cordelia smiled back full-heartedly. "You're welcome, Misty."
The Supreme made her way to the door, beginning to close it behind her, when suddenly,
"Miss Delia?"
She poked her head back into the room. "Yes?"
"We make a great team."
Cordelia's heart turned soft and light as she beamed at the other witch. "Yes, Misty. We do." Without another word, she shut the door behind her.